Where are all the Sports Diff cars?

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PhilM

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I recently sold my B8 S4, man I loved that car! It was a Stage 2 MRC car, with manual box and full drive Select including sports diff.

I loved it and am glad I had it, but with me in the market for a B9 S4, sure I’d love to have a Sports Diff again. But where are they all? There is not a single one listed out of the 75 S4 saloons on Audi Used at the moment.

Are Audi that shocking at detailing their spec? (Most dealers were when I was looking for B8s!)

I had a 6month wait to find a B8 manual with sports diff, but that’s a rare combination, I assumed with only the ZF8 box on the B9s it would be a bit easier to source one!
 
Mine has sports diff but not a S unfortunately or indeed for sale ;)

TX.

Sent from my BBB100-2 using Tapatalk
 
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Mine too - standard spec on a UK B9 RS4....and very neat it is too. Set in Dynamic mode in Drive Select it make the RS feels like it's kind of shorter in overall length, just one of the many stupid grin moments this amazing vehicle provides. So forget finding an S4 and get the real thing...

:hubbahubba:
 
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I have on mine!


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And it’s for sale if you want it, fully loaded.


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Last edited:
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I loved it on my B8, and want it on a B9, whilst on the B8 it was my top must have item of spec, it isn’t in my hunt for a B9...so we shall see I guess.

I still can’t work out though if there are just tiny tiny numbers of cars with the sports diff, or wherever Audi are just incompetent when it comes to writing up the adverts for their Approved Used cars.

Ps, if there was an RS4 saloon we may be talking, but as there isn’t...strictly a S4 hunt!
 
A debadged S4 is such a Q car.
Go incognito mode anywhere.
Only those who know there onions can spot them from the S line's.
And a well fettled one can worry a few RS fan boys.
Just sayin
 
I have sport diff on mine, so glad I spec’d it.

On a £50k car with this performance I’m surprised not more have spec’d it but then I did go a bit tick happy with the options!
 
I’ve got an s4 with sports diff too - mega long search for one tho ! It was a must have along with matrix lights !
 
CHEZ said:
A debadged S4 is such a Q car.
Go incognito mode anywhere.
Only those who know there onions can spot them from the S line's.
And a well fettled one can worry a few RS fan boys.
Just sayin
Click to expand...
Oh I agree, love the stealth of the S4. B9s are hard to tune though remember ;)

TX.

Sent from my BBB100-2 using Tapatalk
 
Spearo - Matrix headlights are at the top of my Must Have list currently; along with VC, Extended LED lights, then it’s Sports Diff, Dynamic Suspension, FBSW, B&O....

Would love it to be Blue with Red calipers too.

We will see, but I am more and more convinced Audi’s listings are crap. If you take “heated seats” for example, which they all have, only a few list it on the spec. Same with a few options. I’m getting good at spotting options in pictures, but Sports Diff you cant spot! I’ve even taken to asking dealers to specifically enter the individual configuration menus in their videos for me to see for myself!
 
Terminator X - I don’t think we are too long away from having the ECU cracked, the likes of APR etc have been trying for a while now, I can’t see it being too much longer!

My big worry with the engine is the high CR. Will that prove to be too restrictive I don’t know? There are turbos out there suitable already, but if the CR is too much then I don’t know where to go from there!

The beauty of many of Audi’s S & RS engines has been the ability to tune them to silly gains without opening them up - if you have to do pistons to drop the CR then you’d almost be as well to destroke to 2.9 ala RS, making it more revvy and potentially using the RS bits to do so. (Not seen any confirmation but the numbers suggest the 2.9 is the 3.0 destroked).
 
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PhilM said:
The beauty of many of Audi’s S & RS engines has been the ability to tune them to silly gains without opening them up - if you have to do pistons to drop the CR then you’d almost be as well to destroke to 2.9 ala RS, making it more revvy and potentially using the RS bits to do so. (Not seen any confirmation but the numbers suggest the 2.9 is the 3.0 destroked).
Click to expand...

De-stroked by a whole 3mm - interesting article here: https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/en...icon-the-new-audi-rs-4-avant-9658/engine-9666
 
PhilM said:
Spearo - Matrix headlights are at the top of my Must Have list currently; along with VC, Extended LED lights, then it’s Sports Diff, Dynamic Suspension, FBSW, B&O....

Would love it to be Blue with Red calipers too.

We will see, but I am more and more convinced Audi’s listings are ****. If you take “heated seats” for example, which they all have, only a few list it on the spec. Same with a few options. I’m getting good at spotting options in pictures, but Sports Diff you cant spot! I’ve even taken to asking dealers to specifically enter the individual configuration menus in their videos for me to see for myself!
Click to expand...

Still plugging my car... Mine has all that kit if you want it? Lol. Apart from the blue, mine is Floret silver instead but think it looks better against the black optics anyway. ;)
 
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Daggerit said:
Still plugging my car... Mine has all that kit if you want it? Lol. Apart from the blue, mine is Floret silver instead but think it looks better against the black optics anyway. ;)
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, do you have it listed for sale online anywhere?

I'm not in the market, but interested to see price vs spec etc in case I look to sell mine
 
Just local sites, eBay and on here, I haven't paid to put it on AutoTrader or anything though because I have the option of trading it in if I don't find a buyer. Only downside is I won't get as much for it as a trade in verus a private sale.
 
SMI77 said:
...so what shade of blue for the re-wrap? ;-)
Click to expand...

Lol, I actually just took the satin white aluminium wrap off yesterday so it could actually be re-warred if someone wanted... ;)
 
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My recent experience of buying an S4 was that there just aren’t many sports diff cars !!! I phoned just about every dealer selling a car listed on piston heads or on auto trader and basically asked them to look under their cars !!! , I found two in 8 months - one was a private sale and had already gone and the other was the car I bought (which wasn’t advertised as having sports diff or matrix headlights) and was cheap as a result !
Originally I was picky about a few other options but eventually with the scarcity of sports diff I had to compromise and so for example I didn’t end up with a FBSW or upgrade Hifi although to be honest the basic stereo (mine anyway) is just fine and that’s coming from someone who has in the past spent thousands on ICE installs ! But that’s just my opinion!
 
I’ve got it and had it on my B8.5 S4
Thought if nothing else it would help with resale value. As soon as I traded my old S4
Everyone was looking for one with sports diff!
 
I Ticked pretty much every box except sports diff.
On UK roads with volume of traffic /potholes etc, what is the point ? Can you really enjoy it. Much better imho to go with adaptive suspension and a few nice extras inside you can enjoy on every journey .
 
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You obviously don’t live in Wales - we have roads designed and Unmaintained specifically for sports diff !
 
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Nham68 said:
I Ticked pretty much every box except sports diff.
On UK roads with volume of traffic /potholes etc, what is the point ? Can you really enjoy it. Much better imho to go with adaptive suspension and a few nice extras inside you can enjoy on every journey .
Click to expand...

I'd argue that you can, even at lower speeds like coming off roundabouts. It feels more like you're being pushed as you accelerate rather than the front wheels pulling you along and wanting to understeer.
 
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Daggerit said:
I'd argue that you can, even at lower speeds like coming off roundabouts. It feels more like you're being pushed as you accelerate rather than the front wheels pulling you along and wanting to understeer.
Click to expand...
Agreed...plus as the OP’s experience the cars fitted with sport diff should really attract a good sale as very desirable...well that’s what I’m hoping :icon thumright:
 
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The Sportdiff really makes the car feel super agile - it's weird, it's like the car decreases it's overall length so it get's spat out of corners like a hot hatchback even when not trying especially hard - there are settings in Drive Select for it. Like many other Audi features it's benefits are undersold in the brochure and pricelist.
 
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20181018 IMG 7937 FAKE
Mine has got the sports diff!
I love it, not for sale...
 
I chose the sports diff on my B8.5 S4, and I'm very glad I did; as others have said, it transforms the way the car powers out of bends. It as a £625 option when I specced my car; I do believe that the price was almost double that on the B9. That might explain lower take up.
 
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jdp1962 said:
I chose the sports diff on my B8.5 S4, and I'm very glad I did; as others have said, it transforms the way the car powers out of bends. It as a £625 option when I specced my car; I do believe that the price was almost double that on the B9. That might explain lower take up.
Click to expand...

Worth every penny, even for an old man driving with his hat on, like myself.
 
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