Re: locking diff's in snow on Coupe Quattro

[Eliot Lim <eliot@lanmola.engr.washington.edu>]

>           This is yet another example of technology reducing our
>           control, Torsen diff replace manually lockable diffs,
>           ABS brakes, the biggest joke of all -- so called
>           "traction control" where you actually allow a computer
>           to control the throttle! UUGGGGGGHHHHHHHH! But I
>           digress.....

a couple of points.. audi engineers will always tell you that they
race the cars mostly to improve the road cars.  i think that
the road going cars are road cars first and race cars second. you have
to admit that tail-out rally style driving is a very specialized
application (which can after all be gotten from any powerful rear
drive car).

the newer cars with automatically locking differentials give the
driver better control in slick conditions than the older cars, even
though it is less exciting.. well it could be more exciting being able
to smoothly dust an opponent with no drama.  i do it all the time.

having owned a manual locking 4000q and now the fully automatically
locking v8, i have to say that for non rallying applications, fully
automatic is better.  even the street racing audis had torsen and
viscous diffs.

as for the other techno-aids such as TC and ABS (you forgot to mention
automatic transmission :-) ), they may take control out of the driver
and create a less exciting spectacle, but they are winning races and
in a competitive arena such as GTCC or F1, not having them is
considered a disadvantage.  well, rallying is totally different of
course.

eliot