Front Wheel Drive v/s Rear Wheel Drive

Mr.Rage · 15th December 2006, 08:22

Its Really though to handle a high powered rear wheel drive unless or until you have traction on, Especially in rain and snow the cars arnt east to drive... But the same with a 250HP front wheel drive you can... like they say rear wheel drive is not for everybody...

I crashed my Beemer trying to do something stupid with traction control & DSC Turned off in the rain... Bad experience... its still sitting at the Car dealer getting repaired... its getting a complete front left suspension change!!

but the fun you get driving a rear wheel in the rain is Awesome!! but not worth the crash!! So ppl with rear wheel drives be very careful when the traction is turned off...

Shan2nu · 15th December 2006, 10:54

Have you guys seen that vid where they race a Civic Type R vs a S2000 in the wet?

The S2000 was struggling for traction while the Civic was comfortably cruising behind it. Eventually, the Civic won that race...."just".

Whether you got RWD, FWD or AWD, they all have their strenghts and weaknesses. So, it doesn't really make sense saying so'n'so drive is the best.

They're all kings in their own territories.

This is the vid -

YouTube - Civic Type R vs S2000

Shan2nu

WILDTHING · 24th January 2007, 01:36

Hey,
Just a brief about various types of engine placement on a car and how it affects the car and its drive.

FF-Stands for Front engine front wheel drive. It is the safest of all better handler and also very cost effective.Most front-wheel drive vehicles today feature transverse engine mounting, where as in past decades engines were mostly positioned longitudinally instead.

FR - Stands for front engine rear wheel drive. It is preferred by the Germans.Better handling in dry conditions - accelerating force is applied to the rear wheels, on which the down force increases, due to load transfer in acceleration, making the rear tires better able to take simultaneous acceleration and curving than the front tires.

MR - Stands for Mid engine rear wheel drive. Its is preferred by the Italians.

It sounds great feels good but drives bad.Mid Engine Rear wheel drive is one in which the rear wheels are driven by an engine placed just in front of them,right behind the passenger compartment. This layout is typically chosen for its low polar inertia and relatively favorable weight distribution . It is not suitable as the weight is pushed more on the back of the car and is not ideal for handling regular cars ,but is used in formula 1 cars.

RR - Stands for rear engine rear wheel drive.It is usually used in big cars like Contessa, Qualis, Fiat, Ambassador, Sumo, Safari and even Mercedes.
there is a vast disadvantage of the RR is that placing the engine outside the wheelbase creates significant problems for handling as, when the car begins to slide on a corner, the end of the car will tend to want to swing wide and overtake the front ,especially under braking and will cause the car to spin during a sharp turn.

and FA - Stands for Front engine all wheel drive.It is preferred by the Japanese.All-wheel drive or AWD are terms used to describe a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all of the four wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously.These cars are included in the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) category. or also known as off road vehicles powering all four wheels and it also plays an important role in rally racing on mostly-paved roads.

Cheers.

Mpower · 24th January 2007, 04:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by WILDTHING

RR - Stands for rear engine rear wheel drive.It is usually used in big cars like Contessa, Qualis, Fiat, Ambassador, Sumo, Safari and even Mercedes.

Yeah. Are you sure about this.

Shan2nu · 24th January 2007, 09:30

Quote:

RR - Stands for rear engine rear wheel drive.It is usually used in big cars like Contessa, Qualis, Fiat, Ambassador, Sumo, Safari and even Mercedes.

U need to double check what you type, buddy!!!

Shan2nu

WILDTHING · 24th January 2007, 09:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

U need to double check what you type, buddy!!!

Shan2nu

sorry, my mistake, i got the examples wrong

...probably was wee- bit sleepy when i wrote that party...lol...will double cross check next time...

BEEM3R · 24th January 2007, 11:49

big gran turismo fan arnt you?

whatcanthisbe · 24th January 2007, 12:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Afterall, the whole discussion is about the handling on Rwds' and Fwds'.

Have you ever tried to go full throttle from a redlight in a 3.8 L FWD car and the same in a 3.3l RWD car ???? I guess not ... else you would know abt torque steer
have you gone 80 MPH in the same car(FWD) around corners and 90 MPH inthe RWD one .... i guess not else you would know the diff in handling.... in the snow with regular tires the FWD wins hands down give both the cars FWD & RWD a set of Blizzaks (IMO one of the best snow tires) and then see the RWD kill the fwd ...

I have had both cars in the snowy regions of upstate NY and speak from exp

whatcanthisbe · 24th January 2007, 12:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aditya

Only Audis are Front Wheel Driven.

Quattro !!! 4 wheel drive

BEEM3R · 24th January 2007, 13:15

Can you name these 3.8L FWD car and 3.3L RWD car? It'll give us a better picture. And torque steer can be experienced in some cars we get to drive in india as well. I sometimes get it in my Accord 2.4. Used to experience it all the time in my 2.8L VR6 VW GTi in college. FWD are a lot more easier to handle in the snow, but RWD more entertaining yet downright scary at times.

whatcanthisbe · 24th January 2007, 17:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by BEEM3R

Can you name these 3.8L FWD car and 3.3L RWD car? It'll give us a better picture. And torque steer can be experienced in some cars we get to drive in india as well. I sometimes get it in my Accord 2.4. Used to experience it all the time in my 2.8L VR6 VW GTi in college. FWD are a lot more easier to handle in the snow, but RWD more entertaining yet downright scary at times.

3.3l RWD m3
3.8l FWD Pontiac Grand Prix
yup but an empty parking lot some ice sleet and a good foot of snow with summer tires... WOHoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

sbasak · 24th January 2007, 18:31

I think Mercedes A & B class are FWD. From C class onwards, they are RWD.

BEEM3R · 25th January 2007, 11:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatcanthisbe

3.3l RWD m3
3.8l FWD Pontiac Grand Prix
yup but an empty parking lot some ice sleet and a good foot of snow with summer tires... WOHoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Haha would have been a ball... done the empty slipper parking lots in a friends mustang and anothers IS300. Nonstop doughnuts mad entertainment !!!

manikjeet · 8th March 2007, 00:50

i love rear wheel driven cars they are such fun to play around and chills it gives when you take the turn 2 fast and controlling the rear end which is trying to catch the front end and the donuts it produces

devilvtec · 20th March 2007, 20:51

guys dont you think its better to drag in a front wheel drive rather than a rear wheel drive .... because the front wheel vehicle wont be wasting energy tranfering power to the rear wheels...?? rather than that i totally agree that rear end drivin cars are much much better to drive ...

15th December 2006, 08:22	#91
Mr.Rage BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Edison, Namm Bengalooru Posts: 40 Thanked: 0 Times	Its Really though to handle a high powered rear wheel drive unless or until you have traction on, Especially in rain and snow the cars arnt east to drive... But the same with a 250HP front wheel drive you can... like they say rear wheel drive is not for everybody... I crashed my Beemer trying to do something stupid with traction control & DSC Turned off in the rain... Bad experience... its still sitting at the Car dealer getting repaired... its getting a complete front left suspension change!! but the fun you get driving a rear wheel in the rain is Awesome!! but not worth the crash!! So ppl with rear wheel drives be very careful when the traction is turned off...
	() Thanks

24th January 2007, 01:36	#93
WILDTHING BANNED Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: MUMBAI Posts: 77 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	What do you mean by FF, FR, MR, RR or FA. Hey, Just a brief about various types of engine placement on a car and how it affects the car and its drive. FF-Stands for Front engine front wheel drive. It is the safest of all better handler and also very cost effective.Most front-wheel drive vehicles today feature transverse engine mounting, where as in past decades engines were mostly positioned longitudinally instead. FR - Stands for front engine rear wheel drive. It is preferred by the Germans.Better handling in dry conditions - accelerating force is applied to the rear wheels, on which the down force increases, due to load transfer in acceleration, making the rear tires better able to take simultaneous acceleration and curving than the front tires. MR - Stands for Mid engine rear wheel drive. Its is preferred by the Italians. It sounds great feels good but drives bad.Mid Engine Rear wheel drive is one in which the rear wheels are driven by an engine placed just in front of them,right behind the passenger compartment. This layout is typically chosen for its low polar inertia and relatively favorable weight distribution . It is not suitable as the weight is pushed more on the back of the car and is not ideal for handling regular cars ,but is used in formula 1 cars. RR - Stands for rear engine rear wheel drive.It is usually used in big cars like Contessa, Qualis, Fiat, Ambassador, Sumo, Safari and even Mercedes. there is a vast disadvantage of the RR is that placing the engine outside the wheelbase creates significant problems for handling as, when the car begins to slide on a corner, the end of the car will tend to want to swing wide and overtake the front ,especially under braking and will cause the car to spin during a sharp turn. and FA - Stands for Front engine all wheel drive.It is preferred by the Japanese.All-wheel drive or AWD are terms used to describe a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all of the four wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously.These cars are included in the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) category. or also known as off road vehicles powering all four wheels and it also plays an important role in rally racing on mostly-paved roads. Cheers.
	() Thanks

24th January 2007, 11:49	#97
BEEM3R BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Dubai-Chennai Posts: 311 Thanked: 20 Times	big gran turismo fan arnt you?
	() Thanks

24th January 2007, 13:15	#100
BEEM3R BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Dubai-Chennai Posts: 311 Thanked: 20 Times	Can you name these 3.8L FWD car and 3.3L RWD car? It'll give us a better picture. And torque steer can be experienced in some cars we get to drive in india as well. I sometimes get it in my Accord 2.4. Used to experience it all the time in my 2.8L VR6 VW GTi in college. FWD are a lot more easier to handle in the snow, but RWD more entertaining yet downright scary at times.
	() Thanks

24th January 2007, 18:31	#102
sbasak BHPian Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: CCU-LTN Posts: 608 Thanked: 14 Times	I think Mercedes A & B class are FWD. From C class onwards, they are RWD.
	() Thanks

8th March 2007, 00:50	#104
manikjeet Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: chandigarh Posts: 1,618 Thanked: 295 Times View My Garage	i love rear wheel driven cars they are such fun to play around and chills it gives when you take the turn 2 fast and controlling the rear end which is trying to catch the front end and the donuts it produces
	() Thanks

20th March 2007, 20:51	#105
devilvtec BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: gurgaon Posts: 39 Thanked: 0 Times	guys dont you think its better to drag in a front wheel drive rather than a rear wheel drive .... because the front wheel vehicle wont be wasting energy tranfering power to the rear wheels...?? rather than that i totally agree that rear end drivin cars are much much better to drive ...
	() Thanks