S3 Manual Kick-down feature. 6-Speed Manual Launch Control?

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peters3

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Hi,

Found this in the S3 instruction manual. Is this similar to the automatic launch control?

"
The kick-down feature is designed to give maximum acceleration.
If you press the accelerator right down past the point of resistance at full throttle when the drive select* function is set to efficiency* mode, the engine power is automatically controlled to give your vehicle maximum acceleration.
WARNING!
Please note that if the road surface is slippery or wet, the kick-down feature could cause the driving wheels to spin, which could result in skidding.
"
 
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Why only in efficiency? Should work in all drive select modes.
 
I think it means that it would overide the throttle map in efficiency. Have something similar in my car where in Eco mode you can have it att 90% throttle and it still doesnt really accelerate but if you floor it, it seems to forget you are in Eco mode and return to normal.
 
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A useful feature on the BM as quite often on the motorway i put it in Eco mode and forget that I have. When pulling out of junctions still forgetting I am in Eco mode, it goes REALLY slow and has almost caught me out when I saw a gap that I would normally make safely. So rather than change modes etc, you just floor it and it acts as normal.
 
It means if you are in any other mode aside from dynamic when you press the throttle down hard it will switch the engine map to dynamic, works on all cars, not just S3's, and manual or s-tronic. Some have posted they can feel something like a switch on the pedal.
 
nickatkinson said:
A useful feature on the BM as quite often on the motorway i put it in Eco mode and forget that I have. When pulling out of junctions still forgetting I am in Eco mode, it goes REALLY slow and has almost caught me out when I saw a gap that I would normally make safely. So rather than change modes etc, you just floor it and it acts as normal.
Click to expand...


From your experience I conclude that a simple solution is = Keep it in dynamic 24/7.....Fast is safe lol ;)

That is what I'll be doing...I'm not buying an S3 to be fuel conscious...noise, power and midlife crisis!!! :rock:
 
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I have my S3 in dynamic all the time. The kick down switch also worked in this mode, if you are in Manual. Rather than flicking down the gears to overtake just stomp on the pedal and it will drop to the best gear to give you the fastest acceleration.
 
S32B said:
From your experience I conclude that a simple solution is = Keep it in dynamic 24/7.....Fast is safe lol ;)

That is what I'll be doing...I'm not buying an S3 to be fuel conscious...noise, power and midlife crisis!!! :rock:
Click to expand...

Haha, yeah..it's only when I am out with work on the clock so to speak and don't want to rush about. It's awful, but not bad for cruising. Normally in sports or sports plus to be fair.
 
RYuill said:
I have my S3 in dynamic all the time. The kick down switch also worked in this mode, if you are in Manual. Rather than flicking down the gears to overtake just stomp on the pedal and it will drop to the best gear to give you the fastest acceleration.
Click to expand...
I thought that it isn't about kick down to a lower gear it is about what the throttle position can do to the engine mode.
 
RYuill said:
I have my S3 in dynamic all the time. The kick down switch also worked in this mode, if you are in Manual. Rather than flicking down the gears to overtake just stomp on the pedal and it will drop to the best gear to give you the fastest acceleration.
Click to expand...


Frequently though, it will give you one gear lower than you would have selected normally, so you end up with its selected gear at 6000 rpm, only for it to change up almost immediately :(
 
Not really, there's a bit of asthmatic hesitation lurchiness on the change, whereas if you manually selected one gear higher, you still get it in the power band, and don't waste time in the lurchy change.
 
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cuke2u said:
I thought that it isn't about kick down to a lower gear it is about what the throttle position can do to the engine mode.
Click to expand...

No the kick down switch will drop gears to give to you the fastest possible acceleration. In manual

I think what you are talking about is when you are in auto D, if you give it some beans then it will switch to S automatically. This is to do with throttle position.

As someone mentioned before the kick down switch is almost like a button, you feel it when you put your foot to the floor to the point of resistance then push some more.
 
Funny how this thread about a switch on the throttle that has automatic change to the engine map on a manual gearbox has been hijacked by all the s-tronic owners. :D
 
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veeeight said:
Frequently though, it will give you one gear lower than you would have selected normally, so you end up with its selected gear at 6000 rpm, only for it to change up almost immediately :(
Click to expand...

The 7 speed does this sometimes as well - hate it.

Floor throttle. Revs jump into red and little power, box changes up almost immediately and right into the powerband; thus short delay to power when you really want it.

Seems to be based upon revs at time of kickdown as there is one bend on my commute where this occurs really often. Need to go in at higher revs to stop this happening......
 
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^ Yup.

The S-tronic doesn't have many downsides, but this is one of them.
 
RYuill said:
No the kick down switch will drop gears to give to you the fastest possible acceleration. In manual

I think what you are talking about is when you are in auto D, if you give it some beans then it will switch to S automatically. This is to do with throttle position.

As someone mentioned before the kick down switch is almost like a button, you feel it when you put your foot to the floor to the point of resistance then push some more.
Click to expand...

As the OP's title states S3 Manual, and he seems to have an S3 manual gearbox as his sig states 'clutch only please', I assume he is referring to the throttle position that changes the engine mode. Am I wrong?
 
I always thought that when a person talks about 'manual' they mean the six speed manual gearbox not the 'auto' box, which even in 'manua'l is still in auto.

I also think the OP is talking about just the change to dynamic on a manual change box. In which case it's no more launch control than being in dynamic would have got you in the first place.
 
Agreed, I think the mix up is in the wording, S3 Manual could also infer the instruction manual...
 
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