Fwd Or Rwd

chips229 · June 7, 2005

Just thought id do me first poll on here.

Which do you prefer and why?

Cheers chips.

Sorry if its been done before.

Anees · June 7, 2005

I was just going to ask the same question!

I bet most people will vote for RWD because (from my perception) it seems to be cooler??

I find with my Lexus I have to be alot more careful when going into bends at speed then did in my previous FWD car. Have to be smoother otherwise the backend can stepout.

Whats big fuss over RWD Vs FWD??

lexus boy · June 7, 2005

I like to be pushed not pulled :D

Bazza · June 7, 2005

on not good weather days - fwd

on good weather days -rwd

SHAHZ · June 8, 2005

on not good weather days - fwd
on good weather days -rwd

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Ditto

altezzaz · June 8, 2005

Is something wrong with 4wd? You get pushed and pulled....

Drummerboy · June 8, 2005

Same as Bazza and Shahz

fergy · June 8, 2005

I like RWD...as long as it has stability management (DSC etc) to catch me in the wet... I'd not buy a RWD car without it. (spun a MR2 roadster leaving a rounabout in rain so learnt the hard way)

Davey Boy · June 8, 2005

I like RWD...as long as it has stability management (DSC etc) to catch me in the wet... I'd not buy a RWD car without it. (spun a MR2 roadster leaving a rounabout in rain so learnt the hard way)

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RWD all the way.

in all weather. :D

fergy · June 8, 2005

I like RWD...as long as it has stability management (DSC etc) to catch me in the wet... I'd not buy a RWD car without it. (spun a MR2 roadster leaving a rounabout in rain so learnt the hard way)

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RWD all the way.

in all weather. :D

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Nahh...MR2 was way to scary, no notice that it was going and then went sooo quickly that it was near inpossible to catch. Funnily enough when they revised it they sorted the suspension to make it more catchable.

Use to love reading the car mags at the time, journalists crashing them all the time...just like I did

OLI_EP3 · June 8, 2005

RWD everytime......

rear wheels giving the driving force and front wheels giving the direction - in my eyes a perfect layout

FWD can be lightweight but will tend to understeer if pushed

AWD/4WD awesome traction but leads to a heavier car

Mark D · June 8, 2005

I like the fact that you don't need to bother with three point turns

Adie · June 8, 2005

on not good weather days - fwd
on good weather days -rwd

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Ditto

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Same as that :D

Mr Morse · June 8, 2005

I know a guy with a remapped Leon Cupra-R that puts out 280bhp at the fronts - it's somewhat wild to say the least!

MartinC · June 8, 2005

rear wheel drive cars all day long for me . One of the reasons I ended up with this rather than an Audi A4

chips229 · June 8, 2005

I was just going to ask the same question!
Whats big fuss over RWD Vs FWD??

←

I just thought it would be a good question to ask :)

People normally after passing there Driving Tests start off with a small size car,which are mostly if not all FWD

As most of the Lexus range are RWD,we have all driven both.

Cheers chips.

Mr Morse · June 8, 2005

It's a fair question....

The reason manufacturers go for FWD is so that they can fit a bigger engine in a smaller space - by mounting it longditudinally. The original Mini was the first. The downside is a smaller turning circle and, on powerful engines, wheelspin.

flotsam · June 8, 2005

Can't believe anyone asks this old question.

Front wheel drive only allows you to control the front with power or steering. The rear wheels are dependent only on momentum. Front wheel drive also has the problem of power steering; if you put your foot down in a powerful front wheel drive car, the power can pull against the steering wheel. Also (at least last time I looked), there was a problem with the amount of power the CV joints on a front wheel drive car could handle. In FWD, you have to guess the speed of a bend beforehand and lift-off going into the bend.

Rear wheel drive cars, on the other hand, allow control of the rear wheels in a bend and you constantly adjust on the limit as Tiff Needell will tell you. If in a well balanced car like the MR2 you apply power in a bend, then you can balance it to produce the right amount of over-steer. You can also consider opposite lock here for a power slide. If you lose it, over-steering into a bend, then you've got an on/off switch for a right foot. Rally drivers can slide into a bend at right angles so the drive is pushing the car into the bend whilst the momentum mostly carries them around. The MR2 has most of its weight centralised rather than hanging out either end. The idea is to have the engine forward of the rear wheels. This means it requires less effort to rotate the car around its centre of momentum.

Rear wheel drive also gives a more "natural" feel to the car. A well balanced car shouldn't give you any nasty suprises.

The worst offender is the Porsche 911 with the engine hanging out the back behind the rear wheels. In the dry this is fine for drag races because the engine one one side and the rest of the car on the other side of the rear driving wheels gives lots of traction. In the wet it means you can lose it on bends because the light front end loses traction more easily. Porsche tried to replace the bad design with the 928 which had almost perfect 49/51 weight distribution, but Porsche drivers preferred the dragster-style 911.

skeet94 · June 9, 2005

I actually prefer both!

Although I do agree RWD feels more "natural" than a FWD, but FWD cars are not necesarily boring.

RWD the whole car turns into a "cocoon" so to speak when going around bends, as the WHOLE car itself "feels" like it's going around the bend, where a FWD feels "longer". Can't explain it in more detail to be honest. If it was up to me though I'd go RWD for a performance car and FWD for a little "throw"-about car.