RE: Fastest stickiest Audi? Opinions welcome.

[glen <gpowell@acacianet.com>]

<snip>
Philosophically, I guess the question would be:

Is AWD theoretically superior in dry conditions?

Practically, the question is:

Does the Audi AWD *package* perform as well as the BMW RWD *package* in dry
conditions?
<snip>
I haven't seen any evidence that AWD is superior in dry conditions, but that
may be simply because BMW focuses on sportier driving than Audi.
Extrapolating that dry is just like wet and slick, only less so, I'd
-expect- better performance pressing the limits, but Audi doesn't get it there.

Regards

        Fringe (who is eagerly looking forward to his A4Q, and isn't a BMW
fan, really.)

Where AWD really shines Vs 2WD 'even in the dry' is in transitions, when you are lifting off the throttle or applying more throttle for acceleration. AWD spreads the accel/decel forces across all four tires and this provides a far higher level of balance and control Vs 2WD. This effect is very beneficial when, as an example, you overcook a corner and have to lift mid-turn, or when you need max acceleration coming out of a turn or even pulling out of a side street with sand/leaves/gralev 'under foot'. Look at the issue from the "circle of traction" perspective. All force accelerating/decelerating the car subtracts from the total available force to turn/stabilize the car. With AWD you approach a 50% reduction in accel/decel forces per tire by spreading them across all 4 tires leaving a much higher % of available traction to aid cornering, stability and safety. All strictly IMFO.

-glen