jmpryor1984

Both are great cars. Curious as to the groups thoughts. I believe W12 was much l lower volume, and offered extended wheelbase when S8 did not include that option until 2019. They are clearly marketed towards different groups. Which would you have given the opportunity?

Striker2237

I have "both" since I have a 4.0 that is tuned to S8 levels.

The W12 is superior to drive and in all other aspects, the 4.0 is faster but that's all it has

A8L_New_England

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I'd rather have an S8 than my tuned A8L... not the same, exactly. But as you said, "They are clearly marketed towards different groups". Which group are you in?
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2turbos4rings

Definitely pretty different to drive. The W12 is 10x more rare than the S8 and carried a base price $30k more than the S8, but the S8 has wildly more tuning potential . The S8 is more taut than the W12 and doesn’t mind corners as much with the SWB and more dynamically tuned suspension and the W12 is more supple

W12= rarity, exclusivity and back seat. Plus the unique feel of a 12 cylinder that can’t be emulated with turbos

S8= speed, aggressive looks & something that gets noticed more on the road

Both are heavy-hitters and most anyone would be happy in either. Most people choose the S8 and most people don’t even know the W12 exists haha!

If you want way more information than anyone needs I have a channel on YouTube dedicated to the W12

Link

A8L_New_England

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I recently found myself scrutinizing the LWB vs. SWB, side view. IMO, the SWB has a nicer profile, as its lines just sweep better.
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And well, let's face it... as you said, better handling.
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2turbos4rings

I agree, definitely a more balanced looking car in SWB and especially with the lower moldings on the facelift Sport and S8.

Better handling in terms of sharp cornering and dynamic change of direction goes to the SWB. But longer wheelbase increases stability and grip through reduced load transfer to the tires and lower center of gravity. In fact the W12 LWB with its 50-75lb heavier engine (S8 V8 and 4.2 respectively) and 50lb heavier bodywork hits the skid pad with .03 better road holding than SWB (P Zero Nero as a control tire)

5” makes a sizeable difference it a seems

A8L_New_England

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Interesting! Their longer, heavier car goes through the skid pad with .03 of something better than their sport model. Audi must have been very disappointed to discover this...!
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Good thing for the S8 that real world driving is more like sharp cornering and dynamic change of direction, than driving on a skid pad
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I forgot, does/can the W12 have the sport differential like the S8? And I wonder if modern tires have made any difference
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2turbos4rings

Haha! Yeah shocking I know but the W12 has the same adaptive sport dampers as the S8, same anti-roll bars, same brakes, yes the W12 has the sport diff as an option. The wheels and tires aren’t even any wider

The S8 doesn’t actually have much different other than some styling and ECU tuning on the steering and suspension and the turbo V8. But then vs the 4.0T the differences are even smaller

A skid pad would measuring the road holding for a sweeping corner or a single direction turn. The slalom measures rapid change of direction (spoiler alert, no D4 does well here)

edit: tires make ALL the difference. Summer tires on the W12 and all season on the S8 and the W12 will run slalom fastest. R compound on any D4 will completely transform them in the corners. A proper corner carver (with tons of body roll)

Striker2237

The W12 not only can have the diff but the same shocks as well, mine does and it's a massive difference vs a car that doesn't have the option.

It just feels like a longer S8 but the amount you can push it is the same and it reacts plenty quickly and 4 wheel slides fine and I've gotten partial air/3 wheels on the ground at 130mph through sweeping turns enough times to be more than happy with what it can do.

I would never buy any D4 that doesn't have the sport options after having felt the difference between my two cars. If you add some more serious bars and something like Cup2 R tires you will have insane grip and transient response for a car this size but be prepared to replace suspension bushings often since they will get hammered by the load.

A8L_New_England

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btw, am I the only one who noticed that the OP authored two other threads:
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W12 with Active Warranty Spotted on Craigslist!
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W12 Equipped 2012 Audi A8L - Still Under Audi Warranty until May'26! (in the marketplace)
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