Re: V8 Handling/brakes

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

dave sez:

>yes, after having driven the bmw m3, which has a (very nice) in-line 3
>litre 6, it's stability at speed is a patch on my s2 (in line 5, 3/4 in
>front of the front wheels).  the m3 feels quite nervous at 220+ km/h (140
>mph) and requires constant steering corrections.  the s2 at this speed is
>very stable.  another factor with the m3 though is rear wheel drive i
>expect.  as i understand it "pushing" the car at speed will always tend to
>be worse than "pulling"  the car, or better yet, 4wd. 

i think that audi's expertise in aerodynamics is probably the dominant
factor in this case.  remember that bmw shunned aerodynamics, 4wd and
even 5 speed gearboxes for a long time.

>mind you, the original quattro system was pretty much a "compromise" 
>based on

>anyone
>know how bmw did it with the 325ix model?  or how mercedes does it on 
>their 4wd models?

both were hack jobs requiring substantial surgery.  i think BMW
had to build a special oil sump with a hole in the middle for
a drive shaft to pass through.. (or was that ford?)

the 325iX needed extra ground clearance too.. (ugh!)

audi's solution of using  hollow, concentric driveshafts was simple
and brilliant, but it ruled out automatic quattros for a decade.


eliot