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Front Wheel Drive? Or Rear Wheel Drive?
- Thread starter G51989
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My first 3 cars were FWD, 1989 toyota corolla, 1999 Kia Sephia, 2000 nissan maxima but at least had traction control, then car number four the i have now, 2007 Infiniti G35x AWD and VDC (traction control), we had that big snow storm in 2011 and man its unstoppable in the snow, uses the attesa AWD system which starts of at 25/75 front/rear power split, then 0/100 (RWD) past 12mph, then if it detects slip applies power to front wheels varying power between 0/100 to 50/50, also has a button to start at 50/50 power split for snow, ice, heavy rain , dirt, grass etc...., i have the best of both worlds
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Could have got a Acura TL that has SH-AWD, but im sure you checked it out already
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Could have got a Acura TL that has SH-AWD, but im sure you checked it out already
RWD or AWD for me.
My first car was a front-drive Saab that had torque steer with all of 110 hp. After that I went to a couple of RWD turbo Volvos, and then to an AWD Subaru, and now I drive a RWD BMW.
Rear drive is great in snow with the right tires. I run Bridgestone Blizzaks and pass 4x4 Ford pickups that are struggling on their cheap all season radials.
My first car was a front-drive Saab that had torque steer with all of 110 hp. After that I went to a couple of RWD turbo Volvos, and then to an AWD Subaru, and now I drive a RWD BMW.
Rear drive is great in snow with the right tires. I run Bridgestone Blizzaks and pass 4x4 Ford pickups that are struggling on their cheap all season radials.
Pickups aren't very fair to criticize since there is absolutely no weight on the rear wheels unless you have some heavy items in the bed.
I love RWD. Own a BMW E46 325i, an X3 with M Sport Package for the wintertime, and just recently a 2013 328i xDrive. The 2013 has electronic steering for the first time in a 3-series which makes the steering feel like a Honda Civic 
, takes away from the "German feel" of the car. Also feels like it accelerates more slowly than the E46 325i, but the iDrive system and other features are very nice.
Still love my E46 the best, it's the most fun to drive.
Although I must say the X3 with M Sport Package is ridiculous, you just tap on the gas pedal and it jumps forward! (You can't press it lightly enough to NOT have your head jerk backward every time you go from a full stop). It's probably got the fastest acceleration out of the 3 Bimmers which I thought was odd for that type of car, that's not what I bought it for. I'm thinking the other X3's aren't like that though and it's just because of the M package.
, takes away from the "German feel" of the car. Also feels like it accelerates more slowly than the E46 325i, but the iDrive system and other features are very nice.Still love my E46 the best, it's the most fun to drive.
Although I must say the X3 with M Sport Package is ridiculous, you just tap on the gas pedal and it jumps forward! (You can't press it lightly enough to NOT have your head jerk backward every time you go from a full stop). It's probably got the fastest acceleration out of the 3 Bimmers which I thought was odd for that type of car, that's not what I bought it for. I'm thinking the other X3's aren't like that though and it's just because of the M package.
I prefer the feeling of being pushed from behind in RWD as opposed to being pulled in FWD.
That said next time I'm going AWD
In Australia there are a fair number of rear wheel drive vehicles - the locally built Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and the likes of German BMW and Mercedes.
That said next time I'm going AWD
In Australia there are a fair number of rear wheel drive vehicles - the locally built Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and the likes of German BMW and Mercedes.
I'm getting an AWD car or whatever model Jeep next. I currently own a Passat 06, and although it's fast, FWD sucks in snow and sometimes rain. FWD also sucks when pulling off from a stop.
FWD is absolutely fine in snow if equipped with proper tires. We own FWD, RWD and AWD cars. My summer fun and track car is rwd, which can't be beat for driving dynamics. My winter daily driver and winter rally car is fwd, and there are few situations where it struggles. Our other daily is AWD. I don't care for front engine/RWD, even with limited slip and snow tires in real winter conditions - there are just too many situations they can't deal with.
Don't get caught in the trap of believing that AWD is the holy grail for winter driving. The only thing AWD helps with is getting you moving, which should generally be the least of your worries. It does nothing to help you steer or brake, which is where most winter accidents occur. FWD with snow tires is better than AWD on all-seasons in almost every single on-road situation, and in fact AWD can give you a false sense of confidence because it takes away the feedback of feeling the tires slip that you get with FWD.
Don't get caught in the trap of believing that AWD is the holy grail for winter driving. The only thing AWD helps with is getting you moving, which should generally be the least of your worries. It does nothing to help you steer or brake, which is where most winter accidents occur. FWD with snow tires is better than AWD on all-seasons in almost every single on-road situation, and in fact AWD can give you a false sense of confidence because it takes away the feedback of feeling the tires slip that you get with FWD.
It's amusing to see all the people who have a RWD car because it's more enjoyable to drive and have an automatic transmission in their car .
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You're a bit off here. Fwd with snow tires is good but awd with snow tires is SO MUCH better. Then again I had a fwd car with all-seasons for many years and rarely had any issues.
As for awd not helping you steer or brake - that's incorrect. A good awd system can apply brakes individually or even brake using the diffs so it will keep you going when needed and braking when needed. On top of that awd cars tend to be heavier which also helps with traction.
With all that said, if the driver is an idiot it doesn't matter which wd the car has - it will end up in a ditch. But I would take an awd with all-seasons over fwd with snow tires any day of the week for every day driving (not just in the snow).
Applying brakes individually is not something that is unique to AWD cars. It's parts of the stability control systems of most modern cars. I stand by my statement that AWD will not help you stop any faster. With a very good driver behind the wheel there are certain situations where the extra traction can be used to help avoid an accident, but that is very unusual.
The problem again is that AWD tends to give drivers who don't pay attention a false sense of security. They never feel their wheels slip so they don't notice when ice is beginning to form. That is then precipitated by the fact that proportionally few drivers of AWD vehicles find it necessary to equip their vehicles with snow tires, because, you know, they have no trouble getting moving.
Yes, awd with snows is the best of both worlds, but for the vast majority of people, fwd is fine and you don't pay the mileage penalty the rest of the year.
The problem again is that AWD tends to give drivers who don't pay attention a false sense of security. They never feel their wheels slip so they don't notice when ice is beginning to form. That is then precipitated by the fact that proportionally few drivers of AWD vehicles find it necessary to equip their vehicles with snow tires, because, you know, they have no trouble getting moving.
Yes, awd with snows is the best of both worlds, but for the vast majority of people, fwd is fine and you don't pay the mileage penalty the rest of the year.
Yes, that was my bad. I meant they can apply power individually to 4 wheels, not braking. Which a fwd cannot do. Also, like I said, a heavier car will brake slightly better on the snow because there is added weight.