Drove a 350Z last night. The car's ride/handling was firm, but not abusive. Can an S4 be setup....
04-29-2004, 05:17 AM
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Drove a 350Z last night. The car's ride/handling was firm, but not abusive. Can an S4 be setup....
to handle like that. I'm more impressed with the 350Z than the C5 or Z06. I'd say a 350Z automatic is as fast as a stock S4.
04-29-2004, 05:20 AM
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Can a 3700 lbs. AWD car with 60/40 weight distribution be set up to handle like a 3200 lbs. car with
50/50 weight distribution, but keep ride quality? Stasis Tracksport or Motorsport suspension is as close as you're going to get, and I suspect that as you approach the handling of the Z, you're going to lose ride quality.
04-29-2004, 05:47 AM
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well, go with some high spring rates and lighten the interior..
and you might get a car that corners as well.
I see you don't have an suspension set up. Go with that and you'll like the feeling. Better yet, go test drive the B6 S4 and once you get suspension, it would be very similar. (less body roll)
But for our cars to handle like a RWD, I think this is going to be difficult to obtain. (but you can immulate that by stiffening the rear)
I see you don't have an suspension set up. Go with that and you'll like the feeling. Better yet, go test drive the B6 S4 and once you get suspension, it would be very similar. (less body roll)
But for our cars to handle like a RWD, I think this is going to be difficult to obtain. (but you can immulate that by stiffening the rear)
04-29-2004, 05:52 AM
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The biggest problem with the S4 is its weight distribution. A friend of mine has a 350Z track and my
brother has a 330i and I'll tell you those cars are so much more balanced than my S4 that it's not even funny. I've never driven an S4 with an after market suspension, so I can't speak for that but I can tell you a RWD car with 50/50 weight distribution is a lot of fun!
04-29-2004, 05:58 AM
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what mpwolf said...given what the S4 inherently is...a heavy small sedan with a 60/40
distribution...it handles VERY well despite itself...and can be made to handle better...with some minor sacrifices of course.
04-29-2004, 06:50 AM
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I drove an S4 running a set of stasis coilovers..
700F springs.. 800R.. Felt great.. Not as harsh as my TTs setup (PSS9s) and ironically less body roll (amazing what a good setup can do)..Really felt great aside from the extra 600lbs..
Of course with the right mods, an S4 can drop a few lbs..
Of course with the right mods, an S4 can drop a few lbs..
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04-29-2004, 06:56 AM
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You know...a year ago when I came back from Mid Ohio talking about the weight distr and overall pork
ishness of the S4, you insisted that it's all about learning to drive the car. Are you finally changing your tune? If so, was it the BMW that changed your opinion?
04-29-2004, 07:11 AM
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Sort of, the M3 has certainly made me realize what a well setup car feels like on the track.
However, I do think it's possible to learn how to drive with regard to the weight distribution and mass of the S4. I guess when I said it's all about driving the car, I probably should have added, given it's inherent characteristics. Does that make any sense?
04-29-2004, 07:25 AM
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I agreed with you about learning to drive the car...
where we disagreed is on driving "around" the car's weaknesses. You can learn to drive any car better, I just felt no matter how well I learned to drive, it still felt like I was pushing 3600 lbs around the corners. Chip, suspension, swaybars, and even the driver are all fighting physics. The S4 is good at some things...being a track car isn't one of them.