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Old 03-27-2021, 11:08 PM   #18 (permalink)
JSH
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary View Post
More weight on the rear axle is asking for trouble, especially with an inexperienced driver.

Yes, centrally concentrated weight will help. But more weight over a certain axle still causes it to have more inertia. More inertia over one axle than the other causes oversteer (when the rear is heaver) or understeer (when the front is heaver). More weight over the rear means that going a bit fast for a corner the rear will start to break traction first. If you know how to countersteer a little oversteer can actually help you turn corners faster. This is the idea behind drifting. But most drivers don't have the expertise to do that. Purpose built race cars in snow and ice with novice drivers is a recipe for disaster.
Purpose built race cars don't have ABS and stability control to brake individual corners as needed specifically designed to help novice drivers.

There is more to driving than going around corners. A car with rear axle bias has more braking power in a straight line.

Yes, learning to drive a RWD car properly is different than driving a FWD car properly. People used to know how to drive RWD cars because that is all we had. A few sessions in a snowing parking lot does wonders for learning how to control oversteer and even how to steer with the throttle. I learned to drive in RWD vehicles and I will take oversteer over understeer any day.
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