First of all, is the accelerator supposed to be this stiff? It's an '89 S4 automatic. It's really stiff. The previous owner said it's normal. I must admit, after driving around all night I got used to it, but it still is very stiff.

The brakes on this thing are rediculous. I had to walk past the S4 on my way to work and take another car (not registered yet), boy was it difficult.

Also, the steering is pretty tight also. There are no real noises, and I can tell it's not as if I have no power steering. At speed it's fine but 3 point turns can be somewhat of a chore.

Remember, I drive a Mazda and a Honda so the feel of a German car of this size may just be new to me. Just wondering, is this all normal?

Thanks.

 

I remember thinking my gas pedal was really stiff when I first got my 928, too. I don't even notice it any more. Other cars will feel softer to you after a while.

 

The accelerator is a little stiffer then most other new cars out today, but shouldn't be really hard. You may just have a cable that is old and binding internally, or take a look at the linkage under the hood. Each cable is connected via a ball/socket design.......a little lube on the these will make everything work a little smoother. Don't mess around here though, you don't want to have the throttle stick.....bad news.

Up to around the '91 model the steering was on the heavier side for slow speed maneuvers......after this I believe a different power steering pump was added for a little less effort. Also on this matter, check your ride height, making sure it is set at factory specs......this can make a lot of difference in the way the car handles and steering effort.

 

I've always preferred cars where I can actually feel the pedals, so I haven't given it much thought. But, since you mention it, people who've driven my 928 tend to comment that both clutch and gas pedal requires a rather firm touch.

The brakes on the other hand Like that silly little Golf II that was tailgating me the other day learned: 928s have VERY good brakes. Imagine this clown, going as fast as he possibly could, and with 3 cars in front of him, myself included, all in the process of overtaking slower cars, still insisted that we all pull over to make room for him.

After trying to make him back off by flashing the brake lights, I gave him an indication of what would happen if i had to brake for an emergency. In spite of him almost loosing control of his car (and I only just tapped the brakes), the sad little fool still didn't get it - I guess one of these days we'll read about him in the papers, just hope I'm not the one who gets rear-ended.

(Needless to say, once the traffic cleared, and in spite of his efforts to run through me, he just disappeared in my rearview mirror )

 

I didn't understand the comments about the brakes. The brakes in your car should be impressive, compared to anything else, possibly excepting a 996....

If they are not, then something is wrong. How long did the car sit before you bought and drove it?

 

The accelerator is heavier and the steering is harder in my '87 than in my '78. What impressed me even more than the power and speed of the S4 was the brakes. 60 to 0 in 3 sec! Gotta be careful with tailgaters!

 

Dont' know what you mean by brakes are "rediculous" (sic), please clarify. It's a more demanding machine. "It's not your father's Oldmobile, (sic)."
My 5-sp may need some attention to alignment, I'm working on it, but I have to keep constant pressure as it pulls right on most normal slight camber of road, and I wouldn't want to be in daily traffic w/5-sp. BUT when on open road or tight descending turn, or any turn!, it is all worth it.

 

5050,
How hard is too hard?
Since none of us is there to actually feel the resistance of the go pedal...
You 'MIGHT' have a problem.
There was a recent rash of throttle sticking -why didn't you shut her down?- one resulted in a impact stop . Most unpleasant.
To play it safe check the tension on your cables, and the firewall pass thru area for binding. Include carpet alignment if it apply's.
This is no less important than a belt change. Do it today!
As to brakes... you weren't to specific.
No warning lights?
Check level and bleed first. Inspect your pads. Absolutely no excuse for bad brakes on the 928, they are phenomenal.
BTW,
Manually, downshifting the auto is a hoot on the sHARKs, after a while you notice you don't use the brakes as often or as hard.
That tranny will scrub off forward motion most ricky-tic.
Do check those fluids often.

 

I find the gas pedal has a very nice feel on my 86.5 928S, noone else drives the car to be able to comment on if it is stiff or not. as for the brakes they are GREAT I love the 4 pot calipers on this car, they do sqeel abit but I haven't had time to replace the pads and bleed the system w/ new fuild as I have just gotten the car, but that is going to be done this weekend. I do know the pads have lots of life left so I am not really worried about it

 

Re. the heavy accelerator pedal - inspect the throttle positioning assembly on the throttle body and the throttle cable. Lubricate them with WD-40 or similar.

We've had reports here of model year '88-'89 cars having a stuck accelerator, resulting in loss of control of the vehicle.

 

I'm sorry everybody. I meant to say the brakes are extremely good. It's like hitting a brick wall. I'd never felt that kind of force by simply pressing the brakes. For such a large automobile this is amazing.

I'm defenitely going to check out my throttle issue. Better yet, just for kicks I'll go test drive any S4's that are at dealerships. "You know what sir I just want to tap the accelerator a little, I don't even need to drive it"

Thanks guys.