re:question about 4wd

[Steve Valin <steve@sgi.com>]

quk@sievers.com (Phil Payne) wrote:
<<In message <3341CB24.381A@pluto.snoqualmie.wednet.edu> Rusty Rae
writes:

> if you run the quattro's in 4wd like they tend to do for rally's and
> other autocross events doesn't this tend to wear down the gears in the
> transfer cases and differentals??? That is the fact with my truck??? can
> someone help me out with this??

You can't run _any_ Audi quattro in anything _but_ 4wd - or AWD (all
wheel 
drive) as we habitually refer to it.
 
Not just rallies and autocross events - every single second a quattro is
in 
motion, it's in AWD. >>

Rusty may be thinking of running the car with locked differentials.
I would imagine that under race and rally conditions, you would probably
want to do this.  As long as all the wheels are travelling at approx
the same speed, which is anytime except in sharp corners on pavement,
this wouldn't strain things too much
 

<< Considering the application is just a car and not a truck, the
quattro 
transmission is downright agricultural.  Crawl under one and take a
look. >>

If you were expecting a tradional 4WD layout, you may be confused!  
It's not obvious that the center diff is bolted to the back of the
tranny, with the front drive shaft spinning inside the tranny's 
output shaft...

-steve

 
--
Steve Valin	http://reality.sgi.com/steve_engr	steve@sgi.com
    		"Time wounds all heels"  -Crackerbash