Re: How to drive a quattro?

[Steve Powers <spowers@spdg.COM>]

Robert suggests:
> 
>    > Handbrake . . .
>    >
>    That's cheating tho!  I wanna do it with POWER! (insert Tim Allen's grunt
>    here.)
> 
> Oh, brute force and ignorance eh? Try dropping a small-block V-8 in it!
> 
>    > That, or put big fat tires up front and little skinny ones out back!
> 
>    Almost have that.  215/45 17 on one side, 205/70 15 on the other.  Same on back
>    (except opposite sides.)
> 
> Cough cough . . .
> 
>                                         -RDH

_THIS_ is a good example of what should be taught in driving schools. I learned
it on the backroads of Kansas in a '67 VW Bug.

Handbrake turns!!! Yes!!!

It saved a life for me a few years back (in a quattro no less).

It was winter and the snow had compacted with ice over much of the road. I
was travelling down a slight grade on a 4 lane city street. Light traffic.
Two cars in front of me suddenly got together. The accident was blocking
both lanes on my side of the road. No problem as I was well back and 
_thought_ I could stop.

As I was slowing down, three things happened.

  1) The woman in the uphill vehicle got out of her car. She was directly
     between the two vehicles. I was approaching, but slowing. Oh shit.

  2) My wheels were locking up a bit. I corrected by getting off a bit and
     pumping the brakes. My stopping distance has just increased. Big time.
     Oh double shit.

  3) Traffic on the other side, e.g. oncoming lanes was increasing. I can't
     jump into the other lane to avoid the inevitable. This woman's going to
     be a sandwich. Oh triple shit.

What do I do? Remembering that AWD will accelerate and that I needed acceleration
to steer, I gassed it and went to the far left side of the left lane. Once I was
there, I got off the gas as I yanked the wheel to the right. Just to give myself
a bit of help, I yanked the handbrake and quickly released it. I'm drifting
really nicely, but cannot stop at this point. I am on the other branch of the
decision tree now.

Now, I've almost changed my vector - need thrust. I revved that I5 and dropped
it into 2nd. I felt the wheels grab a bit (we're still on mixed snow and ice)
and the move was made. I'm heading for the curb at about 35 mph! Yahoo!

Now, I'm thinking about wheels and the cost thereof. The tire shop had just
replaced one wheel that winter when they munged the lip. $400 each and I've
got 4! Yikes.

I wanted to maximize my chance of going over the curb rather than bouncing
off of it. I also wanted to minimize the chance of munging 4 wheels. Quick
calculation gave an answer of 45 degrees. I'm almost home!

Up on the curb, crank the wheel left to avoid the guard rail (on the backside
of the curb), down the sidewalk at about 40! A quick tug to the left launches
me out into the street, beyond the danger. I almost lost a load in my pants!!
I'm sure the woman wet herself at the sight of my 4kq screaming down the
sidewalk!

I stopped the check the wheels. No damage at all. None. I went in to get an
alignment. The technician told me that it was spot on. Didn't need any change!

Handbrake turns - learn 'em now!!

-- 
steve powers                         stratos product development group
spowers@spdg.com                     seattle, washington