Specifications
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Suspension/ceramic brakes
Dynamics and comfort were once opposites.
We’ve made the differences vanish into thin air.
Each road is different. So it’s good when, despite
that, you notice no difference. How does that
work? In the Audi S8, the chassis adapts to many
driving situations and to the road surface as
standard. We call it adaptive air suspension. An
electronically controlled air suspension system
operates individually on each of the four wheels
and is combined with an infinitely variable
adaptive damping system. Sensors on the body
and on the axles monitor the current driving
situation and send information to the system
during the journey. Furthermore, the air springs
guarantee that, even when carrying heavy loads,
the vehicle’s driving characteristics will hardly
be impaired.
The Audi S8 features the new adaptive air
suspension sport with S8-specific tuning. It is
controlled by Audi drive select and is already
tuned to comfort and at the same time to
being very agile in the auto mode. At speeds
as of 120km/h, the suspension is lowered by
5 millimetres. The result: the trim is the same
as for adaptive air suspension sport, but with
additional stiffer damping.
The standard 19-inch high-performance braking
system takes a powerful hold with its 8-piston
fixed callipers on the front axle. A single-piston
floating calliper is used on the rear axle. The
brake discs comprise a cast friction ring which is
connected to the brake disc chamber by means
of steel pins. This so-called floating mounting
ensures that the friction ring remains tension-
free to a major extent, improving stability under
extreme temperature loads.
The optional 19-inch ceramic brake* with a
6-piston fixed calliper is available for even more
demanding loads. In this braking system,
the brake discs on the front axle are made of
a carbon-fibre reinforced ceramic material. This
is based on hard and abrasion-proof silicon
carbide with embedded high-strength carbon
fibres. This combination results in an enormous
abrasion resistance which allows extremely
high mileages to be achieved, while reducing
sensitivity to high thermal loads.
Fully load-bearing air springs on
the front and rear axles of the vehicle
provide a sporty and comfortable
driving feel.
The fuel consumption and CO₂ emission figures can be found on page 50. * Please consult your Audi partner or national Audi website to find out more about the special features of the ceramic brakes.
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