German Car Zone

YoUhimhER · 12-02-2005, 06:40 PM

gorgeous car, thanks for the feast..

gustavo · 12-02-2005, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just_me

the grill is perfect. best luxury car in the segment

In that case it would sell better than 7er and old S-class.

BTW, I've seen some A8 with painted grill, guess why?

Yannis · 12-02-2005, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bum-man

The most of the weight in the A8 is front biased so It's only natural that the front brakes will being doing most of the work.

In all cars the front brakes account for more than 80% of the braking force so it's natural that the rear brakes will be smaller than the front ones. As for weight bias , nearly all cars with the engine in front are forward biased including Mercedes and BMW of course. Of course BMW is closer to 50/50 for example M6 is 52/48. Mercedes has many models with 55 front and 45 rear like the C55 AMG for example.

In Audi A8 the overall weight is much lower than the competition (S8 for example only 1,940kg) so despite the forward biased distribution the front axle has to carry less weight that the equivalent S class and 7 series.

bum-man · 12-03-2005, 12:24 AM

I doubt that highly Yannis, an equivelant S500 (W221) is 51/49 and weighs in at 1940kg SWB while the A8/S8 has ~57/43 front to rear bias. The C55 is 53/47 to 52/48 depending on the version BTW. Sometimes I wonder were you get your information, perhaps VAG propaganda land.

Although, you are totally right about most cars using the front rotars for most of the braking force; with the exception of some car makers such as Porsche (notably the 911).

Deutsch · 12-03-2005, 01:01 AM

Very very nice car, too bad they couldn't get a real feel for the torque split, bet it would handle like no other in the dry. Beautiful car!

Yannis · 12-03-2005, 01:02 AM

Quote:

The first time around you notice how much faster this car is than the outgoing C32 AMG. On the corner after the pit straight in the C32 you go in fast, on a long sweep. In the C55 you're going so much faster that you have to brake hard before setting up the car and powering out from the apex.

And it's the same on every corner. You have to brake significantly more than in the C32, then use that awesome power to rocket away without inducing wheel spin and tempting the electronic controls to intervene.

By the way, you CAN push a switch to limit the effects of the ESP, but it's always there in some measure, and the best bet is to use its benefits without its disadvantages.

The interesting thing about it all is that despite the higher speeds, at no time did I feel the car was running away from me - although at one stage while chasing ex-racer McCleery (Weston's partner in the training business) I realised my cajones weren't as big as his through the long back sweep.

That said, the car merely drifts towards the outside of the track and you ease back the power, the car showing surprisingly neutral characteristics for a sedan with 45 rear/55 front weight distribution.

Source: http://www.wheels24.co.za/Wheels24/N...546283,00.html

Quote:

Model Tested: S500 [European spec SWB]
Curb Weight: 4376 lbs.
Engine: 32 Valve, 5.5 liter V-8
Horsepower: 388 hp
Torque: 391 lb. ft. @ 2800 - 4800 rpm
Drive Type: rear wheel drive
0 to 60: 5.4 seconds
1/4 Mile: NA
Price as Tested: NA
Top Speed: 155 mph (electronically limited)

4376 lbs=1985 kgr for S500 but i wouldn't call it equivalent to S8 with only 388hp output.

Source: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/con...4445/index.php

Deutsch · 12-03-2005, 01:14 AM

Don't mean to put Yannis on the spot, but I've just uncovered Yannis's personal holiday greeting postcard...

bum-man · 12-03-2005, 01:15 AM

SWB W221 = 1940kg
http://www.germancarfans.com/news.cf...ercedes/1.html

Yannis · 12-03-2005, 01:24 AM

As for the brakes ,for comparison i found that S8 has 1 inch bigger front brakes than CLS55 AMG and the same size rear ones:

Quote:

20-inch S-design alloy wheels shod with 265/35 ZR20 tires distribute the power to the tarmac, and within these are massive 15-inch front and 13-inch rear disc brakes that keep the Audi S8 effectively reined in at all times.

http://www.rsportscars.com/eng/cars/audi_s8.asp

Quote:

To make sure the CLS55 AMG stops as fast as it goes, giant vented and perforated disc brakes all around feature 14-inch discs and eight-piston calipers up front and 13-inch discs with four-piston calipers at the rear. Staggered 19-inch wheels with 8 1/2 and 9 1/2 inch widths carry 255/35 tires in front and 285/30 at the rear.

http://www.mblink.mbusa.com/Inetapps...ument&Clic k=

Just_me · 12-03-2005, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gustavo

In that case it would sell better than 7er and old S-class.

Its impossible since Audi hasnt a strong brand as BMW and MB. They are working on it though. And sales hardly say anything about which car is the best.

best car in the segment, of course IMO.

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