Re: AWD v. The Others

["Gene R. Rankin" <grankin@itis.com>]

On 19 Jan 97 at 9:00, Doug Miller, in part, wrote:

> The advantages on the street would go to AWD due to the ability to cope
> with a wider variety of situations at a higher throttle setting without
> upsetting the vehicle's balance. 

And I have my own anecdotal evidence:  Near where I live, there's a 
marvelous L-R-L sequence, snaking up a hill in less than 200 yards. The 
asphalt is in vile shape, with lots of holes & patches where it vanishes 
into the gravel shoulder.  My wife's former Z-28 (she now has an AWD turbo 
Talon) would dance all over the place (more or less predictably), skipping 
from bump to bump.  My ur-Quattro & my present Galant VR4 gave the feeling 
of digging in, grabbing hold, leaping forward, totally under control, and 
the only thing limiting the rate of knots uphill was responsibility - the 
whole right side of the road being lined with houses.  Late at night, with 
someone to run interference, I've run this route at a shocking rate of 
speed, and AWD just gets more stable.

Similarly, when the first big snow falls, I would take the Z-28 to the 
nearest large & vacant parking lot & practice doing doughnuts.  Ever try 
to do a doughnut with AWD?  VERY hard, requires serious throttle & wheel 
brutality, usually not very good doughnuts, either, as control returns too 
damned fast.  Nevertheless, I go out each winter & do my duty....

The viscous diff on the Galant's AWD takes a noticeable amount of time to 
warm up & to lock up.  My ur-Quattro had a better front-to-rear balance.  
Anybody got a comparison on this stunt with a Torsen?
Gene R. Rankin / Madison, WI / USA