What are the differents between a S4 and S5? and how can you tell which is which by looking at them?

 

R.t.f. Faq

 

Read the FAQ. for real.

You're a newb, though, so you get one free ticket, which you have now used. You can even tell by the trim around the body of the car. Black trim= series 4; painted trim=series 5. You can also tell by the tail lights; s4 tails are four rectangles, whereas s5s are 3 circles.

 

Also ..engines..Though they are 13b's ..the S5 Have an electrical OMP.the s4 has Mechanical..Welcome NEWB!..now Be a Good Newb and Read through the Frequently asked Questions,up at the Top of the Sec Gen Section!..(pullin your leg man.But it's Good Reading,and you can get more "in touch" with your car!)

 

There are several little nuances that seperate the 2 models. From the things listed above to interior pieces, wheels, paint colors etc. The S5 is arguably the more desireable of the two

 

Also, Pulsation Dampners are a bit different. S5 is more reliable. Trim and front bumper are the easiest way to tell from looking.

 

s5>s4

 

not entirely true, the s4 owns the s5 in many ways.

 

What ways would that be?

 

...mechanical OMP

 

mechanical OMP is certainly one. But, what are the others?

 

S4's are lighter too.

 

better stock water temp gauge,
a-arms have removable ball joints.
s4 lsd is rebuildable.
s4 base models are the lightest body

 

metal thermo neck on the S4, metal rear suspension links, lower compression turbo engines are better for BIG boost

 

they made a lot of stuff on the s5 cheaper to save costs as well.

 

the turbo to intercooler pipe is metal instead of plastic (which breaks easily).

Manual seatbelts > S5 mouse belts

some didn't come with storage bins OR rear seats

whoever says the S5> S4 is retarded and should go read a tad more.

 

I recently switched from S5 to S4 and the subtle changes keep amazing me as I discover more and more:

1. High beam dimmer switch on S5 toggles between high and low beams whether the headlights are on or not, whereas S4 always resets to low beams when the lights are shut off. (This seems like no big deal, but it always annoyed me on the S5).

2. The sound of the factory alarm arming is higher pitched on the S4 than the S5.

3. The shaded band at the top of the windshield is a different color (S4 is green, S5 was blue).

4. The S5 door latches are a bit smoother and easier to close (quickly discovered by my wife, so I swapped them before junking the S5).

5. Throws are little shorter in the S5 shifter vs. the S4.

6. The S4 cars had the light for the hatch area on the passenger side hatch strut which is really pretty weird. The S5 has it on the driver's side wall of the hatch area.

7. When the car is off, the resting position of the secondary gauge needles in the S4 car is 9:00 whereas it was about 8:00 in the S5. Also the lettering is more reddish in the S4.

I keep noticing more and more of this stuff to my endless amusement.

 

Water temp gauge? Gimme a break, all the stock ones are useless.
Ball joints? I'm yet to see a bad set of S5 ball joints.
Rebuildable LSD? Great... the S5 diffs don't wear out. They don't require frequent rebuilding. Where is the improvement here?
Lightest? Strip an S5 to base model trim and they weigh damn near the same.

You guys are comparing ability of maintenance to describe what is a better car?
"Enzo... no thanks. The electric fan can't be replaced without ALSO changing the fan relay. I'll take the pinto instead"

S4's also have EGR valves (vacuum leaks), less horsepower, a less responsive turbo, less compression, heavier reciprocating assembly, butt ugly rims, leaky pulsation dampners... I can go on forever.

The S4 owners always pick the lamest reasons to say why the S4 was a better car.

The S5's were more aesthetically pleasing and had more power. Plain and simple.

 

The S5 pulsation damper is just as likely to leak, and you CAN'T replace it without replacing the fuel rail. Just ask Icemark.

Not to mention a whopping 12 ******* horsepower difference, which is made up the second you do any mod.

 

The clutch type LSD of the S4 is more desirable for people who have high horsepower cars. It can stand up a a hell of a lot more abuse than the S5.

 

Never seen an S5 PD leak. The PD's fail, but they don't leak. No screw to fall out.

You can't compare a modded car to an unmodded car. Mod the S5 equally, and the S5 still makes more power.

 

uhh. yes they do leak. the screw has NOTHING to do with it leaking. The diaphragm wears out and tears.

 

...double post

 

The "desirable" factor of the clutch-pack LSD's has nothing to do with torque bearing capacity, you're thinking of the Torsen LSD's in the FD's. The viscous diff is just as robust as the S4's. The desirable factor of the S4's diff compared to the S5's has to do with slip rates between axles. The desirable factor of the S5's diff is that it still works after 50,000 k.

 

also the s4 turbo was the only turbo to have the full heavy duty suspension. The s5 only had parts of it and had a softer less sporty ride.