Quote:
Originally Posted by Powerslide
It will be interesting to see what an "RS" version of the TT can do. Based on the latest Car and Driver Lightning Lap 2008 cumulative results (2006 to present), the Audi models have not fared very well against their BMW counterparts. The 335i did the lap in 3:10.5, vs. the S5 at 3:14.6 (despite the S5 having a 50hp advantage), whereas the M3 was 3:05.6 vs. the RS4 at 3:11.2...
The Nov. 2008 issue of C&D with the Lightning Lap article was not very praiseworthy of the S5 on the track - basically said that while Audi has moved the mass of the engine slightly more aft, it still resides fully forward of the front axle centerline - if that's the case, how is that not going to be the case with the upcoming RS5? Seems to me that given the A5/S5 design/architecture, the RS5 would need a FI, 450hp powerplant just to match the M3 on the track (again, this is admittedly just a somewhat skeptical assumption on my part, so Audi could very well prove me wrong...)
The above does not mean that the TT-RS cannot be a fantastic performer. Nevertheless, I'm going to have to see the actual numbers to truly believe it...
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No point getting into a debate as to the merits of C&D, if they found both Audis to be this much slower than their BMW counterparts then it has to be true.
Maybe the US Audis have a different suspension setup than in Europe but I have yet to see where the 335i has been any quicker than an S5 in tests conducted over there, maybe a few tenths but not by four seconds. So I conclude that either the Audis are indeed different or C&D are very biased towards BMW products.
There is a difference between RS4 and M3, that has been proved on both sides of the water so I believe this to be true but again never the kind of improvement see here with C&D.
If your opinion is that a nose heavy car like the RS4 and S5 can't possibly compete on the track then you haven't seen any of the results for the RS6 against the M5. On averaged on a lap of Hockenhiem the RS6 is a full two seconds quicker and that is a car which weighs 300Kgs more than the M5, so in theory it shouldn't handle, change direction or brake as well as the M5 and this excessively heavy nose should in theory at least led to excessive understeer, all things which should by your reckoning make it slower isn't.
Maybe you need to change your own opinions and the choice of magazine you read and get less biased reviews.
As for the TT-RS (yes it will be called RS after Porsche backed down) I only started to thread to make people aware of what figures are being talked of in the press and other forums and how the figures compared to the M3. I don't know if it will be as good as the M3 but when you see how well the TT-S is doing in group tests and it's lap times compared to the 335i and others, one must assume that it should be pretty close.