quattro®
Those who know Audi know quattro. And once you have driven with quattro you don’t want to drive any other way. Why? Because this drive system puts engine power on the road in such a convincing way.
quattro is a permanent four-wheel drive system. To prevent the wheels on one axle from spinning, the drive torque is redirected to the other axle. In the Audi R8, this is performed by a directly responsive multi-plate clutch with optimised control system, which permits variable distribution of the torque between front and rear axle.
Due to the mid-engine layout, quattro has been set up with a heavy rear-axle bias in the R8. The transmission is mounted behind the longitudinally installed engine and has an auxiliary drive for a prop shaft, which directs the power to the front axle. There a viscous coupling distributes the torque. With the basic driveline configuration, around 15% of the power is directed to the front wheels and 85% to the rear wheels; if required, up to 30% flows to the front. A locking differential at the rear axle further enhances the dynamics. Should a wheel on one axle spin, it is braked by the electronic differential lock (EDL).
Due to the mid-engine layout, quattro has been set up with a heavy rear-axle bias in the R8. The transmission is mounted behind the longitudinally installed engine and has an auxiliary drive for a prop shaft, which directs the power to the front axle. There a viscous coupling distributes the torque. With the basic driveline configuration, around 15% of the power is directed to the front wheels and 85% to the rear wheels; if required, up to 30% flows to the front. A locking differential at the rear axle further enhances the dynamics. Should a wheel on one axle spin, it is braked by the electronic differential lock (EDL).
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As is typical of a sports car, the R8 is rear-biased
In the R8 too, quattro delivers the qualities that have long been characteristic of Audi: outstanding traction, virtually slip-free acceleration, enhanced driving dynamics, improved directional stability – and of course more driving pleasure.
Drive technologies