socrates23

Hello all,

I've been browsing through this forum for the past few days as I've been interested in the 06 S4 model. This layout for a forum is new to me, as I am accustomed to the forum style you can find at g35driver.com.

Yes, I currently have an 04 G35 coupe 6MT, and my wife and I are looking for a new sedan in manual transmission. I just have a few questions:

Is the S4 suitable as a daily driver? (approx. 30 miles to and from the office, highway and local roads, medium traffic)

Children are of no concern right now, so I am looking for playing around with the S4, such as exhaust mods. Primarily I am more inclined towards mods that will make the car sound more beautiful than it is right now, so can you provide a link or a sound clip to certain exhausts/cats/intakes? I do not intend on going FI or playing with the engine directly, just want to hear a sweet note with the windows down or even up.

Color-wise, I would love to get the car in Imola Yellow as it does look good in some pictures I have seen online, but can anyone provide a picture with a correct white balance? Seems like some Imola Yellows I found on ebaymotors look a little dull and washed out.

Last question: I understand the 06 line of S4s come with a 40/60 torque split front/rear. Has anyone actually noticed a difference when it comes to "spirited" driving between this asymmetrical balance and the previous 50/50 split?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

ari (audiless)

The S4 makes a great daily driver. I have a similar commute and have no problems. The ride is firm but compliant enough for potholed roads without hurting you. Spend some time in the seat before purchasing if you have lower back problems. I have a cabriolet, with the regular Audi sport seats rather than Recaros. My buddy and I went skiing recently in his S4 sedan with the Recaros and I couldn't find a seating setup in his car that worked for my back.

Exhaust mods are out there, Miltek, Labree and AWE being the ones folks here are using. Check with each for B7 availability. I think Labree should be available soon, the others I'm not sure.

Imola Yellow is gorgeous. In person it is absolutely the nicest yellow on a car I've ever seen. Personally, I'm not sure I'd want to attract that much attention, but if you like a yellow car, this is the one.

Haven't driven an '06 yet, so can't comment on the new torque split.

Good luck with your decision. I think you'll love the car.

socrates23

Thank you for your insight!

Yes, I'm not much of a person looking for a lot of attention because of the color, but in some pictures the yellow looks gorgeous, it's just so tempting. Per your suggestion about the Recaro seats, I will have to look into that and play around in a test drive hopefully.

Again, thanks for the suggested companies to take a look at for aftermarket exhausts.

DrGP

Range on this car is somewhere between 200-250 miles per tank in mixed city /highway driving. You may have some owners say they get more but the reality is that you will get 14-15 mph in town and 20-22 mpg on the highwy. Mixed driving will fall in between. Gas tank will read empty with 15 gals to fill. There is supposed to be a 2 gal reserve.

socrates23

With that in mind I will go see if I can purchase illegal barrels of oil from OPEC.

I went to the Stratmosphere website, seeing that it is one of the more popular ones to go to, and I see that there exists two version of the milltek catback exhaust system: resonated, and non-resonated. It doesn't say what the difference is between these two. My assumption is that the non-resonated is a notch louder than the resonated version?

ari (audiless)

I think there's also a bit coarser sound to the non-res.

BTW, Doc - 20-22 on the highway? For real? I don't think I've seen the sunny side of 20 yet, even with 75-80% of a tank done on the highway. Perhaps with a little more break-in. I've only got 7K on the clock.

Bob W.

...but mine is tiptronic. Personally, I wouldn't want to do that much driving every day with the 6spd. If you haven't taken a tiptronic for a test drive, I would recommend it...if you do, make sure to try in in 'S' mode. Believe me, I had absolutely no intention of getting this car with an auto tranny...until I drove it. And yes, I test drove the 6spd too...twice in fact...didn't like the shifter position or the clutch uptake.

The only downside is frequent fuel refilling....basically I'm using about 1/4 tank of gas per day (during the work week). But the upsides (performance, luxury, safety, etc.) outweigh the downside by a lot.

gtikid98

i had an 01' S4 and in slick conditions it really wasnt too exciting( Brother has an 98 M3 and my truck is a 04 ram HEMI, those 2 are a little 2 much to control.) My 06 S4 is more *** happy for sure. even with ESP on, the back lets go a little more, but it is a much appreciated addition, in my opinion. It is subtle, but adds a bit more "sport" than the 50/50 split. Hope this helps.

socrates23

Is the "S" mode unavailable in the manual transmission model?

socrates23

Yes it does! In your opinion, is the break away progressive and predictable, or just plain sudden and jittery? I guess this question has to do more with the tires you have, but in your experience what do you think?