Audi S8 D3 5.2 V10 quattro Valved Exhaust System (2006-2010)

Which valved exhaust for an Audi S8 D3 V10?

The Rog system for the Audi S8 D3 5.2 V10 quattro (2006-2010) is a valved cat-back exhaust in 304 stainless steel or titanium, built to your VIN for the 450 hp, 540 Nm naturally aspirated V10. Valves open, the V10's rare timbre, raspy low down and metallic up top, finally comes through the system; closed, the limousine stays silent.

Sound, options and fitting in detail: our Audi S8 D3 V10 guide.

Where a large saloon often makes do with a torquey V8, Audi chose an engine that loves revs for the S8 D3: a 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 with FSI direct injection, from the same family as the one in the Lamborghini Gallardo. It produces 450 hp and 540 Nm, sent to all four wheels through quattro drive. This page covers the saloon from 2006 to 2010; the twin-turbo V8 S8 D4 and D5 have their own page.

A V10 sounds neither like a V8 nor like a six-cylinder: its voice is hoarse low down, then becomes metallic and high-pitched as the revs climb. It is precisely this rare tone that the factory exhaust reduces to a distant whisper, for the sake of rear passengers’ comfort. With our valved cat-back and the valves open, every climb through the revs unfolds as a crescendo and downshifts take on a new roundness; with the valves closed, the limousine crosses a country without disturbing the cabin.

This page offers no front section: we do not list one for this V10, and the system connects after the factory catalytic converters, which stay in place. On a naturally aspirated engine, the extra breathing remains measured; the page nevertheless quotes 499 hp and 599 Nm in Stage 2 with a full ECU remap.

The long centre section and the rear silencer are fitted with clamps and gaskets, without welding, in about two hours, with four round tailpipes. For the valves, two cases: the limousine has them from the factory and the system connects to their control, or it does not and the Rog remote, stored with its unit in the boot, operates them. That leaves the material: 304 stainless steel for a dense bass, or titanium, around 40% lighter, whose brushed, gold or purple finish matches the bodywork.