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      08-18-2008, 02:02 PM   #53
T Bone
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bruce.augenstein@comcast. View Post
T Bone, unless you're of the opinion that any and all systems that drive four wheels are horrible (based on the fact that they take more power to run, I suppose), then you are way off base on this. The fact is that awd systems offer significant advantages, and Audi's is a pretty damned good one. Especially the latest iterations. Perhaps not as effective in improving at-the-limit handling as, say, the GT-R's is, but pretty damned good nonetheless.

In fact, no matter the disparity in quoted numbers, do you think the GT-R would be as quick around the 'Ring with two wheel drive?

Bruce

No my comments are specific to Quattro with the full time AWD. The newer ones with torque vectoring with complete 100% torque shift front to back are good so long as it doesn't add too much weight. Look at the torque to the wheel differences between the M3 and the RS4.....only difference is the drivetrain losses. This is backed by observations where the RS4 gets spanked.

In the case of the GTR, they have been able to reduce drivetrain parasitic losses to a minimum.

Innovations like the off-throttle torque vector is great like the system on the X6 but we have not seen this in a performance car.
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