RE: Shed of the Week: Audi TT Roadster
Discussion
daytona111r said:
Still shocks me that Audi could release a car like the TT as recently as 1999 with such lethal handling!
It actually handled rather well, in a way that was the problem - a lot of people who wouldn't know "throttle adjustability" if it spat them backwards into a hedge bought it and tried to drive it fast. OK the aerodynamics were a bit iffy as well but a bit of rear-end lift is hardly rare on road cars. The original TT was certainly a far less "lethal handling" car than, for example, the Elise.
It's tragic really because the whole saga lead Audi to change the setup to make it understeer like a pig and since then they've never really looked back.
Ran a silver with Baseball interior for a while before it being written off by someone. For me it's still a very pretty design only getting better with age. The MK2 for me seemed to get a but too bloated and seemed to be designed to please the vanilla nation.
Mine had a few mods and was running circa 270bhp. Went on quite a few NC500 road trips and had no problems keeping up with the Boxster, E46 M3 and Z4M in the convoy. Sure they were definitely quicker from a standing start, but when on the move she had no problem keeping up.
Handling wasn't out of the world for enjoyment, but rather functional and instilled confidence round the bends. With some suspension mods mine was incredibly flat round the corners.
Great shed, but definitely not a car you can run on a budget to keep it tip top.
Mine had a few mods and was running circa 270bhp. Went on quite a few NC500 road trips and had no problems keeping up with the Boxster, E46 M3 and Z4M in the convoy. Sure they were definitely quicker from a standing start, but when on the move she had no problem keeping up.
Handling wasn't out of the world for enjoyment, but rather functional and instilled confidence round the bends. With some suspension mods mine was incredibly flat round the corners.
Great shed, but definitely not a car you can run on a budget to keep it tip top.
Regarding the handling of the original one, Walter Röhrl famously said about the cars handling: "Not bad, but way too dangerous for the normal driver. If you take off the throttle at 200 km/h in a fast bend it will go backwards and there is only one person that can drive like this and that is Walter Röhrl."
Even when I was fit and slim I had trouble getting in and out of TTs and getting a comfortable position was not an option . Back then I was not considered overly large by any stretch . These days I wouldn't even attempt getting into one .
It was noted in many early road tests that banging your head was normal if a roof was fitted .
It was noted in many early road tests that banging your head was normal if a roof was fitted .
kambites said:
It actually handled rather well, in a way that was the problem - a lot of people who wouldn't know "throttle adjustability" if it spat them backwards into a hedge bought it and tried to drive it fast. OK the aerodynamics were a bit iffy as well but a bit of rear-end lift is hardly rare on road cars.
The original TT was certainly a far less "lethal handling" car than, for example, the Elise.
I wouldn’t want throttle adjustability at motorway/autobahn speeds! Certainly never had it in my s2 Elise. The original TT was certainly a far less "lethal handling" car than, for example, the Elise.
daytona111r said:
I wouldn’t want throttle adjustability at motorway/autobahn speeds! Certainly never had it in my s2 Elise.
No, the S2 Elise has far more neutral aerodynamics but the S1 had quite a lot of rear-end lift and speed. The TT's handling problems seem to have reached urban myth levels recently, it was never the sort of car to throw you off the road on a straight bit of motorway; it just tended to snap if you lifted off suddenly in the middle of a fast corner. Edited by kambites on Friday 7th December 09:35
daveco said:
Interesting fact:
Despite having 20 more hp, 4WD, and weighing the same as the e46 330, the 3.2 litre version was over a half a second slower to 60, and a full second slower to 100mph from a standing start compared to the 330.
I think much of that was down to the DSG gearbox, which I believe was VAG's first. The road test times for the manual R32 Golf (same engine, about 50KG lighter) were better, about 1 sec quicker to 100MPH than said 330i.Despite having 20 more hp, 4WD, and weighing the same as the e46 330, the 3.2 litre version was over a half a second slower to 60, and a full second slower to 100mph from a standing start compared to the 330.
The Audi TT is likely to be one of those cars that eventually becomes a modern classic. Personally I don't much care for them and they are the car that started the modern day phenomenon, the "Audi Driver". Before the TT, Audis were a sort of German Saab. The advertising famously eschewing the pushy, career driven connections that came with certain other german brands. The TT changed all that and therefore is a pretty historically significant car IMO. It was the car that made Audis desirable for the badge snob set.
You've also got to say that for Shed money, a 225 TT is one of the quicker cars out there.
Sardonicus said:
Another glorified money pit , sadly VAG stuff from this era dont age well , but agree it still looks girly good
Having owned an Audi A4 Convertable with this same engine I have to agree with you. I literally could not keep upth fixing all the things that were wrong with it. In my eperience with Audi's once the problems start it is time to get rid as it is just one thing after another.Jinx said:
Seeing this in shed territory makes me feel old.......
Agreed, I was in my first year out of University and driving a D reg Uno Turbo when I saw one of these (Coupe 225) on the road for the first time and it looked amazing. I was on £15k a year at the time, I could only dream at how amazing it would be to own one.kambites said:
daytona111r said:
I wouldn’t want throttle adjustability at motorway/autobahn speeds! Certainly never had it in my s2 Elise.
No, the S2 Elise has far more neutral aerodynamics but the S1 had quite a lot of rear-end lift and speed. The TT's handling problems seem to have reached urban myth levels recently, it was never the sort of car to throw you off the road on a straight bit of motorway; it just tended to snap if you lifted off suddenly in the middle of a fast corner. Edited by kambites on Friday 7th December 09:35
kambites said:
daytona111r said:
Still shocks me that Audi could release a car like the TT as recently as 1999 with such lethal handling!
It actually handled rather well, in a way that was the problem - a lot of people who wouldn't know "throttle adjustability" if it spat them backwards into a hedge bought it and tried to drive it fast. OK the aerodynamics were a bit iffy as well but a bit of rear-end lift is hardly rare on road cars. The original TT was certainly a far less "lethal handling" car than, for example, the Elise.
It's tragic really because the whole saga lead Audi to change the setup to make it understeer like a pig and since then they've never really looked back.
Yes the changes led to the car having a poor handling dynamic after the changes, but the cause wasn't about people not being able to drive properly it was about a defective design.
kambites said:
It's tragic really because the whole saga lead Audi to change the setup to make it understeer like a pig and since then they've never really looked back.
I agree. My first thought when I hear people complain about the dull handling of modern Audis is "Who can blame them?". Look how turning out a throttle adjustable, slightly unstable (intentionally) chassis turned out for them last time.daytona111r said:
Crashes/deaths (including a rally driver) suggest it wasn’t just a myth . .
I didn't mean to say it was a myth, I meant to say that people who haven't experienced it are exaggerating it out of all proportion. I think people also confuse two things which were "fixed" at the same time. Audi added the little spoiler to cure the rear-end lift which caused instability at very high speed (far higher than you'd hit on the road in the UK). They also adjusted the suspension to cure lower-speed lift-off over-steer which, IMO, was not in itself an undesirable trait. I have no problem with the spoiler, although it looks a bit awkward; however I think the suspension changes ruined the car for the sake of making the car idiot-proof.
ETA: I can't say I blame them mind. They know their market and it's not people who will view throttle adjustability as a positive trait.
Edited by kambites on Friday 7th December 10:14
Barchettaman said:
With luck Jacko will be along in a minute, he knows these inside out (literally) as his entertaining Reader's Cars thread can confirm.
As if by magic 
Mine was a hound as I have said before, I was just after a cheap hack until I was in a position to get something newer/faster and had always had a TT shaped itch, mine was a black coupe and I was wowed by the TT Sport quattro wheels, the rest of it was fairly shagged out though, despite the PO lavishing quite a few quid on it.
I ignored all my own advice and to be honest was lazy and only looked at a couple, the first hjad rusty arches but this one was solid, they generally are, the bodyshell and interior is amazingly robust, the rest, lest so but to be fair they are complex and knocking on a bit.
They arent nimble sportscars, that has been said a million times but I liked how it drove when it worked, fairly grunty and I liked the AWD traction, the interior is very nice, good seats with the most effective seat warmers I have experienced, nice gearchange and it did feel special to sit in.
I was just chasing faults though, the windscreen wipers packed up, I replaced the motor and mechanism, drivers door wouldnt shut properly so I replaced the door lock and then loads of niggles with the engine, mainly boost and misfires, but maybe a ghetto remap wasnt the best idea, but it did go well and I now know loads more about turbocharged engines than I did already. I changed the stereo and loads of other bits, had the sump off to check the oil strainer.
Despite it all, I did like it and dont regret it, but I went running for the safety of a two year old M135i like a shot when I was able, trouble is I now dont have to mess with it, just wash it an put fuel in it, this is alien to me, even my CLS needed ball joints and various other fettling, the neighbours just arent used to seeing my cars without axle stands and me using our Citroen C1, which was in regular use when I had the TT and now sits there getting covered in twigs and bird plop.
The *can*, be excellent value for a convertible two seater, I prefer the coupe but I also like convertibles, but a TT convertible is a bit too feminine even for me, but buy a rotter and even as a fairly hands on sort of chap it cost me a grand or so in bits, you may be lucky/less stupid than I but make no mistake they can give you a kicking. The TT Forum is ace though, those guys have so much knowledge and its like a support group.
People think its cheap, slightly interesting used car, its a bit like a single parent going "A Husky will be an ideal low maintenance pet for my kids in our small flat", there was a poster on yesterday with a TT, 147 bhp 1.8 so guess a mk1 which was making howling noises and blowing out huge clouds of smoke.
Here is my thread, forgot how many bits I had replaced, coolant elbow, thermostat, expansion tank, plugs, coil packs....
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Do your research, go in eyes open, credit card and spanners at the ready, or just buy something like a Honda Civic, or like me, be ready to bail and know when to cut your losses, oh and have a wonderful, indestructible, unsung hero Citroen C1 as a spare car for when the inevitable happens, and a VAG COM/VCDS lead and software to collect your fault codes at the end of each journey !
kambites said:
I didn't mean to say it was a myth, I meant to say that people who haven't experienced it are exaggerating it out of all proportion.
I think people also confuse two things which were "fixed" at the same time. Audi added the little spoiler to cure the rear-end lift which caused instability at very high speed (far higher than you'd hit on the road in the UK). They also adjusted the suspension to cure lower-speed lift-off over-steer which, IMO, was not in itself an undesirable trait. I have no problem with the spoiler, although it looks a bit awkward; however I think the suspension changes ruined the car for the sake of making the car idiot-proof.
Agreed I think people also confuse two things which were "fixed" at the same time. Audi added the little spoiler to cure the rear-end lift which caused instability at very high speed (far higher than you'd hit on the road in the UK). They also adjusted the suspension to cure lower-speed lift-off over-steer which, IMO, was not in itself an undesirable trait. I have no problem with the spoiler, although it looks a bit awkward; however I think the suspension changes ruined the car for the sake of making the car idiot-proof.
I suspect if it had been a Porsche/Ferrari badge on the front rather than Audi with the '4wd safety fast' type of iimage there would have been much less of a clamour to have the manufacturer do something
Last time we had a TT thread I think there were even one or two owners still running the car in original format.
There was an interesting article in CAR about the car before and after mods. Contrary to the German mag they picked the original car as their best handling car of that year
Just shows how opinions vary!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff