RE: Hot turning in a quattro - T*rsen content warning

["Kaklikian, Gary" <Gary.Kaklikian@Compaq.com>]

Hey guys, I thought everybody agreed to kill the Torsen thread!! But, just
for a layman's, i.e., non-engineer's perspective, I thought I would add a
comment.

>From my limited experience (less than two years with Quattros), I would
conclude that any Quattro,  with either a locking or Torsen center diff
makes a great all-season road car for most drivers. I would not hesitate to
trade my 5000TQ for a newer 200Q or S4 for everyday use (gotta love that
20vt motor!). 

Didn't Audi switch to the Torsen to eliminate the manual locks (too
sophisticated for average drivers) and overcome the mandatory ABS-defeat? I
know many non-enthusiast drivers who would probably be safer in a
Torsen-diff Quattro than an earlier one for these reasons.

For the track, and at 9-10/10ths in the dry or wet (sorry, I don't have
enough experience driving at the limit in snow/ice), there's no way I would
trade a Torsen-diff Quattro for a gen 1 locker car.  

(In fact, I wouldn't trade a stock 4000Q for ANY other vehicle in the
winter. I'll never forget the look on my buddy's face when my previous,
unmodified 4000Q passed his Jeep Cherokee around an uphill bend in nearly a
foot of fresh powdery snow -- this with all-season tires and the center diff
locked.)

BTW - Yes, I was at Road America and can confirm Scott's account of the
spider bite on the S cars at 9/10ths in the rain.  I kept my distance behind
these cars in case the driver lost control, but still took every opportunity
to pass them.  I drove my 4000 TQ the whole time with the center diff
locked, and, contrary to discussion in the paddock, I never felt any
slippery sections on the track nor did I have to deviate from the "dry
line". I never experienced any abrupt changes in chassis dynamics - U-O-U,
etc - at any time, nor the terminal understeer attributed to the locker cars
(could be the large rear swaybar on my car). I was able to safely use most,
if not all, of the car's (not insignificant) power in those conditions.  The
car remained planted under hard braking and cornering at all times, although
my driving was far was perfect.

I'm looking forward to the next Quattro Club event, hopefully in dry
conditions, where the locker vs. Torsen challenge can continue. The casual
observer, though, must wonder why all of the full-time race cars at Road
America were generation 1 Quattros?!

Real-world experiences lend a lot more credence to these arguments than
volumes of theoretical diatribes!
Just my relatively Quattro-novice opinion.

Gary Kaklikian
86 4kcstq
86 5kcstq