Re: quattro vs. Syncro??

["Paul A. Hausman" <paul@lion.com>]

At 10:12 AM 2/13/98 -0700, Iain Mannix wrote:
>What exactly are the differences between the quattro and Syncro systems?
>More specifically, the 4kq and VW qsw - I just saw something in the Audi
>newsgroup claiming that "old Syncro" is/was not as desirable for high
>performance driving as quattro - any insights?

I may be wrong, but, I always understood that "quattro" was Audi's patented
mechanism to route the drive shaft to the front wheels through the center of
the hollow main drive shaft.

  Bad ascii graphic ***>

                      _________*********
       Front drive=============**trans**============Rear drive
                      ---------*********
                        ^hollow main drive shaft

I believe syncro uses side-by-side drive shafts.

The quattro system keeps max. mass lower and closer to the centerline 
of the car, improving both packaging and handling. It also means the 
front diff is about at the centerline of the car, resulting in closer-
to-equal-length half-shafts, again improving handling.

I've heard, however, that VW/Audi are going to do more sharing of 
drivelines in the future and VW's will all be called syncro, with
Audis all called quattro, regardless of technology used, so watch out.
----
Paul A. Hausman                <paul@lion.com>
Lion Technology Inc., Lafayette, NJ, 07848 USA