So what's good about FWD?

[quk@sievers.com (Phil Payne)]

In message <970119181155_71344.2441_GHL101-1@CompuServe.COM> "David G. Lawson" writes:

>  Ahhh, Phil, you should go back and read Racecar Engineering Vol 6 No 2,
> above statement is incorrect, FWD does not have weight penalty over RWD. 
> It states Super Touring minimum weights as
> 
> FWD - 975 kg (2149 lb)
> RWD - 1000 kg (2205 lb)
> AWD - 1040 kg (2292 lb) changed to 1070 kg (2359 lb) in May 96

You're right - but the core point about AWD vs. the others remains correct.

> Now, as for drivetrain layout it states:
> 
> front differential - viscous coupling. this is a major difference from every
> quattro road car produced, which as far as i know has an open front diff.

> center diff -  viscous coupling with torque split or torsen. it says after pre-
> season testing, 64:36 and 61:39  torque splits were selected. Obviously
> not a torsen app here.

Nigel Walker, Managing Director of Audi Sport UK, assured some 20+ members of 
the Audi quattro Owners Club that there was _NO_ centre differential at all in 
this year's car.  They refused to show us the fore and aft differentials - they 
were clearly visible on a bench at the back of the workshop, but they wouldn't 
let us near them.  All the same, they looked like pretty normal 
differentials.  They _did_ show us a carbon fibre propshaft (no centre bearing) 
that must have weighed all of eight pounds.  No diff = no TORSEN, obviously.  I 
tend to agree with those that say the TORSEN is not ideal for extreme "on the 
edge" driving -it tends to make too many of its own decisions.

> rear diff -  viscous coupling or plate type diff.

Again - dunno.  

--
 Phil Payne
 phil@sievers.com
 Committee Member, UK Audi [ur-]quattro Owners Club