Best drive layout

Whats your favourite drive layout

  • Front Wheel Drive

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Rear Wheel Drive

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 4 Wheel Drive

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
Speaking as an Audi S8 driver who's had over a dozen All-Wheel-Drive vehicles, I still voted for RWD :eek: RWD just seems to give the best handling; it seems most in tune with the laws of physics, especially when it comes to the effects of weight transfer. The best AWD systems seem to sorta circumvent the laws of physics, which can be great, but just isn't my idea of "best".



Depends on what you mean by "best", I suppose (and the intended use of the vehicle). Heh heh, if I like RWD so much, why do I buy all the quattros :o Easy answer- they're great in crappy weather and for those rare but critical moments like the "deer incident".
 
Interesting reply! I voted for rear drive as well. The only 4wd's I've owned were a Grand Cherokee (for OFF-roading), and a Nissan Skyline GT-R. I really can't understand why some "high-performance" cars come with 4wd. The only advantage I can see is traction in the wet; my present Silvia and lesser Skylines I've driven (with rear drive) are far more "natural" in their dynamics, and I think generally more nimble and fun to drive. I wonder why some cars like the Gallardo have 4wd - maybe I'm missing something (Ferrari doesn't seem to think so. . .) :nixweiss
 
I voted for front wheel drive. I have had 3 rear wheel drive vehicles and two front wheel drive vehicles and by far the best handling has been the front wheel drive for me. The car goes where I steer it and I never worry about the front end oversteer. In the winter the weight of the engine is above the wheels getting power unlike a rear wheel drive car which is usually not fun in snowy or wet conditions. But that is just my take on things. I personally prefer front wheel drive over rear wheel drive for my driving situations and conditions.
 
I'm with you 2001civicex!

I've only driven Honda Front Wheel Drives for the last 30 years, and find their handling to be excellent. I'm not out to drag race anybody, but it sure is nice to know that when the weather turns bad, I'll be able to get home safely!

Norah
 
norahcrv said:
I'm with you 2001civicex!

I've only driven Honda Front Wheel Drives for the last 30 years, and find their handling to be excellent. I'm not out to drag race anybody, but it sure is nice to know that when the weather turns bad, I'll be able to get home safely!

Norah
Click to expand...



Yeah, I love the way my car handles. Grant it I have a bigger rear sway bar, lower tie bar, lowered susupension, and front and rear strut bars but it handles very nice and the weight ratios on the Hondas are nice too. I beleive my weight ratio is 49/51 or visa versa. But then again I am no drad racer.
 
IMO, chassis, suspension design, and tires are much better indicators of good handling than drivetrain layout. And, to reiterate what Accumulator mentioned: Best for what use? Horses for courses, and all that . . .



That said, in general I prefer AWD.



Tort
 
2001civicex said:
Yeah, I love the way my car handles. Grant it I have a bigger rear sway bar, lower tie bar, lowered susupension, and front and rear strut bars but it handles very nice and the weight ratios on the Hondas are nice too. I beleive my weight ratio is 49/51 or visa versa. But then again I am no drad racer.
Click to expand...



More like 60/40 with the weight bias to the front.



I'm not bashing as I have a few of the front drivers too.;)
 
My front drive Integra is pretty neutral after a couple suspension changes. The Type R Integra was chosen as one of the best handling cars ever. I think these days it comes down to what is more practical for YOU. If I were looking to drag race, rear/AWD all the way. Road racing, RWD. Day to day and safety, gimme my FWD car any day of the week.
 
SpoiledMan said:
My front drive Integra is pretty neutral after a couple suspension changes. The Type R Integra was chosen as one of the best handling cars ever. I think these days it comes down to what is more practical for YOU. If I were looking to drag race, rear/AWD all the way. Road racing, RWD. Day to day and safety, gimme my FWD car any day of the week.
Click to expand...



You really think road racing you are better off RWD? I always thought that the FWD cars do better in the road courses...given they are of somewhat equal ponies. I know autocross the fwd cars seem to do better.



I really don't know, I am just asking.
 
Properly set up, a FWD car can do pretty well against the others on a road course BUT, it's easier to use ALL of your power with a RWD car in the same situation. You have to plan your turn a little more with a FWD car whereas the balance is pretty easy to change on a RWD car on those nice long sweeping turns. I have seen lots of auto crossing as the local horse track parking lot hosts lots of AC events and ride and drive events. It tends to come down to driver and setup. Big power doesn't guarantee a win so much as being smooth and well setup.
 
I have a Miata (RWD) with the factory sports suspension and not many cars can outhandle it. In the snow, I have to put on winter tires. But as long as I can clear the depth of the snow, I fare better than, dare I say, 4-wheel drive SUVs. And that's even up hills.
 
this vote is lacking.. there should be an option for AWD... thats my vote. Its definately the most fun for corners in my opinion.
 
SpoiledMan said:
I think that would fall under the 4 wheel drive choice.
Click to expand...



There is a difference between them.... :)

from the www.howstuffworks.com website



# Four-wheel drive - Usually, when carmakers say that a car has four-wheel drive, they are referring to a part-time system. For reasons we'll explore later in this article, these systems are meant only for use in low-traction conditions, such as off-road or on snow or ice.



# All-wheel drive - These systems are sometimes called full-time four-wheel drive. All-wheel-drive systems are designed to function on all types of surfaces, both on- and off-road, and most of them cannot be switched off.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top