is FWD all that bad?

[2005mustangGT]

Is front wheel drive all that bad to have on a performance car? cause im getting closer to buying a car and i just wanted to know if it is that bad compared toa RWD car.

[G-man422]

Its just that w/ FWD cars, usually they have smaller engines, and are harder to make more powerful. Plus im pretty sure they're more apt to understeer

[Andydg]

Typically they have a lot let traction off the line because of the wieght transfer...

[2005mustangGT]

Thnx

[sickcallawayc12]

Torque steer is another issue if you already got some power at the front wheels (i.e. Grand Prix GTP).

[alphalanos]

What they said. For total performance RWD is the way to go. Preferrably 2 seater. But thats not neccesary. My next car will definetly be RWD.

[speedracer1407]

Originally Posted by 2005mustangGT

Is front wheel drive all that bad to have on a performance car? cause im getting closer to buying a car and i just wanted to know if it is that bad compared toa RWD car.

It depends on what you expect out of your performance car, and just how much "performance" the car has. FWD has distinct limitations. Too much power, and torque steer becomes a problem. Too much weight in the front, and the car will understeer heavily.

But no, FWD is not "all that bad." There are plenty of excellent-handling front-drive cars, and while 10/10ths driving around a track might not favor FWD no matter how good a setup, for on-the-road lead-footing, an excellent FWD chassis can be every bit as fun as a good RWD chassis.

What specific cars are you considering?

[davis_funny]

[davis_funny]

I don't think so......

[2005mustangGT]

i wasnt thinking of a specific car i was just wondering how much worse a FWD car is in general. like if you had two cars same horsepower torque ect. how much time would the RWD car beat the FWD car by?

[speedracer1407]

Originally Posted by 2005mustangGT

i wasnt thinking of a specific car i was just wondering how much worse a FWD car is in general. like if you had two cars same horsepower torque ect. how much time would the RWD car beat the FWD car by?

There are so many variables inherent in that scenario that it's basically impossible to arrive at a conclusion based solely on FWD vs RWD. What kind of track? How well are the cars engineered? What horsepower/weight class?

I'd say that the only consistent assumtion you can make about the differences in performance between FWD and RWD is that as horsepower and porformance level rises, Rear wheel drive becomes more advantageous. By splitting the duties of acceleration and steering to both front and rear wheels, you effectively increase the performance potential. I'd wager that a well-engineered 300HP rear drive sports sedan will beat an equally well-engineered 300HP front drive sports sedan around a track every time. But the difference in overall performance between, say, a Mazda Miata and a Mini Cooper might depend more on the driver than the car.

Also consider that you can only put so much power to the front wheels before torque steer becomes a real problem. Traditionally, about 300HP is viewed as reasonable limit.