daneinbalto

Also http://www.subaru.se go to "tillbehor"

Thanks, but I wasn't looking to know how to tell if a car has an LSD. I am looking for a new car for my wife, which I will also occasionally be driving. She wants an automatic, so I was thinking of a 2002-3 WRX with auto. However, to save money, I am also considering a 2000-1 Impreza RS w/ auto. Because winter traction is important, my interest in the 2000-1 Impreza RS depends on whether it has a rear LSD like the WRX does. So my question remains: Does the 2000-1 Impreza RS with auto have an LSD?

nobody knows the answer to this question!?!

According to several sources on the net, the US market 2000-2001 Impreza RS has a rear viscous LSD. At least with the 5MT. This is in contrast to the 98-99 models (strangely, the presence of an LSD on the 2000-2001 models is not listed on cars101.com). Now to my question. Do the automatic (4EAT) 2000-2001 RS models also have a rear viscous LSD? If you know the answer, I would appreciate if you could add to your post where you have this information from. Is it from sales materials, a workshop manual, original window sticker, or simply hearsay?

Yesterday I went and got my wife's Toyota PA inspected while still on MD plates. I still need to take my own two cars through the same process. The Toyota got both window stickers (emissions and safety). The PennDOT rules explicitly state that it is LEGAL to affix PA window stickers to an out-of-state vehicle. Other than the stickers, I don't have any paperwork to show that my wife's car has been inspected, but I assume that this information is stored under the VIN in the PennDOT data base. I hope it will go smoothly when I go to get the car registered. As the car is inspected, I don't need temporary tags, so my situation may be a bit different. I have learned that here in PA, one goes to a tag/title agency or an auto club (AAA) to deal with the paperwork. That is not how it is in AZ or MD or most other states. If I want to do it myself, there is only one place in the whole state, PennDOT HQ in Harrisburg, that will deal with me directly. That's 80 miles away. Daneinbalto

The deal is that once you go to the notary or title/tag agency and get your temporary PA tags, then you have 10 days to get it inspected. On the other hand, as long as you still have your MD plates, you are not time restricted in terms if you want to fix things yourself, or maybe even sell the car. If I have the car on MD plates, I can take a buyer out for a spin, they can test the engine, listen for rattles, etc. If I have it temporarily registered in PA and it fails, then I won't be able to take anybody out for a spin. The car becomes "dead weight". When I previously brought the car into MD, I had VA plates on it, which was great because I could drive it around and have things fixed cheaply or do things myself. I would like to have the same freedom in Philadelphia (no Elton John pun intended). The car is legally insured (the insurance papers only state the VIN, not the license plate), so that shouldn't be a problem. I called around and found a pepboys that will inspect it while it is still on MD plates.

Mechanics in Philly tell me that they will not inspect an out-of-state vehicle prior to its PA registration. I would prefer to have my vehicle inspected before PA registration. PennDOT says I can and refer me to this publication: http://www.dot10.state.pa.us/pdotforms/pub_45/section_ab.pdf (go to page 8) Any comments on this?

That's exactly the information I was looking for. BMW (X-drive) and Toyota/Lexus have systems that are described in a similar manner. I wonder if they are identical except for their standard torque split and the controlling software.

Hi, this is daneinbalto. I am a member since 1999 or 2000, but I have been inactive for a while, so I guess I got bumped off and had to reactivate... I moved from Baltimore to Phila but decide to stick with daneinbalto as my user name. Good to see that many of the old ones are still around. Anyway, my question is whether the Variable Torque Distribution system is mechanical or electronic. The few pictures I have been able to locate on the Web suggest that it consists of a planetary central differential and a viscous coupling as a locking mechanism. The planetary (aka epicyclic or epicycloid) differential is quite commonly used to achieve an uneven torque split. As such it is used on the Lancia Delta Integrale, AWD BMWs from the 325ix forward, and I believe, even on the early Huyndai Santa Fe. So it would make sense if VTD indeed had a planetary center diff. But from the pictures, I can't tell if the planetary differential of the VTD is combined with a (mechanical) viscous coupling or an electromagnetic clutch. Does anybody know? It would be elegant if it was wholly mechanical. Daneinbalto