View Poll Results: What is your A8 preferred driving mode?
Almost always in A
54
53.47%
Closer to 50:50, sometimes in A sometimes in M
27
26.73%
Almost always in M
20
19.80%
Voters: 101. You may not vote on this poll
A8: M or A mode?
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 4,491
Likes: 1,028
From: MN
A8: M or A mode?
Greetings! Now that the C7 has been around a while, I was interested to see how many drive most of the time in A or in M. After the first season, I started using M more and more often, and now it's pretty much a reflex when I get in the car. For me, A mode works fine, but I just like the feel of the car at slightly higher RPMs, cruising at about 1700-2300 most of the time, so M feels better.
It's a simple poll (just noticed you could set the poll up with 300 options!!) Hopefully this will not head downhill too fast--the forum is full of pros/cons for the A8. Just interested to see your habits.
I did a few searches, and only found one poll back in 2016 (sorry if I missed a more current one)
It's a simple poll (just noticed you could set the poll up with 300 options!!) Hopefully this will not head downhill too fast--the forum is full of pros/cons for the A8. Just interested to see your habits.
I did a few searches, and only found one poll back in 2016 (sorry if I missed a more current one)
Last edited by JonMN; Jun 4, 2019 at 03:42 PM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 4,491
Likes: 1,028
From: MN
Thanks for the comments! Interesting results so far, but it is a small % actually voting. Part of the reason I gradually shifted to M was the class at Spring Mountain. I also like the feel of the car at a little higher RPM than A provides (unless racing, which is something I never have a chance to do). I will say it took me a while to get used to the quirks of M mode.
Technically, I guess I am in Semi-Automatic mode. If coming to a stop I just let it downshift as it is sooo smooth. But I do downshift for corners, and, as Yoggi said above, it's great on twisties!
(I learned to drive on a M3, had a M4 truck, M5, M6, M6 cars, and then a DCT before my Stingray)
Technically, I guess I am in Semi-Automatic mode. If coming to a stop I just let it downshift as it is sooo smooth. But I do downshift for corners, and, as Yoggi said above, it's great on twisties!
(I learned to drive on a M3, had a M4 truck, M5, M6, M6 cars, and then a DCT before my Stingray)
Last edited by JonMN; Jun 4, 2019 at 10:02 PM.
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Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 26,243
Likes: 4,362
From: Chirper Island
2014 A6, always have driven in M, except for the rare (probably less than a thousand miles total) foray to see.
As far as the lag, the higher the load, the less the lag. Shift at WOT, and it will bark at you like your neighbor's dog before you smacked it and it behaved.
Shift at lower loads, then plan ahead. Not rocket science. The bark is due to a momentary cutoff of fuel to facilitate faster shifts. And sounds cool as all get out.
As far as the lag, the higher the load, the less the lag. Shift at WOT, and it will bark at you like your neighbor's dog before you smacked it and it behaved.
Shift at lower loads, then plan ahead. Not rocket science. The bark is due to a momentary cutoff of fuel to facilitate faster shifts. And sounds cool as all get out.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 4,491
Likes: 1,028
From: MN
^^^ I agree! I just like the feel of the car at 2K RPM. Enough torque to respond without downshifting. On my last car my DCT had a bigger differentiation between Touring and Sport than the C7 does, and keeping it in Sport worked great. On the C7 I still go back to M--most shifts are quick enough for me, and shifting under more aggressive conditions are even better.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 226
Likes: 54
From: Hill country, TX
The car is in 'M' mode pretty much all the time except when the wife drives it. The 'D' mode struggles quite a bit to maintain the speed in cruise-control, especially here on the undulating Hill Country roads.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 62,160
Likes: 1,733
From: Athens AL
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
C4 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Typically always in A, unless I want to go through the gears. Nothing but straight roads here and traffic, so thats rare.
On the Dragon and Cherohala last weekend, in M mode most of the time.
On the Dragon and Cherohala last weekend, in M mode most of the time.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 3,119
Likes: 799
From: East Lansing, MI
If driving competitively M might also be a sensible choice.
Of course, you others may be smarter than the computer, but I'm not.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 6,800
Likes: 2,653
From: Down south in Dixie
Kevin. I've changed a lot of gears in my lifetime also. There's good things to be said about just pushing the skinny pedal and moving on down the road.
