"Sport Mode" on the s-tronic

[opelfruit]

Ok, I've been searching about this but can't seem to find a definative answer. If this has already been covered on this forum then apologies, I've not been able to find the answer I'm looking for.

What does "Sport Mode" (or "S) do on the s-tronic?


I've got Drive Select and Damper Control on my S4 and when I'm pootling about in Comfort or Auto I flip is back into "S" and the throttle response sharpens up, it kicks down a couple of gears and goes mental, which is great for those "oh, I wasn't expecting that, time to overtake" moments.

What does dropping into Sport Mode do? Does it override the current Drive Select setting and put it into Dynmaic? So if I'm in Auto or Comfort it'll force it straight into Dynamic mode, or it is something else? Does it just effect the gear change points and throttle response or does it also stiffen the Dampers and firm the steering?

Which takes me on; if I was already in Dynamic Mode and pulled it into "S" does it does anything above and beyond, such as go into "Super mega cool bonkers Dynamic Mode"?


Ta.

 

[Bustamoves]

Not sure about the s4 but on my tfsi Quattro it just sharpens up throttle and redlines more towards top end before changing.

 

[benjie]

Mine doesn't have an S, it goes to S in the DIS when I put ADS in dynamic, so I think I have a slightly different version to you. Try putting it in dynamic at a relatively low speed and drive around for a bit... if the steering is suddenly sharper then you'll know that it overrides the current ADS setting. I suspect that moving the gear stick only has an effect on the gearing.

 

[firecracker69]

Having picked up mine mid week I ordered Drive Select & Damper Control with an s-tronic box (sadly not an S4).

The dealer explained to me that by flicking it into 'S' mode gives you the beans you need for overtaking etc, gears change at higher revs, and the system ensures you get the max rpm...... you then flick it down again and you are back into your selected mode. Now you raised a good question so I went through the manual to get a better understanding.

This is the part where I'm not completely sure.... in the manual for launch control it states "Pull lever back from D/S to select position S, OR select dynamic mode in drive select. This indicates that "S" basically puts the vehicle into dynamic?
However... under Drive Select in the manual there is a table that tells you what each mode does to the setup, in Comfort the engine sound stays subdued, but in auto mode it changes depending whether you flick it into 'S' or not from subdued to dynamic and even makes a point of stating this. I've been driving in efficiency, I flick to 'S' and revs go high but you don't hear anything, a bit like racing an electric car lol... But I did notice in Auto Mode you flick to 'S' and you get a lovely roaring engine!!
My point here is if the system goes into Dynamic using 'S' then why does the engine sound not change? So I had a search around.......

After reading somewhere else I saw a comment along the lines of: Switching to 'S' only changes the transmission (highest rpm before changing) but by selecting Dynamic mode changes throttle as well as transmission and all the others.

So if in Dynamic already look at your dash and I think it will show in 'S' meaning by flicking your auto box down will put it in 'D' and not super sport like you hoped!
I'm going to check mine tomorrow. If you find out anything different please let us know!!

 

[opelfruit]

Yep, that's what I thought.

I was in dynamic mode yesterday.....er....being sensible, safe and legal.....and popped it back to "S" to see what happened. The dash indicator changed from "S" to "D". So I guess that dynamic is the full tilt and there aint no where else to go. Not really a problem, and I suppose it would be slightly irresponsible to expect any more

I tend to leave mine in Auto anyway, it's only 1 option away from Dynamic to it's quick enough to move to that if I need to for the rest of the package (throttle response, damping and steering).