Re: torsens and slip

[audidudi@mindspring.com (Jeffrey J. Goggin)]

>not sure i follow you here.  if, as you agree, "you can have several slip
>angles yielding the same amount of grip", then *how* is the torsen involved? 
>all it sees is the grip as it's a "dumb" device.  right?

The Torsen doesn't ever see grip, it merely infers its presence (or lack
thereof!) by sensing the driveshafts' resistance to rotation ... this is
precisely why it's susceptible to being fooled by differences in slip-angle
between the front and rear wheels!  Because they both have EXACTLY the same
effect on the driveshafts, they're assumed by the Torsen as being
one-and-the-same when in reality, they're not...

Have you ever heard the saying "Perception IS reality?"  Well, that sums up
the problem with the Torsen pretty succinctly.  It assumes the signals it
receives from the two driveshafts accurately reflect the amount of grip at
the contact patches of the tires and they _don't_, at least not whenever the
car is going around a corner.

You're hung up with the notion that there has to be a loss of grip for the
Torsen to be fooled and this simply isn't the case.  I understand exactly
where you're coming from because it took me two years to understand this
concept myself!
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