tribe

If money hadn't been a factor I would have purchased "with" sport diff but navigation was a priority and I was able get a very good price for an S4 with s-tronic and no sport diff.

I already have 700 miles on it and yesterday I went on some spirited driving through twisty roads around cornfields close to my work.

The car turns like a dream! Like on rails. It's so much fun to drive!!

I can't say I miss anything on the car in the handling department... I can only imagine how much better it must be with the sport diff even though I don't think I would dare take those turns much faster than I already did. so I'm wondering If I need the diff or more *****!! lol

What's your experience?

riu

I dont have it and think the car drives and handles GREAT! But I would have to drive the other one to know i guess.

my2ndaudi

I don't have it.....and I think the car is fantastic. Of course, I purposefully never drove one with a sports diff (even had a few opportunities) so I wouldn't know the difference! I just couldn't see myself ever needing the sports diff on an on/off ramp. Now, someday I'll get a track car......then I'd like sports diff plus a full STaSIS (or equivalent) tune.

t0mt0m

don't have it, drove one with it...didn't really notice the difference
on the track it may be different thou

i know some manuals who are apr stage II are having issues with putting the power to the ground. I am sending mine out today to get it re-flashed...we will see what happens

Captain Tuttle

You can't miss what don't have.

As long as you are enjoying your car, that's the only thing that matters.

Brick Oven

FWIW, I've got a loaner currently that is without the sport diff. The car I own has one. I went through some twisties following a buddy of mine after picking up the loaner and in the turns I miss it pretty badly. Sure it's still fun to drive, but I have to say it is less fun.

Where it really transforms the car is on exit: with a sport diff it's almost like the more gas you give it the more it wants to turn. In a way, more like a RWD car: steering with the throttle, as they say. When you hit the point where you hold the wheel steady and actively modulate your heading through an exit with the gas pedal, that's where I find the fun. Without the diff I found the only way I can get the car to reliably rotate is lift throttle, and the contrast between the two is (I feel) noticeable. It feels slower around turns because you simply can't gas it as hard. How much slower it is in reality I can't say.

Again, take this all with a grain of salt. I didn't exactly drive the same road back to back with the diff and without.

gk1

The S4 without Sports Diff is no slouch. Having had several Audi's in the past this S4 definitely handles the best of any of them. As others have indicated for most driving you might not notice or miss the Sports Diff, if you didn't have it, but once you experience it in action it is quite nifty. It definitely makes it handle less like all its predecessors but IMHO you have to be cornering quite hard or at high speed to really notice it I presume it is functioning at lower speeds and corner forces it is just not as noticeable (probably means it is well sorted). I am curious to see its behavior in the snow.

mellow_sparky

this totally depends on driving style. on most of my regular commute, I rarely get above 40 MPH - so on a daily basis the sport diff makes no difference.

However when I had the car on a track (or when I'm out for spirited driving early mornings on the weekend) there is a noticable handling difference in hard corners.

This car is great and depending on your driving style most will be fine without the sport diff (but i have to say the oversteer is pretty fun on a wet on ramp!)