Ah gotcha
I thought you were just making an Urus joke
I thought you were just making an Urus joke
Options to AWD/4WD a B-Body Wagon
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Which one is faster in the snow?
On the newer Audis, the A4 and A6 both come in Allroad trim.
I was behind the A6 version in traffic the other day. It's a nice car, but it definitely doesn't look as rugged as the C5 version.
My Suburban 🤣 The allroad weighs almost as much as a Roadmaster. It's surprisingly not agile despite appearances. Especially with the limited space for proper tires. And it ain't rugged, everything breaks on those damn things. On the Suburban, I can fit 235/85R16 winter LTs that don't even blink at the deepest of snow. Those things dig in like knives. 70+mph through winter storms is a breeze
Huh?
The allroad weighs almost as much as a Roadmaster.
But it doesn't. Not a wagon.
I forgot you had the V8. That's still a significant difference.
The Allroad has a tiny rear sway bar, which is a big issue with it being so front-heavy.
The V6 only shaves 100 pounds, and the manual trans another 50 pounds. Those cars are downright portly despite their size. Half the towing capacity of a RMW, compromised front suspension geometry because of the variable ride height (there's almost no camber gain to prevent tire wear at different heights), and a maximum tire size of about 27.5" if you use spacers. They're neat for the amount of engineering that went into them, but they're an enormous pain to work on. The quattro setup also means the entire engine sits in front of the wheels, which is NOT cool for ANY reason.
Honestly, I think a properly-setup RMW with adequate winter tires would be more fun to drive in snow. I'd do it if it wasn't for all the salt out there. Even in winter, the Suburban is in 2wd over 90% of the time.
Honestly, I think a properly-setup RMW with adequate winter tires would be more fun to drive in snow. I'd do it if it wasn't for all the salt out there. Even in winter, the Suburban is in 2wd over 90% of the time.
Yeah, in my head I was figuring the Allroad weighed a little bit more than my sedan, which is like 3800 or something.
Yeah, Audis don't tow much besides Ikea furniture.
I think the Allroad air suspension is probably a factor in the negative handling, and also the curb weight. The adjustable ride height is the selling point, not the cornering ability.
Maybe it's an autism thing, but I have not yet run into anything difficult. I find Audi to be really neat and organized and simple. Maybe the worst is yet to come.
We may have to disagree on this. You are right that having the engine in front of the front axle is hugely uncool.
Where I disagree is the final tally of pros and cons. If you consider how many benefits there are, then it's like, "okay fine just put it in front of the axle".
I don't think it's a coincidence that the undisputed best bad-traction cars (Subaru and Audi) both use this setup.
I'm starting to understand this. If you have badass tires, RWD with a posi will handle almost all weather conditions.
I do think that the Torsen AWD system requires much less driving skill to maneuver in the snow. You have to really try to spin out with Quattro.
Only Audi I ever worked on was a 2008 A4 that I had to replace a catalytic converter. Farmed out that job real effin quick.
My sister has a 2011 A3 TDI. It has had every single emissions component replaced under warranty more than once. I am ready for her to sell the car to me so I can make it lose weight. I would love that car tuned.
Is this somehow different than basic exhaust work?
Can you tell me what is actually difficult on these cars? I've had them completely apart, except for the internals of the engine.
I've replaced a subframe, pulled a trans, taken all of the suspension apart, replaced the exhaust with aftermarket downpipes, etc.
That car has a lot of potential. But, being Audi's smallest model, I don't think weight reduction would be my primary focus. Crank the boost up and let 'er rip.
Those are all relatively easy things because you did complete assembles with the expectation that goes along with it. Try replacing ONE front lower control arm. Or ONE rear axle. Or try changing just the accessory belt. Or on a TDI with a longitudinal engine, try changing the tandem pump. Or a single PD injector. Or perhaps the brake master cylinder has gone bad? That's a fun one to change inside the plenum. Wanna bleed a new clutch slave cylinder? These are very basic maintenance items on most vehicles, but they require an almost complete teardown of the entire assembly to accomplish on an Audi, or some knuckle-busting arm acrobatics. It's infuriating.
I could completely remove and re-install the entire engine/transmission assembly in my B5 A4 in about 8 hours. The process is well thought-out. But I shouodnt have to do ALL of that just to change the timing chain on a chained V8. That's a terrible design, and that's basically the theme for working on any Audi.
@Caddylack To replace that cat you have to drop the subframe iirc. There was something about it was that so infuriating for such a small part with the whole reason being there is a strap to the transmission from the cat that you can't get a wrench on and you can't cut it (I think you are supposed to cut it or something) Anyway retarded.
Also when I said lose weight that is EPA code for diesel delete.
Also when I said lose weight that is EPA code for diesel delete.
See that's exactly what I'm referring to. Any single maintenance item that should be self evident turns into a complete system teardown. A common vehicle owner should not be expected to have remove the front bumper (which involves disconnecting the wet lines of the headlight washers) and slide the entire radiator support structure forward by 3" just to change a damn accessory belt. That's ludicrous. Not everyone is a master VW/Audi mechanic, and no-one should have to take half their drivetrain apart in the driveway just to get to the cat.
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