Reality of q awd dry (long)

[QSHIPQ@aol.com]

As I read with keen interest on the subject of the "superiority" of awd, I
smile some; despite some rather dubious claims of awd track car prowess, that
this rarely, in fact, just doesn't translate to street car variables...
 About a year ago, I went on an ernest quest to determine how production
autos faired in recent years with this exact debate.  In fact, more
specifically, I really wanted to understand how I needed to load the deck in
my favour, as sibling rivalry had plopped a awd Stealth tt into my brothers
garage.  A formidible task, but some interesting DOCUMENTED results, street,
track and racing venues here in the US.

C&D, R&T and others have for years, invite some of the top racers to evaluate
production cars in showdowns, street and track, for years.  Despite the
claims of top "fuelies" on the list, the results might temper the best of
testimonials here, after all, these comparos are street cars, at the track,
off the production line trim, back to back, stopwatches tempering qego....  

With reference to the Mitsus:  fine machines, tho neither the awd talons, or
the covetted 3k/stealthtt 320hp beast show the true advantages of awd in
these tests or at the track in stock form....  In fact, as I have posted
before, the summations of them is usually a reference to how effortlessly you
get the speed, but not from sitting at the top of the pole.  The 3k/tt got
close, no doubt, but the RX7tt and the Toyota Supra tt got the prize, both
rwd cars.....  One could argue that the tweeks applied to the awd might
easily surpass the efforts of these formidible rwd cars, my point, and the
point of these exercises, is to compare street stock available machines.  My
research has yet to find the awd cars on top when comparing "apples to
apples", save my hi hp argument with the 993....  Do they raise the standard
above some of the faster machines?  You bet, R&T put the 3k/tt above the
corvette in one of the tests, that's formidible (maybe not, another
post).....

I am firmly committed, as this list knows, to understand, tweek, modify,
evaluate, tweek again, to find the ultimate q...  My resume and background is
long in this continual execution, some steps backward to go forward, but
hardly less than true passion for me.  All claims aside, here in the states,
one can run all the results of even the race venues and find awd coming up
short.  Though audi has an S6 and and S4 running in luxury car, it's
interesting to note that Renntech is OVERALL #4 with a MB, audis way down
that list, and mitsu 3k/tt is far from the front, all, btw, to front engine,
rwd cars...  Even the formidible Mitsus on individual and overall standings,
just don't do the awd argument justice here in the states, it's documented.
 British sure, germany sure, but I might argue (and have) the differences are
more than here or than meets the eye , the superiority of awd here in the
states, racing or street, just doesn't jive with the best of claimed
testimonials here....  A cornering exit speed is just not enough applied
physics in reality to make the awd superior....  A few have recited basic
physics with the "given EQUAL blah blah" awd is superior, "eqaul" doesn't
show up in any tests here in the states, and that's physics too...  The most
interesting is the 320hp supra vs the 320hp 3k/tt, awd is not the winner...  

One can look to the IMSA and GT of the late 80's, sure, though that argument
is at a hp level NO one here, even Ned, has put to the ground in a q....  So
I discount that somewhat, and reapply my "at what hp" argument, the 993 is
the only documented street comparo winner, AT 400hp, the 200tq's above raced
at more than that....  But, again, street and track results of street cars
are the REAL world, and there, it is an "unequal" world, period.  Given all
"equal" matricies, awd is better than rwd (physics, not opinion), but it
takes massive HP and/or factory sponsored tweeks to really make "equal"
happen.  

Bottom line:  I have met no one here that has enough HP to claim superiority
over the formidible and STOCK rwd cars from japan, and few that can take the
bmw (M3/540i) here in the states.... I refuse to argue physics (and haven't),
no racer ever would, but tunnel vision on the out of a turn is different from
a lap time, or a race time, a winning time.  That advantage just isn't
documented here, on the track or on the street.  And so it IS, something more
than awd....  In the dry or the wet (wet lowers the hp needed to claim
superiority, but that's still high, it just doesn't rain every weekend).  You
drive a stock q, you should put the best tires available and enjoy a 100%
threshold in the 8/10th world in which it executes sans flaws, and get good
snows to really put the awd advantage in your favour.  Appying "superior" to
the q's at 8/10+ is an expensive and difficult proposition, btdoingt.  

 This author will continue to push the 8/10ths+, "given" the awd, but I
assure you, a formidible task awaits.  Given my investment to this cause, one
might wonder, why bother, and just buy the tt and tweek IT (17k for the car,
2 grand for the turbo upgrade, 500 for the computer = 450hp 6speed rocket)...
 Thank goodness for sibling rivalry....

Physics can't be changed, neither can history.  If anyone needs a list of
references, please e-mail me...

Scott