Turns out the S Sport Package is NOT included on the S4 I'm purchasing. Deal breaker?
08-13-2018, 07:10 PM
#51
The S4 is not an understeering pig w/o the diff. Not even close. There are good reasons to get the SD. The improvement is not bovine scatology. However, the S4 without the SD is far from an understeering pig. If your driving needs regularly push the S4 into understeer, you will benefit from the contribution the SD will make.
I hate to admit it, I wish driving wasn't as, uh routine (I almost said mundane) as it is for those of us who drive to and from work on weekdays and to Costco on weekends, etc., but, having said that the S4 with a good set of tires and the brake-based torque management is unlikely to receive much in the way of "benefit" from the SD on the way to and from the office and Costco.
I still would go for it even if it turns out it is primarily for bragging rights or psychological reasons -- but most folks, according to my dealer, just won't pay for something they really don't notice unless the car is driven really aggressively.
This is another reason I say unbundle the red brake calipers because most people would pay for those, just like they'd pay for "S-Line" enhancements which are pretty much "all yak and no shack." Yet, the S-Line offering is purchased because as it turns out, people really like "form" features even though they claim they like "function" features.
How many millions of dollars have been spent on "rear deck-lid spoilers" for cars of all sorts and for decades? Don't answer that. The point is, my guess is folks would pay and pay and pay for "cool looking" features more than they would pay for torque vectoring differentials, especially since most folks are unlikely to notice the difference. For those of "us" (and I generously include myself) that can actually notice the difference, we also know that the vast majority of the time we are driving our cars, the SD will make virtually no difference.
I hate to admit it, I wish driving wasn't as, uh routine (I almost said mundane) as it is for those of us who drive to and from work on weekdays and to Costco on weekends, etc., but, having said that the S4 with a good set of tires and the brake-based torque management is unlikely to receive much in the way of "benefit" from the SD on the way to and from the office and Costco.
I still would go for it even if it turns out it is primarily for bragging rights or psychological reasons -- but most folks, according to my dealer, just won't pay for something they really don't notice unless the car is driven really aggressively.
This is another reason I say unbundle the red brake calipers because most people would pay for those, just like they'd pay for "S-Line" enhancements which are pretty much "all yak and no shack." Yet, the S-Line offering is purchased because as it turns out, people really like "form" features even though they claim they like "function" features.
How many millions of dollars have been spent on "rear deck-lid spoilers" for cars of all sorts and for decades? Don't answer that. The point is, my guess is folks would pay and pay and pay for "cool looking" features more than they would pay for torque vectoring differentials, especially since most folks are unlikely to notice the difference. For those of "us" (and I generously include myself) that can actually notice the difference, we also know that the vast majority of the time we are driving our cars, the SD will make virtually no difference.
08-15-2018, 10:16 AM
#52
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The S4 is not an understeering pig w/o the diff. Not even close. There are good reasons to get the SD. The improvement is not bovine scatology. However, the S4 without the SD is far from an understeering pig. If your driving needs regularly push the S4 into understeer, you will benefit from the contribution the SD will make.
I hate to admit it, I wish driving wasn't as, uh routine (I almost said mundane) as it is for those of us who drive to and from work on weekdays and to Costco on weekends, etc., but, having said that the S4 with a good set of tires and the brake-based torque management is unlikely to receive much in the way of "benefit" from the SD on the way to and from the office and Costco.
I still would go for it even if it turns out it is primarily for bragging rights or psychological reasons -- but most folks, according to my dealer, just won't pay for something they really don't notice unless the car is driven really aggressively.
This is another reason I say unbundle the red brake calipers because most people would pay for those, just like they'd pay for "S-Line" enhancements which are pretty much "all yak and no shack." Yet, the S-Line offering is purchased because as it turns out, people really like "form" features even though they claim they like "function" features.
How many millions of dollars have been spent on "rear deck-lid spoilers" for cars of all sorts and for decades? Don't answer that. The point is, my guess is folks would pay and pay and pay for "cool looking" features more than they would pay for torque vectoring differentials, especially since most folks are unlikely to notice the difference. For those of "us" (and I generously include myself) that can actually notice the difference, we also know that the vast majority of the time we are driving our cars, the SD will make virtually no difference.
I hate to admit it, I wish driving wasn't as, uh routine (I almost said mundane) as it is for those of us who drive to and from work on weekdays and to Costco on weekends, etc., but, having said that the S4 with a good set of tires and the brake-based torque management is unlikely to receive much in the way of "benefit" from the SD on the way to and from the office and Costco.
I still would go for it even if it turns out it is primarily for bragging rights or psychological reasons -- but most folks, according to my dealer, just won't pay for something they really don't notice unless the car is driven really aggressively.
This is another reason I say unbundle the red brake calipers because most people would pay for those, just like they'd pay for "S-Line" enhancements which are pretty much "all yak and no shack." Yet, the S-Line offering is purchased because as it turns out, people really like "form" features even though they claim they like "function" features.
How many millions of dollars have been spent on "rear deck-lid spoilers" for cars of all sorts and for decades? Don't answer that. The point is, my guess is folks would pay and pay and pay for "cool looking" features more than they would pay for torque vectoring differentials, especially since most folks are unlikely to notice the difference. For those of "us" (and I generously include myself) that can actually notice the difference, we also know that the vast majority of the time we are driving our cars, the SD will make virtually no difference.
08-24-2018, 05:18 AM
#53
AudiWorld Uber User
I love the sport diff on every open cloverleaf freeway exit/onramp. I feel all the blood being pulled to one side of my brain until I feel a little retarded.
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