Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnVidale
I guess my point is that, whether the back wheels are spinning or not, the torque is being applied 0/100 between the back and front wheels in this case. So the torque would NOT be applied at best 50/50.
It would be preferable to have the back wheels spinning at just the point of slipping, although if the front wheels have traction, the back wheels likely should be rotating at a similar speed, not much slower. In fact, spinning at a similar rate to the front wheels offers the best chance to gain traction.
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Yes, this is why I said
Quote:
Originally Posted by drob23
Obviously, torque transferred to the ground is all at the front wheels (called torque appropriation according to this), but the inertia of the rear-axle will always be engaged. |
note "torque appropriation" vs "torque split".
I'm no expert on drivetrains, so take my answer with a grain of salt. I don't think that the wheel speeds are coupled from the front and back - that would be the purpose of a locking differential. I understand that torque can be routed backwards through the drivetrain - ie engine braking - but I don't think your hypothesis holds.
You will likely see lots of wheel spin from the back wheels in our example, which is not the ideal solution. In practice, the rear wheels will never be on a frictionless surface - thus the purpose of the center differential (or clutch) is to route power in a manner that prevents any wheel from slipping. XDrive has less authority to do this since the front wheels can never be turned with a mechanical advantage greater than the rear wheels.
Crap...I really need to get back to work
