torsen, lucifer's playmate. physics, the new religion of our times

[eliot <eliot@eskimo.com>]

i actually like sargeant's explanation.  it makes sense.  and i think
that yes, it did happen and can happen.

but so what?  what's your point?  that the cars are evil and need
to be eradicated?  let's call 60 minutes (tick tick tick) and let
them take care of business!

the way i look at it is that i'm glad audi set up the torsen cars to be
neutral right up to the limit and beyond to the point that this evil
manifests itself.  a more conservative manufacturer would have dialed in
lots of understeer so that any evil behavior is surpressed early with
suboptimal suspension geometry.  actually i find the new audis to have
more understeer than old ones, so this may actually have begun to happen. 

the other point i wanted to make is that we find this happening on the
200q's.. but as part of the hot air campaign to vilify the torsen,
suddenly *anything* with torsen is evil.  the torsen is so evil that even
the racing team wouldn't touch it, the claim went.  physics proved that,
and any evidence to the contrary is false because a contradiction of
physics is simply impossible!  it is now up to the skeptics to prove the
truthfulness of their anti-physics rather than the claimants to prove the
truthfulness of their physics!!  fancy that.  it's physics, so it's true
by definition.  if you don't believe it, there's something terribly wrong
with you because you don't believe in physics!!

extrapolation of a few isolated incidents to each and every torsen audi is
supported merely by tiring diatribe.  yes, a theoretical basis is given,
and that is used to loudly thump "it's physics and physics don't lie".
it's possible theoretically but the extrapolation is built on a proof of
hot air, not physics.  there is no supporting evidence (me and my
anti-physics again!) that show that it *will* happen to each and every
torsen audi, only anecdotal evidence to show that it happened to a few
audis.  how is it proven that different weight distributions, suspension
components, geometries, different tires etc etc etc have no effect
whatsoever on the alleged bahavior?  physics of course!  physics never
lies! 

in short, what could have been a "here's something interesting about these
cars" have turned into "i've found this deadly evil in ALL your cars, and
i'm here to save you all, you will call me MASTER from this day forth,
and worship my new religion of physics".  

i rather go to hell.


eliot