Quote:
Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr
Wait... Isn't the Porsche 911 like that (yet)?  |
The Toyota MR2 (all 3 generations) has a rear weight bias.
Mine currently has about 60% of its weight on the rear axle and a torsen LSD.
With that configuration it has quite some traction in snow, I was once surprised by snow in the mountains on high performance summer tires.
Surprisingly I had no issues at all with traction, however I had to go rather slow as I didn't trust my summer tires to stop me quickly under these conditions.
However about the oversteer vs. understeer discussion:
Contrary to popular belive it is *not* based on weight distribution, but suspension setup, load transfer and breaking traction with the driven axle(s).
Pretty much all road going cars have their suspension set up to understeer ever so slightly at the limit to keep them controllable.
Load transfer is the transfer of load due to accelleration, braking and cornering.
Under acceleration, a car transfers load from the front axle to the rear axle.
This causes the car to understeer, especialy FWD and mid engine cars.
In front engine RWD cars you might break traction on the rear wheels by applying too much throttle.
When you suddenly lift off the throttle or brake slightly midcorner, you will introduce oversteer.
(this is especialy pronounced in mid/rear engined cars, making the MR2, 911 and Corvair notorious widdowmakers as inexperienced drivers lifted off the throttle midcorner and "snap-oversteered")
When you know this and practiced a little, you can make pretty much any car oversteer as well as understeer.
Knowing how your car behaves at the limit and knowing how to correct understeer as well as oversteer might save you one day.