In Lieu of Sports Differenial...

[poops]

I'm looking at acquiring a 2016 S4 w/o the Sports Differential. If I go ahead and buy it, what are some aftermarket solutions for compensating for the lack of the SD?

Thanks in advance.

[justr0]

I'm looking at acquiring a 2016 S4 w/o the Sports Differential. If I go ahead and buy it, what are some aftermarket solutions for compensating for the lack of the SD?

Thanks in advance.
F&R Sway's + End Links
Strut brace and AK
Coilovers with adjustable control arms to dial in the alignment
Driving skills :)

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[B8 S4]

McDonalds trays on the rear tires.

[Bmil128]

I dot have the SD, I have added the following that have virtually eliminated any understeer:
034 Motorsport Solid Rear Sway Bar
Moog sway bay end links front and rear

I just installed the Alu Kreuz since it was backordered, and it enhances the steering feel somewhat and reduces any numb feeling/vagueness on the highway. I would say changing the front end links had more of a noticeable impact than the AK did. Also when I installed the sway bar I still had Pilot Sport A/S 3s installed and it was a bit easier to break rear traction when inducing off throttle oversteer but not as much with the Pilot Super Sports I now have on the car; however turn in is even sharper now.

[sacandagaD]

Heard a lot of good things about the CR-15 brace, looking to get one myself even with having the sports diff.

[613B6]

McDonalds trays on the rear tires.

LOL

[rcz22]

Heard a lot of good things about the CR-15 brace, looking to get one myself even with having the sports diff.

I've had the CR-15 for about 3 weeks now (and I have Sports Diff)...its awesome, no regrets.

[golfinz]

I doubt you would drive the car fast/hard enough for you to even notice the SD. Sure, it's nice to know you have it for forum bragging purposes, but irl, I doubt you would notice a difference. If you like the car, and has the options you want, get it.

The normal suspension bits would help (AK, coilovers, brace, etc)

[SouthernBoy]

I ordered my 2016 S4 last June and purposely did not order the SD. The reason was the potential costs of repair/replacement plus the fact that tracking the car is not in the picture at all (wouldn't anyway since my preference is drag racing). The car handles great the way it is so I for my purposes, the SD would have been an option that would not have given me any added pleasure.

[switchedstance]

I doubt you would drive the car fast/hard enough for you to even notice the SD. Sure, it's nice to know you have it for forum bragging purposes, but irl, I doubt you would notice a difference. If you like the car, and has the options you want, get it.

The normal suspension bits would help (AK, coilovers, brace, etc)

Coming from a car without, to a car with it is night and day when exiting corners under power, even when not pushing to 10/10s.

[MrFunk]

There's no real compromise but if you are not driving a SD car back to back with a non-SD you will not know what you're missing out on.

That being said - a stiffer rear sway will encourage more of an over-steering experience. All the other suspension upgrades are nice also but I'd say rear sway is the closest thing that will promote the "oversteer" feel of the SD.

I would recommend trying to find a SD car if you can though.

[SteveYem]

There's no real compromise but if you are not driving a SD car back to back with a non-SD you will not know what you're missing out on.

That being said - a stiffer rear sway will encourage more of an over-steering experience. All the other suspension upgrades are nice also but I'd say rear sway is the closest thing that will promote the "oversteer" feel of the SD.

I would recommend trying to find a SD car if you can though.

Agreed. I've owned a B8 without SD and now a B8.5 with SD. I notice the difference and would say that in my daily driving it's closer to subtle than it is to night-and-day. Where I do feel the SD working, however, is when going through turns in slippery conditions, e.g. snow or slush. With the sport diff in Dynamic mode I can feel the back end of the car slightly pushing out to counteract the oversteering tendency of this front-heavy car. Along with the proper steering input, it helps to keep the car on line through the turn, whereas the non SD B8 would tend to push a bit under the same conditions.

[CrownSeven]

Dudes asking what the alternatives are. We don't need ANOTHER thread on WHY/WHY NOT to go with sport diff.

As the other poster above said, McDonalds trays are you only alternative.

[Dr GP]

I ordered my 2016 S4 last June and purposely did not order the SD. The reason was the potential costs of repair/replacement plus the fact that tracking the car is not in the picture at all (wouldn't anyway since my preference is drag racing). The car handles great the way it is so I for my purposes, the SD would have been an option that would not have given me any added pleasure.

Yes, but it would have given you added safety and fun. I'm 65 yrs old and do not do a lot of aggressive driving. But I would not want an S4 without the sport dif. Like the quattro system, the SD works even though in most cases you are not actually aware what it is doing

[TomPaul10]

I doubt you would drive the car fast/hard enough for you to even notice the SD. Sure, it's nice to know you have it for forum bragging purposes, but irl, I doubt you would notice a difference. If you like the car, and has the options you want, get it.

The normal suspension bits would help (AK, coilovers, brace, etc)

i highly disagree

[xpoweruk]

If you buy without the SD (I did) I would do the following

Uprate rear ARB
CR-15 brace/Ultra racing brace
If you go lower,lower the front more than the rear (Eibach springs will do this)
Widen the front track more than the rear.

All this will balance the car nicely & enable the rear to move out more,understeer will not be an issue for you then

[sigaddict]

Most people rarely drive their car hard enough to really appreciate the sport diff. I don't have it and drive my car harder than most probably. I've never had any major handling/traction issues and the car has never scared me. If you aren't going to track the car or constantly do mountain runs, you'll be absolutely happy without it.

[mrmomo313]

OP,

get the Eurocode AK, front and rear sways + end links and SPC adjustable upper control arms.

Then get in touch with David@eurocode and he'll get you the alignment specs that can help induce some rotation on a non SD car. The guys at eurocode know this chassis really well and can get you dialed in nicely

[Victor Newman]

+1 to just get the damn sport diff

[dizzlesizzle]

I ordered my 2016 S4 last June and purposely did not order the SD. The reason was the potential costs of repair/replacement plus the fact that tracking the car is not in the picture at all (wouldn't anyway since my preference is drag racing). The car handles great the way it is so I for my purposes, the SD would have been an option that would not have given me any added pleasure.

Couldn't have said it any better...don't have it in mine and drives just fine.

[LINDW4LL]

Handling modifications are the same as you'd do on a sport-diff equipped car.

Sway Bars
Coilovers
Alu Kreuz for feel

If your main goal is outright performance limits, then go with both bars (Eurocode is great). If you just care about having the most neutral feel possible when going through corners, doing the 034 rear bar only will feel a bit better in that regard.



Couldn't have said it any better...don't have it in mine and drives just fine.
Yeah, I'm a big fan of the Sport Diff for the feel, but it's certainly not a necessity to have a good handling car. Very few sports cars had torque vectoring differentials until very recently, and it's still pretty rare.

[SouthernBoy]

Yes, but it would have given you added safety and fun. I'm 65 yrs old and do not do a lot of aggressive driving. But I would not want an S4 without the sport dif. Like the quattro system, the SD works even though in most cases you are not actually aware what it is doing

I understand this and believe me, I agonized over getting it or leaving it off. Then I started to see where some people had some problems with leakage and failures. And while I have a seven year warranty, I hate having to take my car into a dealership for work of any kind. My hope is that they'll never see me again.

I do like to feel it in corners but I don't push it hard at all. And when I get on it in a straight line, I certainly don't power shift and I don't even speed shift. I do enjoy just feeling it go down the road and reacting to slight throttle inputs (that's when you really enjoy the amount of torque on tap).

BTW, I'm 70 but as far as I'm concerned, that's not an issue when it comes to cars, guns, and music.

[yjypm]

+1
The $$$ you spend on the mods could be more than the damn SD, not to mention adding the mods to a car w/ SD could make it handle even better.

[RudyH]

You might be hard pressed to find a 2016 with no sports diff.
The dealers around here for their regular inventory or for new customer cars have always checked off the sports diff. It's only unless you specifically state you don't want it. Unfortunately, I don't think Audi is taking orders anymore for a the last few months

[FWP!]

You might be hard pressed to find a 2016 with no sports diff.
The dealers around here for their regular inventory or for new customer cars have always checked off the sports diff. It's only unless you specifically state you don't want it. Unfortunately, I don't think Audi is taking orders anymore for a the last few months

My 2016 doesn't have it, and after hearing about how great the SD is, I'm sorta bummed :( Would be cool to add it, but it seems pretty complicated.

[snowmuch]

Coming from a car without, to a car with it is night and day when exiting corners under power, even when not pushing to 10/10s.

Coming from a C63 without LSD and a B8.5 that does...I cannot tell the difference...

[khyungs]

For the cost, it's worth it..

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk