Re: 5 bangers galore

[Eliot Lim <eliot@u.washington.edu>]

On Thu, 10 Nov 1994, Ljubisa D. Stevanovic wrote:

> generation Alfa (replacement for 155). Now, I'm a fan of Audi's I-5t, but I 
> would hate to see Alfa with I-5 engine instead of its magnificent 3L V6. 
>That 
> is by far the best engine I've ever driven. It revs sooo freely and quickly, 
> while producing the most wonderful sounds all the way up to redline.

yes, a magnificent piece of work.  the vr6 is right up in that league
(or should i say that the alfa V6 is in the vr6's league?)

>It is also the best looking one, too, with chromed intake pipes 
> resembling a musical instrument.

yup, it takes the best looking prize for sure.

> If they would only import an AWD version of 
> 164 (Quadrifoglio 4) which is available in Europe. 230 hp, 210 lb-ft with 
> computer-controlled AWD that dynamically changes torque distribution (fore 
> and aft) based on steering, throttle, brake and wheel sensor inputs... 
> That is the most sophisticated setup that makes Porsche's 959 AWD with four
> fixed modes look, shall we say, rather primitive (time to update that 
> nice article of yours, Eliot :). 

you are slightly mistaken.  the 959 is the first system to feature
variable torque splits (under no-slip conditions, that is).  the 4
"fixed" modes that you are referring to are just initial torque split
settings, which would then change under different conditions.
e.g. the rain setting starts the car out with 50-50, while the dry
starts it out with a more rear-biased split.  the awd system takes
input from here and there, including the turbo boost gauge.  i.e. when
the turbo is delivering full boost, up to 80% of the torque goes to
the rear wheels, even with no wheelspin.  at parking speeds drive
to the front wheels is completely disconnected to make the steering
lighter..

the alfa does not have variable initial values.. it starts off with
50-50 (i think?) and then varies it as the car moves.

all other "conventional" AWD cars are different because the "variable
torque splits" that they like to talk about only comes about when slip
occurs.  e.g. the audis stay at 50-50 until one or more wheels spin.
the part time systems are 100% front or rear until wheelspin.  etc, etc


eliot