AUDI R8 SPYDER V10 2017
AUDI R8 SPYDER V10
The dynamic character of the new Audi R8 Spyder V10 is immediately apparent at first glance. The forward position of the passenger compartment, the highly accentuated wheel arches and the long back define the classic silhouette of a mid-engine sports car.
Athletic: wider than predecessor
The new Audi R8 Spyder is 14 millimeters (0.6 in) shorter than the previous model and thus measures exactly 4,426 millimeters (14.5 ft) in length. It has grown by 36 millimeters (1.4 in) in width to 1,940 millimeters (6.4 ft). The height of 1,244 millimeters (4.1 ft) is unchanged from the first-generation R8 Spyder, as is the wheelbase of 2,650 millimeters (8.7 ft).
Striking details: sideblades and diffuser
Horizontal lines characterize the front view, as does the wide and low Singleframe with its honeycomb grille. Sculpted surfaces connect it to the wedge-shaped headlights. The contours above the wheels are a cue to the quattro drive; the sideblades, which have been updated from the previous model, set bold accents.
The aluminum tank cap bears an embossed logo. After opening the cap, the driver can insert the fuel nozzle directly into the tank neck. Just like with a racing car, there is no fuel cap to unscrew.
The concept of emphasized horizontals also gives the rear a wide, athletic look. Trapezoidal exhaust tailpipes, optionally with glossy black tips, flank a diffuser with vertical ribs. The engine compartment vents and the LED rear lights refer visually to one another; the forked contours of the lights create a distinctive red light signature. Each rear light includes 118 individual LEDs that produce an absolutely homogeneous light.
Top visibility in the dark: Audi laser light
37 light-emitting diodes in each of the headlights of the new Audi R8 Spyder produce a bright LED light that can be augmented with the optional Audi laser light. A module with four high-power laser diodes, each of which is just 300 micrometers in diameter, emit a blue laser beam with a wavelength of 450 nanometers. A phosphor converter converts it into white light with a color temperature of 5,500 Kelvin, which is pleasant to the human eye.
The Audi laser light, which is activated at speeds of 60 km/h (37.3 mph) and above in extra-urban areas, increases the range of the high beam and thus provides the driver with added visibility and safety. An intelligent camera-based sensor system detects other road users and actively adjusts the light pattern to dim the light intensity specifically for them. The presence of the Audi laser light is indicated by the lighted, anodized blue strips dividing the headlights. It is combined with dynamic turn signals up front, which run from the inside out with a cycle time of 400 milliseconds. This feature is standard at the rear.
As desired: color design
The open-top, high-performance sports car is available in eleven colors, with the new shade Argus brown reserved exclusively for the Spyder. The Audi exclusive program allows customers to mix the paint according to their personal test. The new sideblades are available in a choice of four colors plus a version in high-gloss carbon fiber. Audi also offers the front spoiler, the diffuser, the new sideblades and the frames of the air outlets on the cover of the top compartment and the rear hatch in carbon fiber as an option. The convertible top is available in black, brown or red.
Convertible top
The convertible top of the new Audi R8 Spyder integrates perfectly into the design line when closed. It stretches low above the body and extends to the rear in two long, slender fins. It's large compartment cover is made of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and has two cowls, each of which encloses three ventilation slits. They extend to the service flap, where a wide opening joins the cowls. The V10 engine draws air in through these and the inlets in the sideblades. Flaps in the muffler manage the switching tasks and thereby control induction noise.
Typically Audi: lightweight cloth top
The convertible top's substructure is made largely of lightweight materials such as magnesium and aluminum; the outer skin of cloth - typically Audi. The soft top weighs just 44 kilograms (97.0 lb), thus keeping the weight and center of gravity of the open-top, high-performance sports car low. An electro-hydraulic drive, whose 175-bar pump moves nine actuators, opens and closes the convertible top at the press of a button in just 20 seconds, and this can even be done while driving at speeds up to 50 km/h (31.1 mph).
When opened, the soft top folds like a Z into a flat storage compartment over the engine. The compartment cover moves fluidly on two seven-link hinges. The rear window is located between the passenger module and the convertible top module. Like the soft top, it can be moved electrically via a switch on the center tunnel console. When closed, the window blocks the wind; opened, it allows the rich sound of the V10 engine to flow into the interior. Turbulence at head level has been greatly reduced compared with the previous model. The optional wind deflector made of synthetic textile further increases comfort. It reduces the reverse flow around the head by approximately 90 percent and in the shoulder/neck zone by 80 percent.
Two strong steel sections pretensioned by springs serve as roll-over protection. They together with the top, its tray, the rear window compartment and the multiple-joint hinge for the carbon fiber-reinforced, hydraulically actuated convertible top compartment cover comprise the convertible top module.
Multimaterial Audi Space Frame
According to DIN unladen weight without driver, the new Audi R8 Spyder tips the scales at just 1,720 kilograms (3,792.0 lb); dry weight is a mere 1,612 kilograms (3,553.9 lb). The key to this outstanding figure is the new multimaterial Audi Space Frame (ASF). It combines aluminum components with components made of structurally integrated carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP). The ASF in the new Audi R8 Spyder has a total weight of just 208 kilograms (458.6 lb).
Comprising 79.6 percent of the ASF, the aluminum components form a lattice that Audi's engineers have used to incorporate specific reinforcements especially into the sills, A-posts and windshield frame compared with the R8 Coupé. The front and rear ends of the new Audi R8 Spyder are assembled primarily from cast aluminum nodes and extruded sections. The body's outer skin, for example the front hatch, doors and side elements, is also made primarily of aluminum. The center tunnel, bulkhead, B-pillars and cover of the convertible top compartments are made of CFRP. They form the ultra-strong, nearly torsion-free backbone of the occupant cell. Innovative manufacturing methods lower the weight of individual components by up to ten percent.
Compared to the previous model, the ASF of the new Audi R8 Spyder has become significantly better in all criteria. With nearly 50 percent higher torsional rigidity, it is the foundation for the precise handling, high crash safety and acoustically pleasing vibration behavior. The new multimaterial ASF attains a top figure in the sports car segment for its lightweight index - a measure of the relationship between weight, size and rigidity.
Powerful downforce: the aerodynamics
High cornering speeds and the greatest possible stability are contingent upon optimal downforce. This is provided in the Audi R8 Spyder by a wide diffuser. It takes effect at the rear axle and returns the air to ambient speed without all that much turbulence. This suction effect allows the air to flow even faster and presses the R8 Spyder even more forcibly on to the road. Two venturi spoilers guide the air precisely into the diffuser and nearly double its effectiveness. Longitudinal ribs channel the flow so that it does not reach the center.
In the area of the front axle, front diffusers, air dams and venturi spoilers send the air precisely through the wheel wells. A smooth liner accelerates the flow of air along the underbody. It covers the underbody and the propshaft, leaving cooling only the cooling air openings for the engine, its dry sump lubrication system and the S tronic exposed. The open two-seater has a drag coefficient of 0.36; its low height provides for a relatively small frontal area of 2.01 m2 (21.6 sq ft).
Engine
From 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.6 seconds, 11.8 seconds for the sprint from 0 to 200 km/h (124.3 mph) and a top speed of 318 km/h (197.6 mph) sum up the dynamic performance of the new Audi R8 Spyder. It sprints to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) two-tenths of a second faster than its predecessor, reaches the 200 km/h (124.3 mph) mark six-tenths of a second sooner and delivers 7 km/h (4.3 mph) more top speed. From its 5,204 cm3 displacement, the free-breathing, high-compression (12.7:1) V10 engine develops 397 kW (540 hp) of power and 540 Nm (398.3 lb-ft) of torque at 6,500 rpm. That's 15 hp and 10 Newtonmeters (7.4 lb-ft) more than the first-generation R8 Spyder. The power-to-weight ratio is just 3.19 kilograms (7.0 lb) per hp.
Unmistakable music: the free-breathing V10 engine
The ten-cylinder engine responds lightning fast to the accelerator and spins up effortlessly to 8,700 rpm. At the redline, the pistons are traveling nearly 27 meters (88.6 ft) every second. With the ignition sequence 1 - 6 - 5 - 10 - 2 - 7- 3 - 8 - 4 - 9 and alternating firing intervals of 54 and 90 degrees, it plays a very unique, unmistakable music: a hissing and roaring that becomes increasingly voluminous and exhilarating as the revs rise. Sound flaps in the exhaust system are standard; the optional sport exhaust system with gloss black tailpipe trims gives the sound an added edge.
New efficiency technologies: lower consumption
Compared with the previous model, NEDC fuel consumption has declined by ten percent thanks to potent efficiency technologies. The cylinder on demand (COD) system deactivates one cylinder bank at low to intermediate load, and the dual injection system injects fuel directly in to the combustion chambers (FSI) and into the induction pipe (MPI) as needed.
When the car comes to a stop, a start-stop system deactivates the engine. The new Audi R8 Spyder thus consumes on average 11.7 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (20.1 US mpg) and emits 277 grams CO2 per kilometer (445.8 g/mile).
Like in a racing car: dry sump lubrication
The oil system is designed as a dry sump system. In contrast to a conventional oil pan bolted on below the engine, the separate oil tank - an upright aluminum vessel behind the engine - allows the V10 engine to be installed in a lower position, thus enabling the car's very low center of gravity. The system is designed for racing and ensures the flow of oil up to 1.5 g of longitudinal or lateral acceleration.
The system architecture of the dry sump lubrication system is complex. A high-performance pump module combines the coolant pump with a multi-stage oil pump. The motor oil and blow-by gases from the crank chambers, the chain box and the cylinder heads are extracted via the suction stages and pumped through the oil cooler into the oil tank. The discharge stage pumps the lubricant from the tank through the oil filter back into the engine to the various bearing points.