I'd be in heaven... I must say, right after I start the car and really romp on the gas pedal, the car accelerates great (it's actually kinda freaky how fast it feels when flying out of the parking lot from work)... however, after driving around for a while, the acceleration seems to fade... the turbo lag starts feeling a little longer and there isn't that "slammed against the back of the seat" type acceleration. Is this dip in performance so noticable because of the summer heat, or is it pretty much this way in all temperatures?
Brett- APR
08-03-1999, 08:05 PM
Many of the clearances in the motor (pistons, for instance) will not be correct until the engine reaches operating temperature (this is due to thermal expansion). I like to see the coolant needle at the 1/3rd mark or so before I push it hard. BTW, loading the car when the engine is cold can greatly accelerate engine wear.
Brett
APR
JMorrison
08-04-1999, 04:49 AM
Hammering a cold turbocharged engine will probably induce "thermal shock" which is not good for the internals. Transmission and clutch also need a chance to warm up before stressed.
Todd W
08-04-1999, 11:23 AM
I try to reduce the spiritedness of my driving until I get out of the parking lot, and then all bets are off. I don't pound on it just for the heck of it, but I drive it like a normal car. Several hundred thousand miles of this treatment has yet to hurt an Audi engine that I have seen. The only data point that I can give you about how I drive is that it is 1.5 miles to work and the radiator fan is running when I lock the car and go into the office.
Ideally you want the oil temperature, or at least the viscosity, near final values. For me that happens before I get past the first stoplight. I run synthetic with a low viscosity spread, be more careful with dino or 5/2000 multigrade oils. I also change the oil religiously, so I don't have coked oil problems.
When I go to the track I warm up the tires, by then the rest of the car is more than ready.
Todd W
old school TQ's