[torsen] Rallycross and e-brake turns

[E. Roy Wendell IV]

I did my first rallycross today with my 200tq.

I needed oversteer, and lots of it at the right time. The tried and  
true solution is a quick yank of the e-brake.

At first I tried applying it lightly and over a relatively long  
period of time, kind of like I used to do when left foot braking a  
fwd car I used to ice race in. This resulted only in a slowing of the  
whole car and no oversteer. In desperation, I tried hard, quick  
application of the e-brake. Voila! It worked and my times came down a  
lot.

What I want to know is why I can get away with doing this. I know,  
from theory, that trying to stop the rear wheels from rotating causes  
the torsen to lock, which is why I end up slowing the whole car and  
still understeering. But why does the quick application and release  
work? Is there a certain amount of differential rotation allowed  
before the torsen really starts locking? I would have thought not but  
reality and theory have a way of diverging.


Roy Wendell
erwendell at mac.com
Too many type 44 tq
A pair of MR2s