Date:         Fri, 7 Feb 1997 18:54:23 -0800
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         bayer@sybase.com (David Bayer)
Subject:      <Syncro> viscous coupling fluid wishes

>| Ths Syncro viscous coupling acts like an automatically locking differential
>| with a fairly short modulation duration between open and locked.
>| >From the description of the Jeep/Talon fluid it sounds like that unit acts
>| like a limited slip differential, with the amount of slip determined by the
>| viscosity of the fluid chosen.

	I think someone addressed this earlier, but I would love a new improved
locking diff, that instead of just being a differential, was somehow encased
or built around a VC. When most of the time, the two sides of the diff would
be turning within say 6% or so of each other (if 6% would say give one a little
room in even the tightest of corner situations), so the VC would stay in its
liquid, nonload transmitting state. When one side of the drive wheels slip,
the two sides of the differential spin with a difference above 6% and the
VC locks up and sends power to the non slipping wheel (hopefully without a
jerk big enough to cause it to lose traction). This would provide an
automatic locking differential right? I can dream I guess...
	This is how I thought the syncro was actually designed before I
started thinking I might get one someday... 3 VCs, one between rear and
front final drives, and one across each diff. That would be a real all wheel
drive car no?
	Now I guess one could argue about the need for automatic locking
diffs (especially if there was any jerk involved when the VC locked up) since
if one tire just started spinning, there is a good chance the other side of
the same ahhh, transaxle (is that right? The other wheel in the same front
back position just other side of the car in the driver/passenger grouping)
is going to start slipping I would think... And so I can understand why the
current locking diff should be "as good as your gonna get"...

dave