[s-cars] Re:Torsen Boy dusts off cape

[QSHIPQ at aol.com]

Paul/Rich:
EDL is triggered from the abs sensors which are located to the outside of  
the broken CV joint.  At the corner with the broken CV, the brake caliper  *was 
not* clamped "nice and tight", in fact, EDL wasn't even engaged.   Why?  
Because Torsen and EDL are driveshaft torque and wheel spin devices  respectively.  
You had zero driveshaft torque to the front axle (so 0*TBR =  0), 
subsequently you can't have wheelspin without torque, so EDL intervention is  non 
existent.  More simply, the Torsen must be at maximum TBR before EDL  intervenes.
 
Yes Paul, a locker center would have allowed you to drive home, but  with 
caveat.  BTDT with a broken front axle on my 83 urq at Steamboat 2  years ago.  
It wasn't quite so simple to just lock the center. I had  to remove the inner 
driveshaft first, since the radially unchecked font axle  bounced around and 
wound up the rubber brake line.
 
HTH
 
Scott "TB" Justusson
In a message dated 4/15/2005 12:17:32 A.M. Central Daylight Time,  
rletsinger at gmail.com writes:
Not an expert, but...

The torque-sensing  differential is a torque multiplier.  If you're
getting twice as much  grip at one end of the car than another, it'll
give that end twice as much  power.  However, if you multiply anything
by zero, you get zero.   So, if you're getting no grip at one end of
the car, no amount of multiplying  is going to give you any grip.

This is one way that viscous coupled or  clutch type limited slip
differentials are better.  But clutches wear  out and viscous diffs
have a delay associated, so torsen is still better in  other ways.

As for EDL helping you, the brake caliper was probably  clamped nice
and tight on the corner where the joint broke.  But, that  wasn't
helping you much because the rotor is outside of the joint just  like
the tires are.

Rich