Will I need to change my driving style with the Quattro?

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Hightower

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Serious question guys.

Having not driven a Quattro or any type of 4x4 in the past (always FWD, oh and RWD on my VW camper), will i need to change my driving style when i pick up the A4 1.8T Quattro on saturday?

Are there any foibles these cars have that i will need to get used to ?

Anything i should be carefull about when driving that wouldnt of mattered in a FWD car?

I'm looking forward to having some grip at junctions and roundabouts when pulling away in the wet :thumbsup:
 
Avoid dropping the clutch too much, 2wd will spin but 4wd will lunch the clutch quite quickly
 
audi upgrades
Agreed, they just grip and go!!

I had oversteer once - I dont feel the need to repeat that moment :unsure:
 
quattrojames said:
I had oversteer once - I dont feel the need to repeat that moment :unsure:
Click to expand...

Humm, i experienced that years ago in my old Pug 309 gti, back tyres were rubbish and would breakaway on roundabouts and sharp bends untill i put a set of yoko's on all 4 wheels, then it stuck like it was on rails.

Some **** in a BM had a big one infront of me on a roundabout a few weeks ago, i think it was done on purpose as he thought it was really funny to be pointing the wrong way on a roundabout in traffic:gun2:
 
Only thing I can say is that you will be praying for some snow this winter when you realise how much grip you have.
Remember that snow earlier in the year? Not a hint of wheel spin on an untreated road. I put my foot down and whoosh, I took off like nothing I had ever driven.
Word of warning though, it will still stop like a normal car whatever the weather.
Enjoy.
 
BILKO1 said:
If you want oversteer just turn the esp off and hoof it :) in the wet
Click to expand...
Indeedy! If you don't turn off ESP and start getting oversteer you're probably a bit beyond even semi-reasoanble limits for the public road: 70-80 on dual carriageway junction roundabouts is the only time you can really get enough visibility and turn to do this! And that's NOT to say it's recommended.... if you find you new "driving style" is making this an issue on a regular basis, you might want to look at (1) anger managment classes and (2) a RS4 RARB - keeps the whole car VERY flat... works well in mine, even with my big V6 TDI up-front!

The only thing to REALLY bear in mind is the comment about ramping up the revs and dropping the clutch.... not a good idea! Even with ESP off you'll put an unreasonable amount of strain on the clutch.... so always, left foot all the way out, THEN bury the right foot and just hang on :)
 
what sort of clutch upgrades can be done to allow this?
i cant seem to find anyone who sells uprated clutches.
 
I've found I have plenty of grip for the available power

As with "normal" cars, you will understeer if you plough into a corner too fast but keep it sensible and you shouldn't be able to phase the car. The only "fun" I have is in the wet with some mid corner 4 wheel drifting but other than that, it's very surefooted

The quattro really came into it's own earlier on this year when we had the snow in the south and southwest - felt planted to the motorway even in the slush and a layer of the white stuff

On the flipside, it's not as much fun as the 2WD with the occassional accidental wheelspin before the ESP kicks in and it is heavier
 
Nutkin said:
i cant seem to find anyone who sells uprated clutches.
Click to expand...


There's definitely kits for the 1.8T and i'm sure I've seen mention of 1.9TDI kits... it's the 325lb/ft / 440Nm on the 2.5TDI's that they don't seem to cater for...

A seriously modifed 1.8T will be hitting 350lb/ft and I'm absolutely certain that MTM do clutch kits for the for 350-400bhp brigade.... i'm guessing that there's a more budget-friendly Sachs version for the much larger group of 250-300bhp 1.8T owners....
 
Hightower said:
Serious question guys.

Having not driven a Quattro or any type of 4x4 in the past (always FWD, oh and RWD on my VW camper), will i need to change my driving style when i pick up the A4 1.8T Quattro on saturday?

Are there any foibles these cars have that i will need to get used to ?
Click to expand...

Yes, I found that I had to get used to putting my hand in my back pocket much more and stopping whenever I saw a petrol station..

Apart from that - you will love it.. And remember, the first few months are always for free!
 
lostbok said:
The only thing to REALLY bear in mind is the comment about ramping up the revs and dropping the clutch.... not a good idea! Even with ESP off you'll put an unreasonable amount of strain on the clutch.... so always, left foot all the way out, THEN bury the right foot and just hang on :)
Click to expand...
Second that - light throttle to get the car rolling then as soon as the clutch is fully in right pedal to the metal.

The problem is that the grip of 4 tyres to the road is great enough that the clamping force needed to stop the clutch slipping is so large the clutch would have to be huge and probably wouldn't fit.
 
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