Audi R8 drivers
Discussion
After some years of Porsche ownership as a daily driver, I find myself in the position of not wanting a 991. I feel that they are too lacking in soul, feel detached and a little false and contrived. So I'm looking for something else. I've just given an R8 V10 Plus demo car back that I had on an extended test drive and did nearly 600 miles in it. My question to R8 owners is this: does the V8 car feel any different to the one I drove. Obviously it'll be slower , so don't tell me that! The one I drove was flappy Paddle, passive shocks and ceramics. Would a manual V8 on steels 'feel' any different?
May be able to help you just a little.
I have been lucky enough to own 3 911's the last of which was a 996 GT3.
This was followed by two Aston Martins, a V8 Vantage and a DB9.
When I sold the DB9 I moved on to a Lamborghini Gallardo. I only had the car for 10 months before I traded it in for an Audi R8 V8 R Tronic. I just couldn't live with the Lambo which was outrageous, particularly the servicing costs , but that is another story.
The R8 you test drove has the same engine as my Lambo which if memory serves me correctly was 550 BHP.
I test drove a standard R8 V10 with an S Tronic gear box, whilst my own R8 was being serviced at Audi Exeter ( excellent main dealer ).
I found the performance of the V10 much hotter than my V8 . What really made it for me was the twin clutch S Tronic box, absolutely superb and far superior in every way to the R Tronic I have , which is slow and cumbersome compared.
If I was to go the R8 route again, I would definitely go for the V10 S Tronic .
That's not to say that I am unhappy with my V8 which ticks all the boxes for me at the moment save for the R Tronic which really lets a great car down. The R Tronic is almost the same box as fitted to an E gear Gallardo .
My car is fitted with standard steel discs , which in my view are more than adequate for general road use.
It has " mag ride " shocks which are acknowledged to have a tendency to leak. £1000 a corner to renew, so I would suggest a thorough PPI before you move on any car you may be interested in.
I would say the performance of the R8 V8 is roughly the same as a 997 Carrera 3.8 .
PM me if you think I can help furthur. Also here is a link to an excellent forum where you will find answers to most of the questions you may have on R8's in their various forms.
http://www.r8talk.com/forums/
Finally Ricky Elder at Race Developments, Near Cheltenham is I would suggest the Countrys leading authority on R8's, having been involved in the original design and development of the R8.
He is very approachable and will freely give you the benefit of his vast experience with these cars.
I have been lucky enough to own 3 911's the last of which was a 996 GT3.
This was followed by two Aston Martins, a V8 Vantage and a DB9.
When I sold the DB9 I moved on to a Lamborghini Gallardo. I only had the car for 10 months before I traded it in for an Audi R8 V8 R Tronic. I just couldn't live with the Lambo which was outrageous, particularly the servicing costs , but that is another story.
The R8 you test drove has the same engine as my Lambo which if memory serves me correctly was 550 BHP.
I test drove a standard R8 V10 with an S Tronic gear box, whilst my own R8 was being serviced at Audi Exeter ( excellent main dealer ).
I found the performance of the V10 much hotter than my V8 . What really made it for me was the twin clutch S Tronic box, absolutely superb and far superior in every way to the R Tronic I have , which is slow and cumbersome compared.
If I was to go the R8 route again, I would definitely go for the V10 S Tronic .
That's not to say that I am unhappy with my V8 which ticks all the boxes for me at the moment save for the R Tronic which really lets a great car down. The R Tronic is almost the same box as fitted to an E gear Gallardo .
My car is fitted with standard steel discs , which in my view are more than adequate for general road use.
It has " mag ride " shocks which are acknowledged to have a tendency to leak. £1000 a corner to renew, so I would suggest a thorough PPI before you move on any car you may be interested in.
I would say the performance of the R8 V8 is roughly the same as a 997 Carrera 3.8 .
PM me if you think I can help furthur. Also here is a link to an excellent forum where you will find answers to most of the questions you may have on R8's in their various forms.
http://www.r8talk.com/forums/
Finally Ricky Elder at Race Developments, Near Cheltenham is I would suggest the Countrys leading authority on R8's, having been involved in the original design and development of the R8.
He is very approachable and will freely give you the benefit of his vast experience with these cars.
Edited by runner911 on Thursday 16th October 19:47
Edited by runner911 on Thursday 16th October 19:48
boringbeige said:
After some years of Porsche ownership as a daily driver, I find myself in the position of not wanting a 991. I feel that they are too lacking in soul, feel detached and a little false and contrived. So I'm looking for something else. I've just given an R8 V10 Plus demo car back that I had on an extended test drive and did nearly 600 miles in it. My question to R8 owners is this: does the V8 car feel any different to the one I drove. Obviously it'll be slower , so don't tell me that! The one I drove was flappy Paddle, passive shocks and ceramics. Would a manual V8 on steels 'feel' any different?
The plus is in another league over the v8.I have been on the full VIP r8 day and also had the demo v10plus.
The plus is the only r8 I would buy.
The v10 is definitely the car to have imo (with the manual box), it's a really nice engine and the extra power really helps to make the car feel more special, especially as it's quite a heavy car. Found the steels much better as the ceramics were awfully grabby i thought, especially compared to the porsche ceramics but perhaps the latest plus has improved in that respect. The brakes on the r8 are generally way over servo'd though but that is my only main criticism of the car. All round i really liked the v10 although I'd go for a gt porsche over one now if i was going to buy a car.
I am currently looking for a second hand V10 R8 so I hope you don't mind me piggy backing this thread OP!
I've tested both the V8 and V10 and to me the difference was quite substantial. The V8 feels (and is) similar in power to weight as my old V8 M3, a quickish car but nothing special where as the V10 has that extra bit of power IMO to take it to the next level. Coming from a Boxster Spyder the R8 does feel like a heavy car though!
I've usually bought my used cars from the manufacturers but it seems the majority of R8's are out of the main dealer network so may have to buy from an indy. Apart from shocks leaking and clutch wear is there anything else I should be keeping a lookout for?
Any buying tips anyone can give are more than welcome.
I've tested both the V8 and V10 and to me the difference was quite substantial. The V8 feels (and is) similar in power to weight as my old V8 M3, a quickish car but nothing special where as the V10 has that extra bit of power IMO to take it to the next level. Coming from a Boxster Spyder the R8 does feel like a heavy car though!
I've usually bought my used cars from the manufacturers but it seems the majority of R8's are out of the main dealer network so may have to buy from an indy. Apart from shocks leaking and clutch wear is there anything else I should be keeping a lookout for?
Any buying tips anyone can give are more than welcome.
Thank you for the input so far. Interesting to hear one of you say that you found the ceramics grabby, I did too. On a gentle application the brakes seemed to retard the car at say 5/10 but after a second ish , with no increase in my pressure on the pedal, the deceleration would increase to say 7/10, which was often more than I wanted. I thus found it difficult to brake smoothly and to modulate the brake effort in the way I wanted. Hence my question, are the steels any more linear? I've got ceramics on a Porsche and they are much easier to use than the ones on the v10 plus I drove. However I really liked the suspension on the plus, but am I right in thinking you can't get one without the other? I too thought the car felt heavy, does the v8 feel lighter in it's toes, more 'chuckable' ?
Why does the v8 list at 100 kilos less than the v10 ?
How come the plus is nearly back down to the weight if the v8 ?
Why does the v8 list at 100 kilos less than the v10 ?
How come the plus is nearly back down to the weight if the v8 ?
My OPC offered me an early slot for a GT4 but I refused as I'm expecting it to be active suspension, flappy paddle, piped in synthetic engine noise and overly long gearing. I'm looking at the R8 and trying to learn a little about them because it appears to me that the R8 was once the 'new kid on the block' but might now be the last of the (nearly) analogue sports cars!! I might be able to buy an R8 with a decent manual 'box, feelsome steering, honest suspension and a certain amount of honesty. All reasons why I haven't bought a 991, despite owning several Porsches. I just need to get my head round the weight issue. . .
Interesting thread as I've just covered 700 miles in an Audi R8 V10 Plus in the last couple of days.
It is Auto Vivendi's car and I have also taken their V8 R8 to Wales and Spain in the past.
The bog standard R8 V8 is a lovely car. It rides fantastically on the non-mag set up and the manual box really is wonderful to use. Steels brakes are over-served but progressive and very easy to use in day to day traffic and are perfectly up to the job for fast road driving.
It may not be 'that' fast - I guess any RS4/RS5 with the same engine will offer near identical performance, but on the road its a lovely all round package - it has wonderfully precise and confidence boosting turn in and of course the traction is incredible.
My only fault with the car was how quiet the V8 is inside the car. In Spain I drove with both windows down an inch so I could hear the sound bouncing off the hillside. It definitely needs a sports exhaust to be added.
The V10 Plus is in another league performance-wise. It is very, very fast across country - a real adrenaline rush. You can make fast progress while revving to 6000rpm - with another 2500rpm rush still to come at the top! I have found the ceramics a little bit grabby but I've adapted pretty quickly. The sport button bring the car to life and every drive when I'm on it i've hit the sport button and switched it straight into manual mode. The s-tronic does its thing pretty well but I'd go for a manual box if you're inclined that way.
The 50kg weight saving in the Plus model means it has the same fantastic turn in - it really gives you lots of confidence. The ride is a lot firmer than the standard V8. I don't mind it but know my wife would complain.
Overall the V8 has all the charms that it sounds like you are looking for and with a far lower price tag. I guess its whether it has enough performance for you or not. The V10 Plus has a firmer ride and really fantastic overall performance.
If I was choosing one myself I would go for a manual V10 plus and not take the wife out.
Incidentally, in Wales over the last couple of days I met Richard Meaden from EVO magazine and a lovely chap in a SLS who also had an R8 V10 Plus in his garage amongst numerous other exotic machinery and both of them absolutely raved about the V10 Plus and think it is underrated in the market.
Enjoy whatever you decide!
It is Auto Vivendi's car and I have also taken their V8 R8 to Wales and Spain in the past.
The bog standard R8 V8 is a lovely car. It rides fantastically on the non-mag set up and the manual box really is wonderful to use. Steels brakes are over-served but progressive and very easy to use in day to day traffic and are perfectly up to the job for fast road driving.
It may not be 'that' fast - I guess any RS4/RS5 with the same engine will offer near identical performance, but on the road its a lovely all round package - it has wonderfully precise and confidence boosting turn in and of course the traction is incredible.
My only fault with the car was how quiet the V8 is inside the car. In Spain I drove with both windows down an inch so I could hear the sound bouncing off the hillside. It definitely needs a sports exhaust to be added.
The V10 Plus is in another league performance-wise. It is very, very fast across country - a real adrenaline rush. You can make fast progress while revving to 6000rpm - with another 2500rpm rush still to come at the top! I have found the ceramics a little bit grabby but I've adapted pretty quickly. The sport button bring the car to life and every drive when I'm on it i've hit the sport button and switched it straight into manual mode. The s-tronic does its thing pretty well but I'd go for a manual box if you're inclined that way.
The 50kg weight saving in the Plus model means it has the same fantastic turn in - it really gives you lots of confidence. The ride is a lot firmer than the standard V8. I don't mind it but know my wife would complain.
Overall the V8 has all the charms that it sounds like you are looking for and with a far lower price tag. I guess its whether it has enough performance for you or not. The V10 Plus has a firmer ride and really fantastic overall performance.
If I was choosing one myself I would go for a manual V10 plus and not take the wife out.
Incidentally, in Wales over the last couple of days I met Richard Meaden from EVO magazine and a lovely chap in a SLS who also had an R8 V10 Plus in his garage amongst numerous other exotic machinery and both of them absolutely raved about the V10 Plus and think it is underrated in the market.
Enjoy whatever you decide!
I have never tried the R-tronic box. I know it is similar to the lamb e-gear which i haven't tried as well but I have an smb bmw car how similar is it to the smb gearbox? I found that ok in my CSL. Sure it would frustrate in a daily driver but when pressing on, it's great.
Is this the same for R-tronic? i.e. frustrating when parking and moving off and clunky but when shifting at redline, perfectly suited for it's purpose?
Is this the same for R-tronic? i.e. frustrating when parking and moving off and clunky but when shifting at redline, perfectly suited for it's purpose?
HokumPokum said:
I have never tried the R-tronic box. I know it is similar to the lamb e-gear which i haven't tried as well but I have an smb bmw car how similar is it to the smb gearbox? I found that ok in my CSL. Sure it would frustrate in a daily driver but when pressing on, it's great.
Is this the same for R-tronic? i.e. frustrating when parking and moving off and clunky but when shifting at redline, perfectly suited for it's purpose?
Like the BMW SMG box, you can learn to make it bearable by driving around it, but unless you're driving reasonably hard, it's very basic and mechanical and things like parking and stop start traffic are frustratingly hard workIs this the same for R-tronic? i.e. frustrating when parking and moving off and clunky but when shifting at redline, perfectly suited for it's purpose?
DSG box in later R8's is very good and perfectly usable everyday
Fwiw,I believe rtronic is basically same unit as manual but with a hydraulicly actuated manual unit bolted on, so clutch etc is same
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