Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Sloan
Topshelf,
How much of a premium are you finding for the "S" in the model years you are looking for? I see that you have 'essentially ruled out' the "S" and its not even on your test-drive list, but I'm wondering if the price gap is really that big - for sure if you pay for mods to get more power out of the 2.5 or 2.7, it would seem that could exceed the extra you'd pay for the "S" up front. I'm really asking b/c you make it clear you will be buying with Tiptronic, where the extra torque of the "S" would really make a difference.
I'm not trying to make this more difficult for your or make you second-guess your 'decision' against the "S", I just want to know how much of a factor the price difference is.
P.S. I went through the similar analysis recently of 2003-2004 "S" vs. 2005 base model, and I ended up with the "S", and am very happy with my choice.
|
Having the Tip S transmission is a reason NOT to go with the 'S'.
This is because in low gear and in second gear, an auto transmission acts as a torque multiplier.
Low gear, the gear used when getting under way, climbing a steep hill, or sometimes when pulling a very heavy load, has a torque multiple of around 3:1.
Second gear has a torque multiple of about 2:1.
In High gear, used at highway speeds, the transmission uses a direct drive gear, meaning that there is no torque multiplier.
And if you have a car equipped with "overdrive," like 5th gear in the Tip S, the torque ratio is in the neighborhood of 0.8:1.
Every auto transmission establishes its multiples with slight differences, depending on what the designers determine to be the most efficient torque multipliers for a given engine in a specific car.
You'll feel less torque in a Base w/ manual transmission than you will with a Tip S.