doogal1972 Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 Just wondering if any of you old hands can shed any light or pass on some advice about driving styles with the Quattro system. Main thing is it's abit understeery in the wet. I thought the quattro would kick in and help bring the back round if you put your foot in a bit, but it just seems to understeer a bit too much. Is this just how the S3 drives or are there tips to get the best out of the semi 4wd, especially in the wet? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gren Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 Quattro will do that more in the dry I've found but all the time your front end will be sliding out anyway. You can get a bit of 4 wheel drift going on sometime in the wet if you really try. ESP will sort it out better but often a bit too violently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doogal1972 Posted October 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 So is it best to turn off the esp when beind a tad adventurous then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomk Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 lol bagsy not drive behind you ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gren Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 [ QUOTE ] So is it best to turn off the esp when beind a tad adventurous then? [/ QUOTE ] If you've got a bit of space around you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doogal1972 Posted October 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 What I'm hoping for is a load of snow this year so I can burn round the massive open carparks at Silverstone learning the art of drifting. I think I need to find the limit of what my car can do and when it steps out but I'm not exactly over keen on doing that on the roads! That would irresponsible now wouldn't it?! I agree with the fact you can really feel the quattro in the dry though, it just pushes you out of the roundabouts so sweetly. Shame it doesn't do it in the wet so well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingermouse Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 if you want to drive the car propaly then switch the esp off its a lot nicer to drive. If the car feels like its understearing just ease off a little get the grip back then feed the power back on smoothly. then wipe the grin off your face Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doogal1972 Posted October 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 So you reckon ESP off all the time and let the quattro sort it out? Even in the wet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a18eem Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 hi , i had the same understeer 'problem ' i would turn into a road..at speed ofcourse and end up taking half of the other lane up. i couldn`t understand why then found out what under/over steer is and prefered oversteer (had bmw 330) before. i read about the haldex upgrade from amd and got that done.now i just love switching my esp off and going around roundabouts... two or three times as you would.... SIDEWAYS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingermouse Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 in the snow you deffo need the esp off and in the wet its better with the esp off in fact leave it off lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doogal1972 Posted October 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 I know the difference and which I prefer between under and oversteer. Just wondered why the quattro wasn't giving me more RWD out of roundabouts in the wet. Does the haldex upgrade give you more bias towards the rear? I've spent too long driving FWD cars and now I have 4WD (sort of) I thought it'd be a bit better for the rear wheels but it appears not then. Suppose your 280PS is helping too cos with that output it must chucking loads of power to the rears! Mine is standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo-S3 Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 Good luck driving with it off all the time. The ESP has been installed in your car for a purpose ... ie SAFETY ! Weve had this discussion before and the general consensous was that its a safety device that is meant to be left on for the majority of the time. You get caught out and im sure your insurance company wont be impressed when they interrogate your car. Unless your superhuman and you can do much better than the ESP's 000's of corrections per second! Your call ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingermouse Posted October 29, 2005 Report Share Posted October 29, 2005 how would switching the esp off go against my insurance ??? I find the car is actually safer with the esp off its feels more predictable I just hate it when you boot it round a corner and the esp decides oh no you dont, then switch it off do the same corner same speed and the car just holds the line. I suppose it depends on everyones driving style. If you often out drive yourself then leave it on. In the snow though you deffo have to switch it off to get up hills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHA Posted October 29, 2005 Report Share Posted October 29, 2005 [ QUOTE ] I find the car is actually safer with the esp off [/ QUOTE ] Was silly of Audi to add it as standard then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a18eem Posted October 29, 2005 Report Share Posted October 29, 2005 hi dude, what the haldex upgrade does is to push more power to the back almost imm. if you put your foot down ,it picks up the message and throws the power to the back..hence over steer! you can read more about it at the amd web site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitas3 Posted October 29, 2005 Report Share Posted October 29, 2005 having driven an S3 hard with the Haldex controller upgrade fitted, I'd say that the only benefit to be gained from this upgrade is for on the track! I'm not rushing to do it on my own S3 and I like my trackdays too. I leave my ESP on mostly but definitely turn it off when I'm on the track. Its too intrusive otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted October 29, 2005 Report Share Posted October 29, 2005 christ Simon can you have a less headache inducing avatar! I leave esp on on mine. Its a safety device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitas3 Posted October 29, 2005 Report Share Posted October 29, 2005 [ QUOTE ] christ Simon can you have a less headache inducing avatar! [/ QUOTE ] sorry mate! will that do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted October 29, 2005 Report Share Posted October 29, 2005 far better on the eyes! Thanks mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wikkus Posted November 7, 2005 Report Share Posted November 7, 2005 What no-one seems to have mentioned (and it's not just S3 owners that are guilty of this -- <looks pointedly at M3 drivers>) is that there is a preconception that all the electronic doo-dads and whiz-bangs allow one to drive like a total c*nt and the car will sort it out. Not true. I find I'm quickest when I'm sm-o-o-o-th. I seldom turn the ESP off unless I want to get an uber-quick getaway in the dry. If you drive like a ham-fisted muppet then no amount of jiggery-pokery is going to allow you to be quick. As others have said (or implied) the quattro set-up on the S3 is essentially front-wheel-drive for most of the time and it's a front-wheel-drive chassis, after all. Moreover, pretty much all FWD chassis (and some RWD ones) are set up to understeer by the factory. Dialling this out to make it more neutral is a bit of an art and, as has been mentioned, the haldex upgrade is one of the things that the S3 needs if you're an, *ahem*, enthusuastic driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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