Adaptive damping suspension makes no difference?

[JSD]

I have had my 2015 S4 for a little over 6 months now and had time to do some milage. I should have the Adaptive damping suspension (in addition to sports diff) given that I paid for it and can adjust the suspension setting in Drive select but I see essentially no difference between any of the settings. Is it supposed to be noticeable? (and the roads in Quebec are sh&t....) I can see a big difference in direction, throttle response, sound, etc. but none on suspension...

[paul]

the difference between comfort and dynamic are staggering. You can't miss it.

[JSD]

Well in that case, could there be something wrong? My understanding is that you cannot change the suspension setting in Drive select if you don't have ADS. Is that right? Is there a way to test it other than driving on bumpy road (which I have been doing)?

[paul]

you can pull off a wheel and check the shock is correct.

[jygesq]

Do you show in the display that you have adjustable suspension? Is it listed in your window sticker or is it only sport differental ?

[JSD]

Yes to both. I can change the suspension setting in MMI and it was listed on the window sticker. So either I'm expecting something more or there is something wrong...

I assume that it's the same as for the other settings, I should be able to adjust it while I'm driving and see a difference?

[jygesq]

Yes you should feel a difference. Take it to dealer and ask shop foreman to take a ride with you. When you make changes in mmi , make sure the changes show after the change. Car is under warranty, and you paid lots for it, dealer should address your concerns. Dealer people also love to drive S4 s .

[Fourcircle]

Subscribed. Interested to see what happens here. I opted for neither the adaptive nor the sports diff on my S4 and it drives and rides fantastic, even with the 19s. Glad, in a way, I didn't invest in those extras. Hope the OP gets this sorted out.

[drew4392]

The difference, IMO, is NOT staggering. At all. Underwhelming, if anything. That was the most disappointing thing to me. I did extensive test drives between the two (electronic damping and non) and the difference was very subtle. The sales guys at this dealer are enthusiasts and all agreed it is not the same as a proper magnetic damping setup (like in the S3, or what will be in the new B9 S4).

I did not purchase elect. damping in my B8.5 S4, because of this.

I wouldn't expect a big difference.

[EBS4]

My experience was also minimal difference in comfort and handling.

Cheers,
EBS4

[pdqgp]

The difference, IMO, is NOT staggering.

^^ this. I have it and am glad I do but the difference in suspension feel is minimal. It does take the "harshness" off but it doesn't turn the car from a sports car to a plush luxury car ride difference that I thought it would. I have done extensive comparisons with the Individual Setting controls to see simply by changing that one setting and again, it's minimal. Not sure however in terms of taking curves or ramps, etc. I tend not to really push the car like that. More just in a straight line

That said, I do set my suspension for "comfort" most of the time.

[JSD]

Thanks guys. I sent an email to my dealer; we'll see what they say. Everything else is fine with the car and the ride is not uncomfortable or anything like that but I have been wondering for a while now why I can't really feel any difference. Just want to make sure I'm not missing out on something I paid for :)

[CharlieG]

I've got it and can tell what setting I'm in as soon as I leave my driveway. The difference is definitely less noticeable with my Winter wheels/tires on (18's) vs my Summer setup (19's) but it's there for sure.

[emnahum]

Yes you should feel a difference. Take it to dealer and ask shop foreman to take a ride with you. When you make changes in mmi , make sure the changes show after the change. Car is under warranty, and you paid lots for it, dealer should address your concerns. Dealer people also love to drive S4 s .

+1 to this. I definitely feel the difference on NYC roads.

[doug97gxe]

+1 to this. I definitely feel the difference on NYC roads.

exactly .. every time i go to JFK i have to switch to comfort.. when i'm in CT i leave it in Dynamic

[zcd2.7t]

BIG difference in feel, to me, between the settings...

[Dippy]

I have to agree that the difference is not "staggering" but it certainly is noticeable between dynamic and comfort. My passengers notice the difference and none of them are petrol heads.

However I'll throw an idea out for discussion: I have always assumed that ADS 'auto' is not automatic at all, rather it is simply somewhere between dynamic and comfort. Audi's terms are a bit vague aren't they, hence in some places the word 'balanced' is used. Anyway a while back I had a discussion about this with an RS5 owner who stated that the suspension on that car is truly dynamic in that it changes based on sensors to adapt to diving style. Now I know that the RS4/5 and S4/5 suspensions are different but Audi have used that description for the S4/5 adaptive damping. I was sceptical and believed that when my ADS 'individual' has suspension set to 'Auto', that just means it is set to 2 in the range 1 to 3, and I just switch to ADS dynamic when I want some fun and have all the kit working to performance. However now after 9 months of ownership I am less sceptical about it. I genuinely feel that whilst in 'Auto' my dampers do tighten up due to my driving style. As such this makes the difference between my 'individual' mode and 'dynamic' mode less obvious, whereas changing to 'comfort' makes the ride horribly soft.

Now if this true, and its still a big IF, maybe it explains why the OP is not sensing the difference as much.

It took me a while to really understand the benefits of dynamic steering, but I guess that its because it has taken me a while to be prepared to push my extremely expensive S5 to the limits!

[Woodybangs]

If you don't have shit roads then the difference will be harder to notice. The comfort setting allows for less jarring over crap roads here in Michigan. I notice a much stiffer ride in Dynamic mode.

[doug97gxe]

If you don't have shit roads then the difference will be harder to notice. The comfort setting allows for less jarring over crap roads here in Michigan. I notice a much stiffer ride in Dynamic mode.

true.. and it depends on how hard you push your car as well.. if you're always cruising at 60 mph you won't notice a difference .. you can definitely feel the steering difference and body roll when you change lanes aggressive in dynamic vs comfort .. for me comfort makes me feel like i'm driving an S550 .. something big and floaty with hardly any driver connection to the car

[GRUMPY-S4]

I am guessing its a matter of how sensitive you are to changes

[BlownOne]

It should be a noticeable difference when you switch from auto to dynamic mode. Fwiw, It's only slightly less stiff than my caddys mag ride control.

Will

[Scumbucket]

both drive select and sport diff are not that noticeable in daily driving. Only when you push the performance will it become apparent.

[Lamprey]

Get some sways and you'll appreciate having switchable dampers.

[firstars]

I have full sways endlinks ak springs and the adjustable dampers make the setup perfect. Drive around in individual almost all the time with everything set to dynamic except dampers set to comfort and the ride is awesome for daily. Change to full dynamic and there is a very noticeable difference.

[SportVier]

Adaptive Damping Suspension will make a "noticeable difference" in your bank balance when you need to replace those fancy adaptive dampers.

[amz]

They make a huge difference for my '12 S4 in cold Canadian winters. I've re-coded my car to start up in Individual mode so my car starts up in all comfort mode for the winter, and a mix of auto/dynamic in the summer (suspension goes to dynamic.)

Scout out a moderate bump or pot hole in the road near your dealership and drive over it in comfort then dynamic a few times. Then take an S4 with ADS from the lot and do the same thing, you should definitely notice (read: hear/feel) the difference between Comfort and Dynamic, but you shouldn't notice a big difference between your car and one from the lot. If you can, then something is wrong. If you have non-OEM rims on, put the OEM rims back on...I almost guarantee they will try to blame it on rims if you're not sock.

[ekyp]

I do have the adaptive dampers on my S-Line B8.5 on 19". I do notice a pretty big difference between Dynamic and Comfort but I also notice one thing with adaptive dampers and that is they don't retain their drive select mode after car restarts.

When you restart the car, even though Drive Select still has Comfort or Dynamic selected for example, the dampers will go back to Auto Mode by default it seems. Pressing the Drive Select button on the console will reactive the correct mode for the dampers. I just notice this recently as I have Comfort mode on during the winter and the ride was getting harsher so the other day, I tried to press the button again thinking to reactivate Comfort mode and it made a differences in ride quality.

[firstars]

Adaptive Damping Suspension will make a "noticeable difference" in your bank balance when you need to replace those fancy adaptive dampers.

Yes they will. I've had mine replaced under warranty at 10,000 miles. They were around $500 per damper.

[doug97gxe]

I do have the adaptive dampers on my S-Line B8.5 on 19". I do notice a pretty big difference between Dynamic and Comfort but I also notice one thing with adaptive dampers and that is they don't retain their drive select mode after car restarts.

When you restart the car, even though Drive Select still has Comfort or Dynamic selected for example, the dampers will go back to Auto Mode by default it seems. Pressing the Drive Select button on the console will reactive the correct mode for the dampers. I just notice this recently as I have Comfort mode on during the winter and the ride was getting harsher so the other day, I tried to press the button again thinking to reactivate Comfort mode and it made a differences in ride quality.

i believe 2014+ it saves the last selection.. i know on my car it does

[SportVier]

Yes they will. I've had mine replaced under warranty at 10,000 miles. They were around $500 per damper.

$650 full boat

[sirsycott]

i believe 2014+ it saves the last selection.. i know on my car it does

my 13 keeps settings as well

[paul]

2010 doesn't hold ads settings (individual settings are held). The shock setting on comfort vs dynamic is huge on the 2010 with ADS. It should be very apparent. That said comparing a non-ADS car to an ADS car may not be a huge difference but on an ADS equipped car you should notice a significant change on damping

[JSD]

Thank you all for your input; very useful discussion. I'm still waiting to hear back from the dealer...

I have to agree that the difference is not "staggering" but it certainly is noticeable between dynamic and comfort. My passengers notice the difference and none of them are petrol heads.

However I'll throw an idea out for discussion: I have always assumed that ADS 'auto' is not automatic at all, rather it is simply somewhere between dynamic and comfort. Audi's terms are a bit vague aren't they, hence in some places the word 'balanced' is used. Anyway a while back I had a discussion about this with an RS5 owner who stated that the suspension on that car is truly dynamic in that it changes based on sensors to adapt to diving style. Now I know that the RS4/5 and S4/5 suspensions are different but Audi have used that description for the S4/5 adaptive damping. I was sceptical and believed that when my ADS 'individual' has suspension set to 'Auto', that just means it is set to 2 in the range 1 to 3, and I just switch to ADS dynamic when I want some fun and have all the kit working to performance. However now after 9 months of ownership I am less sceptical about it. I genuinely feel that whilst in 'Auto' my dampers do tighten up due to my driving style. As such this makes the difference between my 'individual' mode and 'dynamic' mode less obvious, whereas changing to 'comfort' makes the ride horribly soft.

Now if this true, and its still a big IF, maybe it explains why the OP is not sensing the difference as much.

It took me a while to really understand the benefits of dynamic steering, but I guess that its because it has taken me a while to be prepared to push my extremely expensive S5 to the limits!

That's possible but just to make sure that I see a difference I've been switching back and forth from comfort to dynamic.

If you don't have shit roads then the difference will be harder to notice. The comfort setting allows for less jarring over crap roads here in Michigan. I notice a much stiffer ride in Dynamic mode.

Trust me, roads are pretty shitty in Quebec in the Winter ;)

They make a huge difference for my '12 S4 in cold Canadian winters. I've re-coded my car to start up in Individual mode so my car starts up in all comfort mode for the winter, and a mix of auto/dynamic in the summer (suspension goes to dynamic.)

Scout out a moderate bump or pot hole in the road near your dealership and drive over it in comfort then dynamic a few times. Then take an S4 with ADS from the lot and do the same thing, you should definitely notice (read: hear/feel) the difference between Comfort and Dynamic, but you shouldn't notice a big difference between your car and one from the lot. If you can, then something is wrong. If you have non-OEM rims on, put the OEM rims back on...I almost guarantee they will try to blame it on rims if you're not sock.

Good point. I do have OEM rims on 18 for the Winter but I don't remember seeing any more difference with my stock RIMS and 19...

[chaos2984]

Subscribed. Interested to see what happens here. I opted for neither the adaptive nor the sports diff on my S4 and it drives and rides fantastic, even with the 19s. Glad, in a way, I didn't invest in those extras. Hope the OP gets this sorted out.

Your missing out with the sports diff. You can notice it very well if you corner very hard. The car is just planted. But if you don't push the car hard your right you don't notice a difference and don't need it really.

[mmm def]

I thought I had adaptive shocks until I read this, went and looked..turns out i don't. lol.

I'm on my 2nd B8 S4, first one had no sport diff, my current one does. Not really noticeable when driving normally but when I push it i can feel it for sure.

[SportVier]

Not really noticeable when driving normally but when I push it i can feel it for sure.

I know, right? If it weren't for the completely dead steering you could almost imagine you are driving an RWD car with an LSD. But, alas, you're not...