D4 S8 ..could there be a scandal
 

At this stage the only info I have if from inside Audi ...who stated they are investigating claims that the reason the D4 S8 tromps the competition is its acclaimed 520hp is acctually a bit of a white lie ...
It produces 575bhp .. and a tad more torque. ..

But who's going to dyno a new car right ? ...

Well inside sources say they back to back dyno tested 15 S8s and not 1 of them was anywhere near 520hp. . They were all in fact over 575bhp ..

But do Audi have some kind of "gentleman's agreement with competitive company's that they will be within a paticular bhp tollarance " ? ... Otherwise we All know a remap alone with give in excess of 650bhp so why don't Audi do this from factory .. competition perhaps? ...

:ROFL:

Good friend of mine owes one
I wonder what figures it will throw on dyno :-)
Mine next to his

Attachment 12075

it would be interesting to see first hand if its true or not +++

Give it a couple years of use and carbon buildup will reduce it to 520 :) Or it could be just a rumour for PR

Motortrend dyno'd a D4 S8 in the head to head with the Alpina, and it made 575HP. The latest RS 3 seems to be putting out about 400 stock, too. Makes a change from the B7 RS 4, I don't believe the C6/D3 S8 made stock power on dynos either.

I wonder what the S8 and RS6 we were test driving in Wales were delivering? ;)

I like the recent Motortrend reports, especially this one:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...t-test-review/

Key extract (for those not bothered about clicking through…) is this (emphasis added):

"Given the Model S P90D hangs with hypercars in acceleration from 0 to 60 mph, the list of cars the P90D beats to 60 mph is a long one, including everything from the vaunted Nissan GT-R to the big, bad Lamborghini Aventador and Bugatti Veyron. Only two cars that we've tested can outright beat the P90D to 60 mph: the Porsche 918 Spyder and Ferrari LaFerrari. As for the "other" hybrid hypercar, the McLaren P1, the Tesla ties it in a race to 60 mph.

Although the Tesla specializes in short sprints perfectly suited for metered freeway on-ramps, it's also a capable drag racer. With a full charge, the P90D reliably rips through the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds, hitting 122.7 mph. Those numbers make the EV the fastest four-door sedan we've ever tested, besting both the mighty 707-hp Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and the Audi RS 7 at the strip. The P90D is a supercar beater, too, beating the Porsche 911 Turbo S and Nissan GT-R NISMO (among others) through the quarter mile"

Well i did drive a D3 S8 about 5 months ago that was quite simply staggeringly quick .. the bloke dyno'd it and it was making 492bhp ... ok its was only 48bhp more but it did drive better than i expected

I just don't think people bother to dyno A8's or S8s given there nature :ROFL:

I wander out of 10 D3s how many would actually be 444bhp as claimed.. i know some that suffer Carbon build up but most I have driven have all felt crisp and responsive .. Mind you saying that some of the bently continental GT's are well over the estimated power levels in W12 form .. this was allegedly due to each one being hand built and there fore no Two were ever " Identical "

But IIRC the new Continental GT Shares the same engine as the D4 S8 .. as dose the RS6 RS7 .. only difference i believe is the Turbos on the RS range being slightly larger Hybrid Turbos and of course a Re map but all Capable of 650+ HP with a re map :D

Hmmmm I want to dyno mine now :)

The S8 is a lovely, sporty engine. I've always said that. Conversely, the W12 is a really relatively lethargic big heavy lump. More specifically, the W12 absolutely hates changing revs with much speed, but has bags of torque to disguise this and just pulls in any gear. The S8 has an incredibly lively throttle response, and when revved hard is *the* most fun D3 to drive hands down, no questions asked. And sounds awesome too.

Even though they both deliver the same power on paper, and go the same speed they're chalk and cheese to drive, very few people 'get this' until they've driven them. Sounds like you're now one of them.... +++

This makes perfect sense that the D4 S8 makes 575hp or more. There is no way it could do 3.5s to 60mph with only 520hp and all that weight.
Still, thinking back to our test drives at the annual meet, even though the RS6 is only a tiny bit faster accelerating on paper, on the road it felt a lot quicker, more responsive, nimbler (even though they both weigh around the same?), more planted, etc.
If I was choosing a new top end Audi I would definitely pick the RS6 over the S8.
The D4 S8 felt fast in a straight line, the RS6 felt truly sporty.

Ian, I have to agree..

Even though the SWB W12 Shares the same suspension and same Gearing as the S8 ( "After all it was the Gap fill for the Sports A8 from 2004 until the launch of the S8 in 2006 hence SWB are rare because they were only produced to fill a gap in the market until the S8 came along since then they were only available in LWB form and still are, even in the D4 i believe, there was even rumor that the D3 S8 Produced closer to 500bhp and had to be dulled down at the risk of dissatisfied SWB W12 customers complaining ... it dose leave me wandering if a few extra horses escaped the factory with the S8..


But yes Chalk and Cheese it has to be said .. the S8 is far more lively to drive and encourages you to do so and sounds amazing even in standard form its an outstanding car and as much as I am glad Audi Finally put a turbocharged engine in the S8 with the D4 platform, I do think it has lost the character that the D3 had, there was always something quite exotic about the Lamborghini powered beast " Bragging rights if you like" but now the words 4.0L V8 don't seem to roll off the tongue as well in conversation given that its a relatively normal engine capacity in modern society.

Some how the words " Yes sir its a Lamborghini V10 5.2L "seems to provoke a better reaction ...

Kind of like the Way the W12 in the D4 has lost that characteristic Start up sound the D3 has ... now it sounds normal ... In-fact I am sure i bought my First W12 just for the sound of it cranking over :)

That's a real, real shame. One of the biggest reasons for buying a W12 is the beautiful sound of it starting.... Very distinct and prestigious.....

I read something the other day that seemed to imply that the 4.0 V8 is derived from the V10 engine.
Anyone know if there's any truth in this?

The only scandal, if this is true, is that I still can't afford one

I'll drink to that !!!!!

+1