Reds4Phil

Yes maybe a hair more sport tuned. If you like a little stiffer ride forget the ADS and even though you get a different steer ratio the SD will still lighten the steering through the power steering. Don't get me wrong ADS is neat to have but after 4 weeks I hardly touch it except to go to Dynamic.
And the SD will get you there for $2,800 less.

sworksone

Yes that's correct - see the image below. I'm surprised by the poster saying he didn't notice much of a difference. My experience and that of most others I've read is there is a significant difference between comfort and dynamic. If the roads are in good shape I guess you wouldn't notice it.

tranquility

What does that feature do?

Ic. Good to know, thx.

Needsdecaf

Ah, good to know. Thanks. I thought you got that with the ADS Lite as well.

That firms up my decision to go with the sport diff when I order. I was a little hinkey on the steering, but if it's not included with sport diff, I'm happy!

krunko

With the variable ratio steering can you make the steeringnwhile going slow less soft/easy to steer?

plivac

suspension matters if you live in a city like NY and there are monster potholes everywhere - the good thing about ADS is that you can set everything to dynamic (throttle, steering and sport diff) but have the option of a more comfortable ride - in my view - its worth the extra $$$. IMHO if you are already spending $50k on a car $2-3 should not impact your decision.

the only problem is that there are very few "in stock" S4s w/ ADS at the dealer....

tranquility

Silly ques: ADS has 3 separate suspension settings while stock only has 1? So in other words, ADS has 2 more settings in addition to the 'reg setting' that is the same as the stock?

meteor man

honestly, i think a lot of people are confused and there isn't a clear answer to any of these questions...clearly audi has done a poor job explaining the value of ADS if none of us can agree on what it even does let alone how it impacts performance. who has the FACTS?

Reds4Phil

All I can offer is my real world experience. I test drove a S4 with sports diff then ordered with drive select. I was disappointed that I never was informed that with just the sports diff I would of still be able to adjust steering, throttle shift points and the sports diff. I paid $2,800 more for basically two different suspension settings. I can’t speak about other drives but the roads in my area just don’t make those two settings a $2,800 dollar thrill. ADS is a cool toy but I am sure I won’t be directing any one to this thread if or when I sell this car.

hk007

It's amazing how no one pays any attention to Dynamic Steering when talking about ADS -- to the point it gets completely eliminated. I got full ADS for the Dynamic Steering feature more than the adaptive suspension feature. Also note that Dynamic Steering costs more than Adaptive Suspension (based on Audi UK site where you can pick and choose these options individually).

Here is what it does.. from one of the links below:
"With its harmonic drive gearing—a compact, three-piece gearset previously used in lunar rovers—the 2009 Audi modifies the steering ratio in response to the car’s speed. When you’re parking, one turn of the wheel covers the full range of motion. At highway speeds, the same range takes four turns. The system can also detect any potentially dangerous motion and help you correct it; if electronic sensors determine that you’re going too wide into a sharp turn, they will tighten up the steering ratio so you can get back on course with a smaller movement of the wheel. The system works three times as fast as other electronic stabilization systems"

In summary: It's a performance, convenience and safety feature.

Links for Dynamic/Harmonic Steering:

Silent Video showing Dynamic Steering:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge7huVZANC4

Dynamic Steering won VDI Award (also explains the feature)
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/au...ward-6709.html

More description here:
http://www.popsci.com/bown/2008/prod...namic-steering