Re: V8 quattro tyres

[LToy@aol.com]

>> Umm, if the internal calipers increase unsprung weight, what use are they?
>> I've heard horror stories about the compleity and cost of these systems,
>> and wonder "why?"
>
>that's an easy one..  they screwed up.  a few lucky customers (like me)
>got them replaced for free.  did you ever hear the stories of how germany

Eliot--welcome back
Duane--a bit more...

The internal caliper/friction ring brakes *greatly* increased the brake
system's swept area.  But to keep us Americans happy with our brakes, they
chose a real goofy pad (read:  quiet) that caused a lot of excess heat and
rapid warping of the ring. I have heard a number of people complain about
having to take their cars (not just Audis) back to the dealer because the
brakes sqeak--so?  the car stops, right?

To make things worse, these rings could not be "turned" to remove the
warping--replace only.  The initial fix was to completely replace the front
axle assembly (strut, bearing carrier, hubs, brakes), as on Eliot's car.
 Later, the "fix" was to change pad compound, and possibly also friction-ring
material.  

Another problem besides warping and excess weight:  very limited choice of
aftermarket wheels for these cars (otoh, why replace a *forged* bbs rim?)
 Supposedly, if you get good pads for these cars, the brakes work very
well--I'll never know--my car was changed over before I got it.

Linus Toy
LToy@aol.com
'91 200q
still looking for that Carrera...