s4dav

Didn't get a chance to drive a car equipped with it, but I'm having the dealer try to locate (with deposit) an S5 with both nav and drive select because it appeared that you can disable it, but from the videos I just found on audiusa.com, looks like you can only switch form 'comfort' to 'dynamic', neither of which sounds like 'OFF'.

Can anyone confirm? Should I just nix the drive select?

s4dav

"Search" isn't helping, simply need to know before tomorrow morning if I can set the dynamic steering to a fixed ratio at all times if I have MMI. If not I have to call up and change my order.

Thanks!!

bheffern

Well, it isn't variable ratio like BMW, it's variable assist. So the amount of boost changes, but the ratio stays the same.

scottacus

Actually Drive Select does include variable ratio steering (Audi calls it Dynamic Steering). All A5s and S5s in the US include variable assist steering (Servotronic) standard. Drive Select changes both assist and ratio levels based on the setting you use (Comfort, Dynamic, Auto). It can't be turned off, but the Auto setting comes closest to a non-ADS car.

bheffern

Thanks for correcting me. I don't have drive select and that seems like an odd feature to include given how much people hate the BMW system.

s4dav

IMHO variable ratio is a dumb idea. Any given driver will never be able to be "good" at driving the car, always a constant novice. Hell I don't even know how you parallel park with any sort of skill with this. End up with front wheels scuffed against the curb in tight situations, there is no direct feedback of the direction of the wheels.


--UGH--

I really wanted the dynamic suspension!!

s4dav

.. and in addition not being able to disable it, which is only a few lines of code the ECU, is even dumber!! I found the ratios in this thread: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...ight=ads+ratio

scottacus

It's not just a few lines of code in the ECU - it is actually a completely different steering rack that uses a harmonic drive (a system sort of like a planetary gear) to vary the ratio. So the ECU could sort of compensate for the harmonic drive but it's always still there.

In any case, the reviews for ADS have almost all been quite positive and many have specifically said that the dynamic steering is relatively transparent. And at least in Dynamic you can have nice, heavily-weighted steering that compensates for the overly light feel you get with Servotronic.

s4dav

I understand the technology, the harmonic drive has no built in ratio curve, it's completely synthesized at runtime by the ECU. It could command any driver selected constant ratio, again with a few lines of code. This would be awesome.

You can't form muscle memory of a ratio that always changes, that's the problem. Yes I believe it probably makes driving easier for people who will never be proficient at driving their own car. How are you supposed to for example - send the car into a slide at a given speed and counter steer the correct amount ahead of time? The ratio depends on the current speed and what the ECU thinks should happen, so you have no direct control over the steering angle. You have to wait for feedback of how much it turned and try again. Too late by then.

mgd99

Ummmm. The car is designed to be sold to people who drive on public streets.

I am pretty confident that the overwhelming majority are not taking this thing into slides.

They make cars for everyday driving with that extra bit of oomph. They don't build cars for people who think they are driving daily in a car commercial.