ECO mode really does make a difference
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,904
Likes: 315
From: Cedar Falls Iowa
I'll have to try giving the car hell in eco and winter modes. Not sure if I've ever tried. I switch to sport or track if I'm gonna get on it.
MPG wise In the rolling hills of Iowa, the eco mode is good for about 2MPG better average. I'd say tennis freak is prolly right about the up 2-5MPG comment. You might see 5MPG on a super flat road where 4cyl stays active. In Iowa it's on about 1/2 the time as the "hills" are just enough to force it back to 8cyl mode.
Honestly I think 4 cyl mode could be programmed a tiny bit more aggressively. If you watch the instant MPG though, there is a point where an increased load in 4cyl mode isn't really more efficient that 8 cyl. Once it gets down below 27 MPG in 4 cyl mode is where it switches and the instant MPG upon going into in 8cyl doesn't really change.
MPG wise In the rolling hills of Iowa, the eco mode is good for about 2MPG better average. I'd say tennis freak is prolly right about the up 2-5MPG comment. You might see 5MPG on a super flat road where 4cyl stays active. In Iowa it's on about 1/2 the time as the "hills" are just enough to force it back to 8cyl mode.
Honestly I think 4 cyl mode could be programmed a tiny bit more aggressively. If you watch the instant MPG though, there is a point where an increased load in 4cyl mode isn't really more efficient that 8 cyl. Once it gets down below 27 MPG in 4 cyl mode is where it switches and the instant MPG upon going into in 8cyl doesn't really change.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 554
Likes: 92
From: Houston Texas
I'll have to try giving the car hell in eco and winter modes. Not sure if I've ever tried. I switch to sport or track if I'm gonna get on it.
MPG wise In the rolling hills of Iowa, the eco mode is good for about 2MPG better average. I'd say tennis freak is prolly right about the up 2-5MPG comment. You might see 5MPG on a super flat road where 4cyl stays active. In Iowa it's on about 1/2 the time as the "hills" are just enough to force it back to 8cyl mode.
Honestly I think 4 cyl mode could be programmed a tiny bit more aggressively. If you watch the instant MPG though, there is a point where an increased load in 4cyl mode isn't really more efficient that 8 cyl. Once it gets down below 27 MPG in 4 cyl mode is where it switches and the instant MPG upon going into in 8cyl doesn't really change.
MPG wise In the rolling hills of Iowa, the eco mode is good for about 2MPG better average. I'd say tennis freak is prolly right about the up 2-5MPG comment. You might see 5MPG on a super flat road where 4cyl stays active. In Iowa it's on about 1/2 the time as the "hills" are just enough to force it back to 8cyl mode.
Honestly I think 4 cyl mode could be programmed a tiny bit more aggressively. If you watch the instant MPG though, there is a point where an increased load in 4cyl mode isn't really more efficient that 8 cyl. Once it gets down below 27 MPG in 4 cyl mode is where it switches and the instant MPG upon going into in 8cyl doesn't really change.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,904
Likes: 315
From: Cedar Falls Iowa
I agree. I would have liked to seen cylinder deactivation exclusively locked into Eco mode where it would use V4 mode more aggressively. I'm not sure about the long term effects on the engine using it more often, but I think more people would be using Eco mode if it was more noticeable in the mpg.
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 159
Likes: 28
From: Williamsburg Michigan
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 13,733
Likes: 66
From: Hurst, TX USA
It appears I was mistaken.
I got the same opportunity this morning on the same ramp and it went like a scalded dog. Maybe yesterday I wasn't WOT for some reason. In any event I'm happier now to be in ECO knowing the power really is there when you need it. (Jury is still out on whether ECO saves gas, though. More on that later...)
I got the same opportunity this morning on the same ramp and it went like a scalded dog. Maybe yesterday I wasn't WOT for some reason. In any event I'm happier now to be in ECO knowing the power really is there when you need it. (Jury is still out on whether ECO saves gas, though. More on that later...)
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,449
Likes: 770
Looking at the mode chart above brings up a question. If the engine is turned off when the car is in sport mode, will it stay in sport when the car is next started, or does sport have to be driver activated every time the car is started? (I have a Z51 M7 on order)
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,446
Likes: 121
From: No Longer in CA! NV
OP is correct, at least from my experience with our '14 A6. First and only time I found out was at the end of our 4000+ mile trip back home, and a couple of hot rodders tried to goad me into showing them how it performed.
Once we got to a safe and clear section of freeway I hit it (running in Eco mode) and it accelerated like a family sedan. It didn't pull anywhere near as hard as it had in Sport or Track mode.
You're not imagining things.
Once we got to a safe and clear section of freeway I hit it (running in Eco mode) and it accelerated like a family sedan. It didn't pull anywhere near as hard as it had in Sport or Track mode.
You're not imagining things.
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Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 13,733
Likes: 66
From: Hurst, TX USA
All modes except Track keep the setting between starts. Track reverts to Touring each time.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 3,104
Likes: 626
From: Baton Rouge LA
Originally Posted by TennisFreak
ECO mode will make about 2-5 mpg difference when cruising on the highway at stable speeds.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,449
Likes: 770
Thanks for the info. Since the car will be my daily driver and never tracked, I plan to only use sport mode. Incidentally, a buddy who returned from a 2 day session at Spring Mountain was told by the head instructor never to use track mode on the street because the suspension in track mode is so stiff that hitting a pothole can cause tire and/or wheel damage.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 786
Likes: 78
From: DFW TX-Texas
Cylinder deactivation happens in all modes (except track) for you.
In the M7 cylinder deactivation only happens in ECO mode.
That makes the difference in MPG for me.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 1,434
Likes: 183
From: Maple Ontario
Does the mode affect the M7 1 to 4 skipshift ? I ordered a 2016 Z51 M7
and see that the Skip Shifter disable resistor is still being sold for the C7 but my guess is that if your in anything better than tour, it should not try to glide you to 4th
and see that the Skip Shifter disable resistor is still being sold for the C7 but my guess is that if your in anything better than tour, it should not try to glide you to 4th
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 3,104
Likes: 626
From: Baton Rouge LA
All true and undoubtedly the difference between A8 and M7. I was actually expecting to see some difference in the frequency of AFM behavior, like more V4 mode in Eco, etc.--but I haven't seen that either. I was going by the chart, which suggests that Eco has its own AFM mode with all the others showing as "normal," but maybe that's only for the M7.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 841
Likes: 72
From: NC
Easy to see the difference. When traveling on level ground, monitor instantaneous MPG readings, hold a steady speed, and switch between Eco and other modes. Mine shows about 2-3 mpg better in Eco mode.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 15,197
Likes: 1,006
From: BOOMER SOONER
Thanks for the info. Since the car will be my daily driver and never tracked, I plan to only use sport mode. Incidentally, a buddy who returned from a 2 day session at Spring Mountain was told by the head instructor never to use track mode on the street because the suspension in track mode is so stiff that hitting a pothole can cause tire and/or wheel damage.
I have only used track mode once or twice just to play around. Never really got full throttle yet for whatever reason though. I would hate to hit a pothole in any mode though but especially with the stiffened suspension. I usually just drive in Sport mode and feel fine doing so.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 3,913
Likes: 395
From: Cary NC
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 3,941
Likes: 499
From: Northern Virginia
Skip shift is active in all modes, but it seems to be less aggressive in Sport than Tour, and less aggressive still in Track. This isn't documented anywhere that I've found, but when I installed the skip shift eliminator I had to go into tour mode to get the warning message to come on with any frequency. But it will show up, sometimes, even in Track mode.