mirali

The other day on the beach saw people in 4WD SUVs/Jeeps. Seemed tempting to try it out with my A6 2.7T Q but was afraid to get stuck!

Any experience with sand and Quattro.

Bollinger

Driving on the beach is easy though, it is packed sand typically. Daytona used to set up a road on their beach at times and everyon could drive on it. Audi did a commercial with a car driving on the beach.

But if you see the other vehicles having any difficulty, do not venture out. Quattro is not good in sand. For sand you need as many locking diffs as possible and plenty of clearance. Quattro has neither.

If you do drive out, wash the bottom of your car well after you are done. Leaving salt spray on your car is a bad idea.

TraderAlex

avoid all problems and keep your $45-50K car away from a salt water environment. Why risk it?

TXurS6

Not all beaches are alike. While it's a decent bet that the sand is packed well enough if there are a bunch of people out there drving on it, beware of beaches you are not familiar with. Some are really soft. Don't ask me how I know ;-)

If you are unsure, ask a SEAL.

Chris JB

it did not do well! It was probably poor tires more then anything else, but the quattro system (previous type w/locking center and rear diff) didn't seem to work well. I never tried with my A4 or my current car. My guess is that the late model cars would not do well.

Chris JB
00 2.7tm

captainbilly

I certainly agree that driving near or in salt water is probably not good for any car and good ground clearance could keep you from bottoming out on a mound of sand. I don't know what widely available system on SUVs would give better traction than quattro. There are some locking transfer cases and some vehicles use limited slip differentials but the torsen center and braking of slipping wheels (as in A6 quattro) will distribute power to all the wheels even better than a locking center and standard front and rear differentials.

The only real downside to the A6 quattro is that the brakes will get hot if you you drive it hard on real slippery surfaces but that won't get you stuck on the beach. Of course some of the "monster trucks" I have seen on beaches have much better tires for offroad than your A6 is likely to have. Stock tires on SUVs, on the other hand, are typically crap. You need really big tires if you don't want to sink into soft sand in a heavy car like an Audi. Of course the SUVs typically weigh even more; 6500lbs for Suburban, Expedition, Hummer, etc.

Keith J

Is not a problem. The National Forest nearby has plenty of sandy roads and quattro is a blast on these. I have been through some deeper stuff in washes and the like but have never been stuck.

The traction control does kick in but if you are paying attention, you will notice it and should reduce throttle ASAP.

What kills most Audi's is ground clearance as its not hard to bottom out. This would be the case at the beach so stay off the dunes.

beep-beep

just in case: you insurance will not pay for a Audi, totaled on the beach.

Bob W.

the haldex system can transfer more power away from the wheels that slip...the torsen setup isn't as effective at that.

BiturboA6

it can transfer up to 100% to 1 wheel.