Re: What's the big deal about Torsen?

[jackr@internet.kronos.com]

     > that the Torsen is highly regarded as a "must have" by some...but 
     personaly I
     > found the unpredicatable nature not to my liking and driving 
     style. Am I ...<snip>
     
     On the contrary, I find the Torsen more predictable, which is less 
     fun for some of my driving style.  I've owned my 84 4kq since Nov of 
     83, and my 90 V8Q (Torsen) since March of 96.  Of course, the cars 
     are so different that trying to judge the Torsen may just show how 
     ignorant I am.
     
     On slippery surfaces, the 4kq can be turned sideways by gunning it 
     hard which breaks the traction on the rear wheels.  This is tons of 
     fun.  (Yes, I know how to do it by lifting as I was taught at the Lime 
     Rock skid pad, but on slippery surfaces, full power works better.)  
     High acceleration on a turn results in a feeling which only an AWD car 
     produces.  It is not what I would call predictable, since it is a 
     feeling of traction loss and gain at all four corners of the car as 
     you hit different surfaces and differentials slip.
     
     The V8 pretty much refuses to do the same thing, despite much higher 
     power which should break the rears loose more easily.  It could be 
     because of different weight distribution, but I think it is because 
     the Torsen forces power to the wheels with the most traction, whereas 
     the 4kq eagerly sends it to the wheels with the least.  Hmmm. Come to 
     think of it, I think I can turn it sideways with the center diff 
     locked, so maybe I'm full of sh*t.  Until it understeers, it feels 
     like a well-balanced car without the spinning wheels and slipping 
     diffs.  Then it just understeers like crazy.  It refuses to wag its 
     tail except under the most demanding attempts. (I only got it to do 
     it once.) I think the Torsen makes the car a lot more stable and 
     predictable, at the expense of fun in high acceleration.  But I 
     suspect this has at least as much to do with the size and weight of 
     the cars as with the Torsen.  I can tell that at least some of it is 
     the Torsen, which I'll take any day while driving on a real road in 
     the snow with other real cars around me.  I'll take the 4kq on an 
     empty road with only soft snow banks or in a parking lot, though.
     
     Jack