Facelift S-Tronic Question S3

[Steven78]

Hi Guys,

I have a FL S3 S-Tronic and have noticed the car gets into gear 7 very quickly, is this normal? Also it seems to constantly switch between 6th and 7th on the motorway when cruising between 60 and 70. I've also noticed that if I plant the accelerator to the floor there is a delay where nothing happens for a second then the car shoots forward. My partner has an auto BMW 435i and the gearbox on there doesn't seem to do what the S-Tronic does, BMW is so much smoother.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Big Matt]

What mode do you have it in when you floor it.

 

[ASRman]

I've noticed the exact same thing on my FL S3. I think auto is OK when just cruising along but anything more than that I've completely given up on D/S modes and just flick the gear lever over to manual mode. I don't like how when it's in D mode if you floor it sometimes it just goes straight to the redline doesn't really feel right. I've started to pick up a few things now though which make the gearbox work the way I want it to, for example when downshifting, before it wouldn't always give me the gear, but you have to always make sure your foot is completely off the accelerator when downshifting and the car was give your downshifts without delay. Might seem like common sense to some but previously drove an M Car with SMG and that would downshift immediately regardless of whether you was on the throttle or not.

 

[AudiNutta]

Hi Guys,

I have a FL S3 S-Tronic and have noticed the car gets into gear 7 very quickly, is this normal? Also it seems to constantly switch between 6th and 7th on the motorway when cruising between 60 and 70. I've also noticed that if I plant the accelerator to the floor there is a delay where nothing happens for a second then the car shoots forward. My partner has an auto BMW 435i and the gearbox on there doesn't seem to do what the S-Tronic does, BMW is so much smoother.

Cheers
Steve

Yes that's normal, they are sensitive to kick down on the motorway. Get a feel for it and you will learn how to keep it in 7th. They are even worse at 45-50mph, really annoying but it's one of those things. You can see 7th gear at 45, 6th gear at 31mph and up.

There will be a delay, the car isn't expecting you to floor it. Once you hit the lockdown threshold it will have to prepare the correct gear after figuring out which one it is. Put the gearbox into sport and then try it, so then at least the car knows how you want it to respond.

 

[Steven78]

Glad it's not just me then. I have alway driven manuals until I experienced the BMW auto and that's why I decided on getting the S-Tronic S3. The downshifts happen quite regularly and it is quite annoying especially under normal driving conditions. Flooring it in D/S are both the same, it's quite a noticeable delay and not a comfortable one, kind of feels like the brake being pressed then a mass of power kicking in just afterwards. I guess I was expecting it to be like the BM, maybe because it's an 8 speed auto the downshifts aren't as noticeable as the S3. I think I will try using manual mode for a while to see if I prefer that. I also have a seriously annoying rattle from behind the dash which gets quite loud on bumpy roads. Gonna have to get that sorted at Audi.
Apart from those, the car is seriously quick and I love it.

Cheers guys

Ste

 

[AudiNutta]

Glad it's not just me then. I have alway driven manuals until I experienced the BMW auto and that's why I decided on getting the S-Tronic S3. The downshifts happen quite regularly and it is quite annoying especially under normal driving conditions. Flooring it in D/S are both the same, it's quite a noticeable delay and not a comfortable one, kind of feels like the brake being pressed then a mass of power kicking in just afterwards. I guess I was expecting it to be like the BM, maybe because it's an 8 speed auto the downshifts aren't as noticeable as the S3. I think I will try using manual mode for a while to see if I prefer that. I also have a seriously annoying rattle from behind the dash which gets quite loud on bumpy roads. Gonna have to get that sorted at Audi.
Apart from those, the car is seriously quick and I love it.

Cheers guys

Ste

I'm susprised how you find the gearbox, they are very quick. You would never change down in a manual car like the auto box does. For me when in S mode, kickdown is instantaneous

 

[paradigital]

Mine has a habit of taking ages to kickdown regardless of gearbox or drive select mode. Doesn't always happen, but when it does (usually when going for an overtake) the car will make an odd revving sound, a burble from the exhaust, then shift down and off I go.

****** infuriating. I tend to drop the cogs myself with the paddles now when I want a swift overtake.

 

[AL_B]

This is my first automatic/S-tronic car, and like with anything there's good points and bad points.

But the kickdown is embarrassing IMO. It does seem to take an eternity to decide which gear its going to change down to, and when it does, the car goes from quiet-ish to full-on max volume, which can be a bit embarrassing when all you wanted to do was maybe go down one gear and pull away. It seems to go down say two gears and erupt!! But it doesn't do it in a smooth way, there is definitely a pause.

I've resorted to the paddles. If I want to pull away from someone, I knock down the gears myself to the gear I know I want, then plant it. Just like I would have done in a manual car.

Motorway cruising is strange, and the car does seem to switch between 6th and 7th quite often.

AL

 

[Tom.H]

It's to be expected in my opinion, if you're cruising along at 30ish in 6th and put your foot down enough for the car to change down more than 1 gear, it's probably assuming you want a bit more than gentle acceleration so will give you all it can.

The gearbox ultimately is controlled by a computer so it won't give you an instantaneous change, it will have to look at what gear you're in, how fast you're going and what you're asking it to do before selecting the right gear. As said, the best way is to override it and use the paddles, then let it go back into auto.

 

[infernox]

I think this is the thread most people get pointed to when they have questions on s-tronic/dsg. http://www.vwroc.com/forums/topic/11881-understanding-and-using-your-dsg-box/?hl=dsg

 

[Supa Koopa]

I think we also need to remember that the throttle is not an on/off switch. Pressing it a little harder will result in less gears being changed and smoother acceleration.

If you floor it, the car is thinking 'hang on he want's maximum power I better drop it as many gears as I can.' 6 to 2 for example, I'm guessing these are on the same shaft and so will take a moment to change. Everyone's opinion of how long this takes is different, but it's probably no slower than a manual change. The difference here is that the car cannot read your mind and expect you are going to do some mad dash overtake so has to react to this wish rather than pre-empt it. In a manual, you would look ahead, think I'm going to overtake, put it in the gear you think is appropriate and then overtake when safe. That's a lot for a car to anticipate.

When I had my first S3 I used to have one of the above complaints happen to me on the motorway in that it would drop to 4th when I was accelerating past someone. When I stopped mashing the throttle and pressed the pedal lightly it didn't change down and I still accelerated away as I needed to. I also sometimes flicked it over to manual on the motorway so that I could mash the throttle like a muppet and not worry about it changing gears.

jmho.

 

[S32B]

I can't say if this is 100% true as I don't have s-tronic, but a mate in work does and he said he finds it better/quicker to shift down a gear if you just lift off the accelerator and then put it back down. It's a s if the gearbox knows you are going to slow down/drop a gear and sets it up to do it!!!

 

[Terminator x]

*** man drive it with the paddles! If you are in "auto mode" of course it will be slow to kick down, not expecting it is it.

TX.

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk

 

[AL_B]

Couple of things I have noticed in full manual mode (stick across from S) are:

- it doesn't hold on to second, when slowing down for example a speed bump, but S-mode does.
- in M1 at a roundabout or junction, you plant the throttle to go, car goes, you quickly want to change up to 2nd, to avoid loads of revs it doesn't change up. Happened a couple of times now, and I am definitely pulling the up-shift paddle.

AL

 

[Steven78]

Mine has a habit of taking ages to kickdown regardless of gearbox or drive select mode. Doesn't always happen, but when it does (usually when going for an overtake) the car will make an odd revving sound, a burble from the exhaust, then shift down and off I go.

****** infuriating. I tend to drop the cogs myself with the paddles now when I want a swift overtake.

That's exactly like mine. Very annoying. I used manual mode today and found it a lot more pleasing to drive. I am going to start using the paddles more.

 

[Steven78]

On a different note. Had the car dyno'd today, over 3 runs car produced 338, 340, 340bhp. Pretty impressed for a car that should be 306bhp from factory. Guy said that Audi S cars always tend to produce more than officially stated.

 

[infernox]

On a different note. Had the car dyno'd today, over 3 runs car produced 338, 340, 340bhp. Pretty impressed for a car that should be 306bhp from factory. Guy said that Audi S cars always tend to produce more than officially stated.

You should post this on the 'S3 is rapid' thread, people were asking for the figures.

 

[Mac135]

As @terminstor x says.....use the paddles. If anyone is just tooling around in D all the time then you are missing the point of owning a dsg car altogether. The paddles are your friends.

 

[ASRman]

Tried S mode for the first time today, almost had a heart attack when the car just didn't change up and seemed to almost over rev ? I thought these cars were impossible to over rev (s tronic ), not sure if this is normal but in S mode the car just seems to shift too late each time ... In manual I usually change up just after 6k but in S mode it goes a bit beyond that , is that normal lol

 

[AudiNutta]

I also sometimes flicked it over to manual on the motorway so that I could mash the throttle like a muppet and not worry about it changing gears.

jmho.

This doesn't work anymore and it's absolutely crap. I hate that the S cars aren't set up with tiptronic allowing you to have 'full' manual control. If you hit the limiter it changes up, without the upshift noise. All the RS cars allow you to hit the limiter.
If you plant your foot hard in 3rd, it changes down if the rev range allows it!! Really disappointing!

Couple of things I have noticed in full manual mode (stick across from S) are:

- it doesn't hold on to second, when slowing down for example a speed bump, but S-mode does.
- in M1 at a roundabout or junction, you plant the throttle to go, car goes, you quickly want to change up to 2nd, to avoid loads of revs it doesn't change up. Happened a couple of times now, and I am definitely pulling the up-shift paddle.

AL

This has been discussed before, car doesn't allow it. The threshold for 2nd gear is 10mph. Keep pressing your paddle and it will slot in once you pass 10. I'm assuming this is to stop people dropping into gears too high quickly. Same as you can't slot into 6th at 25mph, it's protecting the car. 10mph is a little excessive for 2nd, but there we go.

 

[AL_B]

This doesn't work anymore and it's absolutely ****. I hate that the S cars aren't set up with tiptronic allowing you to have 'full' manual control. If you hit the limiter it changes up, without the upshift noise. All the RS cars allow you to hit the limiter.
If you plant your foot hard in 3rd, it changes down if the rev range allows it!! Really disappointing!



This has been discussed before, car doesn't allow it. The threshold for 2nd gear is 10mph. Keep pressing your paddle and it will slot in once you pass 10. I'm assuming this is to stop people dropping into gears too high quickly. Same as you can't slot into 6th at 25mph, it's protecting the car. 10mph is a little excessive for 2nd, but there we go.

I am pretty much sure I would have been above 10mph as I tried to change gear. Will try it again. As you know, when you plant your foot in 1st, it's a quick car. You are quickly above 10 mph. But it does not want to change gear quickly in manual mode.

Compare that with D or E mode, when the software is in complete control, it changes gear quickly at low speed and revs, for fuel efficiency. A bit more software tweaks are necessary for manual mode IMO. Or just give us full control Audi!!

I do think I should have got a manual. I get in our Golf 6R and think, "ahhhh, bliss, full control". (Although, its definitely not as fast as this S3)


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[AudiNutta]

I am pretty much sure I would have been above 10mph as I tried to change gear. Will try it again. As you know, when you plant your foot in 1st, it's a quick car. You are quickly above 10 mph. But it does not want to change gear quickly in manual mode.

Compare that with D or E mode, when the software is in complete control, it changes gear quickly at low speed and revs, for fuel efficiency. A bit more software tweaks are necessary for manual mode IMO. Or just give us full control Audi!!

I do think I should have got a manual. I get in our Golf 6R and think, "ahhhh, bliss, full control". (Although, its definitely not as fast as this S3)


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I have never had any issues with the car no upshifting when I want to when driving quickly. 2/3 times in 7000 miles I've had times when it seems like the gearbox is having a bad day and seems sluggish having gotten a lot of commands early on in driving.. it's definitely stropped with me some days haha.
The only times I've ever experienced the problem you described with not changing into second was when pulling off normally and it will not go in before 10mph no matter how many times you try it. Go to 25mph and try to get it into 6th, same result. I can understand why it does it for the 25mph for example, but the 10mph threshold should be reduced to 5. I can tell now by the tone of the engine when it's ready to change in manual.

We definitely do need full control, for me it's so disappointing. I get irritated when it kicks down in manual mode, it kicks down quickly but I didn't want it to.. if I did I would have selected that gear, haha. I'd rather it hit the rev limiter like the RS rather than upshift on its own. If it was on the rev limiter for a period of time like 2 seconds or along those lines and then changed, I would understand.
The rev limiter kicking in on the RS3 & 4 sounds absolutely incredible, such a good noise. I purposely hit it when driving an RS4, made me laugh my head off haha.

I have had a manual loan car twice, the first time I had it (for 800 miles)... I loved every mile and changing gear was an occasion, I looked forward to doing it.. it was a true novelty. My sales manager was surprised I took it so well. I'm glad I've driven it, it's a rewarding drive but I didn't like the time my hands spent off the wheel on country drives as apposed to the paddles. Then we come to the clutch problems, burning out clutches in a few thousand miles.

The second time I had it, just 3 weeks ago for another 800 miles. I really didn't enjoy it that much. Whether that be because it was the second time my car went wrong, I'm not sure. I was happy to see the same loan car again, quite strange seeing it again with the chances being so slim (Audi UK distributed car) I get attached to cars, so was nice to drive it again.
But the gearbox, I really didn't like and I kept wishing I was back in the S Tronic for ease on several occasions. I'm glad I drove it the second time because it removed the doubt in my mind that I should have ordered a manual.

Oh, I've gone on a bit.. apologies!!

 

[infernox]

From my initial impressions driving my first auto, the S-tronic seems to be set up for cruising in D. I tried Manual mode for the first time today and it felt better. Do you guys also get that green arrow telling you to shift up in Manual mode? It gives you a good indication of what the S-tronic is thinking. Before trying manual mode I also had the doubt that maybe I should have went for the manual car instead.

 

[AL_B]

OMG it does kick down in manual. ***.

 

[infernox]

Yeah it does, sometimes I like it, other times it's annoying. It keeps telling me to go into 5th gear at 25mph too. Noticed the bit about not being able to shift into 2nd until 10mph. I think it shifts before then in Auto though.

 

[Supa Koopa]

I think we may be forgetting that at heart this is an auto box, 'Auto' as in automatic. Therefore you are relinquishing your control of the gearbox to someone who programmed the box to how he liked or how he thought it would work the best in any given situation (when I say he, that is a general term for the full team involved). So we have to accept any little quirks and learn to live with them or work round them. For example, keeping your foot on the throttle and choosing a lower gear will confuse the system. So you are in 4th, foot on the throttle and try to change down. Well the gearbox had 5th ready not 3rd, so it has to unselect 5th and then select 3rd so a delay. I was aware of the pitfalls when ordering.

Now if you wanted full 'manual' control I think the clue was in the requirement...!

 

[TYb]

I think the box is excellent and the more you drive it the more you learn how it behaves.

 

[Marky-s3]

Iv drove the last 3 dsg/s tronic in manual 90% of the time even my mapped 1 lol

 

[SILVAF0XX]

I do think kick down in manual mode is disappointing, but I'm learning to live with it!

 

[Terminator x]

@AL_B mine changes gear in an instant in manual, always has; you need to be gunning it though as otherwise the car thinks you're mooching along and slows the change. First paddle shift car I've had and I'm immensely impressed with it.

TX.

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk

 

[Marky-s3]

I do think kick down in manual mode is disappointing, but I'm learning to live with it!

I'm not sure I understand i would never consider pressing the pedal to activate kick down in manual mode unless I got in to a sticky situation and had to go somewhere quick ?

 

[SILVAF0XX]

I'm not sure I understand i would never consider pressing the pedal to activate kick down in manual mode unless I got in to a sticky situation and had to go somewhere quick ?

I guess I'm not used to the fact that I can't just mash the throttle to the floor(like a manual car) so have to be more mindful of how hard I press the accelerator.

I'm not used to deciding whether or not to activate the "pin switch" as in my last car which was a 2.0 TDI all this did was give you full power if you happened to be in economy mode.

 

[Marky-s3]

Get you now lol don't worry it comes as second nature

 

[SILVAF0XX]

My disappointment is just that switching to manual should deactivate the switch, so that if I get the gear selection wrong when trying to drop a cog or two, then that's my tough s***!

Same with not shifting in time... it should just bounce on the limiter - in my humble opinion.

 

[AL_B]

I think we may be forgetting that at heart this is an auto box, 'Auto' as in automatic. Therefore you are relinquishing your control of the gearbox to someone who programmed the box to how he liked or how he thought it would work the best in any given situation (when I say he, that is a general term for the full team involved). So we have to accept any little quirks and learn to live with them or work round them. For example, keeping your foot on the throttle and choosing a lower gear will confuse the system. So you are in 4th, foot on the throttle and try to change down. Well the gearbox had 5th ready not 3rd, so it has to unselect 5th and then select 3rd so a delay. I was aware of the pitfalls when ordering.

Now if you wanted full 'manual' control I think the clue was in the requirement...!

I can understand the logic of the programming, perhaps they are catering for that occasional situation (in a true manual box) where you mash throttle and realise "s### I'm in the wrong gear". So in this case the programmer is trying to be helpful. BUT, in manual mode, IMO I do think kick down should be disabled, or configurable. I'm sure other people will think the opposite.

Like others say, it will be a matter of learning how hard or not to press the throttle to avoid the kick down.

Didn't someone get kick down disabled? Rob2k68?


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[Terminator x]

Strange that the RS3 is different as it will bounce off the limiter and not shift. Changes down though even in manual if revs drop too low, guess it may stall otherwise which wouldn't be good. Quite handy though as it changes to first as you come to a stop.

TX.

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[Terminator x]

I've never known it drop a gear either in manual when accelerating. Doesn't it just mean you guys have the gear too high for proper acceleration though?

TX.

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[Marky-s3]

You can pretty much get it mapped to preference but id say it's not a bad thing you could be in a sticky situation and all you have time to do is mash the throttle in manual i never trip the (switch) its something you get used to but I'm in my 5th year of the box

 

[SILVAF0XX]

I've never known it drop a gear either in manual when accelerating. Doesn't it just mean you guys have the gear too high for proper acceleration though?

TX.

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk

We'll yes it does... but take my example:

On motorway and in 7th(manual) and think I want to accelerate as fast as I can. Drop it manually to 5th thinking that ought to be enough. Plant the throttle and the car goes "hey you could have even gone to 4th!" and drops another gear.

Now I'm sure this will accelerate faster... but in manual I'd rather get it wrong.

 

[SILVAF0XX]

You can pretty much get it mapped to preference but id say it's not a bad thing you could be in a sticky situation and all you have time to do is mash the throttle in manual i never trip the (switch) its something you get used to but I'm in my 5th year of the box

I'm in my third week... will give it time ha ha!