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Audi A8
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This winter I bought Goodyear Ice Grips. A fabulous tire. Except for ride noise they handle better than the all seasons(not so soft). With these tires the car can almost dance on ice. They work well in snow too.
M
As far as the phone is concerned, if I remember correctly, they are not even allowed to be used when a car is in motion in Europe so this is probably a mentality issue. Where the car is made, using the phone while it's moving is illegal so having the phone where you can't see the keys, in Audis' mind, is a non issue. This becoming more common is the US as well i.e. operating a phone while driving being illegal. Since the dealer installed phone is analog and digital seems to be the wave of the future you may want to consider going to an after market dual band phone with a hands free set. I have this in my car and I have it installed in my center console where the drink holder normally lives. It makes it much easier to see and operate. If you want confirmation of what number you are pushing on a key pad you still need to take your eyes off the road (even if the key pad is on the steering wheel) but you can dial by feel with the phone located where I have it and with a quick glance confirm the number before you hit the call button. Also you eventually memorize how many button pushes it takes to get to scroll to a frequently used number in your handsets phone book as well so calling these numbers does not require taking your eyes off the road. And it is possible to intergrate these after market systems (or I should say I know it is with the Nokia 5100/6100 series phones) into the factory wiring for the dealer installed phone so you maintain the stereo muting function, use of the built in phone speaker and have a clean looking installation.
As far as the S8 goes, you can buy one in the US next year (2001) but it will have an automatic transmission.
Be happy. You have a wonderful limited production car that was a technological breakthrough when it was introduced. Just keep in mind that cars are like computers, there will be a better version coming out soon. When Audi drops that 450 hp W12 in the A8 (guess that would really make it an A12), every other car in the category will be at the back of the pack for a couple of years.
After 10,000 miles on my 2000 A8, only 2 complaints. First is the rear seat legroom which I can live with (since I never sit back there), and the A8L which I saw is just too big. Second is a tire question for you. I still have the Eagle LS stock tires on 17" rims for summer driving. It would be nice if there were less body lean on tight curves without a noticeable "setting" of the car after the start of the turn. My dealer says that going to higher performance tires will significantly help this. What do you think?? Are the SP 9000's the way to go? What about snow/wet traction with these tires during the shoulder seasons before my michelin pilots are on?
BTW, not a single mechanical or repair issue so far other than a minor adjustment to calibrate the trip computer and a reaiming of the headlights. I guess my yoga allows me to dial the phone while I'm driving without a problem.
Sorry for the confusion, the SP9000 does not come in a size match for the 17" Audi rim so it's not an option. When I said if you have 17" you can just change the tire I mean to something better than the Good Year LS. The 16" rim is just going to give you to high a profile tire, regardless of it's qualtity, for any truly aggressive maneuvering. As you may know I have Michelin Pilot XGT Z4 on Ronal R-28 17" rims and have been perfectly happy. The 18" combo I mentioned would most likely not be your best bet for winter. Keep the 17" for that season.
As far as body lean or roll goes, tires will not really cure that. You need to work with the suspension to reduce lean or roll. Got $2,200 burning a hole in your pocket? You can get the S8 suspension kit for your A8 (installation not included) which will help with this and lower your car 20 mm in the process. Get those 18" rims with the Dunlop SP9000's and that S8 suspension kit and, well, one word comes to mind ..... Cool!
Just remember, you're still driving a 4,000 lb. car so be careful!
The S8 (Euro version) is an amazing car. You can see it in action in "Ronin" starring Robert De Niro.
Cheers!
Of course, the S8 isn't twin-turbo in any country. It may have been in the past, but the version in Ronin was not, and the current version is not.
Audi is known to have been working on a twin-turbo 3.7 V8, but they haven't installed it in anything yet. It will certainly develop a lot more than 340HP, the rating of the current S8.
I'm really surprised that they can get the S8 to go that fast because of it's weight. I would think that it had more than 340hp.
Again, apologies for the twin-turbo comment. I totally missed that.
M
hehe
Any ideas on price? I'm guessing $75k
M
That's a huge difference. A big part has to be the stick available in the S8 (or is it?). 30HP does help a little. But I can't help but think the car must lose some weight to make that big a difference.
I can't afford it anyway, so I'm never going to find out.
As to the price, the A8 hits $70K without a cell phone or Nav system. The S8 must cost significantly more. I'd guess closer to $80K. I would guess AoA would build-in all but the priciest of options. Perhaps all of them.
Even if he keeps up the front to you (somewhat unlikely), he will give the salesman a thing or two to think about. My guess is if you call the sales manager of that dealership right now he'll have that salesman drive to your house today in an A6 4.2 to let you drive it.
Note that letting a car salesman know where you live (so he can drive over) is not necessarily a totally good thing...
Why are you looking at fake photos? I could make up my own impression of what the new A4 would look like. But it wouldn't make it any more likely that what you see on this website.
M
Seems like the manufacturer is not really standing behind the vehicle. Most others going the other way, longer, more attractive consumer oriented plans. Anybody know what the deal is with the "Premium Alcantara and Leather Trim Package at $3,500? Your comments and opinions are most appreciated. Many thanks...