Audi RS4 vs. Ford SVT Cobra

[Mr Payne]

Understeer too?

[Jimster]

Quattro has absolutely minimal understeer, in fact you'd be a pretty awful driver if you did understeer a Quattro-driven Audi, Quattro has been over 20 years in the making, remember.

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by Mr Payne

Understeer too?

if you are refering to AWD cars having a tendency to understeer compared to RWD car i tend to disagree

while it is true the AWD setup will put more load on the front tires due to the power being transmited to them, the general cornering characteristics of a car are much more determined by their suspension setup than by drivetrain

[TatII]

i'm not sure if this holds true for all audi quattro systems. but for the TT, the car is setup to run FWD until it detects slip, then it sends power to rear. which is kinda backwards if you ask me. i mean why would you want a car that dominately handles like a FWD?

[Kurtdg19]

I would agree that the AWD benefits of the RS4 will hold true through its handling abilities. Although the AWDs neutral steer benefits are more favorable during a cars entering and mid corner phase of the turn, it doesn't compare to the correctability of the RWD power oversteer in the exit phase.

I would have more fun driving a Cobra than the RS4. The feeling of myself controlling the car is much more satisfying than the car controling itself.

The Cobra (IMO) would undoublty out accelerate the RS4, thats where the Cobra's design is greater than the RS4. Can the RS4 outmaster the Cobra on a track? Thats more arguable than the acceleration test if you ask me. So in this sense, which car would be better overall in these two examples?

[Kurtdg19]

On a side note:

An RS4s recommended fuel type is 98 RON. Pretty high octane rating if you ask me. Thats an equivalent of about a 97ish octane rating in the states (R+M/2) which you cannot find at a normal gas station. A Cobra is recommended to run 91 R+M/2, which is equivalent to 92ish RON. The highest R+M/2 rating I've seen in the states was a 94 rating, and I haven't even seen a handful of those. 93 is usually the highest rating you can find in the states unless your buying fuel for racing purposes. Thats definatley an advantage to Euro spec cars, and a disadvantage to any US spec car being compared. Why can't US get some good gas on the streets? Damn conservatives....hehe. Uncle sam not only takes our money....he gives us shitty gas. :

[Mr Payne]

Damn conservatives? Surely you mean liberals...

[Jimster]

The TT had to have some serious redesigns in 1999 after multiple cars oversteered before flipping over, I think that was the rationale behind the TT's FWD bias.

[Kurtdg19]

Originally Posted by Mr Payne

Damn conservatives? Surely you mean liberals...

I guess I shouldn't of worded it politically, but yes, by that means.....damn liberals. I was aiming for more of a definitive approach of the word conservative.

[crayzayjay]

Originally Posted by Kurtdg19

I would agree that the AWD benefits of the RS4 will hold true through its handling abilities. Although the AWDs neutral steer benefits are more favorable during a cars entering and mid corner phase of the turn, it doesn't compare to the correctability of the RWD power oversteer in the exit phase.

True.

I dont know if anyone saw a swerve test on Top Gear (a good 4-5 years ago). The cars were:
BMW 3-series - RWD
Audi A4 Quattro - AWD
Volvo something or other - FWD

Basically, three similarly sized and powered cars are driven around a bend but swerve halfway through to avoid hitting something in the middle of the road.
The Volvo swerves around the object and ploughs straight on when it tries to turn back into its lane, as does the Audi. The BMW swerves around the object, oversteers, the driver corrects it and drives on. Neutrino is right in that suspension set-up has a lot to do with how a car handles. But the fundamental handling characteristics of a car with a type of drivetrain are very difficult to change.

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by crayzayjay

True.

I dont know if anyone saw a swerve test on Top Gear (a good 4-5 years ago). The cars were:
BMW 3-series - RWD
Audi A4 Quattro - AWD
Volvo something or other - FWD

Basically, three similarly sized and powered cars are driven around a bend but swerve halfway through to avoid hitting something in the middle of the road.
The Volvo swerves around the object and ploughs straight on when it tries to turn back into its lane, as does the Audi. The BMW swerves around the object, oversteers, the driver corrects it and drives on. Neutrino is right in that suspension set-up has a lot to do with how a car handles. But the fundamental handling characteristics of a car with a type of drivetrain are very difficult to change.

Yes i've seen that video but i think was a 5th gear one since i belive it had Tiff Needlle and the blond chick (I forgot her name). Oh and the FWD car was an Alfa Romeo.

She drove the cars in a circle and did a small slalom. The circle was expected to cause oversteer in the BMW and understeer in the Audi and Alfa.

However the slalon seem to have been artificially exagerated. The Alfa barelly changed direction and just plowed into the obstacle. In my experience the FF cars do quite good in slaloms often beating RWD cars - I know i have no problem during AutoX slaloms - The true heavy understeer in FF cars IMO comes in corners >90 degrees

[crayzayjay]

Originally Posted by Neutrino

Yes i've seen that video but i think was a 5th gear one since i belive it had Tiff Needlle and the blond chick (I forgot her name). Oh and the FWD car was an Alfa Romeo.

Volvo... Alfa Romeo.. you can see how i got the two mixed up






Jimmy's gonna kill me

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by crayzayjay

Volvo... Alfa Romeo.. you can see how i got the two mixed up


Jimmy's gonna kill me

Sweden....Italy. Basically the same country











Now Jimmy will ban both of us

[flylwsi]

you know i keep on hearing some you guys referring to the RS4 as a S4. which i find odd. i hope that you guys don't think that they are the same thing. becusae the RS4 will destroy a S4.

my references to the s4 are simply stating the hp that can make, realizing that the rs4 makes 130 more hp STOCK...

one more to think about...
the s4's in the Speed World Challenge (GT series) that dominated for a couple years, had rs4 IC and turbo upgrades.

and they destroyed a ton of cars in that series.

[Jimster]

Damn right I am! Alfas aren't nearly as reliable as Volvo's




I would probably had killed you if I wasn't in a holding pattern as far as buying track-cars go



Nuetrino, it'd be Top Gear, it WAS 4 or 5 years ago, back when Tiff and Vicki were hosts of Top Gear