-----Original Message-----
From: PbPied@aol.com <PbPied@aol.com>
>Forget the 4WS Prelude as an autocross car, Rich.
>I tested one in a couple of autocrosses back when they were new. The
>car literally felt like it was running on marbles, and the times were not
>good.
>
>If you look at how 4WS works in that car, it is a mechanically operated cam
>system.
What year was this? The system you're describing sounds more like the one
on the 3d generation ('88-91) cars. The later system was electronically
controlled, both to reduce reaction time and to smooth out the phase change.
>Small steering inputs cause the rear wheels to aim parallel with the
>fronts, supposedly beneficial for lane changes. But when the steering
input
>is increased, the cam system returns the rear steering across center so
that
>the rear wheels become angled in the opposite direction as the fronts.
That was
>to aid in tight u-turn type maneuvers?
At low speeds, sure -- turning the rears opposite to the fronts will reduce
the turn radius. This part of the system only operated at very low speed --
really as a parking aid -- and cut out somewhere around 15 mph or so. At
higher speeds, only the "parallel steer" mode operated -- in corners above
the cut-off speed, the rear wheels remained locked ahead.
>Unfortunately, the phase changes of the rear occur at steering inputs
>common in autocrossing. The effect was a sensation of rear directional
>instability. Sometimes it felt planted, but others... It had me often
feeling
>like I had to correct and then re-correct for a slide which may not have
been
>actually happening.
The description makes sense and matches many of the test reports on the 4WS
cars. The car *does* move differently. You'd probably have gotten used to
it with some seat time, though. Probably no tougher than moving from RWD to
FWD (and easier on the tires!).
Of course, after having driven a friend's '88 4WS (with the mechanical
system), I opted for a 2WS car when I bought the '92, mostly because it was
cheaper and I didn't want to mess with the extra alignment chores. And like
I mentioned before, Preludes prepped for road racing and Pro Rally have all
been 2WS -- which implies no one was that impressed with the option.
Jamie
'92 Prelude Si
Speed Demon Racing
http://www.mindspring.com/~jsculerati/sdr
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