Not on a racetrack, but in the real world.

Ignore paragraphs 1 to 3 if need be*. The story starts at para 4.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/02/avoidable-contact-color-my-world-the-case-for-front-wheel-drive/

(* But if you do read paragraphs 1 to 3, the green Audi looks like this!)

Well I have to agree that FWD is better than RWD for Joe or Josephine Bloggs, driving within the speed limits on our roads. There is more space in FWD cars and usually no oversteer. RWD is for the enthusiast though. I like the Green Audi, haven't seen one in that Green though.

I have always thought it is safer and faster to have a FWD on the road. You are less likely to over do it, and if you do you can back off and correct the situation. You can't do this in RWD. If you get it wrong in RWD then you have to keep your foot in and ride it out. This means less control in a number of situations from mild too-fast in to a corner situations to potentially having to avoid an accident, whether it be in the dry, or heaven forbid in the wet, snow etc. You have more control when things get out of control. Plus if you have a proper LSD than you get get your power down as early as RWD in my experience when exiting corners.

I have always thought it is safer and faster to have a FWD on the road. You are less likely to over do it, and if you do you can back off and correct the situation. You can't do this in RWD. If you get it wrong in RWD then you have to keep your foot in and ride it out. This means less control in a number of situations from mild too-fast in to a corner situations to potentially having to avoid an accident, whether it be in the dry, or heaven forbid in the wet, snow etc. You have more control when things get out of control. Plus if you have a proper LSD than you get get your power down as early as RWD in my experience when exiting corners.

I have done a bit of rallying in my time and spend most of my life driving off road on farms and while I totally agree that FWD is the better option for the average driver I also contend that in a well balanced RWD you have more control.

FWD - steering wheel is, largely, the only steering mechanism you have, but in RWD you have 2 methods of steering - steering wheel and throttle. The back end can be used to change direction very quickly and in a track situation a car teetering on the edge of balance gives you so much more control if the situation in front of you change unexpectedly - think back to the 70's and early 80's with the "flying Finn's" in Group B Escorts!

This I agree with, certainly for track situations and rallying etc. However on the road this isn't possible, you either don't have the room or time to control a car in this manner. In the event of an emergency you can back off brake and steer in FWD, whilst this is possible in RWD there is a good chance that backing off in panic or the sheer need to shed speed quickly could actually make the situation worse.

I've owned 2 RWD cars, current beemer, and an MX-5, 4 FWD cars including an Octy vRS, and 2 4WD cars a Jeep and a Mazda 6MPS. For me RWD is the best car for driving enjoyment even in low speed 'normal' driving environments. I'd like to think that every car I own from now on will be RWD for that reason as there's something sublime about tackling a series of bends on a B road and the car feeling perfectly balanced and up for more.

The feel of the car is definitely mostly down to the tyres though. I got rid of run-flats on the BM as they didn't feel right, and have more confidence with normal tyres. Winter tyres have altered the experience again.

I had a set of cheap Chinese tyres on the Octy and they ruined the whole feel of the car and caused a dangerous pirouette on one occasion.

I think that saying RWD is better than FWD, or vice versa is foolish, as its a very subjective thing. Also obviously some FWD and RWD cars are better set up than other FWD and RWD cars, for instance I've had immense fun in a 1.6 diesel Ford Focus. A fine handling car.

I've owned 2 RWD cars, current beemer, and an MX-5, 4 FWD cars including an Octy vRS, and 2 4WD cars a Jeep and a Mazda 6MPS. For me RWD is the best car for driving enjoyment even in low speed 'normal' driving environments. I'd like to think that every car I own from now on will be RWD for that reason as there's something sublime about tackling a series of bends on a B road and the car feeling perfectly balanced and up for more.

My last car was a 1 series BMW. Lovely car to drive but so so compromised in many ways. I got rid of it after less than 2 years as I couldn't face another winter with it sitting on the driveway ( even with winter tyres). And also because I was costing me a fortune in tyres. Expensive tyres, cheap tyres, non run flats - tried them all but I needed a set of rears every 14K and fronts every 20K - probably due to my cross country commute (I'm tacking single track roads here) and the fact that it came as standard with a we man that sat on my shoulder and said "boot it"!!!

I think it is pretty simple really. The FWD option is the safe and easy one, the RWD option gives more driver involvement and interaction between throttle and steering, but at the cost of some user friendliniess / idiot proofing. Personally, for having fun it is RWD every time for me.

Chris

Anyone know why the author refers to 4WD cars as FWD? There's at least two he mentions.

Anyone know why the author refers to 4WD cars as FWD? There's at least two he mentions.

He refers to cars like Audis (which also form the base of all Bentleys) that are FWD in their basic state and then get RWD added. Yes in a Bentley you don't have a pure FWD model ever but the basic platform it is built on is FWD.