Re: Differential Locking vs Driving style

[STEADIRIC@aol.com]

>It's not a question of not *wanting* to correct it, it's a question of
>SCCA *Solo II autocross* Stock Class rules specifically prohibiting all
>those types of mods, and therefore adjusting the very few things that are
>not specifically prohibited, struts, tires and driving style. We're not
>dealing with Prepared road-race type rules here, this is Solo II Stock Class
>stuff.
You can also play with aligment and get real creative here, Ever really 
closely look at a tie rod.......

>>A properly suspended quattro, should not LIFT it's inside wheel, which is
the
>>only reason you need to lock the rear diff......
>
>Lift never, spin *yes*. However, I believe that with the rear diff locked 
Bzzztttttt..... (Got to use my Buzzer!) In order to spin a inside wheel 
your unloading it.......

>it is
>easier (for me) to overcome the inherent understeer of the 4KQ with the
>throttle, even in cases where the inside rear wheel is not spinning. Sending
>torque to both rear wheels makes it a lot easier to balance under/oversteer
>with the throttle Vs just plowing along and killing lotsah innocent cones
>and keeping the course workers busy. I did enough of that in my V8 days!   
> :)

By definition a Locked rear diff (AKA Spool) WILL Cause understeer, 
Unless your playing with stagger.... If your killing understeer with 
Power on the exit sounds like you need to work on your driving style, or 
your setup.

>>   Tossing a q into a corner
>>properly without the rear diff locked, will still give you throttle on
>>oversteer (at hi hp), 
>
>No high HP in *my* '84 4KQ!        :(
>
>>as well as lift throttle oversteer.  The stock setup on
>>the q's is initial understeer, and lift throttle oversteer.....  Both Eric
F.
>>and I use the open diffs on all tracks to date, and dragging a 100% rear
>>locked diff around the track is proven nowhere in racing, especially on a
>>road course......  
>
>Road course is *very* different Vs SCCA Solo II. We're talking apples and
>basketballs here......
Let's see I did a few Auto-X's in my region this year and I NEVER ran 
with a locked rear, In fact I never locked the center diff either, and I 
always went home with the trophy....  And in the IMSA and Trans-am stuff 
the most lockup that we ever ran was 60% otherwise the sucker would push 
like a bitch on exit.  In Auto-X'ing the most rear lock up that I ran was 
50% and I never fuzzed a tire..... And won.......
      
>>No offense intended to Glen or Steve, if it works for you
>>go for it.....   Is it THE method for gaining speed, not in engineering or
>>practice.....  Look hard at that suspension, make the changes to make the
>>chassis right, then forget locking the diffs till Steamboat arrives next
FEB,
>>or maybe in the rain at a road course....  I might encourage a look at the
>>center lock if you have traction prollums, but since my car is in the
350+++
>>mark with none, again I would encourage proper setup vs locks, I have yet
to
>>spin a tire on a dry trackwhile on line, so the why question comes to
>>mind....

Scott and I have run at a buch of events toghter, Both of us always run 
with open diffs and we have yet to fuzz tires.... And we ain't doing 
parade laps here, We run hard, Ask anyone whose rode with us.  We can do 
it because we have a decent set-up on the car and we understand why 
things happen in the cars.  Remember I also usually run at these events 
on Dunlop D60M2's and I still run away and hide from cars with BFG 
R1's......  Setup both on the car and in the head are the key.

>>A driving course with proper instruction, properly executed racing lines
are
>>not rocket science, they are there, regardless of vehicle, what awd does to
>>that line is only on the exit of a turn on full throttle.....  If you are
>>doing it any differently, a couple of rides with Eric might be in
order......
>
>I would take you up on that in a second!

Get out to a track event that I'm teaching at....

>Again, we're talking Solo II here. I've got some relatively *small* amount
>of road-race experience as well, and both diffs open has always worked best
>for me, even in the wet, so I hear yah! I have been autocrossing for 16
>years and 4 in Quattros, inlcuding a NER HS Championship in the 4KQ, so I
>think I have a fair handle on 4KQ auto-x setups and chassis/suspension
>limitations and how to "drive" around them. I get an easy second very
>reliably with the diff lock on all auto-x courses I've run on. Auto-x ain't
>road-racing!

No it's not but the Physics are the same........

Later!


Eric Fletcher
'87 5KCSTQIA2RSR2B

STEADIRIC@aol.com