Re: Audi Kool-Aid

["Jouko Haapanen" <joukoh@vtoy.fi>]

I have to disagree...

In my opinion AWD was not a band-aid, but was added to the 911 to suit the 
buyers who were buying for all the wrong reasons during the height of the
911 boom.  Put a 911 in the hands of a skilled driver, and they will make
it dance.  The 944, as good a handler as it was, was NOT a true Porsche,
and lacked in the virtues department when it came down to putting a smile
on the driver's face.  Driving fast and having fun are not always directly
proportional to each other...

Having met Hannu Mikkola a few times, and having been to his
lectures/chatted with him, what you say was written up in his Crap&Drivel
sidebar seems contradictory.  All-wheel-drive of some proportion will
ALWAYS be better in out-and-out TIMED performance when executed correctly
by A) the designers and B)the driver when dealing with power of that
magnitude.  The simple fact is that when dealing with up around 400-500hp,
the four little palm-sized (OK, big palms) contact patches have to be made
to do work equally.  The forces have to be distributed...

Jouko Haapanen
Pori, Finland
97 A4 1.8T quattro - only 150 hp...
89 911 Carrera 3.2 - an icon? - NOT


----------
>From: Matt & Jenai <matjen@xsite.net>
>Date: 23. joulukuuta 1997 04:23
>
....much deleted...
>
>I also think any analogy to the 911 is weak.  The 911 is more an icon than
anything >else.  I wonder why Porsche didn't add AWD to the 944t?  Because
it was well >designed in the first place.   Adding AWD to the 911 just
proves my original point - >the system makes cars more stable and acts as
something of a band-aid.  I view >this a positive.  
>
>For those that would like testimony from Hans Stuck on this subject I am
sorry - >can't provide it.  But as luck would have it I have conferred with
some guy named >Hannu Mikkola - ever hear of him? :-).  August 1995 C/D
review of the 1986 5TQ, >page 64 under the sidebar titled "A Few Words From
the Ace"  In pertinent part the >sidebar reads as follows:
>
>As you might expect, Mikkola has had to develop some special moves  to
make the >most of his 450-hp Quattro Sport rally car.  In terms of pure
handling goodness, he >rates 4wd "WORSE THAN REAR DRIVE, but better than
front drive" on dry >pavement.
>
>Enough said :-) 
>
>Matt Pfeffer
>89 200TQW - chipped