SUBARU VS. AUDI

*Four*Zero*Six*

Active member
How about No. Subaru (and coming in a close second Mitsubishi) have the most advanced AWD systems on the domestic market. Audi (praised for it's saftey and luxury) have devoluped what you may call a "safe a comfortable" AWD system.

Now, depending on what you taste is (either luxury or sporty...maybe a mix of both) the transmission can be setup vastely differant.

Now to the differance among the transmission:

Subaru has three unique advantages on it's side:

1. DCCD (Driver Controled Center Differential) - This enables the operator to distribute the power from front to rear to where he/she may see fit. This could range from 70% rear 30% front to 40% rear 60% front. This will give you a hand on drag (where power is more useful at the rear) to everyday poor wheather driving eg. ice, snow, sleet (where the power up front will help with traction on less-then-optimal surfaces.

2. Semi-lock and Full-Lock Differentials:

This allows the driver to lock his/her front differential. This helps pull the car out of snow as well as added traction on slippery surfaces. Grip on the front "pulls a car." This means less hassle and squirming on slippery surfaces. Very handy for ice packed snow or black ice.

3. A. Sequential gearbox

B. Front Limited Slip Differential

C. Center Viscious Culping Differential

D. Rear Limited Slip Differential

Before I go any further I understand this is a skiing form and not a car forum. Thus I do not expect everyone reading this post to understand exactly what a "Viscous Cupling Differential" is. So I will give you the cliff notes on how these work.

A Limited slip differential operates off two opposing wheels. For example: the front two tires and the rear two tires. The differential sences loss of traction on one side, pulls power form it, and applies it to the other side.

A viscous cuping differential works in conjunction with the front and rear limited slip differentials. It sences loss of traction on either side, pulls it, and applies it to the other side (front or rear) with more traction. Then it is up to the limited slip differentials to decide which wheel to put a certain percentage or that power to.

Make sence? Hope so.

Now on to Audi:

Audi has none of that.

.....Well, I will give Audi a break, they DO have Limited Slip and Viscous Cupling Differentials but they are nowhere NEAR the performance and engineering that a subaru AWD system has to offer.

Audi has devoluped a AWD system that is more luxury oriented. You don't need to you with it or chance it's settings. It just does it's job and that it.

Bacically, it's better for grocery getting if you don't know shit about cars. Nuff said.

Now let's break it down:

Subaru: Rally bred AWD system optimal for race situations.

Audi: Simple AWD...still very good, but cannot even be compaired to Subaru's AWD system.

Cliff notes: Subaru > Audi

 
I find that Audis are a much nicer car iterms of creature comforts, i also feelthat they are much nice looking. That being said i would take a S$ over a STI anyday, even if there is a lack of performance,but i would take a wrx over a A4, man am i a backwards thinker.
 
since you didm, i will

You do NOT want locking diffs for the snow/ice, when you LOCK your diffs its alwats a 50/50 split, this makes handeling very pproor. Lokcing diffs, actually the diffs dont lock, you lock shafts via a locker likea ox, arb ect. Limited slipts on the other hand are very nice, usualy its a100/0 or a 75/25 power split between weels, when one sluips it weither displaces power evenly, 50/50 or put the power to the wheel with traction. This make for great road manners because you basiclly have open diffs while driving until one slipps. unlike with lockiong diffs when you will have a whine and bind when driving, especially when turning, this also causes your tires to wear MUCH quicker.

I ahte the VC in my np249 transfer case in my jeep, actually i love it i just hate how its hydrolicly controlled, causeing it to go out about every 75,000-100,000 miles, but o well, time for a np 24/231 swap.
 
do the different models of audis have diff AWD systems, like form the A4 to S4 to RS4? Im assuming the RS4 does.
 
PEOPLE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR COMMENTS ARE ON WHICH AWD SYSTEM IS MORE EFFICIENT BETWEEN SUBARU AND AUDI JUDGING BY YOUR EXPIERIENCE NOTHING ELSE UNLESS U HAVE A STORY TO GO ALONG WITH YOUR REASONING!
 
i taught you well.

Both have great systems. I like the differentail controlonthe subis a lot. only if it could go 100-0 or 0-100! Ive drivena STI and it was really responsive, ive been in them withthe clutch dumped around 4500 and it wasnt until then that the tires spun. Dontknow aobut the audis though, iwould be hesitant to do such a thing cause of the such high repair costs.
 
i really shouldnt be doin this cause im fucki drunbk and im gonna sound like im talki mn out my ass! but ny ways SUBY fuckin rules and them audi's r for yuppie bastards(at least around my town)and they just dont know what its like gettin out of control in a car that grabs u by the balls(or ovaries)hahah and and gives u a good ride!hahahaaha
 
idk man, im not a fan of getting out of control in cars. Ilike to have fun while being IN control at most times!
 
i believe that out of control means you are freakingout, and it is unintentional.

drifting is intentionaly done and the drivers are pros so they know what they are doing.
 
Subaru is the way to go. They have had their AWD systems on the market for the longest time of any company, and are affordable yet durable cars. Audi's are nicer if you have the money, but even if you did you might want a Subaru cause they look good and are good quality.
 
so allow me to defend my argument with experience. i am intimately familiar with the audi line as i have owned and driven extensively, an S4, which i eventually replaced with an S6 avant that i later complimented in my driveway with a 1.8T A4 which i chipped for a %30 power increase. aside from my experience with audi's four wheel drive system, i also have access to a porsche 997 c4S. on top of this, i live in canada, where winter provides a climate where one can test their four-wheel-drive systems to their fullest. audi's are not for yuppie bastards, audi's are for people who can afford the superior driving machine that allows one to turn up in style at an event at the Design Exchange in a car practicle enough for weekend jaunts to the mountain. so im just sorry you haven't worked hard enough to enjoy the fruits of German engineering, but don't call me a yuppie bastard, bitch.
 
You can't really "drive" an Audi like a Subaru because they're designed more for luxury. Audis seem to be designed for old people who don't know how to drive(save for the S4 and S6); they just have too many things that limit your input on the car's behavior. So that's why I drive a Subaru.
 
I would take the S4 over the sti anyday as well. the S4 is a performance monster. the sti is nice and quick, but the s4 would eat it alive.
 
I have driven a subura wrx and have also driven a brand new audi s4 avante and the audi has so much more performance, a v8 so you dont have to deal with turbo lag (i experience this everyday in my talon), and they are clean cars. I would take an s4 over at sti in a second.
 
Dude your nuts if you're trying to compare an S4 to a stock WRX. Maybe an Sti could hold its own stock but thats not my point. The point is that an STi could be easily made to DESTROY an S4. Making the same modifications to the S4 would be costly and relitivly ineffective. My friends STi puts out 400bhp and handles like a 997, clearly enough power and grip to smash an S4. While i will admit that the Audi is of a higher petigree, dont treat the STi with such an arrogence, it can be made into an unbelievable car.
 
Ya, Volvo is and forever will be the car of saftey conscious middle aged upper class women, many of them single. Sure its a good looking car, and i like that Volvo is trying to break into the tuner market, but we both know that its just not there yet.
 
any car can be made into 400hp, we are talking stock here. s4's have a 350 hp v8. obviously a lot more power than a 2.5 liter 4 cyl horizontal turbo engine. the s4 will destroy in the long run, and most likely off the line.
 
Absolutly not, ill talk to him tonight and ask him what he runs the 1/4 in. I remember him telling me that the only cars that could beat him in the area were the Ferraris'...

and no he is not full of ego.
 
umm no my dad has one. the car is insanely fast for its price and will not have as many problems as an audi, and doesnt look as gay as a WRX STi. both (s60R and have 0-60 in 5.4 seconds and 300 hp both have 2.5 Liter engine but s60r has 5 cyl STi has 4. id say audi if they werent such pieces of shit, but they have way too many problems
 
hopefully a 99 and under, in 2000 they changed to the throttle systmes and made much more laggy, the 99 and downs have a drive by wire, i believe
 
i dont know what the fuck anarchy99 was smoking when he stated that Subaru was rally bred and audi wasnt. what ever it was it must be some powerful shit to makehim completly forget that audi was banned from various forms of racing in the 80's becuase of its supperior, rally bred AWD. it fucking group B rally were the audi s1 ran down all commers with over 600bhp. Audi's AWD system is just as competent as subarus, the only advantage that subaru might have over an audi is its vastly lower unsprung weight. Anarchy99 before you go off and denounce audi. do your fucking research.
 
I am in the market for a 2005 legacy 2.5 gt wagon... that slays most other rides out there. With a little help from Cobb here in SLC, it will whip a stock STi. Yeah, I'll have that.
 
No dude you're wrong.

Quote from Car and Driver about the 2005 Subaru WRX STi, "0-to-60 time of 4.6 seconds and a quarter-mile mark of 13.2 seconds at 103 mph, four 10ths quicker in both than the V-8–powered Audi S4"

A stock STi is faster than a stock S4
 
correct, but one of the key factors is wieght, every 100lbs is about 1/10 of a sec in the 1/4 mile. the engine alone weighes about 100lbs more atleast if not 200lbs, then navigation, great sound system, cd changer, leather power seats, not to mention that its a bigger car to begin with too i believe.
 
yes, but with such a big weight differential, and such a small time differential, im still going to have to say the S4 is a faster car.
 
I haven't read all of this thread but I have an audi A4 quattro sedan myself and it fucking kicks ass. I drive it up to tahoe in a snow storm and pass people in giant 4wd SUV's left and right. It handle's like a beast (in a good way) and is powerful as hell. It's got about 100,000 miles on it and the engine had a defect at around 50,000 (which they replaced free of charge. Other than that, the only problems we've had with it are very minor. Also, for whoever said that Audi's are built more for luxury than for actual driving is a dumbass. It's fucking German for crying out loud. They test the fuck out of it all over europe.
 
if you are in a drift you are completely in control, because a drift is caused by the throttle, not the brakes, and one can at any time get the traction back. a skid, which is caused by sudden braking, pulling the handbrake, whatever else, you are out of control and it isnt safe.
 
They can't use testing to design a car for luxury? Maybe I'm just half-retarded, but spending more time designing a car doesn't necessarily mean more performance(as far as numbers go). They can "test the fuck" out of their cars in order to get a super damp ride for old, aging ass, too.
 
yes, but you can also "test the fuck" out of a car for performance to can't you? all you need for luxury is some nice leather and supple suspension which isn't even very catering to "old men" in my car anyways.
 
japanada- "correct, but one of the key factors is wieght, every 100lbs is about 1/10 of a sec in the 1/4 mile. the engine alone weighes about 100lbs more atleast if not 200lbs, then navigation, great sound system, cd changer, leather power seats, not to mention that its a bigger car to begin with too i believe."
 
so its faster because it has more weight even though it has slower times? No. This is easy to see the STi has lower times therefore it is faster.
 
no i siad that the sti is faster. Sorry if there was some confusion. if you stripped the s4 down, then it would be closer.
 
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