Originally Posted by TT-S4

Are you literally starting up your engine, and then start a descent such that you do not need any acceleration?
If so, then you need to let your engine, and oil, warm up a bit before that rare scenario.

My S4 engine heats up to normal operating temp in about 1.5-2 miles at steady 30-40mph speed. This is on relatively flat roads, where my engine is producing power, and heat.
Even in winter with temps not much above 0F, the same steady speed gets me to operating temp in about 2-3 miles.

I'm very surprised that your engine hasn't warmed to operating temp within 8 miles.
However, if you are really firing up your engine, and then heading down a hill, where you don't need any engine power, then again, warm that engine a bit longer before heading out.

It seems that with Audi, even the current models, thermostats are a not too uncommon failure.
Just in case, if your engine is taking that long to warm up, even to show/register lowest heat reading, then have your thermostat checked out.

Here's a positive, as our cars use fully synthetic oil, and a LOT of it, 7.7 quarts.
Synthetic oil's have much, much greater cold flow rate, meaning they actually still flow at very cold ambient temps, well below 0F.
That is why synthetics are much better at protecting an engines longevity over time, for vehicles that are used in very cold environments.
In the old days of conventional oil, many would start and idle their engines for 10+ minutes, in order to get engine temps up, and all parts warmed, before adding the stress of accelerating and high engine whirly bit speeds.
Synthetic oil has greatly mitigated that need, giving us much greater engine part protection and greater engine longevity.

Originally Posted by Johndefiore

I live at 2100 ft. My commute consists of a long descent along a ridge, and then a drop down to sea level, a total of 8 miles. If I'm the only car on the road I can make the whole thing without touching the accelerator and hardly touching the brakes.

The issue is when I'm behind someone who feels the need to brake sharply before every slight curve in the road, or to go 15 mph below the speed limit. In that case I would like to paddle shift to a lower gear to avoid overheating my rotors and to save brake life.

What I'm concerned about is that for the whole 8 miles the oil temperature still hasn't warmed up enough to even register on the readout. So running the engine to high RPM even though it's not putting out power probably isn't ideal. On the other hand, modern low-viscosity oils are pretty good even at low temperature.

What's everyone's opinion, use the brakes and keep the engine RPM low until the oil actually warms up, or use engine braking and keep the brakes and rotors cooler?