Re: Spider Bite

[QSHIPQ@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/20/99 7:40:54 AM Central Daylight Time, 
quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk writes:

> > Oh contrair piere, er, Eric.  Up to today, he ALWAYS denied that it 
> happened.
>  
>  I don't believe so, and I don't believe I've changed my tune at all.
>  
>  If anything - quite the contrary.  What I felt in the Type 44 is
>  something utterly new to me, and it superficially resembles your
>  description of spider bite.  Now I know that there is something there, I
>  shall attempt to explore it in future sessions.
>  
>  I've never had this experience in a Type 85, and as several listers will
>  confirm four-wheel drifts and controlled understeer are a regular
>  feature of my day-to-day driving.  I've done over 110,000 miles in the
>  car, and never felt anything like this.
>  
>  So I'm still strongly at variance with your contention that this
>  behaviour is inevitable with a Torsen centre differential.  Maybe the
>  Torsen contributes to it or even causes it on the Type 44, but I've
>  never felt such behaviour from a Type 85 - not even remotely.
>

Not a problem Phil, thanks for the clarification.  I'm optimistic that you 
have experienced it, haven't known how to identify it, up till now.  Pay 
close attention...  My own thinking is that if I can get it to happen within 
5 minutes of driving someone elses torsen center car, either it's happened 
(don't I remember a post about you losing it in one of your "controlled" 
drifts) or it will.  To date that old claim is correct.  Jeff and I aren't 
making it up on the "other" chassis.  It's the nature of the torque splitting 
device being fooled in a turn.  

Bottom Line:  There is no documentation to support the argument that 
wheelbase, suspension, or chassis dynamics "corrects" spider bite, and you 
have posted and described EXACTLY the same characteristics I have found in 
ALL torsen center chassis I've driven (and that would be all of the torsen 
wheelbase applications).  Without question, the 44 chassis has a larger 
weight shift, so the potential is higher to identify it.  Given the right set 
of circumstances, ANY torsen can exibit the same behavior, btdt.  IF the same 
device is in all the chassis...

Look forward to your reports on the 44.  When you find it in the 85, I expect 
you will post it as well.  

"Spider Bite...  It's not an if.  It's a torsen." - Scott J

Scott Justusson