Quote:
Originally posted by HotRodSaint
Then why is it an advatage to drag race an RWD car? Even the import guys convert FWD to RWD. |
Well, the answer is weight transfer. When you launch a car, much of the weight is transferred to the rear tires.
Is this a problem on the street? Very rarely. Even my Seville, with 300 lb*ft of torque, scoots right along with FWD. Modulate the power with the gas pedal and you're good to go. Most high performance rear wheel drive cars can overwhelm the drive tires, even with the weight transfer, so you still have to modulate the throttle.
Please list some functional advantages to RWD on the street. Remember, we're talking about average drivers here, not NASCAR or top fuel dragsters. I believe you'll find that most people live better with FWD than with RWD, which is why many manufacturers offer FWD cars. Some like Mercedes and BMW keep the performance aspect of RWD in their cars. Some like Volvo realize the drawbacks of RWD in winter weather and have switched to FWD long ago (with the 850 series I think back in the early 90s).
Having said all that, I prefer the driving feel of RWD cars. I grew up on RWD cars and they just "feel better" to me. I can tell when I'm driving FWD vs. RWD. Does that mean FWD doesn't have many advantages over RWD? Nah. There are many many reasons to make an arguement for FWD and besides the "feel good" factor, I can't think of many reasons I'd rather have RWD.
I continue to enjoy this discussion. If we turn it into a flame war, we don't do anyone any good, but cooperative discussion like this can lead to a lot of learning for everybody.