I agree with your assumption that the PTU uses a dog for coupling the driveshaft. I seriously doubt they use a clutch disc in there.

You’re totally right. This is coming from my comment thread on the big AWD article where I explained how the industry shift to these systems is absolutely killing the pool of potential privateer AWD rally car conversions. Cars like the Focus RS just can’t handle the stress of a rally stage, and so as far as modern…

The BMW and the Nissan GT-R are RWD-based AWD systems, so they work “opposite” of the systems described above. These systems are well suited to on-road high performance work, including launching.

paging HammerheadFistpunch!

That “just” is carrying a lot of weight there...

I like this. Thank you for telling me. I’m actually passing this anecdote on to the rest of the rally team for us to keep it in our back pocket. We’re in the middle of looking to decide what our next rally platform is going to be, as it’s getting harder every year to keep a Mitsu Evo on the rally stage in terms of…

The technical distinction between PTU and t-cases is that t-cases are called torque splitters and PTU’s change the direction of the torque output.

OH boy, I just saw this as you replied to yourself and not to me, but I’m glad I did.

I also wanted to note how awesome it is that you’ve written this article as a Jalopnik commenter. I’ve been floundering in the Jalopnik comment system for years now, wondering why my replies are always buried at the bottom of the stack. I’ve tried commenting early, I’ve tried commenting more frequently, I’ve tried…

OK, I’ve read the whole thing three times now, I love it. Fun fact, our rally team was once contacted by a general information magazine to provide some info about AWD systems. I gave a concise-for-me, simplified response (only 2000 words!) aimed at an audience that didn’t know what a differential was. They liked what…

omg I'm so excited to read this. Differentials are my favorite subject; I've been known to go on about them for hours. I'll follow-up when I've gone through it.

I have now realized, after spending a lot of time in many cars from the 90s, that there isn’t a single modern feature that I actually care enough about that I can’t go without. I appreciate the keyless ignition, backup cameras, triple-blink indicators, auto-up/down windows, etc when I have them... but I don’t miss…

Winner: This Dude Carrying Home A Race Car Door

Aww, the title image had me excited for Delica content, what a tease.

The general answer is, the same runoff control that prevents the area from being a puddle in the spring, prevents it from being an ice rink in the winter.

Love it! Too bad I beat you to it ;)

weird, all the embedded links I had got blown away when I got un-greyed..

weird, all the embedded links I had got blown away when I got un-greyed..

Before I got into EDC obsessiveness, I thought as you did. Truth is, there’s a huge quality-of-life difference between “within reach” and “always on your person”. Everything I used to pick at with my nails, rip open, or just wait until I had a knife- I can just do right away. You don’t really realize how many times…

Before I got into EDC obsessiveness, I thought as you did. Truth is, there’s a huge quality-of-life difference…

EDC is a total lifestyle changer. Your last paragraph says it best: we will all have a different approach to EDC, that’s why there’s such a community around it. My EDC goals are the same as yours: minimize the amount and weight of stuff I carry.

EDC is a total lifestyle changer. Your last paragraph says it best: we will all have a different approach to EDC,…

I would love to put up a nuclear plant in the field next to my house. I would love it even more if I had permission to swim in the nuclear storage pool, which would be completely safe to do.