[Guna]

I dont know if someone has already pointed this out
FWD cars tend to understeer and RWD cars tend to oversteer in general.

[sanchits]

guys, i just got to know that JDM CIVIC Mugen RR is the worlds best FWD car and the fastest.

[taranonline]

Originally Posted by chetan

one word for RWD sideways!!!!!!!!!

Or the new straight way....

[suneel]

RWD is much more fun to drive but also much harder to control at high speeds. AWD is probably the best for overall performance, control and utility. But RWD does make for the sweetest stunts

[Xeno]

Of my knowledge FWD systems

- more likely to remain in control during emergencies. I.e for normal people with unpolished skills

- Transmission losses are minimum because there's no axle, and the rear wheels thus can be made independent of each other without any connecting shaft (differential etc)

- Does not oversteer as RWD's

-Driving in the hills would be more advantageous with a RWD than FWD.

-As mentioned FWD's are not good during accelerating since the weight balance tips to the rear but then...
its good for braking since the weight distribution would be more front biased in FWD cars, and while braking the car dips to the front, thus increasing the frictional force at the front wheels making braking more effective.

[nukeblitz]

As far as I know it's not just which wheels are driven but also the position of the engine.
The engine may be at the front, middle or the rear.
While the drive can be FWD. RWD or AWD.
And the car can have any combination of these.

A RWD car with the engine at the rear would minimize power loss and since RWDs inherently are more nimble albeit less controlled, you see this configuration in many sports coupes...and the tata nano. These cars have the boot in the front.

Pick any car you want and check out the wikipedia entry for the car. It'll give you the position of the engine and the drive of the car. Also there explanations and advantages of different engine and drive combinations.

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by Guna

I dont know if someone has already pointed this out
FWD cars tend to understeer and RWD cars tend to oversteer in general.

Spot on @ Guna. I liked your choice of words - "tend to". Understeer is the inherent tendency in FWD and oversteer is the inherent tendency in RWD cars, particularly at higher speeds. Designers and manufacturers go to great lengths to overcome this tendency (and sometimes succeed so well that you have RWD cars with oversteer and FWD cars with understeer (or hints thereof) - one can research the same in old issues of Top Gear, Motor and other motoring mags.

Most people (manufacturers included) seem to be of the opinion that to drive the car, steer and brake is too much for the front wheels alone. They therefore recommend that while the braking be shared by all the wheels, the steering and the driving be segregated except in 4WD.

While RWD/FWD/4WD do affect handling and ride quality, they only marginally affect the stability of a vehicle. Stability being affected more by chassis and suspension.

In my personal experience, a RWD car that is misbehaving is easier to tame than a FWD car that decides to throw a tantrum. If ESP is not available, I would prefer RWD for slippery conditions like wet roads, blacktops with loose sand/gravel/soil on them. If nothing else, the slides and wheelspin definitely look more dramatic in RWD!

Incidentally I noticed that BMW, MB etc. stick to RWD/4WD.


Cheers and happy driving.

[AyAn!]

You tend to feel more comfortable driving a RWD car...like this was how it was meant to be...except a maruti omni!!..plus all that manic wheelspinning and donuts

[frienduday]

FWD are good for city use & are lighter than RWD cars.
Well arnd tight corners an FWD can turn more easily than RWD.
RWD have lots of excitement level .

['72 Bullet]

Like already mentioned by so many of our members...

Front-wheel drives are prone to under-steer & Rear-wheel drives are prone to over-steer. There are of course other variables:
1. Weight distribution (arguably the most important factor)
2. Suspension
3. Chassis stiffness and basic design

On generalizing though, rear-wheel drives handle better & are agile. They are incomparable on good dry tarmac. It is impossible for a front-wheel drive or an all-wheel drive to ever handle as well as a rear-wheel drive, the few specimens that do come close rely on endless amounts of electronic wizardry and clever designs.

The draw-backs are that they're not as economical as front-wheel drives to produce, it takes a skilled driver to fully exploit it's potential, and they can be dangerous on twisty roads and/or on slippery surfaces, unless in the hands of an accomplished driver(they can very easily spin-out).

On the other hand though, front-wheel drives are perfect for the modern market and drivers nowadays. They are cheaper to produce and lighter as well as more compact. Also, they are much safer even for an inexperienced driver. Many people in europe prefer them as they are so much better in snow(better than rear-wheel drives).

Personally i don't really care which wheels are powered while i'm driving about in the city, for sheer driving pleasure though, rear wheel drive's the way to go.....

['72 Bullet]

Originally Posted by frienduday

FWD are good for city use & are lighter than RWD cars.
Well arnd tight corners an FWD can turn more easily than RWD.
RWD have lots of excitement level .

not true uday.. RWDs are much more agile and better around corners. Since the front wheels are only involved with steering and aren't being powered, they can have a much better turning radius. FWDs on the other hand have a limit to how much they can turn since the same wheels are required for steering as well as providing power. CV joints have limits you know.. also the steering geometry can not be as precise as a RWD.. Another thing is that they tend to under-steer (they go wide around corners)

FWDs are much better on slippery conditions though, and are easy to drive because it's difficult to go wrong. At the worst you start going wide, and you know that you have to slow down a little. Even with limited skills you can take them fast onto the twisties.

[addyhemmige]

I recently saw a program on TV. A guy who was traversing in the African countryside in a 4X4 (most probably it was a land rover) had a break down and lost power to the rear wheels. He still continues with the FWD till he reaches a steep gradient. But he cannot manage to drive up the gradient.

Then he just turns the car back towards the direction he came from and attempts to drive up the gradient in reverse!!! And he does it easily

The logic here: When there is more weight on the wheels, it has better grip on the road and will not spin. Apparently, the weight of his engine is heavier than the load in the back of his vehicle, so it did have better traction.

[SamtheLeo]

Guys,

Please also explain the difference,

1 In engines being in front & car being RWD
2. Engines being in Rear & car being RWD

[abhayshanu]

car being RWD, meaning that the rear wheels of the car are powered by the engine.

No diffeence between the two you mentioned, cars like the mustang, viper, supra, skyline, etc have rear wheel drive with engine up front.
Cars having engine in the rear can be rear wheel drive also, but lamborghini use AWD, i think porsche carrera GT is a rear wheel drive car with its engine in the rear. Also this provides better balance to the vehicle.

[Samir Taheer]

Originally Posted by abhayshanu

car being RWD, meaning that the rear wheels of the car are powered by the engine.

No diffeence between the two you mentioned, cars like the mustang, viper, supra, skyline, etc have rear wheel drive with engine up front.
Cars having engine in the rear can be rear wheel drive also, but lamborghini use AWD, i think porsche carrera GT is a rear wheel drive car with its engine in the rear. Also this provides better balance to the vehicle.

I would consider both the Lamborghini and CGT to be Mid-Engined cars.

@SamtheLeo - For a better explanation for advantages/disadvantages of Front Engine and Mid-Engine layouts it think its best to refer to this -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-engine_design