Quote:
Originally Posted by island911
I see what you and the article say, but one thing maybe missed is that the Cayenne air suspension readjusts itself --it doesn't simply pump-up all the 4 corners for more ground clearance. Instead, when any wheel is loaded light or heavy, the air suspension will adjust. It's not particularly fast in large adjustments, but it does constantly sense and adjust downward wheel pressure - even when parked. ..which people do find out when trying to change a tire w/o turning the suspension system off. (ignition off doesn't turn off the suspension)
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If that was the case, I don't think they would have come to the conclusion they did - i.e. it doesn't have the articulation required.
I'd bet that on very rough roads, the Cayenne would be equal to the Wrangler, likely be able to go over many things faster and be smoother - in that case it is better. But when the trail gets really rough and ceases to be a maintained road, the Wrangler will win. It is designed for it. The Cayenne, can probably go 70% of where a stock Rubicon Wrangler can while maintaining excellent roads manners. That is amazing.
As to the CV's:
1. Tires are much stronger and thicker than any CV boot.
2. CV's are not as strong as a U-joint style articulating axle. Great strides have been made, but they do not have the strength and durability of a u-joint stye joint at high articulation angles. Compounding the problem is that an independent suspension CV joint is at an "angle" almost always. A solid axle's joint only articulates when the wheels are turned. Even then, they still have near full shear strength due to their pin design. There is a reason why drag racers will run solid axles once power levels get extremely high. And I'll immediately counter any notion that the wrangler power output is too low. When you run through a low-speed transfer case giving a drive ration of 70:1 or higher, axle torque becomes extreme.