4kcsq autox experience / question

[Veetesse]

Hello all...

Well, the first autocross of the season was yesterday and since the rabbit wasn't ready and it was pouring down rain for half the event, I ran my bone stock 86 4kcsq just to get some points in F-street prepared (oddly enough where the car would classed if it were modified slightly).

Driving the car at speed in an autocross was an experience. Stock soggy suspension, all-season tires, stock rims etc, open diffs.  In the rain, the quattro definitely had an advantage and I was happy to surprise more than a few unsuspecting drivers with faster cars.

The behavior of the car in slippery conditions initially threw me off (ok, it's my first quattro).  I approached corners relatively fast and when I turned, the car would begin to push.  My first reaction was to brake, but quickly found out that getting on the gas would stop the slide and pull me around the corner (in most cases).  In other corners, I could get the back to float out a bit, but nothing out of control.  

My questions relate to this behavior... Did getting on the gas cause the awd to pull me around or was it more the shift of weight towards the rear under acceleration?  Maybe a combo of the two?

Also, I was wondering if I should have put the quattro into the first position to lock the center diff.  The course was wet with only a few small puddles and the surface had been repaved last fall, but plenty of potential for wheel slip.  Top speed in those conditions was probably around 40-45mph.  

I didn't lock the diffs at all because I wanted to get the hang of driving in the "0" position and also because I didn't know how the car would perform.  I thought that I had read somewhere that the first position was only to be used at low speed, so I had reservations of running up to 40 mph with the center diff locked.  

Any advice by more experienced 4kq drivers?  How do all of you run on road race tracks with your track 4kq's? Is it an advantage to put the quattro system in position one? on a dry race track, in the wet?

At the end of the day, I managed to beat the other guy in my class, took home a nice pilsner glass (the trophy at this club) and some of my VW friends acknowledged that the 4kq had potential. The only other Audi out there was a brand new A6 quattro that some brave soul brought out to pound on.  I'm not sure how that driver did though...

I got to feel first hand the body roll and suspension condition of my car...A new suspension and possibly that rear sway bar will follow shortly.  I don't have any intention of autocrossing the car on a regular basis, but there are improvements to be made. Regardless, I definitely had a blast.

Any comments on driving in these conditions? Thanks in advance.

Elliott Bavely

86 4000CS Quattro
83 GTI FSP Racey car
83 GTI 16V
90 VW Cabriolet

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