rktskicar

do you have sport diff or ADS? Sport diff is called ADS lite.

Bruce

Majorafro

Me? Diff. But if you have neither, is the car in what we call Auto?

LeadToRome

If by that you men in the sense of "Look, there goes an Auto.", then yes. Otherwise it's just called an S4, or perhaps "an S4 w/o ADS or the Sports Diff.", if you feel like saying a lot of words. Or am I misunderstanding your question?

Majorafro

Misunderstood...for models without either ADS/ADS lite what, for example, does their throttle setting equate to for cars with ADS/ADS lite? Comfort? Dynamic? Auto?

NWS4Guy

It's something closer to dynamic but is approximately what Auto does. Stock is pretty good actually.

NowIsGood

To the SD, ADS adds electronic suspension dampening and "Dynamic Steering", which provides a dynamically variable steering ratio. I'm very happy with the adjustable suspension, which provides a very comfortable ride that can change to be track-worthy. I've also come to really like the variable ratio steering, which is quite subtle in operation but in particular makes it easier for me to track a straight line at higher speeds.

I think the ADS really shines in the "Auto" setting, which someone else here referred to as being under-rated. I'd agree. It's not just an average/compromise. The car is constantly monitoring the driving situation and dynamically adjusting the various functions to fit the circumstance. It's the best of both worlds in real time.

I believe the throttle response is affected in manual transmission cars as well. But note that you get this with "ADS Lite" (sport diff, plus Nav to give the mode-selection for throttle response, steering boost, and sport diff adjustment).

I would still really like my car without it, but the ADS suspension adds the perfect sport/luxury combo and the Dynamic Steering is a nice bonus. For me, it was well worth the price.

-Frank

drrick89

I have the rear diff and usually leave in Auto (unless I know I'm about to take one of my patented, full throttle from a stop, right angle turns).

But, I have S-Tronic and always leave it the manual gate unless I'm in a neighborhood (where it's always in the auto gate). Now, every one in a while I'll throw it into 5th and coast when I'm on the highway when there's no driving competition (300-400+ hp) around. Rarely, I'll bump it up into 6th or 7th just to see how long I can stand it (about 3-5 seconds).

Question: Given my driving style, will I get even worse gas mileage if I just leave it in Dynamic when on the road?

NWS4Guy

If you are controlling shifts and just cruising the same speed, the MPG should be about the same. All Dynamic does is make the throttle respond faster and open more given the same amount of pedal if you had it in Auto or Comfort, as well as let it rev higher in each gear. You overriding the gear takes care of the last part, and driving at a consistent speed makes the throttle response moot as well as having a more aggresive opening since you would be cruising at a constant speed.

westwest888

I have "ADS lite" aka the sports rear differential. All S4 cars come with Servotronic steering. I'm not sure if the ADS+ has even better steering. All I know is when I hit "dynamic" my wheel gets about 3x stiffer.

NWS4Guy

If you don't have Sport Diff or ADS (which includes the Diff anyway), you won't have the buttons, and therefore cannot adjust steering feedback