Evil Buddha

if not the best driver we have co drove my RS4 and placed #12 in true time and #9 in Pax out of a field of 72 cars. I still suck and placed #28 true time and #31 in Pax. This car is better on the track than in a Solo II event but she can hold her own against some much lighter heavily modified cars.<ul><li><a href="http://www.n5ukz.net/Sept%203rd_pax.htm">http://www.n5ukz.net/Sept%203rd_pax.htm</a</li></ul>

RI A6

Not bad for a Piggie.

daveak05

to some extent. from all that i've seen, RS4 is making use of its power and speed advantage on the straights...and its lap times are aided there.

RI A6

They are impressive tires on the street, but amazing tires on the track after they get warm.

daveak05

that's why i mentioned better grip(than RWD). but, it is not faster(than its lighter counterparts) in the corners despite better tires.

the grip in cornering will be enhanced but still not its strong point due to weight and some inherent understeer.

we know the BMW's beat it in the corners, but get beat themselves in the straights...right? or at least everything i have read states this...the various road tests at the track...not individual owners experiences/comments.

RI A6

You are correct that stock the understeer kills you. But once you fix that with stiff sway bars and high grip tires, the disadvantages start going away. You also have to get the tire pressures dialed in correctly. Once you do, the RS4 is quite sure footed.

In fact, SteveRS4 had his sways set to maximum stiffness, and found that if driven hard the car was oversteering big time, and kicking the rear end out.

daveak05

i realize it's sure footed, even stock.

is that a desired, controlled oversteer due to stiffer rear sways, or is it hopping out at all?

you want a controlled "breaking loose" rather than a skittishness or sliding around in the rear...you lose speed that way too.

oh, i wanted to ask you how the RE01's are on the street. better grip there too, but how about comfort, quiet ride? that is a great tire and i'm wondering how well you like it overall.

RI A6

With rear sways set to their soft setting, the car is just slightly on the understeer side of neutral. It takes quite a bit of applied power (or throttle cut) to kick out the rear, which is just the way I like it. As a result, you can feather the throttle through a turn to keep the car at maximum adhesion without scrubbing the tires. The RE-01R tires communicate what they are doing really well. They are quite predictable with a slow falloff in grip after peak cornering adhesion. Together with the H-Sports they provide a nice, easily controlled cornering package.

On the street, the grip is still very nice. So far I've driven then down into 50's temperatures, and they still maintain their grip. The 30 sidewall is extremely stiff, so you do feel much more of the road. And there is a high pitched road whine, which is normally drowned out by my exhaust. They are definitely not a quiet comfort tire. But, I didn't expect them to be.

daveak05

advances in compounds have helped in that the tires don't have to be hot to be sticky(grip), so i can see where they would still offer very good grip even at the low temps. and, of course, the tire is heating up on its own at speed.

is that high pitched wine consistent, or only over certain surfaces?

and figured you'd lose some comfort dropping to a 30 sidewall from 35. goes with the territory. hmmm...are you running the PSi close to recommended(Audi) on the street? if not, you might be able to get more compliance by backing off a higher PSi...if you're willing.

RI A6

It's like a bad girlfriend, whining all the time no matter what the surface.

I've dropped the pressure so that she runs about 42 to 44 psi when warm. It's just a stiff tire. On the track we drop the pressure down to about 34 cold and wait for them to heat up.