[Neel S5]

I've just started driving my New S5 this week and some things ive found about the drive.

The steering feels very light, not much feeling of whats going on on the road. Because of this you cant find out how much grip the car has- i know it has a lot but the drive doesnt inspire or give me confidence yet to reall push it.

I had the MK5 R32 and the steering feel was brilliant and you could really feel the road and grip. The steering was pretty perfect. Is it just me or anyone feel the same about the drive.

I have an S500 merc 2008 model and the steering of the S5 seem a lot lighter than the merc, is it fault on the car or do i just need to get used to it.

Would lowering the with coilovers improve the road handling? Or am i being to fussy and too used to the drive of the R32.

 

[doubledoom]

The steering is light at low speeds but tightens up at higher speeds.

I would say the coilovers improve the handling. You can throw it into cornering a lot more with them. Although wait until you have some more tyre wear first before you get the feel of the car. I found it very easy to understeer the car early on but the grip improved.

 

[bri]

disclaimer: having modded audis before i'm reformed into a purist, more on that in a minute

the S5 and R32 are very different.. the purpose of the S5 is not to feel like an R32 - i've never owned an R32, but i've driven one and from what I remember it's quite different in many ways - even the standard GTI is a bit more "connected" than the S5.. but that's on purpose, the target of the S5 isn't to make a racing car, but to make a GT as has been stated before.. I'm actually quite impressed with the S5's feedback compared to earlier S cars i've owned, the feedback is there, it's subtle, but it's there.. it's just not obvious and punishing as other halo cars have.. you could make the S5 feel more like the R32, though i don't know how much effort it would take trying to match the sensation.. assuming there's nothing wrong and you're just getting used to the S5's way of doing things, i think you'll feel a lot more comfortable pushing the car to its limits after some more time behind the wheel..

try this: in a safe environment, push the S5 past its limits and see what it does, once you know how the car will react at 110% you'll have more confidence in getting it up close to 100%, and you'll learn the signs that the car gives..

i know this goes against the popular opinion, but i tend to keep my cars stock now, with the single exception being wheels/tires, but even then i keep widths and diameter the same.. i've found when i've chipped my car to generate huge amounts of torque (2.7tt) and added brakes to stop the new power and tightened suspension to keep me on the road and added stickier tires to help in the corners i wind up with a fun, exhilarating car that now lacks a certain zen balance of the stock machine.. IMHO (and this is just mine, i've got nothing but encouragement for folks who want to mod) audi has done such a good job balancing all of the facets of their S cars that i dont' want to disturb it.. can i make it perform better? yes. will it "feel" right to me? no..

 

[Neel S5]

Thats good to hear i was getting a little worried. I do feel it does become tighter at higher speeds but i would expect more control. Ive only done 300 miles so tyres are fresh. Another factor could be that im very used to the r32.

I hope the car grows on me a little more because i love everything else about it. I just wish theyd made the steering slightly heavier and a slightly chunckier steering wheel.

 

[sizzle]

09 with Drive Select would have been perfect for you.....

 

[Neel S5]

Thanks guys for the advice, so today i drove 100 miles and drove on every type of road from country lanes, to A & B roads and the Motorway and actually started understanding the car, this thing is a beast. Im starting to enjoy the car. Today i took some corners fast and it is just glued. On the Motorway this car just feels like a dream, breezing past everything.

This is my third day of driving it and this car is defo the nuts!!

 

[boomer]

09 with Drive Select would have been perfect for you.....

Definitely Drive select in the dynamic mode changes things. Steering is a little tighter in 09 than 08 but the biggest difference is the suspension. It is stiffer in 09 dynamic mode than 08 and therefore the ride is tighter all the way around but with noticeable decrease in ride comfort as one would expect. Nice option in my opinion.

 

[sbkim]

Is the steering tighter on 2009 vs 2008 without the Drive Select?

 

[Rezox]

You can also get coil overs or springs to tighten the feel as well.

 

[wrx_xb9r]

I came from a modded STi which had plenty of feedback. I find the "light" steering to be personal perception. After 9 months I am very in tune with the feedback from the S5. It is there in very precise amounts. However the amplitude is much lower than with other cars. I think that is the biggest thing people have issue with. People tend to equate force with feel. I find sensitivity regardless of force equals feel. I can steer with a relaxed upper body for all day comfort while still exacting maximum performance from the chassis.

 

[Wolfman]

VAG COM Adjustments for Steering

Are any VAG COM adjustments available to make the steering less soft. I believe this a doable on other Audis (A6?) but couldn't find anything on the S5.

 

[SupraBlur]

I kind of wish you could get the DriveSelect steering setup without having to have DriveSelect. Like if all you needed to do was buy a new steering rack and have it permanently stuck in "dynamic" mode or whatever it's called, that could be a worthwhile mod. It's the only part of DriveSelect that isn't made pointless by aftermarket mods.

 

[DODDY]

after doing 20 laps of the ring in may,i can say without doubt that when you push the car to its limit,the car changes into what you'd expect it to be.The understeer vanishes and the feedback you get is phenominal.

I'll be absolutly honest i probably only drove the car to 80% of what it's capable,but still managed a sub 9min lap,as for mods i think it'sbest left alone.

 

[Meteor Ghost]

It's because of the Servotronic Advanced power steering system. The power steering system uses the power of the running engine to allow precise steering with little effort. This system senses the road speed and electronically adjusts power assistance to provide comfortable and safe steering response exactly matched to the vehicle speed.

 

[Deutsch Autofahrer]

after doing 20 laps of the ring in may,i can say without doubt that when you push the car to its limit,the car changes into what you'd expect it to be.The understeer vanishes and the feedback you get is phenominal.

I'll be absolutly honest i probably only drove the car to 80% of what it's capable,but still managed a sub 9min lap,as for mods i think it'sbest left alone.

lucky sob i was in germany at the ring for the f1 race and i woulda killed to have my s5 there to drive around the north loop... how was it?

 

[SupraBlur]

At the same time, whether or not there is an effect on overall grip and track performance, a lot of people would want more steering wheel feedback just as a personal preference, somewhat in the same vain as wanting a traditional manual versus a DCT-type system, even though the DCT's usually perform better.

 

[Deutsch Autofahrer]

steering is going to be a user feel they cant make it a lot heavier cuz it takes away from the purpose of the car cuz its not a race car though a lot of us wish it was :thumbsup: but im sure that there would be changes that could be made to effect the weight of the steering, u could adjust the camber and castor (this would change a lot about the handling though depending on how much u changed) or change the steering rack i dunno if u could do these on this car but theyd be worth looking in to if u were serious about this, i dont have the dynamic thing on mine so i dunno what that does