Re: A4 Electronic locking diffs...

[dan_masi@MENTORG.COM (Dan Masi)]

On Oct 11, 12:58pm, Alexei M Voloshin wrote:
> Subject: Re: A4 Electronic locking diffs...
> Above 25 MPH you really don't need wheel to wheel management.
> It only  makes the car less steerable.

Seems you could probably argue this either way... I was
thinking that at 30mph on snow, if you want to accelerate
and you get the right half of the car going into wheelspin,
that's not gonna contribute too much to directional
stability!

> I find it strange that brakes are used... Exessive brake
> ware and heat biuld up which may cause fading or warping is
> what comes to my mind when  I think about this.
>
> This sound more like traction control on some cheep Crysler cars.
> Are you sure??

Yep.  However, if you think about the brake usage in context,
it seems that they're not going to be that badly abused.  Remember,
we're talking about sub-25mph speeds on surfaces that are
slick enough to cause wheelspin.  Also, there's a built-in
protective mechanism that will stop the braking application
should things get out-of-hand (is it a temp sensor?  I don't
know...)

I'm not crazy about finding out that this is the "locking"
mechanism in my A4, but I don't think it's that bad, especially
given that the system's goal is to keep you from getting
stuck.

Once winter comes, though, I fully intend to test it out
*rigorously*, while my brakes are still under complete
warranty...

Dan Masi
'96 A4Q