Any other RWD purists out there?

Yep I know first hand :D

Posmo,

I think you need a chance to drive some good FWD and AWD cars before making up your mind. I absolutely hated FWD till I got to drive around in a Del Sol and an A3, while I still would not prefer them I can see how FWD can also be fun. Would definitely take a Mini if offered :D
Indeed there are good FWD cars, for me the smaller the car the better the argument for FWD goes that said I'd love to have the choice of a small RWD car which is affordable...unlike a 1-series. For big cars however...FWD becomes much more undesirable for me.

It depends on the car whether its good, not really whether its whatever layout...I'd be lying if I said I liked the Dodge Charger which is RWD because I hate it. If Ecars said I could have a 2010 Mazda3 as a company car I'd be very happy to get it even though its FWD. Its strange how its my favourite car out of everything I've driven in this company.
 
No I cannot let this go on like this



Yes, even in general, for 99% of the people on the road today, FWD is perfectly fine, even in rain/snow conditions.

We're not talking about "which is fastest", we're not talking about "which is best on rain/snow/tarmac/mud/moon surface". We're talking about "what is BEST overall".

Let me put it this way : would you like to drive around in a world where every 16yo kid who only has to do one idiot test written exam drives around in a 3 tonne truck, in the snow, with RWD only?

Everyone would just die. Because not everyone understands how RWD works and why. I say, the people that don't (which is the majority of the population), give them FWD since they don't care anyway.

That's why we have proper driving tests, and you need to be 18 to get a license. I still maintain that rwd is better than fwd in snow, just took the Volvo for a drive and had a huge amount of fun ;)

In other news, just swapped studs under the Sierra :p
 
It may have been a bad choice of words. There are a few things,
More weight over the driven wheels will add to traction so it will take more for an FWD to hydroplane.
FWD's will start to understeer while hydroplaning which is easier/more instinctive to recover from than oversteer (tho for some reason I don't mind it when my car is oversteering but understeer scares the shit out of me).

Hydroplaning is a function of the tires not being able to move the water out of its way. Having more weight over the front tires won't help you if your tires can't get the water out of its way. When you hit a puddle, your car is on top of the water. Those grooves in street tires are there to allow water some place to go to let the tread part of the tire make contact with the road. No water grooves, then the water has no easy place to go, and you are skimming like a flat rock skipping on a lake. Higher speeds make it easier to skip on the water.
AWD will behave the same, but it has the added benefit of having drive wheels everywhere to give you more control. I think still, once the turning-wheels slip, you are going straight ahead with epic understeer until they get a grip.
 
^Yes tires are the biggest difference. However extra weight over the tires will push the water out faster. To use your analogy what will skip more a light stone or a heavy one?

The other part of the equation is FWD being easier to get under control once slip condition does occur.
I think still, once the turning-wheels slip, you are going straight ahead with epic understeer until they get a grip.
Yes that is correct. However, in a RWD an understeer condition can turn very quickly into an oversteer condition.
 
Yeah, but how many manufacturers are willing to put in the money to fix it?


Oh yeah, and fwd is not better in the winter in any way.

I sadly have to disagree. I had two FWD cars before going all RWD (plus a part-time 4WD that's RWD on dry roads). I have a steep driveway that tests the theories in the winter.

With my FWD cars I can get up with a little shovelling and coaxing on the worst snowstorms. Helped out with salt or kitty litter.

With my RWD cars, FORGET IT, it ain't getting up. Once or twice I made high speed runs down my block to get momentum, but I can't get up that last hump into my garage.

Why do you think I bought a Jeep?
 
That's why we have proper driving tests, and you need to be 18 to get a license. I still maintain that rwd is better than fwd in snow, just took the Volvo for a drive and had a huge amount of fun ;)

In other news, just swapped studs under the Sierra :p

Congrats on the Sierra, is it driveable yet?

On subj, I think the mistake you are making in this case is that you are talking in general and disregarding specifics. Problem is that just like there is no "average" driver there is no such thing as a "generic" RWD/FWD/AWD car. As far as general properties of layouts go RWD does have great benefits when it comes to driving dynamics (although MR would be the best in that case) but when applying theory to daily situations then it becomes dependant on the specific car and driver.

As an example a friend of mine has a Saab 9-3 that is FWD and is absolutely great in the snow with regular all seasons. His previous car a Maxima was absolute crap in the snow under the same conditions. At the same time my uncle used to drive a Town Car in the snow all the time on all season tires w/o much trouble and I have seen a dude in an X drive BMW fail to get out of a parking spot....

If your entire thread is simply to say that you prefer RWD in all of life's situations that is fine. However you are trying to say that FWD has absolutely no advantage over RWD, which is just not true.
 
However you are trying to say that FWD has absolutely no advantage over RWD, which is just not true.

it does - its cheap and easy to handle, which means my mom can drive one of those without crashing. Whenever I get to drive her honda civic though, I m seriously thinking about pulling the plug on my life. When I get any sign of understeer, I m loosing the will to live.lol.

also for FWD lovers, here's some fetish for ya:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQMQkMvRG3I
 
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Posmo: Who would you rather, "RWD Purist"?

1974%20Morris%20Marina.jpg


or

Sara_Jean_Underwood_Mini.JPG
 
She's probably a lesbian or a petrie dish. And honestly, she's not that hot.

Besides, real women prefer RWD:
jw+catherine+zeta+jones+wall+01.jpg
 
Women aside, I think the question is : Morris Marina or Mini ?
 
To everyone on the Forum.

who here honestly thinks the Mini would be less cool If it was RWD from the start?

Just wondering.
 
To everyone on the Forum.

who here honestly thinks the Mini would be less cool If it was RWD from the start?

Just wondering.

I don't but I do think the Hillman Imp is infinitely cooler than the mini:
2321361927_35f4da79ef.jpg
 
"Rather than air Hillman" - Google Language Tools :?

"I'd rather have nothing than a Hillman" :cool:

It's from this: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0195855/

"Viltteri, a balding guy in his thirties living in rural northern Finland, is hopelessly clueless about his new role as a married man and the father of a newborn son. A perfect escape from family responsibilities is having to get his old Hillman Minx repaired and inspected for road-worthiness, with a little help from an eccentric bunch of friends who never seem to have grown up either."
 
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