RE: Re quattro II v IV

["Lawson, Dave" <dlawson@ball.com>]

Gary,
>Is there really a maximum speed limit for the center diff lock on the
>generation 1 cars (eg Urq/4000/5000)? My understanding is that the rear
lock
>should be used only at very low speeds and really only when the car is
stuck
>in mud,snow,etc. I thought the center diff could be locked at highway
speeds
>even in the rain, and on dry pavement for track use (though the tires would
>scrub off the speed difference between the front and rear axles). Am I
>mistaken?

It's really personal preference. On my ur-q at Steamboat last week, 
I was running with both the center and rear diff locked (partially 
because I couldn't get the center to lock by itself). Normally under 
these conditions I always lock the center diff, sometimes the rear diff. 
I definately liked the handling with both diffs locked better than with no 
diffs locked. There was other list members like Chad Clark, who was 
running with no diffs locked, and doing very well. Being that this was 
on an ice track, the tires had no problem rotating at the same speed.

I have locked the center diff when running on the track or running on 
the road in the rain or snow, to me it makes the car feel more 'attached'
to the road.

HTH
-
Dave Lawson
Boulder, CO