Ok,

so people say that RWD is SOOOO MUCH BETTER than a FWD car, esp when it comes to handling. I admit, RWD cars do handle better (my previous car was a stock 5spd IS300 and it handled better than the fit imo)...but its not THAT much better.

Do people say this on the tuning scale? like do they say "rwd ftw" because it's better for modding and what not?

I am guessing stock for stock, a normal person can't really tell the difference between rwd/fwd and if they can, it's only slightly.

iono..just wanted to get this out there. haha

 

it really depends. I have driven many rwd cars that handle horrible, and others that handle amazing. Stock for stock its hard to say, but I can tell you my modded fit outhandled my modded S2000.

 

for a daily driver, my only gripe with fwd is torque steer.

 

i dont think RWD necessarily handles better... just differently.

Plus i think RWD can handle putting down power more easily since weight transfers to the rear. a fwd with too much power will just burn out everywhere... hell i even have trouble controlling all my 90whp in wet conditions. haha

 

I had a blast driving a convertible Mustang in Maui on the Road to Hana. Much better than the previous year when we had a Corolla. On turns like that where you don't go faster than 40mph the difference was very noticeable.

 

it think it also depends on your driving style...

from my experience, fwd fast in slow out... and rwd slow in fast out...

 

very true, my mom's bimmer feels heavier than the Fit but under hard cornering, it handles like a champ.

i also think that mostly RWD cars are tuned to be sporty and most ff's are econoboxes

 

there are some pretty quick fwd cars tho... the realtime acuras are pretty competitive touring cars...

 

isn't it true that RWD loses more HP to the wheel than FWD? correct me if I'm wrong though

 

why arent nascar fwd? indy cars? top fuel drag cars? motorcycles? drift cars? formula 1 cars?

 

Midship FTW.

 

The universal tendency for any car accelerating is to squat its rear. That's why RWD has better standing-start traction. In contrast, FWD cars (high-powered ones especially) will tend to spin their wheels because the driven end rises instead of squats.

Also someone already mentioned torque steer - that's the bane of sending 250 HP to the front axle.

Other than that...it really depends on the car. There are RWD cars that don't make use of the supposedly "optimal" configuration and its benefits. Much the same there are FWD cars that handle quite well.

 

the fastest cars in the world, whether it be handling, acceleration, ????, are RWD

 

only because the FF configuration makes it harder to put the power down... especially in serious racing motorsport where high hp is a factor

*edit* well drifting is a whole other story... cant actually drift with FWD.. anyone who argues otherwise doesnt realize the physics of a drifting car...

WOO! ex-mr2 owner...

exactly...

also in terms of handling, as long as a car can put the power down without wheel spin, front or rear, suspension geometry and chassis design can affect handling more then if the front wheels pull or rear wheels push...

 

exactly. ive had 3 fwd cars. only one rwd car. im not knocking either, they both have their place. but for every "quick" fwd car, there is a MUCH FASTER rwd car

 

that's right. more whp is lost due to the rear transaxle on a rwd car

acceleration, braking, turning.. that's a lot of responsibility for the front wheels. generally, fwd cars will go through tires faster than a rwd one on a road course because of the added strain from accelerating -- speaking in generalizations, of course. a good fwd driver will have a lot of finesse; keeping most of his/her momentum into and out of a turn to preserve their tires.


i agree, midship runabout forthewin

 

fixed it.
(10 char.)

 

It all depends on the class of racing. Lot of grip with FWD cars but then you have the front wheels moving/turning/stopping and that can end up being too much work for it. Under the 250hp range, FWD can be very competitive, above that it gets to be too much to handle in an actual race. A 200hp FWD car vs a 200hp RWD car, the FWD might have the advantage just from grip and most likely, being the lighter of the two cars.

 

very very true LOL

 

no way. theres too many variables.