kenji4861

iTrader: (4)

This is my conversation with a friend.

K E N J I 4 8 61: I personally don't know why RWD has advantage
Takeru *: im not gonna race or anything..
Takeru *: when u accelerate
Takeru *: the weight goes to the rear wheels
Takeru *: so RWD gets more traction
K E N J I 4 8 61: compared to FWD?
Takeru *: yea
K E N J I 4 8 61: then why's all our cars not RWD?
Takeru *: FWD is easier to handle..
Takeru *: and easier to build
Takeru *: cause u don need a drive shaft

Is this true?

Travii

Yes for the most part.

kenji4861

iTrader: (4)

Let me get this cleared up

RWD - accelerates faster
FWD - better handling
AWD - both?

So... a AWD 160hp car would accelerate faster than a FWD 160hp car?

S2000man01

iTrader: (1)

no.... RWD cars will handle better as well. Also better for accelerating, and better for launching. Though AWD is king of the launch, but more power is lost from the crank to the wheels.

and yes, RWD needs a driveshaft, as where FWD uses a transaxle.

Travii

Yes. An AWD will own off the line and everywhere else to a FWD car, more traction. A RWD car will out do pretty much everything except an awd off the line.

S2000man01

iTrader: (1)

not necessarily. for argument's sake, let's say you had two identical cars, except one was FWD and one was AWD and both made 160hp at the crank. the AWD would own off the launch, but the FWD would eventually pass, since AWD has more drivetrain loss and puts less hp to the wheels.

cars that are AWD don't necessarily accelerate faster... they just launch better.

robbclark1

iTrader: (8)

But the AWD will probably have the best handling out of all of them. FWD cars save some power by not having to send the power to the rear wheels (besides cars that have the engine in the rear). The are easier to build, but both RWD and AWD will own off the line. Just think of it this way. You have a cart with wheels that has a 40 inch TV on top. Will it be easier to push or pull that cart? It is definitely more easier to push that cart. Now if you could push AND pull that cart, you will get places a little quicker.

n00dleboy

RWD cars CAN handle better than FWD but is harder to drive.
The everyday average driver will handle a car better on a FWD than a RWD. Your directional
wheels are not your accerlating wheels for a RWD car so in fact you actually have MORE control if
you know what your doing, but you'll need more torque to correct yourself out of slippery conditions.

ZeroFighter

fwd sucks, or does it? http://home.insightbb.com/~hlh0501/h..._fwd_sucks.mpg

Neonmike

Handling is still a function of suspension tuning moreso than which wheels are being driven.

S2000man01

iTrader: (1)

that shows a bunch of RWD vehicles that either didn't launch or couldn't drive. What were the 60' times on that car? You'd be hard pressed to get 2.1 or 2.2 on a FWD car on street tires.

Neonmike

Gus Mahon used to get 1.9s with an open diff on all season tires in a dodge minivan. It's all about proper suspension tuning.

S2000man01

iTrader: (1)

Didn't say it wasn't possible. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG] but you'd be hard pressed to do it.

on top of that, if you are talking equal mods, ie, same suspension work on a RWD and FWD, the RWD will still own on the launch.

Neonmike

Heh, for gus it was a matter of putting a block of wood under the one side of the swaybar, moving the battery to the passenger's side, and getting an alignment and some practice in.

Once he geared it down and put it on slicks, it was down to 1.8-1.7 range. Very impressive for a stock suspensioned FWD vehicle, and unpossibly crazy for a minivan!

Unstoppable

RWD is better for launching, and allows you to launch at a higher RPM. FWD does not handle better than RWD Cars, they are "easier" to handle. On the other hand, RWD handles better than FWD cars, albeit harder to control and requires more skill. As you get used to it, the back coming out becomes quite predictable and allows you to control the fish tailing.

Do FWD cars transfer the weight to the Rear of the car under acceleration? While RWD transfer the weight to the Front?

S2000man01

iTrader: (1)

no... no matter whether its FWD or RWD, the weight shifts to the back.

bth Go Army

I drove an 1995 M3 before this civic, driving the civic is a piece of cake. But i must say that RWD is better handling around corners. AWD is good for accel but cheap at the topend. Anyways, i guess the fact it was an M3 might have somethin to do with it [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/IMG]

PESTLNC

After coming from a RWD to my FWD Civic...dear God do I miss RWD.

robbclark1

iTrader: (8)

I don't miss it at all but maybe it is because I had a 4 cyl mustang which had less HP than my civic. I hated taking turns in wet weather and sliding because there is no weight in the back. I think my civic handles better.

S2000man01

iTrader: (1)

uhm, I'd have to see that to believe it. otherwise BS.

A 1.9 60 ft requires around 0.9-1.0g of avg. acceleration (depending on how much time is elapsed during the roll out - call it 1 to 2 tenths). You'd be hard pressed to generate 1 g under braking with your typical all-season tires, let alone sustain it accelerating in a FWD vehicle where all the weight is being transferred off the drive wheels. A 2.2 second 60 ft requires in the vicinity of 0.7 g which is really pushing it even on sticky tires for a FWD vehicle. Most FWD cars on street tires are hard pressed to generate more than 0.55-0.6 g peak acceleration before tire slip - hence the difficulty for most drivers to do better than a 2.25-2.3 60 ft on streets.

Neonmike

avenger

yep, FWD SUCKS, lets face it, its designed for idiot drivers and it saves money... rwd is so much better, my next car will be RWD or AWD no matter what

mattskav

These are all generalizations, there are exceptions to these rules in any case...

FWD is better when cost, size, weight, and efficiency matter, for mom and pop it is the best all around choice. It also provides better traction in mid to low horsepower applications by biasing the weight of the vehicle forward thus it a better choice in snowy climates as well.

RWD is better when weight, efficiency, steering performance and dry track handling are important. It is ideal to have a mid engine rear driver, though RWD is far from space efficient.

AWD is the better choice when traction and controll are critical and weight and performance are not key. thus it is the best choice in snowy climates, for dirt tracks, rally racing etc... The cars are generally heavier, slower, smaller per unit weight, less efficient, and more expensive than their counter parts.