I don't know much about cars, but the Haldex AWD sounds like it was designed to be stable and boring and not very sporty/aggressive in corners in comparison to the other options. It almost sounds like it would be stable driving in inclement weather and adverse conditions (maintains normal performance), but if you started trying to drive aggressively in those conditions it would basically just try to sorta neutralize it?
I've only driven vehicles with SH-AWD and xDrive and they both sound closer to the Torsen than Haldex. The xDrive in particular I can definitely feel the back kick out more when the TCS turns off when I'm on Sport+ mode.
It depends a lot on the age of the car. The early systems were absolutely what you described, but they've done a bunch of stuff to make them a bit more dynamic feeling. The limitation of the torque split will always be a bit of a buzz kill compared to those other systems though.
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It shouldn’t anyway, considering it is still underpinned by what is designed as a FWD platform first
What? No.
This is not true for the A4/A5/S4/S5 platform. They are all longitudinal power trains, even the FWD ones which are bastardizing a car that is built first and foremost to be an AWD platform.
For the A3/S3/TT you are correct.
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This is not true for the A4/A5/S4/S5 platform. They are all longitudinal power trains, even the FWD ones which are bastardizing a car that is built first and foremost to be an AWD platform.
For the A3/S3/TT you are correct.
Longitudinal powertrain is beside the point, A4 and A5 are available with FWD or AWD only. No RWD, they weren’t meant to be purely RWD.
Longitudinal powertrain is beside the point, A4 and A5 are available with FWD or AWD only. No RWD, they weren’t meant to be purely RWD.
It's not beside the point, you claimed it was a FWD platform. It would take a former Yugo engineer after a bad acid trip to end up with a longitudinal layout for a FWD platform. Audi engineered every generation of A4 to be torsen based AWD cars for most of their existence. The FWD option was a bastardized setup targeting lower cost and improved fuel economy.
I don't think the average buyer should get overly caught up into the types of AWD systems as today they are all pretty good. I stepped out of EVO X ownership to STI ownership into a Golf R and with winter tires I really didn't notice much of a difference navigating in the winter as the Haldex system is pretty sufficient for the majority of drivers. It matters more in really high snow and more off road or mountain conditions IMO. I personally feel BMW M xDrive is the best because fully variable distribution at all times but in sport modes it's torque vectoring RWD most of the time and the front wheels only come into play under slippage. Best of both worlds as it's essentially performance RWD in the summer and AWD when you need it in the winter. It was my favorite of all the AWD vehicles I've owned but it's more of a higher price point system. The worst was my Tesla Model 3 performance as at least with Haldex the slip is barely ever perceptible most of the time but it's noticeable with a Tesla before the front wheels engage. I would regularly get some rear slippage at slippery intersections with that car.
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I find the rear sport diff helps make things feel more rear biased, as does tuning it and then driving on cold asphalt
But yes, definitely nowhere near actual RWD, just nice to have oversteer vs. understeer when playing around on some corners.
2018, found a coupe in great shape. Feels quite competent, I'll have to wait till summer to throw it around as it didn't feel wise to drive much with ContiSportContact tires on.
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Hey, anyone do their own glass chip repairs? I’ve been thinking about buying the supplies so that I don’t have to take the time and hassle to bring it somewhere when we get a chip. Doesn’t seem like it would be that hard, never mind I’m thinking it’s cheaper to do it yourself.
Or is there way more technique or equipment involved than I realize?
It's pretty easy. I've used a few different Amazon/CT ones. They have all worked, and I keep a few spares to get them done quick. The pro kits have more vacuum power so maybe suck a bit more epoxy into the crack, but I've never had a DIY one spread. Worth it.
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Hey, anyone do their own glass chip repairs? I’ve been thinking about buying the supplies so that I don’t have to take the time and hassle to bring it somewhere when we get a chip. Doesn’t seem like it would be that hard, never mind I’m thinking it’s cheaper to do it yourself.
Or is there way more technique or equipment involved than I realize?
Any suggestions on a good repair kit?
I use a toothpick to remove loose pieces and superglue. Just make sure you give it a solid 20-30 minutes before using the wiper so it doesn't end up smearing glue on the windshield and making things worse.
Superglue wise, I like this one. Easy to apply perfect size and amount each time. Use it for whatever else you need and then occasionally use it for windshield. It's liquid so it sorta self levels (I think) and you can use exactly the dot amount you need without worry the rest of the unused super glue will easily dry out.
They have a gel version too if you prefer. I've always wondered if it might dry in a pointed shape that could shred the wiper if too cold, but I haven't seen it happen yet.
I've looked at the kits and those seem overkill unless you have a nearly dime sized area you need to address with spider web cracking. Most of the times I'm dealing with a tiny hole or chip, so the superglue method works fine.
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It's not beside the point, you claimed it was a FWD platform. It would take a former Yugo engineer after a bad acid trip to end up with a longitudinal layout for a FWD platform.
We've seen weirder sh-t in the automotive world, but I concede.
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Last edited by TorqueDog; 11-12-2024 at 09:02 PM.
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I use a toothpick to remove loose pieces and superglue. Just make sure you give it a solid 20-30 minutes before using the wiper so it doesn't end up smearing glue on the windshield and making things worse.
Superglue wise, I like this one. Easy to apply perfect size and amount each time. Use it for whatever else you need and then occasionally use it for windshield. It's liquid so it sorta self levels (I think) and you can use exactly the dot amount you need without worry the rest of the unused super glue will easily dry out.
They have a gel version too if you prefer. I've always wondered if it might dry in a pointed shape that could shred the wiper if too cold, but I haven't seen it happen yet.
I've looked at the kits and those seem overkill unless you have a nearly dime sized area you need to address with spider web cracking. Most of the times I'm dealing with a tiny hole or chip, so the superglue method works fine.
You should be able to clean it up with a razor. That's the last step with the kits, you cut off the remaining glue. You can see that at 8:45 in this video:
But the kits use a UV curing resin, not super glue. But I assume you could cut it the same way.
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Hey, anyone do their own glass chip repairs? I’ve been thinking about buying the supplies so that I don’t have to take the time and hassle to bring it somewhere when we get a chip. Doesn’t seem like it would be that hard, never mind I’m thinking it’s cheaper to do it yourself.
Or is there way more technique or equipment involved than I realize?
Any suggestions on a good repair kit?
Depending on your insurance, they might do it for free. I know TD will.
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I wonder how much long term trouble Automobile manufacturers are in for. Even if they do get the electric vehicle right the first go.
Volkswagen and Nissan both announced major layoffs in the past two weeks. Stellantis is also in a real bind too. Ford's EV program will kill them if they don't figure it out.
Demographically the world is aging fast so there's less people who need to consume. Plus negative birth rates in the developed world that will eventually impact what people do want. Interest rates are still considerable higher than what they were while prices remain high, and I don't think rates will come back down to those low levels without it being some type of subsidy either in the form of the company trying to off unreliable inventory and taking a loss or governments bailing them out.
In a way you could argue that vehicles were kept pretty cheap for a lot of years. I think a 97 VW GTI that I stupidly bought cost just over 21k...payment was like 400 a month for 48 months with a murderous rate of 7.9% with my trade and down-payment being like $5400. It had a 115hp 2.0 litre engine, a 5 speed and no AC. It was pretty bare bones. Compare to an Accord bought 23 years later for 37500...not even close for how superior the new one appears to be. But how many people were conditioned by the cheap credit days from around 2002 to 2022?
Of course in 2002...you could get into a new house for a monthly mortgage payment similar to a payment on say a nicer truck. So with other costs for people ballooning it's taken away discretionary spending.
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Depending on your insurance, they might do it for free. I know TD will.
If it's what I remember looking into for what my insurance offered, it's like 2-3 fixed dates during the year where you have to go to some random (typically inconvenient) location at a fixed time (usually summer and autumn) and they do it.
A glob of crazy glue or clear nail polish makes more sense for me personally than wait so long and deal with weird times.
If it's what I remember looking into for what my insurance offered, it's like 2-3 fixed dates during the year where you have to go to some random (typically inconvenient) location at a fixed time (usually summer and autumn) and they do it.
A glob of crazy glue or clear nail polish makes more sense for me personally than wait so long and deal with weird times.
That might be. I haven’t checked if they are a hassle to work with in that respect, and I am not sure what’s required to sufficiently fix a rock chip to the insurance companies’ standards so it wouldn’t void the windshield replacement policy.
Hey, anyone do their own glass chip repairs? I’ve been thinking about buying the supplies so that I don’t have to take the time and hassle to bring it somewhere when we get a chip. Doesn’t seem like it would be that hard, never mind I’m thinking it’s cheaper to do it yourself.
Or is there way more technique or equipment involved than I realize?
Any suggestions on a good repair kit?
If you're going to do it yourself, this guy goes through and compares a few different kits.
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And I haven’t run the numbers recently, but generally windshield coverage isn’t worth it, and you need glass coverage to get repairs covered. So no I don’t have coverage, I just pay for the repair when I need it.
I bought a kit from Amazon, but haven’t used it yet. Turns out the chip my wife thought she got was barely a pit, so no repair needed.
The wild swings in temperature here are what helps little chips grow into long cracks. Having your own repair kit means you can fix it before it grows.
Any thoughts on 2022 Mercedes GLC amg 43? Took one for a test drive and pretty impressed. I know it’s the baby amg but the 63 just seems like too much as far as tires and preventative maintenance
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