RE: another quattro goes down in its element

[David Eaton <david.eaton@computerland.co.nz>]

sorry to hear about your accident...

centre diff locked is actually going to help here.  braking is an
understandable and expected response and is, perhaps, imperative (given
the following distance).  lightening up the back-end of the car will
transfer weight to the front and cause an oversteer'ing 'moment' (in the
physics sense).  in marginal conditions (ie wet) snap oversteer can
result.

in these conditions the *only* thing you've got going for you is the
traction at the front and the ability to use the accelerator to pull you
out of trouble (ie. transfer weight to the rear of the car).  this may
not of course be an option given the aformentioned following distance...

anyway in this situation, the locked centre is going to help.

hth,
dave
'95 rs2
'90 ur-q

>-----Original Message-----
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 13:54:41 EST
>From: ScottyCBoy@aol.com
>
>     Unfortunatley your downfall was probably the fact that you had the
>center
>diff locked.  With the center diff locked on a paved surface, i.e. where the
>wheels cannot slip this causes the drive train to bind or store torque in
>it's
>workings.  When you put on the brakes weight was transferred from the rear of
>the car to the front, causing the rear end of the vehicle to rise.  This
>sudden loss of weight on the rear tires casued them to "unbind" i.e. slipping
>at the road surface, once that occurred the back end went it's own way.  How
>do I know this, during an autocross I accidentally had my center diff locked
>and the first time I nailed on the brakes and truned slightly, the ass end of
>my 4000q went it's own direction.  This occured on several occasions the same
>day until I realized what happened, the stupid diff lock lights didn't work..
>The Audi owners manual only recommends locking the center diff if you are
>driving in severe weather, snow, ice or mud, and also states the the rear
>diff
>should only be locked if the vehicle is stuck...
>
>Sorry to hear another Q bites it..
>
>Scott
>
>------------------------------
>