CliveH Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 For the benefit of my wife (yes, she really is interested), can someone please explain the key differences between the D2 A8 quattro sport and the S8 and, most importantly, why the S8 is the better car. Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Wow, errr:- Slightly different engine (different cam profiles, different inlet manifold design, exhaust manifold design) Shorter gearing in the gearbox (4th gear is max speed in A8, 5th gear for S8) Suspension is lowered and is a slightly different design to the A8 Different alloy wheel Don't forget, the facelift S8 and A8 both got 5 valve engines. Previous power was 300 v 340, with the facelifts, it went to 310 v 360 Many others will add more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris8 Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Hi. The S8 has more power, reached through other camshafts, higher compression, an edited ECU, the X-Pipe (or H-pipe) at the exhaust. And the gearshift is shorter, the GCU is "hotter" to keep the engine in speed, it has the sport suspenion, sport seats and the lovely alloy mirror caps All in all, the S is more complete in the features. And it's faster. Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted June 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Thanks guys, I'm sure this will help me convince MrsH that the S is the way to go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quattronutter Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 best to go test drive one clive, s8 is is a good choice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.L.M.O Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Hi.The S8 has more power, reached through other camshafts, higher compression, an edited ECU, the X-Pipe (or H-pipe) at the exhaust. And the gearshift is shorter, the GCU is "hotter" to keep the engine in speed, it has the sport suspenion, sport seats and the lovely alloy mirror caps All in all, the S is more complete in the features. And it's faster. Chris. If the "A" is the Quattro Sport, will the suspension etc still be different? How about the difference between A8 Quattro 4.2 A8 Quattro 4.2 Sport S8 Ta! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted June 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 best to go test drive one clive, s8 is is a good choice sound advice there Aiden just need to find one now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted June 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 If the "A" is the Quattro Sport, will the suspension etc still be different? How about the difference between A8 Quattro 4.2 A8 Quattro 4.2 Sport S8 Ta! Agreed! A much more sensible question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 If the "A" is the Quattro Sport, will the suspension etc still be different? How about the difference between A8 Quattro 4.2 A8 Quattro 4.2 Sport S8 Ta! Luxo-barge A8 suspension Sport A8 suspension is lowered by 30 mm??? S8 different suspension design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted June 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Thanks, anything else guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.L.M.O Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Agreed! A much more sensible question :D Thanks I have always wondered myself! Any other major differences between A8 Sport and S8? How different is the Sport to the non sport? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikael Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Luxo-barge A8 suspensionSport A8 suspension is lowered by 30 mm??? S8 different suspension design. I could be wrong, but my understanding was that things were a bit more complex. Before the 1999 facelift, I believe all the A8s except for the S8 had steel suspension arms. When the first S8s were introduced before 1999 they were the first A8s fitted with Audi's Aluminium suspension to reduce unsprung weight, were lowered compared to the normal suspension (but not sport) and had uprated brakes I believe. The 1999 facelift introduced the Aluminium suspension across the A8 range. The SE versions had it at regular height, whilst the sport had essentially the same as the S8. The S8 however still had the better brakes. The S8 started off with different suspension compared to all other A8s, but after 1999 things were much closer. When I bought my last A8 (3.7 SE), I hunted for a 1999 facelift, as the Aluminium Suspension made a huge difference to both the comfort and the handling of the cars. I think it was Audi fighting back against BMW, as they had first introduced Aluminium Suspension on the 5 series in 1996, before rolling it out into their other models over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikael Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 :D ThanksI have always wondered myself! Any other major differences between A8 Sport and S8? How different is the Sport to the non sport? I have driven both and my personal view was that whilst the sport made the car handle better in corners, the ride was pretty harsh compared to the non-sport. I thought too much comfort was lost compared with the handling gain. The 1999 onwards sport cars were better, but the handling was also better on the non-sport, so I opted for the non-sport (SE). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A8_Tony Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 I believe that the suspension setups across all facelift '8's are the same. But with different springs/shocks to deliver the differing ride heights/stiffness. I drive a 4.2 QS, with 20"s and at the weekend, had the opportunity to directly compare with an S8 on 18"s. My ride was definitely more harsh, but I like it. Compare it to my C6 A6 company wagon, and the difference is even more noticeable, where the A8 (8 years older) definitely feels much better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.L.M.O Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 I could be wrong, but my understanding was that things were a bit more complex. Before the 1999 facelift, I believe all the A8s except for the S8 had steel suspension arms. When the first S8s were introduced before 1999 they were the first A8s fitted with Audi's Aluminium suspension to reduce unsprung weight, were lowered compared to the normal suspension (but not sport) and had uprated brakes I believe. The 1999 facelift introduced the Aluminium suspension across the A8 range. The SE versions had it at regular height, whilst the sport had essentially the same as the S8. The S8 however still had the better brakes.The S8 started off with different suspension compared to all other A8s, but after 1999 things were much closer. When I bought my last A8 (3.7 SE), I hunted for a 1999 facelift, as the Aluminium Suspension made a huge difference to both the comfort and the handling of the cars. I think it was Audi fighting back against BMW, as they had first introduced Aluminium Suspension on the 5 series in 1996, before rolling it out into their other models over time. Thats good, i got a face lifted 99 A8 sport with uprated s8 brakes! I have driven both and my personal view was that whilst the sport made the car handle better in corners, the ride was pretty harsh compared to the non-sport. I thought too much comfort was lost compared with the handling gain. The 1999 onwards sport cars were better, but the handling was also better on the non-sport, so I opted for the non-sport (SE). yeah my A8 sport can be harsh at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 yeah my A8 sport can be harsh at times. Don't blame the car, blame the poor quality road! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.L.M.O Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 Don't blame the car, blame the poor quality road! Thats true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IT_S8 Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 Suspension arms across the whole A8 / S8 range, (D2) Pre and post facelift were always alluminium, however steel arms were used on the special armoured version. The hubs and hub carriers however were steel pre facelift, and changed to alluminium post facelift (give or take a few months, some very early facelifts still run steel) There is no difference between the A8 sport and S8 suspension. They are the same 20mm drop, the same same stiffness and same ride. The only other difference in springs / shocks come from weight related build components, such as the engine/gearbox, towbars, electric rear seats.... Hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted June 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 Yes, it certainly does, thanks Ian although my mind is already made up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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