A8 auto 'box sport mode setting

[ghemmings]

I have heard that you can set the auto 'box on the A8 to a sport mode using vag-com. Does anyone know how to set this. I have just bought the full vag-com 409 licence, so I assume this should be possible. Has anyone tried doing this and does it make any difference? Cheers.

[PsYcHe]

www.audipages.com has all the details on it.

I think the UK models had the 'sport' mode settign by default anyway though.

[nikw]

I've had mine in both 'sport coding' and normal coding and I prefer the normal coding.

IMHO the sport coding makes the five speed box too eager to shift up into fourth and then fifth on a light/medium throttle resulting in the engine bogging down (in as much as a 4-and-a-bit litre V8 can 'bog down'). You then have to make it kick back down to third/fourth in order to continue accelerating at the pace you were.

The S8 has much shorter fourth and fifth gear ratios, for which the sport coding makes more sense.

With normal coding my box hangs on to third a bit longer meaning that the big rev drop between third and fourth doesn't leave the engine languishing below 1,500 rpm. I didn't notice any difference in shift speed either.

That said, it's good to have the choice. Try it - your mileage may vary.

[ronmcl]

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the sport coding makes the five speed box too eager to shift up into fourth and then fifth

[/ QUOTE ]

Seems strange that, doesn't it? You'd expect one of the key functions of a 'sport' mode would be to hold it in lower gears for longer, not change up sooner.

[Atomic]

Doesnt it somewhat depend on how you have your foot on the throttle. Imo a sport box should be more eager to move up and down - which is exactly what this switch does.

[nikw]

Bear in mind that this isn't a 'sport mode' we're talking about. It's activating a configuration that the box wasn't really intended to use.

The D2 A8 boxes have, I believe, 257(!) different shift strategies to choose from depending upon how you are driving. A8 boxes for different world markets are all mechanically identical, differing only in their base shift strategies ('coding'). For example, the North American cars have a coding which makes them shift into top gear at the earliest opportunity and reluctant to downshift unless kick-down is activated, so some US owners prefer to apply the European coding to make their cars more responsive.

As far as I know, the D2 S8 box is mechanically identical to the A8 box except for shorter fourth and fifth gear ratios (and possibly a shorter final drive ratio - I don't know). It also has its own coding, the so called 'sport coding', which makes it downshift more readily than an A8. It will also upshift into fourth and fifth earlier on a light throttle because the shorter gearing allows it to without bogging down. Finally, the sport coding makes the box more likely to select an aggressive shift strategy in response to a change in your driving style.

Because of the difference in A8 & S8 gear ratios I don't think the sport coding suits the box in my car as well as the standard coding - I find the shift points well judged for how I drive the car the majority of the time. If I start driving more aggressively the box changes its behaviour accordingly, hanging on to gears longer, shifting down earlier/more readily and so forth. If I really want to push hard then I'll probably start using Tiptronic mode to hold gears and shift down in anticipation of corners, roundabouts, overtakes etc.

Of course four speed A8s are another matter! Botang is clear that he prefers how his four speed box behaves with the sport coding applied.

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I should point out that I've formed my opinions regarding these boxes based upon experience of my and Botang's A8s, my father's S8 and in no small part PaulW's article.

[Atomic]

[ QUOTE ]

For example, the North American cars have a coding which makes them shift into top gear at the earliest opportunity and reluctant to downshift unless kick-down is activated, so some US owners prefer to apply the European coding to make their cars more responsive.

[/ QUOTE ]

Would love to have this setting... Most of the time in my A8 I'm at 40-41 mph and I have to flick over to tip mode and select 5th then return to auto - most frustrating.

[nikw]

You might want to try the 00002 coding then.

[Atomic]

A might also need access to a VAGCOM too

[nikw]

True! Have a look in the VAG-COM forum - there's bound to be someone helpful near you.

[ghemmings]

Thanks for all the advice. I bought a VAG-COM licence and started to have a play. The original coding was set to 00001 so I set the coding to 00011. I feel this works really well for my driving style (fast country roads mostly, with lots of gear changes). The transmission definately feels more responsive and seems to change up a little later than the 00001 setting. Still, I've only done about 20 miles with this setting, so I'll see how I get on over the next few hundred miles or so.