Recent content by albertw

A brief internet seach would show you that China's carbon emissions have plateaued at worst and may well be declining. The proportion of electricity produced from coal is declining while the proportions from solar panels and wind are increasing rapidly. Electric cars have contributed...

My interpretation of the many discussions here of what the various modes do (necessitated by the absurdly vague and contradictory descriptions in the manual) was that PTM progressively reduces and eventually eliminates ESC while retaining more of TC, whereas Tour - Sport - Competitive Driving do...

No, I haven't used any PTM mode for at least a year. The manual says all PTM modes revert to Tour when the car is restarted ( but stays in Sport, Tour or My Mode when restarted). So I'm sure the car is in the mode I set it to.

Well, I find it very useful in my 4BW for driving in mountain country when traffic keeps my speed below 65 mph. The RPM in 6th is low enough that I feel uncomfortable letting the engine lug up steep hills. A simple downshift without having pause cruise, then reactivate after downshifting makes...

How about if I rephrase the question. Has anyone tested braking mid-corner in Sport and not had brake assistance activate? I'd like to know if my experience was normal. I'm concerned that if I have to make an emergency stop while cornering close the the traction limit this excessive braking...

I encountered an annoying brake assistance in my '24 4BW while cornering at a brisk pace (well below the traction limit - roughly twice the posted advisory speed for the corners). When I tried to brush off a bit of speed mid-corner with gentle brake application the car took over and hammered...

I have one for my 4BW. I planned to put it in the trunk for long trips, but I find it easier to just leave it in the trunk. There's still adequate trunk room for most of my needs and I can borrow my wife's SUV when I need to haul more. I haven't needed to drive on it, but I've used it a...

Where did you get the rear rock guards? Any issues with installing them?

No. The rise in revs during downshifting lasts just a second or so - just long enough to shift into the lower gear. I always turn on revmatching because even in the twisties I seldom brake hard enough to push the brake pedal down to where I can easily reach the gas pedal with the side of my...

Inconsistent engine braking is my only complaint about this car. After taking my foot completely off the gas I get 3 - 4 seconds of no engine braking, then 3 - 4 seconds of what feels to me to be normal engine braking, then the braking stops for another 3 - 4 seconds as if the computer added...

Here's a review of the revised RS3, not because I expect many to be interested in the car but because of what the reviewer (who's been doing this for many years) thinks are its competitors. https://driving.ca/reviews/2025-audi-rs-3-sports-car-review He claims there are no direct competitors...

It makes sense if your use case involves taking the tires to the cornering traction limit on the street (occasionally when conditions are perfect). All seasons let you do that at lower corner speeds, which I see as a pure benefit. I never street race so traction for low speed acceleration is...

I took advantage of some bad weather to get the stock tires replaced with Michelin PS AS4 tires and installed them. I was disappointed by how much dirt there was on the threads from the factory. I spent much more time cleaning the threads with a dental pick and a wire wheel than it took to...

Just goes to show that 3 university math classes don't make you competent at basic arithemetic!

I don't follow the logic. A 5% chance of losing the car prematurely is unacceptable. But a 100% chance of spending 2X or more what you've already spent by leasing or trading every few years for 20 years is OK.