Hey s2ki,

So this has been my first (and last!) winter in my s2k. I choose a good year to drive it lol but thankfully my morning commute is short.

My questions are regarding the differential behaviour and the stability of the car.

To start, when I apply throttle and traction is lost in snow, I can feel the diff working, with a steady constant throttle the rear will only slide so much, and basically try to straighten itself, this is the the result of power being altered to each drive wheel. If one wheel hits ice however, then it receives 100% of the power and I'm not going anywhere. I understand this is a property of the Torsen diff.

Knowing that, my first question is why when rear traction is broken, the passenger side rear tire seems to always lose traction first and the car steps out to the right, it's never the other way, to the left.

My second question relates to deceleration in a low traction environment. I understand that lifting off the throttle will transfer weight and with the tires loaded up in a corner you would feel the effect of doing so. However, what I find strange is that when I lift off and decel while going straight, I feel the car want to change direction slightly, the car does not feel stable, it's as if it wants to rotate. I find this behaviour odd, and I cannot tell whether it's a diff issue, or perhaps maybe alignment related? To be clear, the feeling I'm describing is very subtle, in the dry I'd never notice, but in yesterdays slippy conditions it was definitely a factor while lifting off at 100km/h on the highway, and I'm not talking about lifting off abruptly from WOT, it was noticeable during gradual deceleration, it's as if the car required constant throttle even while going straight to feel completely stable.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Jeff

 

What year is your s2k?

 

There could be a number of factors that give that effect.

Low tire pressure in one tire
road conditions
alignment

 

2004. I'll check pressures tonight. I suspect alignment more than anything, but the car tracks straight with constant throttle.

I'm worried that it won't snow again so I won't get to experiment anymore! I'm sure this behaviour is still there in the dry, but it's masked.
I love winter driving, it's like high speed track driving but at only 60km/h

 

My rear right always goes out first.

And with all the snow and ice that build up inside your wheels, it affects the balance of the wheels, and may mess with your alignment. Once they're dry it should be better.

 

Perhaps since more torque is being applied to one wheel and the roads are slippery, it's enough to slide out one side.

Our cars are light and 50/50 balance will amplify the effect

 

A huge factor is the grade of the road.

Try it from the oncoming lane (with no traffic of course )

 

With respect to my first question, about the car always sliding to the right, I've done this on many different roads and flat parking lots, doesn't matter it always slides to the right first.

With respect to the second, yes grade could have been a factor, I've really only noticed this decel behaviour a few times.

 

It was very slippery that's for sure, I was only comfortable going 75km/h on the highway, and I have very good Blizzaks.

 

The I believe the ring gear is on the left side. With a mechanical differential I think it plays a factor in very low torque situations.

When you decel (engine brake) the rear tires try to lock up causing that unstable situation.