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Old 01-26-2012, 09:31 PM   #45 (permalink)
niky
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The F40 was a nightmare because it had more turbo ramp up than a Civic on NAWWWS. The F50 had a naturally aspirated engine, and was much more tractable.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf View Post
How about one that's wet, or covered in snow? The FWD cars I've driven have been much better in snow than the RWD ones. (But again, that's just my experience of a limited number of cars.)
Yup. But as said here:

Quote:
Originally Posted by botsapper View Post
More engine & transaxle weight on the FWD was beneficial in having more 'bite' than the RWD.
It's more a factor of where the engine is. Right above the tires. You'll note that in WTCC, which has FWD and RWD cars competing together, it's in wet races that the BMWs really struggle against the FWD competition... though the fact that the FWD cars are bang on pace with the BMWs are more down to creative handicapping than anything else. A mid-engined racecar would have more forward traction than the FR BMWs, but then, that would just ruin the whole thing...

Mind you, I love my FWD. My personal car has one of the best hydraulic steering racks to ever come out in a FWD vehicle, and it's a darn hoot to drive, better than many RWD cars in that respect, but in the end, there's a reason race cars are mostly RWD. It's very difficult to get the balance right enough on a FWD car to ensure both maximum turning ability and forward traction, since the front tires are doing most of the work. Passive rear steer from modern bushings and suspension geometries helps a lot, but a little differential braking or thrust in the rear wouldn't hurt.

Quote:
Originally Posted by botsapper View Post
Unfortunately, there are AWD d-bags who think they are invincible in heavy snowstorms. They pass at x2 our reduced speeds only to see them later either at the bottom of a ditch or missing bumper covers after meeting the guardrails.
Every time an automotive reviewer states that AWD is safer, I bang my head against the keyboard. This is the most dangerous myth of our times.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arragonis View Post
Is that a Mini with the proposed Military Moke drivetrain? Awesome.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 320touring View Post
I imagine with some creative engineering, they can easily offset the weight of the 4 motors at the extremities by the fact that there would be no engine/transmission/fuel tank etc..
I think the contention is that unsprung weight is worse for handling... with a lighter car and the stiff suspension damping required to handle wheels that are four times heavier (guesstimate) than regular ones, you'd have some problems with keeping the car stable.
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