AWD vs. RWD

[Guest]

as many of you know, i used to have an modified R33 GTS-T skyline, which is RWD, and mine had about 300rwhp.
i did all the modifications to it, and basically knew the car inside out (i do now, as i tore the insides out! )

in the 3 years i had it, i was never fully convinced that the ATTESA system, and AWD all together was all that it was cracked up to be... i mean how can 4 wheels driving the car, rather than 2 affect anything, especially if the tyres were exactly the same.

but after having my leggie for a few weeks, and seeing how it goes... i can't believe how great awd is....

especially with the auto box too.. this car is VERY 'point and shoot', as in you just put your foot down, and aim the nose where you want it to go, and some how the AYC, auto box, and a whole lot of boost will get you where you wanted to go... quickly.

from now on, i dont think i could ever buy another RWD performance car... AWD can do everything RWD can do, but better...
the only thing it cant do is a burnout, but then
1) who wants to do a burnout anyway? i'm no bogan, and
2) give it enough power and it will get all 4 wheels spinning! which is a burnout you can respect

 

[Guest]

I can now put my foot down in the wet ... I was scared in my old 200sx running 18psi through a large turbo, it is very easy to lose it ...
Now with the AYC trainer wheels its great.

 

[Guest]

haha.. yep...
i remember one day in the wet i dropped back from 4th into 3rd gear, and the rear end just lit up... scary at 80km/h!

but yes, the training wheels definately help

 

[Rasi]

Good to hear some positive words from a previous skyline owner. I am making the transition tomorrow and I have been a little skeptical about going from 2 wheel drive (which can be a lot of fun) to the 4wd (which is a lot of unknown territory for me). I should be able to add my thoughts after the weekend

 

[Guest]

its a very different ride to the skyline, thats for sure.
at first you will probably feel a bit disappointed... as it doesnt have that kick that the rb25det does... but once you look at the speedo and realise you've just hit 140 when you thought you were doing 70.. you'll smile

 

[Fred]

^^^what he said....

 

[naughtika]

I've driven FWD, RWD and now AWD.. I would never go back to any of the first 2.. specially knowing how crazy i can be at times.. when i first had the car.. I hit 160kph using 4th gear and was really surprised that it was still pulling, I wonder what it can get up to when the speed limiter is removed...

 

[bradc]

I absolutely despise fwd cars, and I've never driven a powerful rear wheel drive car, will be interesting to see what the 850CSi is like Apparently it's stability control + traction control is a very very good system and I don't need to worry about huge amounts of oversteer.

4wd is just amazing though, it is so much better and safer, I don't see why the government doesn't offer incentives to car manufacturers to make 4wd versions of standard cars (not suv's and such of course)

 

[damo]

ditto that Brad. I feel much better knowing its 4wd when the wife has the car, coz I knnow how she drives.
She had an '86 stock Laser untill about 3 years ago, and for about 5years, at least once a week, about 3 corners from home, she would round the bend and end up facing the wrong way! and that was in the dry.

 

[leebutts]

She had an '86 stock Laser untill about 3 years ago, and for about 5years, at least once a week, about 3 corners from home, she would round the bend and end up facing the wrong way! and that was in the dry.

HAHAHAHA - I'm glad she's still with us tho

 

[Esoteric]

All of my previous cars have been FWD:

Mini
Opel
Citroën
Celica

crap I forgot the MR-2, my first RWD car (lots of fun)

My Legnum was also the first time I'd ever driven an AWD car before and I have not looked back. RWD or AWD for me from now on.

 

[Sydo]

The grip level on these things is outstanding!

Just like my dad said on the weekend;
"It goes where you point it."

 

[mallen]

ditto that Brad. I feel much better knowing its 4wd when the wife has the car, coz I knnow how she drives.
She had an '86 stock Laser untill about 3 years ago, and for about 5years, at least once a week, about 3 corners from home, she would round the bend and end up facing the wrong way! and that was in the dry.

ROFL!!! You think you have problems... I have a wife too and she's ASIAN!!! Scares the living fark out of me when she drives....

 

[Esoteric]

ROFL!!! You think you have problems... I have a wife too and she's ASIAN!!! Scares the living fark out of me when she drives....

LOL, me too (well she'll be my wife in April) but she doesn't drive thankfully

 

[bogan bob]

I could never own a fwd, i hate understeer way too much. But owning only rwd cars up until now, the awd was a bit of an unknown to me too. But im glad i got it, its awsome through the hills and needs a totally diffferent, perhaps slightly less cautious approach to it all.

But that said, i do miss being a hero and being able to easily light up the rear wheels, or flick out the tail around the corner, the juggling act needed through the hills etc.....

 

[hawks]

I still have a soft spot for big power RWD cars, they are so much fun, but they can also be dangerous for the inexperienced driver.

I also love the safety aspect of AWD (and airbags & ABS too)

 

[Guest]

oh yeah.. i loved hanging the rear end out on the 33, and the feeling of the LSD switching power between the left and right wheel as you drop second and there is no traction what so ever... but overall AWD is a much better package.

 

[Guest]

.. or flick out the tail around the corner ...

It can be done, your not trying hard enough

 

[Guest]

Ive had all 3 AYC bars on and the car going side ways around many a roundabout in the wet, also when i first got it i gave an XR6T a go form a set of lights in the wet and got beat off the mark because he was a bit more reserved with the power than me, while he was taking off i was sitting there with all four wheels spinning, but once moving he was toasted, more because of the fact that he still couldnt give full shit to the car without fish tailing.

 

[Guest]

If you we're to ask Tiff Niddell or Clarkson they'd most probably opt for the rwd. I think that a lot of racing drivers prefer rwd cars too.

FR - well it's The classic package, and the sticklers amongst us would say that MR is the perfect package.

The AWD and understeer thing - well at least Mitsubishi was much better at handling the understeer issue than most of the previous model Subaru awd turbo cars until the rexes came out with that active center differential to dial in way more torque to the rear to kill it.

If you're into rally, you drive on dirt / snow or it's raining, then the choice is obvious, awd ftw. I used to pray it would rain in the 32, because all those Holden R8 things and most gtst skylines always wanted to play and would just sit there trying to take off, something happens when it rains makes people a bit crazier - probably not the best mix but meh.

The perfect chassis balance of a S8 FD imo would be waaay more fun to drive, thrilling and many cases faster around a circuit than a lot of other standard awd cars, excluding perhaps a 34 gtr or the JDM spec Evo MR.

AWD thrashing is all about hard into corners, brake and then it's party piece is being able to jump out of the corner at full throttle because the grip is there. RWD is all about stringing the corners together and balancing a fine line of traction. Probably a more satisfying drive but each to their own I guess.

Oh and for those bagging FWD, I recommend driving a Renault Clio Sport through your nearest set of tight twisty roads. One of my best friends has one and I thought in some extremely tight corners that it was probably faster than nearly any other car I've driven through that corner, and it felt farking great. Without even using the hand break if you went in fast enough the rear would swing out like RWD, like a pendulum, whilst the front pulled the car through - it was seriously wicked, and made me appreciate the concept where I'd otherwise just thought they are only understeer monsters. Of course one thing that kills them is they can only take so much power before torque understeer is an issue, think Focus xr5 turbo.

I'm obviously going for AWD next, and I love it, though like many enthusiasts I like many different aspects of auto culture and so it's hard for me to discredit RWD. Horses for courses.