S3 traction issues

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tigger8888

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Anybody notice in their S3 when coming out of say junctions in 1st gear and half lock when you floor the car the front is very easy to break traction and front wheel spins take a sec then you can feel the power transfer to the back wheels?

Just thinking if my car has a problem or its just the Haldex and not real quattro setup leading to this sec deal to move the power to the back instead?
Do wonder if it can still wheel spin in this simple scenario how the hek can it cope with my complex higher speed driving when traction is needed?
 
Just thinking if my car has a problem or its just the Haldex and not real quattro setup leading to this sec deal to move the power to the back instead?

I am not a mechanic (electronics engineer by trade) and am new to Audi but I humbly suggest it may be down to you having a damn heavy right foot LOL ;)
 
Maybe spencetate but that's what "quattro" suppose to prevent wheel spin especially when just moving out of a junction on dry road but think it's haldex fwd setup it will have that sec delay before moving traction to the rear.
Anybody else with S3 experienced this?
 
Mines never done anything like that (and I think I have a pretty heavy foot judging by my mpg!)
 
Theoretically Gen 5 is slower to react that Gen 4, as they have done away with the accumulator.

There are some very unhappy Swedes on the Volvo forums since the introduction of Gen 5.
 
I get similar issues, it's the tyres causing it due to cold weather. Don't get it unless really cold outside where the Conti's 5 are a summer tyre and not really designed for the colder temperatures.
 
Yeh it just initial sec of wheel spin and then you can feel the power transfers to the back, def better then my fwd mk 2 TT where it just wheel spin all the time.
I was probably expecting it to link in with the back wheels better when traction is lost and not.

The Challinor said:
I get similar issues, it's the tyres causing it due to cold weather. Don't get it unless really cold outside where the Conti's 5 are a summer tyre and not really designed for the colder temperatures.
Click to expand...
 
Wait for it .......




"It's not proper quattro" :p






(You can minimise that moment of inaction, by selecting ESP Sport mode. Doing this will get the Haldex to pre-engage as much as it can, within the limitation of the new Gen 5 "centrifugal" pump inside the unit)
 
Have to admit, mine does this at the junction at the end of my street. It has a strange camber on the road but it certainly never did it in my 8p S3.

It was one of the first things I noticed and was a bit worried but it's never been an issue.

Also once a tyre change comes it may take it away all together.
 
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No it's not, you are right there, however I can easily induce wheelspin in my car that my mk3 focus didn't, in fact it wasn't easy to induce wheelspin from the focus despite it being nearly 200bhp after a remap. So it is either down to the difference in tyres or the focus had better electronics at controling traction. It had a better chassis so that in part could also be down to it as well.
 
kayemill said:
Have to admit, mine does this at the junction at the end of my street. It has a strange camber on the road but it certainly never did it in my 8p S3.
Click to expand...


I too think that my 8P S3 was less susceptible in similar scenarios. In some cases, the Gen 4 Haldex was better at "instant traction" because it had an accumulator to store hydraulic pressure to instantly clamp the Haldex clutch. Gen 5 was mainly a cost revision, it eliminated the accumulator, instead, hydraulic pressure has to be built by an electric pump on demand, so the response time is marginally slower.

However, my Gen 4 went through a Haldex pump, so I guess Gen 5 may be better for longevity of the electric pump ;)
 
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audi upgrades
veeeight said:
Wait for it .......




"It's not proper quattro" :p






(You can minimise that moment of inaction, by selecting ESP Sport mode. Doing this will get the Haldex to pre-engage as much as it can, within the limitation of the new Gen 5 "centrifugal" pump inside the unit)
Click to expand...

That's your favourite saying anyways

Which I hate btw lol
 
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kayemill said:
Have to admit, mine does this at the junction at the end of my street. It has a strange camber on the road but it certainly never did it in my 8p S3.

It was one of the first things I noticed and was a bit worried but it's never been an issue.

Also once a tyre change comes it may take it away all together.
Click to expand...

I only notice is when cold so I really do think it's tyres to be fair, I think summer tyres are usually good until about +5 or thereabouts
 
tigger8888 said:
Anybody notice in their S3 when coming out of say junctions in 1st gear and half lock when you floor the car the front is very easy to break traction and front wheel spins take a sec then you can feel the power transfer to the back wheels?

Just thinking if my car has a problem or its just the Haldex and not real quattro setup leading to this sec deal to move the power to the back instead?
Do wonder if it can still wheel spin in this simple scenario how the hek can it cope with my complex higher speed driving when traction is needed?
Click to expand...


Am I missing something here? You're flooring the throttle in a stationary 300bhp car in first gear, with the wheels turned, and you find it strange that the tyres break traction?
 
Relliott6879 said:
Am I missing something here? You're flooring the throttle in a stationary 300bhp car in first gear, with the wheels turned, and you find it strange that the tyres break traction?
Click to expand...

I missed the flooring it part in the op. However mine does it just pulling out normal.
 
Driver error? Surely when you've done it once why not drive in a manor to stop it happening again?
 
tigger8888 said:
Anybody notice in their S3 when coming out of say junctions in 1st gear and half lock when you floor the car the front is very easy to break traction and front wheel spins take a sec then you can feel the power transfer to the back wheels?

Just thinking if my car has a problem or its just the Haldex and not real quattro setup leading to this sec deal to move the power to the back instead?
Do wonder if it can still wheel spin in this simple scenario how the hek can it cope with my complex higher speed driving when traction is needed?
Click to expand...

Was the car is efficient or comfort?
 
Tried this yesterday in the work carpark as its loose gravel.
Yes the inside front slips but there is forward motion.
Rather then the Quattro not engaging it's more the front diff allowing the inner wheel to spin. ESP did not kick in though.
 
I've noticed this quite a bit, when the road is wet or greasy. Doesn't bother me, as it's only a transient thing, but I never noticed it in my old B7 RS4 with "proper" Quattro. Traction in that always seemed as close to unbreakable as made no difference. Good to hear the technical explanation above from veeight though.
 
I have only experienced that in the last couple of months, QED, it's greasy-wet-cold road surfaces combined with summer tyres that are behind all that. Doesn't bother me either, easy to regulate by adapting your driving style.
 
I frequently get the following traction issues:
  • Understeer on damp roundabouts (tested this morning with ESP in sport mode and the front just slides, only thing to do is wait until it grips again)
  • TC coming on when accelerating in straight line and surface is at all uneven (not gravel, just average cheap Tarmac!). Fronts really struggle to grip.
  • Crazy TC over humpbacked bridges (not a big problem but it really doesn't like them, even at really slow speeds)
 
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^ Yup that's about right.

AWD doesn't really help handling, S3 is pretty understeery, once you're in this situation, Haldex isn't going to improve it, more likely it will make it worse by pushing it more into understeer..

AWD improves traction, but not grip nor handling.
 
Good to hear people having similar issues, agree the std tyres are not great but be awhile before I can change them to pilot super sport...
 
Of course one of the problems is the lack of feel the controls have. The steering and the throttle pedal are the main culprits, the steering doesn't feedback what the front tyres are doing and the road surface and the pedal is too light and doesn't give much info on what the engine is doing, sometimes it feels more like an on off switch.
 
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