I was on my way home from watching the Leafs KILL the senators..LOL..j/k and this car with Blueish lights was taling me so I switched lanes...I see it's a silver S4.So all of a sudden he punches it and so do I by the end of 3rd gear aprox 140-150 kmh I was ahead by a full car length..I thaught they were comprible to M3's? Not impressed at all. I am not stock either Borla Exhaust , Pop Charger and Z tube.

 

That was a great game, eh?? Go Leafs Go! lol

Anyway... never raced an S4 but ever since I got my G I've been curious about who'd come out on top in that contest. One of my neighbors has a blue S4 and I know that it would be close if we raced, but I’m not sure which car has the edge, performance-wise.

Actually there's an M3 (Laguna Seca blue) and a 911 Carrera4 in my loft building's parking lot -- so even if I could beat the S4, I still wouldn’t have the fastest car in my parking lot -- which has less than 30 spots.

So now that you’ve asked, you got me thinking about G vs. S4 again so just now I looked it up. The Audi's 0-60 sec. times are about the same as the stock G35 or maybe just a bit better (around 5.5sec). The quarter mile times are better… around high 13’s. The skidpad around the same, I think.

So those are very close to the M3’s (0-60 low 5's, 1/4 mile high 13's).

Which means it would be close between me and my neighbour -- but the S4 should win if we were equally skilled at launches/ shifts…

So in your case, the fact that you beat your S4 so easily – especially when he got the jump on you -- means either:

(a) maybe he was not wide open throttle, or didn't really want to race full out,
(b) maybe he was in his overdrive (highest) gear and didn’t downshift to hit his powerband/ peak torque,
(c) maybe he was WOT but your mods/ tires gave you a slight edge,
(d) maybe he was full of heavy passengers,
(e) maybe his car was slow for one of many mechanical reasons – timing was off, valves etc.

But in the end it all comes down to splitting hairs and bragging rights -- these are two awesome high-performance luxury cars -- and I'm sure he loves driving his as much as we love driving the G ;-)


2004 G35C 6MT + Nav, Silverstone

 

I think from what i have heard, M3 can acheive 0-60 time in the high 4sec. (4.7sec is the lowest i've seen). So i think M3 can beat S4 with no problem at all. As for S4 vs 6MT, it's a driver's race.

 

Having owned both vehicles I'll do my best to comment on who'd beat who. The S4 is a great car off the line. The Quattro makes the tires (Bridgestone SO 3) stick to the road when you punch it from a dead start. I find the G35 slipped a bit with the Turanza's. The S4 has 250 stock h.p. and the G35 has 260. The S4 would be quicker off the line, but the G would prevail in the 1/4 mile. the 0-60 times are almost equal...5.7 for the S4, to 5.9-6.0 for the G. I have just installed new Bridgestone SO 3's on my G so I might have to do a time trial. The Audi was a great driving machine but all the repairs and the blown twin turbo's were enough for me to get rid of it and get a G. The one thing I miss about the Auid was taking higway ramps at greater speeds then I can in the G.
Hope this helps..and once again it comes down to a combination of driver + car = win

 

The S4 has 250 stock h.p. and the G35 has 260>>

Do you mean the coupe? If so, it's 280hp.

The MT Coupe with manual transmission is faster than the automatic that I have, but both have the same hp. Of course, not needing to shift can help; unless the MT driver is highly experienced and shifts incredibly quickly.

Peter

2004 G35 Coupe with Performance Package. Silverstone (dark silver).

 

I think the new S4's would kill a stock G35. The new ones have a V8 and are pushing 340hp though a 6 speed manual or tiptronic tranny.

2003 CB Coupe 5AT
ATI Procharger
Stillen Cat Back Exhaust
Eibachs
Gord G Grounding Kit

 

On the Audi's official site, S4 with 340hp post a 0-60 time of 5.3 sec on manual and 5.6 sec on tiptronic, so S4 with have little advantage over 6MT in drag racing. (manual S4 i mean). It should still be a close race though. I am guessing this is because S4 weigh more than the G?

 

The reference I used gives all the various performance data from different sources (Manufacturer Data, Car and Driver, Motor Trend etc.) and it lists each 2004 S4 variant seperately.

<A HREF="http://www.autosite.com/new/grabbag/perform/3423.asp">Audi S4 Performance Data Click Here</A>


Motor Trend got the best 0-60 time of 4.99 sec. for the S4 sedan 6-speed,
Car and Driver got the slowest at 5.80 sec (for the S4 Avant wagon).
I think the manufacturer data is as you said.

So I just looked up the weight of a stock 2004 S4 (6-speed) with the 4.2L V8:

3825 lbs with 340 hp.

Our G is 3435 lbs with 280hp.

So the horsepower-to-weight ratio looks pretty close.

When I calculated it exactly, it worked out that the power-to-weight ratio is about 7% better for the S4 than the G (...in other words, the extra horsepower advantage of the S4 slightly beats the reduced weight advantage of the G...)

BUT... when coming off the line, it's not so much horsepower as it is low-end torque that matters, and weight is proportionately more of a factor off the line than anytime else.

The S4 has 302 ft/lbs @ 3500 rpm
The G has 270 ft/lbs @ 4800 rpm

Here we see the torque to weight ratio is almost the same:
The S4 is 7.89
The G35 is 7.86

So far, the Audi has a tiny advantage (a bit more torque and a lower-end torque peak)... also, like Shecky said, the quattro favours the Audi off the line with power going to all 4 wheels...

...So on paper at least, the S4 should come out very slightly ahead than the G, but like you and others have said, it would be so close that it would really come down to drivers' skill.


2004 G35C 6MT + Nav, Silverstone

 

Metasystem....well done. I like how in depth you went with your numbers. My S4 was a 2001. It was a 6 speed manual with quattro. My G35 is a 2003.5 sedan. I bought the Audi because after I took it for a test drive, I had to have it. It was truly a driver's car. The seats were comfortable and the car rode rough but took off like a scared rabbit. The new S4 looks to be an awesome car. As much as it looks nice, I'll never own another Audi product. The car was unreliable and the dealership was worse. I had a 2000 I 30t and I didn't have any problems with it. After my Audi, I went back to Infiniti and bought the G. So far....the repairs have been minimal. The G turns heads and I like the fact they are not spotted everywhere! Both cars are "prestige" cars, but my choice is the G35 over the S4. As for who would beat who..... the difference in price tells me the G gives me more bang for my buck, with a better dependability record.

 

I agree with you on the dealerships - I can't believe how rude these guys were with me considering I was potentially going to spend $55K+. Rude may not be the right word... It was like a bored indeference.

2003 CB Coupe 5AT
ATI Procharger
Stillen Cat Back Exhaust
Eibachs
Gord G Grounding Kit