Driving with Sport Mode and Magnetic Ride off, and ESP on

[SebringSilver]

This will sound kind of ridiculous, especially coming from someone who's had his R8 for almost 2 years now, but I finally tried driving the car in non-Sport mode, with the Magnetic Ride off, and full ESP on this morning.

It's not bad!!

The car seems to have a deeper roar to it as you move off from a dead stop, and the ride, wow, it is so amazingly compliant. I do notice the shifts are a bit more lethargic though, but that's in keeping with the intentions of the driver if he/she were indeed to use these settings. The differences are so noticeable it almost feels like I'm driving another car. I might actually learn to like this!

Do other people drive their R8s this way?

[the_buch]

I do most of the time. I like the suspension compliance around our pot-holed city streets, and I theorize that it might actually be easier on the drive train when I don't need to force a quicker shift in Sport mode?? On the highway, or on the way to Whistler, well that's a different story as you'd know :-)

[SaigonR8]

Ahem, having so many potholes, deep ruts and other random obstacles in the daily driving landscape I haven't actually felt inclined to use the Sport mode for the entire four months that we have been together. Upon reflection, that is rather sad.

And so I shall rectify that later today - once I have found some smooth tarmac that is longer than my driveway. Thanks for the call to action - hopefully the suspension and my spinal column will survive the experience.

[hblocal]

Can you set the car to always start in Sport Mode on R-tronic? I seem to have to remember to push the button everytime I get in the car. It always starts the car with the button off. Then at first shift I'm reminded of how slow it is and I need to push the Sport button.

[randombloke]

As I understand it, the mag ride is always on providing an adaptive response to the way the car is being driven - just when the button is pushed it goes to a firmer setting. For me, on UK roads, it's a bit too jarring with no noticeable benefit to offset it.

The ESP mode doesn't really make much of a difference unless you're giving it the beans - I find when the r-tronic is in sport and the esp is set to sport that the car feels and handles much better for fast, twisty road work.

If I'm driving the car alone, then I always engage sport mode for the r-tronic as the odds are I'll be going fast enough to feel the benefit of the aggressive changes and throttle response, but if I have a passenger then I tend to leave it in non-sport for the slightly smoother changes and toned down nature of the shifts/throttle response.

[gazza1]

All R8's here in Oz have Magnetic ride as standard fitment.

When sport suspension is selected the suspension firms up which is ideal for track time.

Agree with Randombloke that ESP off doesn't make a lot of difference unless you are tending towards the limits of adhesion or powering out of a corner which allows more power to come on a bit earlier.

For me I drive with everything set to factory default.. which is mag ,esp on and sports off.

The R8 continues to surprise at how it handles so well yet absorbs the bumps so nicely.

[rmicroys]

From what I understand the mag ride even when off, is an active damper - at least that's what my tech at Audi said. Our roads are crap in Ottawa, ON, so we never put it in to sport mode. Even when I go to the racetrack, I often forget to turn it on - and even then I hardly notice the difference on track. The ESP in to sport mode is kinda fun, it lets you do nice power slides out of hairpin corners.

When I compare the 2010 R8 to our 2011 BMW 335ix, I have to say on average the Audi is actually a more comfortable car to drive. Smoother over bumps and various undulating transitions in the road.

[SebringSilver]

Interestingly, the somewhat jerky motion (in the R-tronic) that the car goes through when dawdling in slow traffic doesn't appear at all when driving in non-Sport mode. And yes, guys, I know Magnetic Ride is always on, and that it's just a matter of degrees between having the switch deployed or not. LOL

I'm finding it very enjoyable driving the car in this "comfort" mode.

[SebringSilver]

Can you set the car to always start in Sport Mode on R-tronic? I seem to have to remember to push the button everytime I get in the car. It always starts the car with the button off. Then at first shift I'm reminded of how slow it is and I need to push the Sport button.

Unfortunately, you can't. The car always reverts to non-Sport mode when you start it. But that's what I've been doing for two years, is the instant I've started the engine, I automatically go and depress the "Sport" button right away.

[Jeff]

My standard set up is sport mode on to improve shift speed, but shocks in normal mode and ESP on. There are a couple of wonderful corners where I turn the shocks to track mode (as well as slow down well before to be able to race through), but otherwise the wrecked state of Ohio roads would make it too punishing to drive full time.