Rwd Awd or Fwd - Page 3 - United Bimmer Community

**donald1476** · 10-26-2005, 11:02 PM

What car has ARWD?

**xsperf** · 10-26-2005, 11:15 PM

well i was joking, i thought you were too, i didnt know there was such thing as FRWD, is that supposed to be FRont Wheel Drive or is it Front Rear Wheel Drive.. haha

**EcianIce** · 10-26-2005, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xsperf

well i was joking, i thought you were too, i didnt know there was such thing as FRWD, is that supposed to be FRont Wheel Drive or is it Front Rear Wheel Drive.. haha

Yeah, that's what happens when you take a FWD car and drive it in reverse to make it appear as RWD.

**donald1476** · 10-26-2005, 11:24 PM

Front Right Wheel Drive
Yes, I was kidding.

**xsperf** · 10-26-2005, 11:25 PM

ahh, haha, i see

DEATH2000 · 10-26-2005, 11:33 PM

See this is why people shouldnt make threads on which is better.

**Rooz** · 10-27-2005, 12:06 AM

I think it all depends on the level of expertise of the person driving it...

Starters = FWD for anything...
And those that said FWD is good for drifting I'd have to disagree... Torque gave a very good explanation for this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torque

Drifitng FWD is much harder as the initiation of the drift relies solely on the e-brake. By the time you release it, you have lost a ton of momentum, and your drift looks more like a desparate attempt to slow down.

AWD... I really don't have enough experience driving AWD cars, but I would ASSUME that they would be better for rally driving and such events. And of course for arch weather (rain, snow, ...)

RWD... By far my favorite (obviously) Just due to a few main facts... faster, more fun, drifting, and one of my favorites... when you slam that pedal to the floor and you can feel the front wheels popping up

(of course not saying I literally get my tires off the floor) but just that feeling is enough to make you want to stick to a RWD

And, we got a good argument going on, but let's keep it clean

**Numark318i** · 10-27-2005, 01:28 AM

ur mom goes to college.
RWD for me.
FWD for ebrakes
AWD....well i have only driven one..and it sucked so i cant say much about it.

**Stahlvogel** · 10-27-2005, 01:48 AM

Has no one seen the Red Devil?

http://www.dumpalink.com/media/11182..._Mk_III_580BHP

**bex325** · 10-27-2005, 03:48 AM

rwd does everything i need it to do and then some. Never gotten stuck in the winter, good for autocross, and generally more fun. Personally i think that unless you are going offroading or have some other valid excuse (and snow is not one) awd is unecisary. a bunch of extra weight and complexity.

however, having said that, a properly sorted fwd car can be fun, especially in a snowy parking lot. but for what i do, i much prefer rwd.

**donald1476** · 10-27-2005, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stahlvogel

Has no one seen the Red Devil?

http://www.dumpalink.com/media/11182..._Mk_III_580BHP

That ugly mofo passes shit like it was standing still. :O But then again you have to take into account that the video was sped up.

**voca** · 10-27-2005, 11:41 AM

everyone is entirely enititled to their opinion. but it's common knowledge that FWD cars are understeering wrecks that tend you just slide nose first out from a hard corner. it's physically impossible to get the same oversteer in FWD car that you can get easily in RWD. I'm sure it's possible to get some oversteer in a FWD without pulling the hand-brake, but you deffinitely won't be able to come into a corner with the pedal mashed down and powerslide through it like you can in a RWD.

for me, AWD for a convinient all-season car, RWD anywhere else.

then again, I'm a person that loves to take corners hard, and I would just rather have the assurance that my oversteer wont easily let me slide nose first into a ditch.

as for FWD in the snow, popular belief says it's better than RWD. and I don't argue that. although, I've had some scary moments in snow that make me glad I wasn't in a FWD car.

**1N_STYL** · 10-27-2005, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bex325

have some other valid excuse (and snow is not one) awd is unecisary.

Hm, I wouldn't necessarily say snow is not a valid excuse. My dad lives in a very steep, hilly area and, up until now, he's had AWD cars since you can't make it up the driveway without one. And, believe me, it's not fun walking up that thing when the car can't make it.

**donald1476** · 10-27-2005, 11:51 AM

Accelerating with near full power in a front-wheel drive car and you'll quickly notice the resulting effect of rearward weight shift. The front tires will likely lose traction and spin . even on clean, dry pavement. But, hard acceleration in rear-wheel drive cars increases the rear wheels' grip on good road surfaces because of the rearward weight shift.

Stopping ability is enhanced by the superior weight distribution of RWD. With the rear wheels carrying a greater percentage of the car's weight load than on a front-wheel drive car, they can apply more braking force to the road and help shorten stopping distances. Since RWD contributes to even tire wear, it is more likely that tires on a RWD car will have greater tread depth. Unless tires on a FWD car are rotated religiously, the front tires may become worn and less effective in braking.

Near equal weight distribution helps give front and rear wheels more balanced traction. This balance gives neutral handling characteristics that make cornering maneuvers easier. Rear-wheel drive's more equal weight distribution also aids handling agility through a lower moment of inertia. FWD cars usually have higher moments of inertia, contributing to understeer and sluggishness in cornering. As a result, RWD cars feel more responsive, lighter, and more nimble.

With FWD, both steering and propulsion forces tax the front tires' slip-resistance during cornering. That's part of the reason why FWD cars tend to understeer or plow forward, changing directions less quickly than the turning angle of the front wheels. Since RWD separates the tasks of cornering (front wheels) and propulsion (rear wheels), it more equally distributes the traction-threatening forces to all four wheels.

Torque steering is a negative side-effect of FWD caused by the delivery of power to the wheels that steer the car. During acceleration in a curve or from a standstill, the force of torque steering can pose a hazard by changing the direction of the front wheels unless the driver is alert and can exert counteractive force on the steering wheel. RWD does not exhibit torque effect because the engine is isolated from the steering gear.

RWD allows a longer wheelbase and a more forward positioning of the front wheels. The longer wheelbase provides better handling while the forward position of the wheels reduces the possibility of the front spoiler scraping on dips.

FWD cars have four CV (constant velocity) joints connecting the engine to the front wheels. In comparison, RWD cars use universal joints which wear out much slower than CV joints. The BMW CV joint is generally found along the rear axles, where you'll have two on each side.

Storamin · 10-27-2005, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEATH2000

RWD is the best for acceleration. FWD is the best for drifting. AWD is the best for cornering.

Anyone wanna add to that?

seeing as FWD is the best for drifting, this makes perfect sense why the RWD 240Z is considered the best drift car...

please, before you hit the post submit reply button... stop and think.