people who struggle with basic car control will prefer fwd but mostly 4wd

 

RWD rules. try drifting a fwd car.

 

i dont like fwd not from a performance point of view. when i put the gtr in front bias for power its still only transfering around 250 bhp to the front wheels but the torque steer is immense, so if all 600 went there not alot would happen lol

rwd has always been my favourite but since driving the gtr the system is truly awesome, switchable to rwd at the flick of a switch. and it only transfers power to the front wheels when the rears loose grip. traction would be a major issue in the dry without the 4wd system.

there are exceptions though the new focus seems to cope very well with 300 ponies to the front.

imo steering and all powering on the same axle is definiteley not the way forward

 

most rwd cossies handle like a sack of shite on a ski slope everyone wants 400+BHP In a chassis that had trouble handling 120 bhp pinto power

i am a rwd person thus gtst rwd and hicas removed 3 days after buying the car ! owned a evo 7 6 years ago and once i got used to going around corners at warp 9 and nothing would happen unless you didnt keep your foot in (that took about 8 hours of driving over 4 days) i sold it

 

i prefer rear wheel drive if you are a driver and not just a steerer you shouldnt be throwing them backwards into hedges. fwd is ok its very practical in most driving situations but when you get to massive power it becomes a bit useless imho too much tourque steer and wheelspin for my liking
4wd i dont really like they tend to understeer if pushed really hard and everyone knows a rear drive cossie will do everything a 4wd cossie will do and more so!

perfect example was me racing my mate in the rain when i had my rover 620 turbo he had a d reg e30 325, i had 220bhp he had 170 bhp it was pissing down with rain we set off from the lights his back tyres scrabbled for grip for a second then he was away i however struggled for grip and smoked the tyres through 1st 2nd and 3rd by which point he was long gone!

 

yeh a lock out bar is used to remove it mate removed it gives a lot more feel what the car is doing

 

Like them all really, as stated it depends on the car. I like FWD for the pure liberties that can be taken, RWD for the sense of acceleration and steering feel, 4WD bores me but driving round in a Mitsi during the snow we had recently was a boon

 

A rwd only fishtails if you come off the throttle too aggressively, so that IMO is just driver error . With oversteer, you can still go around the corner (albeit sideways ). With understeer, your only recourse is to come off the throttle, or you just won't make it round the corner - that is not my idea of fun .

IMO FWD is for the average driver who just wants a car to go from A to B and isn't really interested in the dynamics of handling. Don't get me wrong, there are some nice "handling" (in the dry ) FWD cars, but you would never chose one over a "proper" sports car - as I said - shopping / to and from work only .

 

Mike, if you cant make a fwd car oversteer when you want it to then you havent set it up right, the wheels driven arent the only things that define wether a car understeers or eversteers, there are plenty of rwd cars that have a tendancy to understeer, and loads of fwd cars that will gloriously lift off oversteer on demand (like the new focus RS for example)
I agree though that for a PROPER sportscar it should be rwd, and preferably mid engined!

 

Lol Ur pretty set on rwd then. How cums fwd car's win the touring car championship?

 

Because the rules of the championship are in their favour, the power is limited to naff all and there are weight penalties for rwd and 4wd cars, and when you have low power output weight is critical.

Also dont forget there is very little in common between a touring car's suspension and chassis dynamics and in particular weight distribution and that of a road car, so its not indicative of how a road car responds.

 

fair point there was just wondering. So chip focus rs vs saff cossie rwd 2miles of b roads. Ur winner???

 

Well it depends on the power of each, but assuming its similar, I personally would be quicker down a b road in a fwd car, especially if the rwd is a sierra, too easy to end up tapping the sides of the road in a rwd car which is ok if you are rallying but not very convenient if you are trying to keep your road car in good order.

 

that's pretty much it in the real world fwd is quicker 4 most, other than really gd experienced drivers. Ppl say front wheel drive isn't a drivers car really bug me. Lmao

 

I appreciate that, but the second you get back on the power and after it has pulled the car straight - if it is powerful, it will just go back into understeer. It's just not my cup of tea - even Martin's Raudi (although comically quick), it is just not satisfying - I can't quite describe what I mean, but when you nail a perfect drift in a rwd or awd car, it is immensely gratifying. IMO there isn't the same dynamic joys available in an fwd car. I just don't like what happens when the power overcomes the tyres grip in fwd - it's joyless.

 

that's pretty much it in the real world fwd is quicker 4 most, other than really gd experienced drivers. Ppl say front wheel drive isn't a drivers car is that because Ur not constantly worrying about losing the back?. Lmao

 

Focus EVERY time - a standard Cossie is rubbish handling - it takes a reasonable amount of money spent on the chassis to draw even level with a STANDARD Focus, let alone an RS version .

 

My old corsa was an absolute nightmare, 294bhp with no diff, would happily light up the front wheels in 4th gear...

but ive got a mate running near on 400bhp in a 306gti6 and he says that doesnt spin up other than top of 2nd if your REALLY going for it...

His is supercharged and quaffe'd up, so has the powercurve of an NA!

difference is the way they were both set up, tyres, diffs. you CAN have the power there if you have all the right bits to help get the power down!

 

Seriously? Never realised they were that bad. Never driven 1 but always will want 2 as my experience wiv rwd is pretty poor mx5 and mgb. Lol not my car's by the way.

 

yup my mk2 frs standard put the power down nice with no drama`s.

 

They were okay brand new, but most people haven't got a clue on how to make them handle, and "slam them to the deck", which makes them understeer as badly as fwd due to the push-on effect the rear beam gives .

Unless you went in a well sorted one, you would be very disappointed - the Focus chassis is very well sorted, especially compared to a car with 17 year old components .

An MX5 is a cool little car with great handling .

 

same here hicas is wank tbh

 

wasnt fwd originally developed to save space in the cabin and improve driver safety. nothing to do with performance, although with modern advances and trial and error modern fwd cars are exeptional.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dQHJrxcj4k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSP_MvxtoeU

next

 

what picky little prick left that tag!? Lmao

 

Nope!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drifting_%28motorsport%29

Rich

 

i thought drifting started in japan when they would race and that guy would always win so he started drifting to give others a chance and it cought on iirc. :s

 

i get on with front wheel drive ,rear wheel drive ,and 4 wheel drive but then again i can drive bloody well

 

that's because Ur never goin fast enough to lose control because the car is weighed down by Ur ego. Lmao

 

track days mate you cant beat them flog the crap out of your car without putting others in danger unlike idiots the speed on the streets which i have done and regret now save myself for the track,plus if you spin there is a good chance you wont hit anything

 

 

Very true Mike. But if you're a shit driver you'll still end up on top of a roundabout no matter what wheels are being driven!

 

and a little boring!

i like fucking about when driving, and you cant hang the arse out on a fwd. unless in the snow, on the handbrake in the works van

 

My fave rear driven car has a very short wheelbase and an engine in the middle, only has an 1800cc Rover K-series too. The Elise is probably the best car i've driven for feedback speed means feck all just the drive.

 

rwd
4wd
fwd
in that order

 

FPMSL

 

fwd is boring no sideways actionok for a family car not for a performance car i was ford would wake up and put the new focus RS's rwd or 4x4