kpalakode

I ordered my Audi s4 2018 with all season tires initially, but I called the dealer and asked them to order Pilot Sport 4S to put on, and remove the speed limiter. They are saying they don't know of a way to remove it. I though the dealership would know how to.

Is there a way for me to do it myself after the Pilot Sport 4S is put on?

mplsbrian

I have not heard of a way to do this.

On previous S4s and other Audi cars, this was possible with an aftermarket ECU tune (which of course voids your warranty) but no such tune exists yet for the new 3.0T in the latest S4/S5/SQ5. The ECU on these cars has proved particularly difficult to crack.

m332is

Let me start by saying I am not trying to be offensive with my comments:
Unless you track the car, the higher speed limiter is only for marketing as you'll never see those speeds in the US. As a point of reference, I raced a BMW e36 M3 LTW with the motor from an e46 (s54) stoked to 3.4 liter, real race slicks (not DOT), big wing and front splitter, caged with no interior... it weighted under 2500 lbs with me in it and put 422 hp to the rear wheels on the dyno (estimated at over 500 hp at the crank). The fastest I hit in the back straight of Watkins Glen was prob 150 mph (via GPS) and was lapping close to 2 minutes which is quick. That was a few years ago and I know guys are faster now, but in a heavy street car, that's not a modern Ferrari or Porsche 911 Turbo S, could a B9 S4 really get over 130 mph on a fast track like WGI or VIR?

Glisse

Neither have I. Even the full CAN-bus tuners, such as ABT or MTM, can't lift the limiter on B9 models, which is a first for them. It is buried deep within the Bosch MG ECU, and is effectively inaccessible, as you said.

The "native" limiter at production is set at 250kph/155mph. AFAIK, the further reduced 130mph limiter is unique to the North American market, for a couple of reasons. What I don't know is if the North American cars that have a 130mph limiter in place are using different ECU software, or if this 130mph limiter is a top level, accessible stage, switched in either at production in DE or at the port facilities in North America. Which may make it possible to get at. But I assume there must be some kind of build code with these 130mph limited vehicles. Otherwise it will be a debacle in the second hand market, as future owners will want to know if they are buying a 130mph vs a 155mph model without having to drive to a track to find out. This will have some impact on resale values if it cannot be reset, I would think.

The OP should ask his dealer to find this out from Audi of America, as they should know. If they don't know, they should find out. But if this is important, change the order if it is not too late in the process.

Glisse

You're right, in a pragmatic sense.

But on that basis, isn't it pointless for anyone that doesn't track their car to buy a car with a top speed greater than 85mph (in the US)? But I am only putting up a very token, semantic argument. If an owner would prefer to use all season tyres rather than summer/winter performance tyres, then maximising performance has already been taken off the agenda, so a 130mph limit is a moot point regardless of the length of the main straight.

In this case, the OP will have a higher performing vehicle just by using Michelin Pilot 4S, so bravo for that.

stanj

I go more than 85 almost daily

Pauls40

85mph in the US? Begging your pardon as we US drivers are not lane trained like our European counterparts. You go on any Interstate highway in the Western US with a car that will do only 85 mph and you're taking your life in your hands.
You'll have semi's tailgating you. I was out last week on I-25 and the speed in the left lane was 95mph and I was being tailgated. The limiter on US cars with factory equipped 19 inch ultra high performance tires is way more than 130mph. Don't
ask me how I know.

m332is

I'm not saying max at 85 for a street car... what I am saying is very few people in the US will see above 135 in a street B9 S4 so the lower factory limit of 135 vs 150 is really a marketing tactic vs a real limitation.
.

Glisse

I know that, just making the point that (some) people don't like having limits set, even if it is unlikely they will exceed them.

But I think the marketing tactic is actually selling an S series car in North America with low performance all-season tyres on it. And the "real limitation" here is legal liability. The standard limiter (everywhere) is 150mph, this lower limit for cars ordered with all-season tyres is for legal protection. Obviously AoA's local lawyers feel a dashboard mounted decal stating the tyres' V-max limit, which is what would normally be used, is insufficient.

Audi AG think it is inappropriate to fit all-season tyres on their higher performance models in every other part of the world. Why is it okay to do this in North America? Is it because track layouts in the USA don't allow an S4 to exceed 130mph? Or is it because Audi of America's dealer franchises have told them many customers don't want to put up with the inconvenience and cost of changing tyres on a seasonal basis? And the dealers themselves don't want to invest in any sort of infrastructure to store tyres/wheels, and provide the labour to offer a rapid drive in / drive out changeover service? So in the interest of garnering more sales, they have neutered the car. Hardly Advancement through Technology at work here

And I'll repeat what I said in my earlier post, the OP is already well ahead by ripping off those rubbish all-seasons and putting on a decent set of tyres that are commensurate with the abilities of the car. Regardless of whether or not he can get back the stock limiter setting.

jlarke

There are highly rated all-season tires out there. I use them on my car, 7 months out of the year, because early spring and late autumn in Michigan freely mix snowy days with warm days, and strictly seasonal tires let me down. I take off the snow tires early, put them on late, and trust that all-season tires will get me through the modest snowfalls of the change of seasons. If Audi would sell the car with, say, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires, I'd take that deal. Instead I order with the summers and then take them off, because I worry that the low limiter might impact my resale value.