The Audi 100 Quattro/100 Avant Quattro are efficient, versatile vehicles with extremely good driving characteristics. The all-wheel drive chassis has been specially developed for this model, which is especially effective when driving on wet, smooth roads and ensures maximum driving safety.
The Audi 100 Quattro and Audi 100 Avant Quattro perform equally well on dry highways and on snowy and icy roads.
Advantages of all-wheel drive
1. Stability on the road.
2. Acceleration.
3. Traction force.
4. Reduced tire wear.
Transfer mechanism
There are two dispensing mechanism activation modes, which are selected by the rotary switch (see photo):
1 - Turn on only the front drive.
2 - Turning on the front and rear drives.
Operating procedure
Engine power is transmitted through the gearbox and intermediate differential directly to the front axle differential, and from it through the cardan shaft to the rear axle differential.
Intermediate differential, thanks to a complex mechanism of worm gears on a slippery road without driver intervention, automatically locks the drive.
In the normal way of driving, in dry road conditions, it distributes engine power evenly to all wheels of the front and rear axles. If the wheels of one of the axles, for example, in icy conditions, lose stable grip with the road and are on the verge of slipping, the intermediate differential, without interrupting the traction force, begins to automatically block these wheels, redistributing the engine power to the wheels of the other axle, where the grip with the road more stable.
As you can see, the distribution of drive power to the wheels is not always uniform, it depends on road conditions, primarily on the degree of adhesion of the front or rear wheels to the road surface.
The rear axle differential lock can be engaged and disengaged manually. This lock is designed primarily for smooth starting and acceleration of the car in difficult road conditions and is automatically deactivated when picking up a speed of about 25 km / h. The anti-lock braking system (ABS) is disabled during this time.
Advantages of all-wheel drive
The advantages of Quattro all-wheel drive over conventional vehicles are as follows:
Traction power
Permanent all-wheel drive significantly increases the traction power of the car, especially in conditions of snow drifts, icy conditions, when accelerating and driving uphill.
Overcoming the above conditions on the Quattro is less risky than on other car models. At the same time, this does not give the right to take risks, to try to slip through difficult sections of roads at high speed, being afraid to get stuck there. They must be crossed slowly with stops.
Acceleration (Overclocking)
On slippery roads, the simultaneous four-wheel drive instead of two significantly reduces the possibility of wheel slip, improves tire grip on the road surface, and thus contributes to a faster acceleration of the car.
Driving performance
Of decisive importance for the driving characteristics of the car, especially on slippery road sections, is the rigid kinematic connection of the wheels with the road surface. In cars with a drive to one axle, with a sharp increase in speed on a slippery road, the drive wheels slip, which greatly weakens the kinematics and affects the driving performance of the car.
Simultaneous four-wheel drive also increases the lateral forces of the centrifugal forces and thus increases the vehicle's stability.
Tire wear
Quattro has a probability of wheel slippage several times lower than similar models with a single axle drive. This in turn affects the timing of tire wear.
The tire wear life of Quattro under the same operating conditions is significantly longer than that of cars of the same class with two-wheel drive.
Application of winter tires
Thanks to the all-wheel drive, the vehicle remains stable on conventional series-produced tires even in winter driving conditions. At the same time, to improve driving performance and braking effect during this period, it is more expedient to use winter tires.
Application of snow chains
Snow chains enhance the traction power and braking effect of the car in winter conditions, therefore, if necessary, they can be used.
Drive system control
Unlike cars with a mechanically controlled drive system, the Quattro has all system control carried out automatically, without driver intervention. This contributes to the practical elimination of errors associated with the human factor, does not distract the driver, and helps him to focus on the overall driving.
Only the rear axle differential lock is manually disengaged, and then only if the vehicle is stuck on the road. In motion at a speed of about 25 km / h and this lock is turned off automatically. When driving at high speed in wet weather, the front wheels of even the Audi Quattro can quietly come off the road (aquaplaning effect).
Therefore, be careful - choose the speed taking into account real road conditions.
Moreover, despite the very good efficiency of the braking system, keep in mind that it largely depends on the degree of grip of the wheels with the road. Therefore, in rainy weather or icy conditions, do not abuse the high technical characteristics of the car, especially for a sharp acceleration to maximum speed.
Note
The rear axle differential lock is designed primarily for starting the car from a standstill and its initial acceleration in difficult road conditions. At a speed of about 25 km / h, it automatically turns off.
Below this speed, blocking can be disabled manually. If the rear differential lock is not disengaged in a timely manner, it will adversely affect the accuracy of vehicle maneuvering (for example, when parked on a dry pavement or when passing through tight, sharp curves, etc.).
At the time of engagement of the rear axle differential lock, when the wheels are directly rigidly connected to each other, the anti-lock braking system ABS is automatically disabled, since autonomous control of the braking forces separately for each wheel becomes impossible.
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