miss-in action

[julius <"elprofe@caribe.net"@caribe.net>]

HI!qlister long time no see you,( really miss) my modem dead for some
reason high voltage on phone line,but well in back again,have some
information about 30v engine,comparison w\all drive (volvo vs. audi(
old).lets begin w\all drive audi vs. volvo
said this:
Since M-B dropped the 4-matic version of the previous generation
E-class,Audi has had the market for all-wheel drive luxury cars to
itself.All wheel drive has obvius customer appeals,and our experience
over the last two year indicated a success the quattro strategy can
be.By far the largest shared of 1996 sales have been equipped w\quattro
all drive.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
At first glance,volvo has disadvantages in both ride heigthand turning
circle as a result of the "add-on" engineering approach.And althougt the
system is meant to be transparent,it has some unusual complexity.
A viscous coupling,when used insted of center differential,can adversely
affect the function of the ABS unit.As result,volvo had to add a
free-wheel clutch to disengage all-wheel drive under braking.  The car
also reverts to two-wheel drive when coasting.  At all other times,
there is some degree of power being transmitted to all four wheels.

Unlike an Audi quattro system, in normal driving the  Volvo AWD behaves
essentially as a front-drive car.  The front wheels transmitt 95% of
ther power.  The Audi quattro, when driven on normal surfaces, divides
the work between the front and rear axles on an even 50:50 basis.  In
slippery conditions, the Volvo all-wheel dirve system, like quattro, can
redistribute torque front-to-rear.  At speeds up to 25mph it can also
shift power side-to-side at the front and rear.  In Volvo's publicity
material this is referred to as a "thinking" all wheel drive syste.  But
in fact, Volvo didn't think of the idea until several years after Audi;
the Volvo technology breaks no real new ground.
The similarites to the Audi A6 quattro are many.  However, Volvo's
limited entry in ther marker will not steal many sales, at least
initially.  lacking an automatic transmission or a sedan body style, it
could be surmised that Volvo is treating ther first year's sales in
Cnada as a test of ther  porduct's acceptance prior to the U.S. launch
next year.
                         VOLVO 850 AWD WAGON        AUDI A6 Q-WAGON
Basic description    Full time all-wheel drive  Full time all-w drive
front differential   yes, with TRACS*           yes, with EDL*
center differential  NO, USES A VISCOUS COUPLING  yes, Torsen
rear differential    yes, low speed self-locking  yes, with EDL
Front/rear torque    95% / 5%                     50% / 50%
split, normal        
Transmission         5-speed manual only        4-speed automatic only
Changes vs. front drive model
Ground clearance     +25 mm                     same as front drive A6
Weight difference    +110Kg                     +121 Kg
Turning circle       +0.4 m (11.3 m)            same as front drive A6
                                                (10.6 m)
*TRACS and EDL are comparable.  Both are electronic differential locking
systems based on ABS technology.  Both are de-activated abrove 40 kph.