Discussion
Great thread, really enjoyed reading about your Euro trip and can echo a lot of the points you've mentioned about these cars, they really are great cruisers!
Regarding tyres, I swapped my P Zeros out for Pilot Sport 4S's and they're simply far better in every way, quieter, grippier, more comfortable and best of all, eliminate a lot of the scrubbing from the front diff when making tight turns/parking. Can't recommend them enough, Audi used to offer different width's for the tyres too so went for 245 up front and 305 at the back as I wanted the extra bit of sidewall. After your trip down my way and seeing our marvellous lanes, I'm sure you can understand why!
As someone else mentioned, I would also suggest looking into a clean up of the intake manifolds to help it run a bit more efficiently.
Mine usually averages 25-26mpg on a motorway trip and 23mpg locally. I did find a great post on the R8 forum for doing it yourself if it's of any interest. For mine, I'll probably tie it in when I service mine next:
https://www.r8talk.com/threads/diy-v8-carbon-build...
Regarding tyres, I swapped my P Zeros out for Pilot Sport 4S's and they're simply far better in every way, quieter, grippier, more comfortable and best of all, eliminate a lot of the scrubbing from the front diff when making tight turns/parking. Can't recommend them enough, Audi used to offer different width's for the tyres too so went for 245 up front and 305 at the back as I wanted the extra bit of sidewall. After your trip down my way and seeing our marvellous lanes, I'm sure you can understand why!
As someone else mentioned, I would also suggest looking into a clean up of the intake manifolds to help it run a bit more efficiently.
Mine usually averages 25-26mpg on a motorway trip and 23mpg locally. I did find a great post on the R8 forum for doing it yourself if it's of any interest. For mine, I'll probably tie it in when I service mine next:
https://www.r8talk.com/threads/diy-v8-carbon-build...
SamJB said:
Great thread, really enjoyed reading about your Euro trip and can echo a lot of the points you've mentioned about these cars, they really are great cruisers!
Regarding tyres, I swapped my P Zeros out for Pilot Sport 4S's and they're simply far better in every way, quieter, grippier, more comfortable and best of all, eliminate a lot of the scrubbing from the front diff when making tight turns/parking. Can't recommend them enough, Audi used to offer different width's for the tyres too so went for 245 up front and 305 at the back as I wanted the extra bit of sidewall. After your trip down my way and seeing our marvellous lanes, I'm sure you can understand why!
As someone else mentioned, I would also suggest looking into a clean up of the intake manifolds to help it run a bit more efficiently.
Mine usually averages 25-26mpg on a motorway trip and 23mpg locally. I did find a great post on the R8 forum for doing it yourself if it's of any interest. For mine, I'll probably tie it in when I service mine next:
https://www.r8talk.com/threads/diy-v8-carbon-build...
Nice one, thanks for that! I was going to go with the Pilot Sports for sure. Showing some improvement in the front diff binding would be amazing - the R8 hates reverse parks in it's current form which is not great for London...Regarding tyres, I swapped my P Zeros out for Pilot Sport 4S's and they're simply far better in every way, quieter, grippier, more comfortable and best of all, eliminate a lot of the scrubbing from the front diff when making tight turns/parking. Can't recommend them enough, Audi used to offer different width's for the tyres too so went for 245 up front and 305 at the back as I wanted the extra bit of sidewall. After your trip down my way and seeing our marvellous lanes, I'm sure you can understand why!
As someone else mentioned, I would also suggest looking into a clean up of the intake manifolds to help it run a bit more efficiently.
Mine usually averages 25-26mpg on a motorway trip and 23mpg locally. I did find a great post on the R8 forum for doing it yourself if it's of any interest. For mine, I'll probably tie it in when I service mine next:
https://www.r8talk.com/threads/diy-v8-carbon-build...
I asked about a carbon clean when I serviced it and they said that they wouldn't recommend it until 40'k miles. I was happy to swerve the extra £800 charge too! The car lives on a London street so working on it is no fun currently.
The most exciting thing that's happened in the last 3 months is that we got the car washed! We don't have a hose out the front so it hasn't had a wash since we bought it in October. A guy round the corner who has developed a Lockdown side-hustle and is as passionate about washing cars as I am about avoiding manual labour did an amazing job!
Next up, new tyres.
Next up, new tyres.
New tyres achieved! 4 new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S were procured via blackcircles and fitted up down by "Car Care in-Kensington" in Notting Hill (!) who seemed like a really nice, professional outfit. All in for the princely sum of £800 - less than smaller 18 inch MP4Ss I had fitted on the BMW! I thought long and hard about going to the larger 305s on the rear as suggested. In the end I figured that adding more tyre out the back wouldn't do anything for the front-rear balance and might accentuate the understeer I've felt if you don't plant the nose under brakes. That could also have been worn tyres though... First impressions (at a heady 20mph) are good and as promised they do seem to enrage the front diff a lot less at low speeds. We'll see if it continues after they get scrubbed in.
I saw something interesting regarding direct injection motors the other day on Iain Tyrells channel. He was going round a 300SL and was saying they were the first DI fuel injected road engine (from 1954!). The owners manual recommends pulling down and carbon cleaning the heads every 20k miles, so it's not just a new phenomenon!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISell98Jv9w
I saw something interesting regarding direct injection motors the other day on Iain Tyrells channel. He was going round a 300SL and was saying they were the first DI fuel injected road engine (from 1954!). The owners manual recommends pulling down and carbon cleaning the heads every 20k miles, so it's not just a new phenomenon!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISell98Jv9w
The R8 got a proper run out on the weekend to Surrey to go socially distanced, outside visiting. On the way out we were running behind a McLaren 570 on the (I think) A4 section under the A40. We had pole position at quite a few red lights together and hearing the two quite different V8s bouncing around the concrete was so much fun. He was QUITE a lot faster once 2nd gear happened. Allegedly.
I took one of my automotively minded friends out in it and he was hooting and laughing once we made it through the herds of cyclists and found 8000rpm. His missus has a 997 and everything was "Don't tell her but I think this is so much more comfortable / better built / faster than the Pork".
And an update on the tyres - loads of grip and the obstreperous front diff is essentially cured. Tell your friends.
So a great weekend and a good reminder as to why we bought it in the first place. Now we just need to be able to travel again.
I took one of my automotively minded friends out in it and he was hooting and laughing once we made it through the herds of cyclists and found 8000rpm. His missus has a 997 and everything was "Don't tell her but I think this is so much more comfortable / better built / faster than the Pork".
And an update on the tyres - loads of grip and the obstreperous front diff is essentially cured. Tell your friends.
So a great weekend and a good reminder as to why we bought it in the first place. Now we just need to be able to travel again.
We went up to North Norfolk to visit the in laws this weekend. Thanks to a pistonheads article from a few years ago I'd found the B1145, which goes from Kings Lynn through to Mundesley and since that's where we had to end up it seemed fated. The A47 runs essentially parallel so there's not much traffic. I really enjoyed this road - loads of overtaking opportunities, good sight lines and some tighter sections. We picked up a newish Golf who was keen and he followed us most of the way, heaps of fun rubber banding away in the straights, waiting at 60ish and then see him loaded up round the corners. The road was tight but I feel like I've got a good handle on the width of the car now.
I think the sidewalls on the Michelins might be a bit harder than the previous incumbents but the ability to reverse park more than makes up for it. I took my father in law out in it (who's a massive petrolhead) and he seemed to like it. We did British seaside things like sit on the beach in the cold and get average fish and chips.
We came back the same way and had more of the same. The only exciting thing that happened was the missus getting stuck between a truck ahead and an aggressive range rover behind. As it went to two lanes she indicated, checked behind and saw the range rover still attached to the rear bumper and started moving across..... Turns out a second range rover had welded itself back there whilst the first one had swung out to do the immediate cock-block overtake. Poor rear 3/4 visibility led to horns, swearing and I think a w
ker sign from the range rover sport... Irony.
I think the sidewalls on the Michelins might be a bit harder than the previous incumbents but the ability to reverse park more than makes up for it. I took my father in law out in it (who's a massive petrolhead) and he seemed to like it. We did British seaside things like sit on the beach in the cold and get average fish and chips.
We came back the same way and had more of the same. The only exciting thing that happened was the missus getting stuck between a truck ahead and an aggressive range rover behind. As it went to two lanes she indicated, checked behind and saw the range rover still attached to the rear bumper and started moving across..... Turns out a second range rover had welded itself back there whilst the first one had swung out to do the immediate cock-block overtake. Poor rear 3/4 visibility led to horns, swearing and I think a w
ker sign from the range rover sport... Irony. seefarr said:
We went up to North Norfolk to visit the in laws this weekend. Thanks to a pistonheads article from a few years ago I'd found the B1145, which goes from Kings Lynn through to Mundesley and since that's where we had to end up it seemed fated. The A47 runs essentially parallel so there's not much traffic. I really enjoyed this road - loads of overtaking opportunities, good sight lines and some tighter sections. We picked up a newish Golf who was keen and he followed us most of the way, heaps of fun rubber banding away in the straights, waiting at 60ish and then see him loaded up round the corners. The road was tight but I feel like I've got a good handle on the width of the car now.
I think the sidewalls on the Michelins might be a bit harder than the previous incumbents but the ability to reverse park more than makes up for it. I took my father in law out in it (who's a massive petrolhead) and he seemed to like it. We did British seaside things like sit on the beach in the cold and get average fish and chips.
We came back the same way and had more of the same. The only exciting thing that happened was the missus getting stuck between a truck ahead and an aggressive range rover behind. As it went to two lanes she indicated, checked behind and saw the range rover still attached to the rear bumper and started moving across..... Turns out a second range rover had welded itself back there whilst the first one had swung out to do the immediate cock-block overtake. Poor rear 3/4 visibility led to horns, swearing and I think a wker sign from the range rover sport... Irony.
The best fish and chips in that area are at Snettisham Beach fish and chips bar and I tested them on Saturday evening again to confirm.I think the sidewalls on the Michelins might be a bit harder than the previous incumbents but the ability to reverse park more than makes up for it. I took my father in law out in it (who's a massive petrolhead) and he seemed to like it. We did British seaside things like sit on the beach in the cold and get average fish and chips.
We came back the same way and had more of the same. The only exciting thing that happened was the missus getting stuck between a truck ahead and an aggressive range rover behind. As it went to two lanes she indicated, checked behind and saw the range rover still attached to the rear bumper and started moving across..... Turns out a second range rover had welded itself back there whilst the first one had swung out to do the immediate cock-block overtake. Poor rear 3/4 visibility led to horns, swearing and I think a w
ker sign from the range rover sport... Irony. We managed to make it down to Cornwall the week before half term in May for a week looking at the ocean. The Audi was great on the way down (hit 23.8 mpg!!!) and we went via Dartmoor both there and back. It adds 30 mins or so but its so enjoyable.
Somehow we managed to have quite a few really good drives with little traffic (although we found a huge amount of bimbling campervans and 15mph OAPs too). We were staying in Seaton which is between Looe and Plymouth. The road down into town and the local A roads (A387 and A374) were all really nice and we had a few good turns on each.
Besides the drives we had your typical British holiday - puffy coats and wooly hats one day, pissing rain another then bright sunshine and t-shirts the next. And we spent lots of time in pubs!
The car took us down and back in comfort and no small amount of style. All our clothing fitted on the shelf behind the seats which left the frunk free for booze, coats and boots.
Still love it!
Somehow we managed to have quite a few really good drives with little traffic (although we found a huge amount of bimbling campervans and 15mph OAPs too). We were staying in Seaton which is between Looe and Plymouth. The road down into town and the local A roads (A387 and A374) were all really nice and we had a few good turns on each.
Besides the drives we had your typical British holiday - puffy coats and wooly hats one day, pissing rain another then bright sunshine and t-shirts the next. And we spent lots of time in pubs!
The car took us down and back in comfort and no small amount of style. All our clothing fitted on the shelf behind the seats which left the frunk free for booze, coats and boots.
Still love it!
Edited by seefarr on Wednesday 16th June 21:15
Court_S said:
Awesome to see it racking up some miles and be used / enjoyed. Seems like a really usable but special car.
We've done almost 5000 miles since we bought it in October! We're roughly planning on doing another trip to the continent in October this year too - Covid willing. Won't somebody think of the resale value?!SarlechS said:
out of interest what miles per gallon are you returning on a typical drive?
Almost 24mpg on the way down and 18.5mpg around the twisty roads in Cornwall. It's gotten better as I've owned it, either from the regularity of driving or the regularity of being taken to the upper reaches of the rev range. 
Court_S said:
Sod the resale value, just enjoy the bloody thing.
shalmaneser said:
There was one of these at the last track day I was at, sounded immense and seemed to go pretty well too! I could well see myself in one of these at some point.
Do it! doitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoitdoit
elvismiggell said:
What have the running costs been like so far?
Insurance? Has it needed a service or any work yet?
I could theoretically stretch to one in the near future, but I'm less sure I can sensibly afford to run one.
Service was £900 for a major from an indi. It needed 2 shocks and some other suspension stuff, so an extra £2200. 4 x MPS4S were £800 fitted. Insurance could have been £550 a year kept on the street in London if I got onto it soon enough.Insurance? Has it needed a service or any work yet?
I could theoretically stretch to one in the near future, but I'm less sure I can sensibly afford to run one.
seefarr said:
elvismiggell said:
What have the running costs been like so far?
Insurance? Has it needed a service or any work yet?
I could theoretically stretch to one in the near future, but I'm less sure I can sensibly afford to run one.
Service was £900 for a major from an indi. It needed 2 shocks and some other suspension stuff, so an extra £2200. 4 x MPS4S were £800 fitted. Insurance could have been £550 a year kept on the street in London if I got onto it soon enough.Insurance? Has it needed a service or any work yet?
I could theoretically stretch to one in the near future, but I'm less sure I can sensibly afford to run one.
Thanks! Having said that, we've not really been using it much at all.
We went out to view a few properties in Surrey to rent and that's an hour through London traffic. It manages fine but it's not really pushing its limits! We have taken a place out in Surrey with a driveway, so I can get through lots of little jobs I keep putting off with it once we move. Besides that, just doing the grocery shopping and getting guarded by one the neighbourhood kitties has been its life.
We've booked a ferry to Spain in October (how much?!?!) and planned two weeks through the Pyrenees, now we just pray it happens.
We went out to view a few properties in Surrey to rent and that's an hour through London traffic. It manages fine but it's not really pushing its limits! We have taken a place out in Surrey with a driveway, so I can get through lots of little jobs I keep putting off with it once we move. Besides that, just doing the grocery shopping and getting guarded by one the neighbourhood kitties has been its life.
We've booked a ferry to Spain in October (how much?!?!) and planned two weeks through the Pyrenees, now we just pray it happens.
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