A6 Quattro not really a Quattro?
10-15-2003, 06:57 AM
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A6 Quattro not really a Quattro?
We just purchased a 2000 A6 2.8 Quattro Monday. We took it to our mechanic last night to have him check it out. He told us that the viscous coupling was burnt out and that the car was basically a front wheel drive vehicle. He said this was caused by improper tire replacement and maintenance. I have two questions.
1. Does this car even have a viscous coupling? Are these easy to burn out? Is he possibly mistaken?
2. What is proper tire maintenance on this vehicle? i.e. if I have a blowout on a tire do I need to replace all 4 tires?
Thanks for any advice.
1. Does this car even have a viscous coupling? Are these easy to burn out? Is he possibly mistaken?
2. What is proper tire maintenance on this vehicle? i.e. if I have a blowout on a tire do I need to replace all 4 tires?
Thanks for any advice.
10-15-2003, 07:08 AM
#2
A6 does not have a viscous coulping, it has a Torsen diff, which is 100% mechanical.
it can not burn out so to speak, but it's possible that it can break, though I have never heard of such an incident.
10-15-2003, 07:21 AM
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That's a new one
The differential should compensate for different size tires the same way it would compensate for the outside vs inside tire rolling difference in a turn.
If the coupling was really burnt out, wouldn't that lock the wheels?
If the coupling was really burnt out, wouldn't that lock the wheels?
10-15-2003, 07:38 AM
#6
Actually, it doesn't work quite that way.. The center diff is very sensitive to tires..
if you have rolling circumfrences that vary greatly, it puts a lot of strain on the differential, and can cause excessive wear. This is why it's generally reccommended to change all 4 tires on Audis with quattro.
10-15-2003, 07:44 AM
#7
What Kris said. Torsen diffs are virtually bullet proof, though I broke one once in .....
in a Porsche race car. When it went bad, it broke with lots of loud, bad noises. A Torsen diff either is good or it's broken.
What your mechanic is missing is that the Torsen will act like a front drive car until slipping is detected, then begins to transfer the load to the rear as needed. If the car is up in the air and the mechanic spins a tire, I believe it will react like a front drive car.
What your mechanic is missing is that the Torsen will act like a front drive car until slipping is detected, then begins to transfer the load to the rear as needed. If the car is up in the air and the mechanic spins a tire, I believe it will react like a front drive car.
