loscoz

Sorry but I cannot agree with that.
Not saying i'm an expert in the functionality of the shifting points but, based on personal experiences in my Q ... the few times i'm not in S mode or i've forgotten to switch to it and floor-it, the response is not the same!
It's significantly rougher & almost worry-some as the engine seems to jump or slam itself into a lower gear vs. an even/steady but immediate response.

johncaravello

It seems to me that S only uses 5 or 6 gears instead of 8. Possibly not using the overdrive gearing. Can someone confirm that? Maybe someone who has that VAG COM change to show gears in drive and sport.

JohnBoyToo

I wasted 20 minutes on the phone with AoA asking about the difference between S, D, and Tiptronic on the 8 speed and was told to speak to my dealer !?! gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Seat o the pants... I concur that

S has some throttle mapping changes as it responds different as well as
gear threshold changes so it holds the gears longer both speeding up and slowing down.
but think it will use all the gears with enough speed

tiptornic WILL force a shift up or down if it feels it needs it. (have heard if you push the shifter it will hold the gear longer - haven't tried it)

but would be nice to hear the exact changes from Audi - google didn't help either...
Tiptronic

Tiptronic is a registered trademark, owned by German sports car maker Porsche, who license it for use by other manufacturers, such as Land Rover and the Volkswagen Group (Audi, SEAT, Škoda and Volkswagen).

Many people (erroneously) use the term 'tiptronic' to refer generically to any type of torque converter automatic transmission that incorporates a manual upshift/downshift feature.

A tiptronic transmission can operate in the same manner as a conventional type of automatic transmission, but also offers the driver an additional method of manually overriding the automatic shift changes. By moving the shift lever into a second operating plane of the shift gate, equipped with two spring-loaded positions: "upshift" and "downshift", the driver takes over most of the gear shifting decisions, which would ordinarily be performed by the transmission's computer. For example, this allows delayed upshifts for increased acceleration, increased engine braking, gear holding in curves, downshifting before passing, or early upshifting for cruising. On some models, the upshift and downshift operations can also be controlled by push-buttons or "paddle shifters" installed on the steering wheel, with an optional display in the instrument panel indicating the current gear selection. Since adding tiptronic to a (semi-)automatic transmission involves an additional shift gate into the computer and update to the transmission software, it is inexpensive and lightweight to implement.

Although tiptronic transmissions allow the driver a certain measure of discrete control, the tiptronic design is implemented using a torque converter like other automatic transmissions. A true tiptronic transmission is not a computer controlled manual transmission (with a conventional clutch), or semi-automatic transmission. Most tiptronic implementations still make some shifts automatically, primarily to protect the engine and transmission. For example, as used by licensee Audi, the five-speed tiptronic will automatically make the upshift from 1 to 2 when moving off from a stop, even when in manual mode;[citation needed] the transmission then waits for the user's upshift command before proceeding from 2 to 3, 3 to 4 and 4 to 5, although the transmission will still upshift if the redline is approached. On deceleration, the transmission will make all downshifts automatically when close to the tick-over or idle speed, to prevent the engine from stalling at too-low an RPM, although the user can accelerate any downshift that would not exceed the redline.

Most luxury vehicles with a tiptronic transmission have two fully automatic modes: the primary mode, identified as "Drive", "Comfort" or similar; and another, usually called "Sport," which delays upshifts higher up the engine rev range (and will also downchange higher up the rev range) for a sportier driving and enhanced engine braking — at the expense of fuel, wear, comfort, and noise. Furthermore, because modern tiptronic-type transmissions use an electronic control unit (ECU), sometimes specifically referred to as the transmission control unit, the transmissions are able to adapt to the user's driving style through "fuzzy logic". Shift points are tailored to the habits of the driver, through an evolutionary process.
[edit] Tiptronic S

The Tiptronic S is an upgrade to the original Tiptronic, with the ability to adapt to driver's behaviour, and also allows driver to change gears without entering manual mode.[2] In manual mode, if there is no driver input for a period of eight seconds, the system reverts to automatic mode.[3] It was used as early as 2000 Porsche Boxster.[4]

jerry-lincoln-ne

I use the S when in town. I enjoy the quickness of the S transmission. It is really brilliant. Gas mileage decreases, certainly. But, that's a personal trade-off. I use the "manual" feature on county and state highways to pass when an immediate downshift is required; otherwise, I use the kick-down feature in "normal" or D mode.

Frankly, that there are three different transmission modes designed by Audi brings such sophistication to driving. The adaptability to varying traffic conditions and road conditions (e.g., winding switchbacks in the Colorado mountains, rolling hills, snow, ice, rain, etc.) is an engineering marvel.

Jerry

2005 A6 3.2L Sport/Premium