Detailed discussion of Toyotas awd system, specifically for the st205 Options

[enderswift]

hey everyone,

here's what I 'think' I know. The awd system fitted into the st205 is pretty ancient compared to today's cars, but was decent when it first came out and was organized out like this:

1. There was an open differential in the transversely mounted transmission that had a transfer case coming out of the rear.
2. No center differential but a center bearing instead. So it always had a 50/50 front/rear torque split
3. rear differential came with a torsen limited slip

lets compare this to other awd systems. Past and present. Subaru is really big on the fact that they have a symmetrical awd system. Do you guys think the fact that an st205s unequal front axles hurts the car?

and, could it be possible to fit the limited slip from an mr2 and have torsens front and rear? I think that would be interesting since apparently one of the biggest handling problems with the st205 is that the the inside front wheels spin on really sharp turns.

heres an interesting video comparing modern awd system:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooQRxlChvMw

[enderswift]

On thing to remember is that this car is not AWD, it is 4WD.

Love that gt4

love those gt4s too. But I dont think we can call it 4wd. observe:

http://www.rubicon-trail.com/4WD101/4WD-AWD-autoAWD.html

The whole naming thing is a crapshoot. Still, I think its fair to call the gt4 an awd


So from what I have read online, and from what you guys have said, the gt4 is a pretty decent system. The front and rear axles both get 50% of torque all the time because of the differential in the transfer case. I wonder what the celi would be like if it had a driver controlled center diff . The differential up front is open so any loss of traction up front puts all the responsibilities on the rear. So in the worst case scenario the st205 can be one wheel drive if the fronts and one of the rears lost traction. I'm amazed that the torsen was only standard on the 205, it just seems like such a vital thing to have...

Someone said you could put a Cusco torsen up front, what about the lsd from an mr2? I think that would be a lot cheaper and really bring out the capabilities of awd system.

This post has been edited by enderswift: Jan 17, 2011 - 11:33 AM