MattN

I've just gone from a FWD to RWD.

What are the advantages to RWD, as yet I can't see any, the car is quicker in a straight line, but twisty stuff forget it!!! Or am I driving it wrong?

Matt

AWD

Depends totally on the cars involved.

MattN

I had an FTO GPX and now have a Nissan 200sx.

Tiggs

my wife borrowed my 200sx, 100yrds from the house it swapped ends and crashed into a landcruiser destroying both cars (no one hurt)

must be a difference to fwd as she never does that in her fiesta!!!

tiggs

AWD

Tiggs

Was it wet at the time when her accident happened?

Tiggs

damp,

only needs to be cloudy for a 200sx to get out of shape!!

tiggs

Richard Askew

...rear wheel drive every time preferably with 200 plus horses and a limited slip diff.......or alternatively AWD with 200 plus horses and a limited slip diff.....ah decisions decisions.......

AWD

I used to have a 200SX - they're not too tail happy (even in the wet) if you're careful.

GaryC

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by MattN:
<B>I've just gone from a FWD to RWD.

What are the advantages to RWD, as yet I can't see any, the car is quicker in a straight line, but twisty stuff forget it!!! Or am I driving it wrong?

Matt[/quote]

Traction and control are the main benefits. Cars don't like steering and driving through the same wheels.

RWD also allows a lower centre of gravity, better weight distribution, infact there are not many dis-advantages of RWD over FWD, except FWD is more forgiving to the less competant driver. 'Oliver Molehusband' can handle understeer easier than oversteer

barge

Rear wheel drive.

Learn how to drive it correctly and it will be much more fun.

Front wheel drive for the shopping cart or trips to the station.

Rikster

My previous car was a modified '93 S13 200sx, and in the wet, come to think of it dry as well, the car was completely brutal at powering the rear end out.
In was controllable (just), as you knew that it was going to happen every time.

Some pics before it got lowered (they are a bit dark) -





Rikster

GCollier

Matt,

This is the 200SX you bought from my friend Paul I assume? Must say you got a bit of a bargain there mate, if I'd known he'd let it go for so little, I'd probably have had it myself.

I used to own a 200SX as well, and drove Paul's (your) car at Mira. They're quite big cars, and I can understand that on very tight twisty roads, it might not be as nimble as something like the FTO.

It may also be a confidence thing, especially if you're driving in the wet. You really need to keep your wits about you in that car round the twisties when its damp, and if you're pushing on, almost EXPECT to have to deal with a bit of oversteer. Your car has nearly new S-O2's on it though, and I found they made quite a big difference compared to the teflon-tyres on my car, both in terms of level of grip and progressibility. That said, I really wouldn't say outright level of grip is one of the cars strong points.

Now for the good part - if you want to play, the relatively low levels of grip can be a bonus! I found the car to be the most beautifully balanced and easily slideable cars I've ever driven.

I guess to summarise, the fastest car is not necessarily the best or most fun, and with the 200SX, you have to learn get your pleasure from different things. My evo is massively quicker and more sure-footed than my old 200SX, and I gain my pleasure in that from its massive acceleration, breaking, razor sharp turn-in, and the shear speed it can carry through corners. I'm not sure it's even POSSIBLE to get up to the oversteer antics in the evo that it is in the 200SX, and if it is it'd be at a much higher speed, and would take a driver with more skill and evo experience than I've got.

Anyway, enough babbling, I need sleep!

Cheers,

Gary.

MattN

Gary,

Yup that's the one. It's going well, took it down to devon at the weekend, some great roads, confidence is a bit low so I guess I'm not giving it as much, that said, it accellerates much more powerfully than the FTO so I am probably going the same speed just don't realise it!

The back does have a tendancy to come out, but that said I was very suprised at how easy it is to sort it out! I'm getting more used to it now and it is immense fun.

I try not to compare my cars as all have good and bad points, it's just this is my first RWD and I was looking for what makes them better than FWD!

Would fatter tyres atthe back help, or would it not really make much difference?

Oh I always forget, what is over/under steer, in not to technical terms?!

Cheers,

Matt.

TonyC-Evo Lurker

Oversteer = car steers to much, It follows a much tighter corner than what you want. Otherwise know as 'the back comes around to meet the front'
Understeer - Car doesn't steer enough. It follows a much shallower corner than what you want. Otherwise know as 'Ouch, hedge'

TonyC

DavidRB

Understeer: The front tyres lose grip, so the car is reluctant to corner when you turn the steering wheel.

Oversteer: The rear tyres lose grip, so the car "over-reacts" to your steering, turning in more sharply than you expect.

Understeer is usually a stable condition, if you do nothing, the car will understeer by the same amount until you hit something or run out of petrol.

Oversteer is (usually ) an unstable condition, if you do nothing, the car will oversteer more and more until it spins. Oversteer can be controlled, but it requires more skill than controlling understeer.

Or as I once heard it: "Understeer is when the driver gets scared, oversteer is when the passenger gets scared"

kav

No brainer for me guys - oversteer is the way forward. BMW got it right by sticking to the "front wheels steer, rear wheels provide the traction". It's why I had all the inherent understeer bit of my car dialled out.

jon hill

but, bizarely my fwd integra type-r has a far greater tendency to oversteer (on the power, not just lift-off), and greater reluctance to understeer than my old rwd elise.

exceptions to the rule, etc.

kav

Fair dinkum! Can I have I go sometime?

Type R

My Civic Type R tends to oversteer like the ITR, as understeer is non-existant unless it is wet which i assume is the same in the ITR. Either way very controllable and i have a lot of fun in my car testing the limits of traction!!!!

johnfelstead

RWD everytime for me, much more fun!

SDB

RWD = Correct Wheel Drive
FWD = Wrong Wheel Drive



Seriously..

Tyres can produce max traction or max lateral force. By requesting one of them, you reduce the amount of the other that is available. So putting power through a tyre requests traction so not as much lateral force is available.

RWD allows independant control over the front (with steering) and the back (with power).

....

Integra R is a STUNNING car in terms of handling, and is an exception to the rule IMHO.

SUCH a shame all the modern road cars are opting for FWD, but it IS safer in the hands of a novice.

A ford vehicle dynamics guy once said to me "With all the litigation that is going on in the states, we will NEVER make and unstable car again." Whether that's true I don't know.

Cheers

Simon

PS. More here