Anti Stall?

[1000songs]

It would appear that there is some sort of anti-stall feature in the S5 that has some people on other forums tied up in knots. Complaints about inability to drive properly in stop and go traffic. People ditching the car, etc.

Try this:

1. Car in neutral with clutch fully disengaged (parking brake on!) - should be about 500 rpm at idle. Put light pressure on gas. Smooth, easy revs that you can hold at 900 or 1000 rpm or pretty much any rpm quite easily.

2. Car in any gear (or in neutral for that matter) with clutch fully engaged (parking brake on again) and light pressure on gas. MUCH more sensitive throttle response. Completely unable to hold at lower rpms, car jumps from idle (500 rpm) to approx 1500 or so.

I had never tried revving the engine without the clutch engaged and just thought the car was very sensitive to gas pedal inputs. Interesting. I guess I just adapted to the different style of driving (and was happy that the clutch was so damn light compared to my 2004 G35). Should make for some interesting downshifting on the track.

My guess is that this is not as much an "anti-stall" as it is an "anti-lug" given that with such a light flywheel the rpms drop dramatically the second you get off the gas to engage the next gear. If you short shift and/or are really slow finding the next gear you could find yourself shifting from 3rd to 4th but having the rpms fall below 1000, therefore lugging the engine and falling well out of the power band. The electronics automatically bring the revs up when you get on the gas if you are below the "anti-stall" level.

Thoughts?

[kmarei]

i think it's a terrible feature
and its one of the reasons i want to sell my A5
when you press the clutch you hear the engine revs go up
so for a normal person when you hear that you let your foot off the gas
which causes the car to stall
so the anti-stall feature makes it stall :)

they were trying to make it easier for people to drive manual
but the effect is people who DO know how to drive manual can't drive it
also if you are at a red light
with a slight slope
on all other manual cars you can let the clutch slip a little to keep the car stationary
but you can't in this car because the ECU is constantly trying to vary the revs.

the other problem i have is very little low down torque
if you try to accelerate in 3 or 4th gear at about 2000rpm its very weak
so usually i don't go past 4th gear
because 5th and 6th are too weak to do anything but maintain your speed

overall i don't think this engine management computer was programmed correctly

[greene08]

I've driven the S5 MT6 a handful of times (have one on order) and can't say I noticed any issues. I let the clutch out the plow into the go pedal and don't look back.

Anyone else weighing in here?

[Tiesto]

I've driven the S5 MT6 a handful of times (have one on order) and can't say I noticed any issues. I let the clutch out the plow into the go pedal and don't look back.

Anyone else weighing in here?

How would you say it compares to an A4?

[greene08]

The clutch feel was a bit more stiff than the A4 but certainly not as bad as I expected. It is a VERY manageable driver under all conditions. The clutch travel was linear and the friction points were similar to my A4. All in all very Audi like.

[1000songs]

It certainly hasn't affected my love affair with my S5, but it is an interesting feature. One of these guys has switched to a tiptronic and another has ditched his car. Seriously. Plus kameri (above) wants out as well. Love it or hate it, I guess.

http://www.a5oc.com/forums/showthrea...029/index.html
http://www.a5oc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1511

[kmarei]

after i read the above mentioned links
why does the S5/A5 have a light flywheel?
this is not a sports car
it's a GT
GTs should not have light flywheels
a cayman S should have one
maybe this anti stall is trying to fix a problem that should not have been there in the first place
both the antistall and the unresponsiveness of the engine ruined my enjoyment of the car
sometimes i am cruising and i feel a slight jerkiness
i still know what causes that
like power was interupted momentarily
not like a misfire

i feel the engine/transmission are the weakest points in this car
the looks and interior are great
but if i don't enjoy it when i am driving it, then it means nothing to be in a good looking car
i am trying to sell my A5 and get an M3
no problem with engine/dynamics there :)

[greene08]

Well crap... now I'm anxious to get mine if enough people are willing to drop theirs! I wonder if the A5 is just so much less powerful that you notice it more then you would on the S5. Maybe that is why I didn't notice during my driving.

Crap... now what do I do?

[kmarei]

Well crap... now I'm anxious to get mine if enough people are willing to drop theirs! I wonder if the A5 is just so much less powerful that you notice it more then you would on the S5. Maybe that is why I didn't notice during my driving.

Crap... now what do I do?

buy my A5 :)

i guess it depends a lot on your driving style
because not everyone complains about it
but on one of the links they said its driver error for not getting used to it, is utter crap
i have driven a lot of cars and never had this problem
i've driven cars with a burnt out clutch to a heavy clutch to a super light clutch
i think the problem is Audi is trying to make their cars more technologicaly advanced for some aspects that were fine without all the electronic aids

[A4_Mike]

I am sure this has been brought up before, but is there no way to disable the feature? I have never driven the A5/S5, but I could certainly see where this feature would create a problem for individuals that are experienced in driving a manual.

[1000songs]

I am sure this has been brought up before, but is there no way to disable the feature? I have never driven the A5/S5, but I could certainly see where this feature would create a problem for individuals that are experienced in driving a manual.

i believe you would have to re-map the ECU

[TooLow2.0T]

This is the first I've heard about this feature. I f'ing hate all the electronic $hit that's going into cars these days! Damn, and I wanted an A5 too.

[greene08]

A buddy of mine that owns an RS4 (with an R8 on order) did a couple day test of the S5 MT6 and said he would still get the car if he didn't have an R8 and RS4. He said it doesn't matter if you jam the gas anyway.

I like that!

[1000songs]

Nobody is complaining about high speed takeoffs (and landings!). It's only an issue in traffic and slower situations (like parking).

[Borg54]

Uhg... I have an S5 on order...

Can someone who has an S5 describe more in detail what it is like and how bad it is??

Does it just take time to get used to?

[greene08]

I just talked with a friend of mine who has had an S5 MT6 since January (with 12k miles on it now) and said he doesn't notice the anti-stall feature at all. He said he wouldn't trade the car for anything.

That made me feel better. I'm still sticking with mine. I'll sell it when the RS5 comes out and then who cares? ;)

[1000songs]

Can someone who has an S5 describe more in detail what it is like and how bad it is?? Does it just take time to get used to?

I can't describe it any more than I have already - in stop and go traffic you can't just let the clutch out nicely at anything under about 1,600 rpm - the car lurches. You have to "ride" the clutch a bit, which is lame. I'm totally used to it, and I wouldn't get rid of the car because it's programmed differently than other cars, but it is quite different than any MT I've ever driven.

I'll let you know what it's like after they upgrade the ECU in another 1,000km. Supposedly they changed it from an automatic blip to a pulse!

[TapouTx914]

It never bothered me but I definately don't have as much driving experience as people who do notice it considering it is the first manual car i ever had.

[Borg54]

Does Audi call it an "anti-stall"? It almost sounds to me like it is a rev-matcher for in between gears. If that is indeed the case then it should not be there in first gear??

I hope an after market tuner can get rid of this, but i have little faith in that.

oh well i will have my car in about a month and will post my thoughts. I am quite worried as I live in SF and it is almost all one block and then a stop sign...repeat...

[greene08]

I'm sure it will be OK. Besides... it is an S5 bitches!

[switchface]

I never noticed anything on my short test drive, although it was awkward to launch smoothly. Im sure that just takes a bit getting used to the clutch.

However, i'd bet this could/can be an easy fix either from Audi or from someone like APR or GIAC. Sorta like the iphone; software updates to fix user issues.

[1000songs]

While sitting in traffic today I tried a few new things:

1. Held the throttle very lightly at 900rpm while in neutral and then engaged the clutch (ie. the car is motionless and is going to remain motionless). Was amazed to see the rpm jump to around 1800rpm without my giving any more throttle.

2. Exactly the same as above but held the throttle at around 1100rpm. Rpm jumped but not nearly as much - to about 1300 rpm.

I'm not sure who programmed this thing, but....

[kmarei]

i did the software update for the A5
and it made a world of difference
the throttle response is much sharper now
i get acceleration the minute i step on the gas
i read somewhere they changed the way the ECU reads the gas pedal sensor
making it respond quicker

[greene08]

i did the software update for the A5
and it made a world of difference
the throttle response is much sharper now
i get acceleration the minute i step on the gas
i read somewhere they changed the way the ECU reads the gas pedal sensor
making it respond quicker

Does this have anything to do with the "anti stall" feature everyone is talking about?