markcincinnati

I see, from time-to-time, discussions about the sport package option, wheel size option and ride quality.

One theme seems to run through: the sport package makes the A4's ride, "harsh." Moreover, a sub-theme appears to be that the 19" sport package is harder still than the 18" sport package.

A side effect of lower and lower profile tires is typically a "more firm" ride -- the sidewall is both "thinner" and stiffer. The primary effect is that the car will be more responsive to the steering inputs as the tire gets wider and the sidewall gets stiffer -- and that the tires go to Max Performance.

So, in a nutshell: given identical sport suspensions two A4's, one with 18" and one with 19" will ride more stiffly than the same car's without the sport suspension; and, the 19" equipped version will ride more stiffly than the 18" version.

Frankly, the 18" tires are 40 series and the 19" tires are 35 series and once you go below 45 series, well you have to expect and accept SOME stiffness increase.

I think what you may be feeling between the 18" vs 19" is that the 18" versions use all season, lower performance tires and the 19" version use summer only, higher performance tires. I know there are differences that would be due to the aspect ratio, but I believe if the tires were otherwise identical, that most butts would not find THAT much differenct between a 40 series and a 35 series tire.

Audi, recently, has taken to using either Grand Touring All Seasons or (sometimes) Ultra high performance All Seasons -- and the tires of choice seem to be selected for: long life, road noise and performance: in that order!

On the other hand, Audi seems to use Max Performance Summer Only tires on the RS and S cars (and ditto on the A4 Prestige with the 19" Sport or SLine option.)

There are a few (very, very few) 19" all season 35 series tires of the correct tread width available -- Yoko and Goodyr do have tires that are supposed to give us reasonable approximations of the Max Performance tires but with all season friendliness plus a quiet ride. When you get these UHP A/S tires you can typically get good performance and road noise, but you will lose something on the lifespan component. Perhaps a longer life span A/S tire will come to market soon in the 19" x 255 x 35 size. Who knows.

OK, so if you want the 19" wheels you must get the 19" sport package or SLine -- and if you do, you will, TODAY, get the Summer Only Max Performance tires and they will, when compared to the same car equipped with 18"-ers ride more stiffly.

The ride stiffness is further exacerbated by the fact that the sport package does have stiffer springs, lower ground clearance and "sport shocks."

The ride stiffness is somewhat mitigated, if you ask me, by the excellent sport seats that come with the sport package (18 or 19 incher.)

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Now, therefore, however, notwithstanding: you can, somewhat, have your cake and eat it too, with the $2,995 option known as Audi Drive Select.

Typically with ADS, you get four, four, four cars in one!

Comfort Auto Dynamic and Individual settings are offered to the A4 driver who has either a 2.0T or 3.2 with the tiptronic transmission. If ADS is offered with the manual transmission it would, of course, lack the ability to control the transmission's shifting characteristics. I have seen several A4's with ADS -- alas, none with the 6MT, only with the Tiptronic.

My Prestige + 19" sport package equipped A4 with ADS can be set to dynamic -- and generally speaking I would say "uncle" as the ride is beyond stiff, all the way to harsh (now that doesn't mean there are times that dynamic is just what you need and want -- and it also doesn't mean that dynamic isn't fun, it IS!)

Likewise I can set the ADS to comfort, once I reach my cruising speed on Ohio's Interstate roads (75+mph), and the ride is buttery smooth -- expansion joints are still there but they don't give my dentist any reason to order a bigger boat. Remember I have the 19" Max Performance wheel tire package as part of the sport package -- and I can say "buttery smooth" without crossing my fingers.

Auto mode is a bit of a mystery to me -- is it truly constantly changing, adapting and morphing between comfort and dynamic settings as it sees fit?

Beats me.

Most of the time, I use the individual mode, the rest of the time, I use comfort mode (on the 100 mile jaunt between Cincinnati and Columbus.)

For me, individual means setting everything to "dynamic" except the suspension piece, I set that to "auto" (I used to set it on comfort but found too much body roll crept into the equation.)

So, if the $2,995 price tag doesn't blunt your interest AND you want the best handling (from the factory) possible, I would endorse, strongly endorse, getting the 19" sport package AND the ADS options together.

If you test two sport equipped A4's back to back just remember that the 18" version probably has tires that ARE softer riding, but you gets and you gives -- so it is, ultimately, up to you to decide.

I thought you might at least want to have some further inputs before you automatically go for the 18" package 'cause it rides better.

A more true test would be having IDENTICAL tires (one 18" and one 19" version of the same tire, either Max Performance Summer or High Performance All Season) on two sport suspension equipped cars driven back to back over the same circuit.

A final test would be to do the same thing with cars equipped with ADS so that you could see and feel for yourself.

Hope this helps.

Drive it like you live.

I love ADS, if you couldn't tell -- but I'd love it a lot more if it were about $1,000 less.

mktt

Well written post

ColoradoQuattro

Everything I've read so far indicates that the 18" sport package comes with max performance summer tires. It sounds like the most recent deliveries are coming with Pirelli P7s.

I would imagine that the only thing making the 19" sport package more stiff than the 18" would be the reduction in sidewall height as you mentioned.

I'll be picking mine up a week from tomorrow. I would have actually preferred all season tires, but that wasn't an option.

markcincinnati

The 18" sport package does come with Summer tires.

I stand corrected.

This seems to be a bit of a departure from some of the previous order configurators which would specify the plus sized wheels and tires as coming with A/S tires but with no charge Summer only tires available.

Now, then, that would suggest that back to back tests with cars with ADS would still be in order.

kerrydel1

I agree with Mark on ADS. I just didn't want the hassle of the summer/winter tire swap, so I stuck with non-sport non-s line Prestige. Plus I like the 18" 5-spoke wheels the best.

Kerry

Edwin_b8_a4

Is there a difference between the magnetic shocks used for a sports package A4 and a standard A4?