Switching to RWD

Oh yes, I did not mean do that on the public highway of course :o ...but it just shows you, even a big lump of a car like a Jag can dance when you let it.
 
I went up a hill sideways in my 330CI during the snow we had, great fun ...looking out of the passenger side window yet travelling forwards at less than 10mph :p ...only thing was, I wasn't at all sure I would ever get up it.

I got over taken on the same hill by a Vauxhall Zaffira, it just went around me and drove off, no problem.

I also needed to be pushed by a friend on several occasions, had 3 guys pushing down on the back off it trying to get me some traction at one point. Pain in the **** in the snow to be honest. It was like a fish out of water.
 
Freefaller said:
I had a 240bhp MX5 and had the pedal to the metal all the time, even round corners and even in the wet, and I'm not dead - so I'm sure you'll be fine. :) They handle well, slide nicely, pull out of junctions sideways and are predictable. :) You necessarily become a driving god - FACT.
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I wouldnt dare put the pedal to the floor round corners in the wet as I think I would die, it scares me. :o Was coming off a slip road in 3rd accellerating hard on a gentle left and felt the rear end start to break away at 75mph, its not fun at all.
 
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InvaderGIR said:
Why? Do rwd cars just explode in the snow or something?

Drive according to the conditions and you'll be fine.
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No, but they do struggle compared to FWD cars.
When you get wheelspin in the snow the car will pull to one side. With a RWD car, it is being pushed rather than pulled, meaning it is very easy for the car to begin to rotate on it's own axis instead of just drifting gently to one side like you tend to do in a FWD car. This is particularly noticeable when going uphill.
Another factor to remember is steering - on a FWD car in the snow you are able to vary the angle of your driven wheels very quickly in an effort to gain traction, and the results are almost instant. You cannot do this in a RWD car where the driven wheels are in a fixed position. Tweaking the steering wheel won't translate quickly enough or dramatically enough to have a huge effect on the driving wheels at the back.
There is also generally less weight over the driven wheels which can be a hinderance depending on the conditions.

I got to work fine with a bit of advance preparation when we had the severe weather a few months ago, but the whole operation would have required significantly less effort if I'd have taken the Golf instead of the Manta.
 
Is it a noticeably different driving experience?
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nope hence the problem


With a fwd car you dont really have to think, most of the time the car will understeer a bit if you mess up

Do the same in a rwd car while not really concentrating and its much more complicated what may happen or not when those 1% incidents occur

You should drive it like a granny till you establish the boundaries and the feel of the car. I would argue that could apply for weeks or longer after you get it, it all depends how much attention you pay.
Be careful when tired, Im sure you would be fine most of the time
 
You'll really notice the difference in the snow so take it easy. I would highly recommend practicing some donuts and opposite lock at moderate speed on a large open wet car park. Learn when and how to use opposite lock, When to power down and lift off and get a feel for the car. This will help no end when you accidentally lose it on the road, you'll be prepared for it.
 
Phate said:
This is something I'm pretty paranoid about for when I get my next car as it A) be RWD and b) be a very expensive bit of kit to replace if I broked it :p
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Given your absolutely disasterous car history with regards to driving into things, being 'stolen' by your brother, falling apart and generally chavving about are you really sure thats entirely sensible? :p

You drive that MG like you've just nicked it from a council estate :p
 
RWD kinda scares me too, as I generally drive fast, often round corners too. Id be afraid of spinning out and pretty much killing myself.

Just last night this was shown to me yet again, 330i touring 3 series was chasing me in the straights, and I knew I was holding him back, slight sweeping corner and I kept the power down and he fell way behind. Im so used to keeping the power down in corners I think id find myself in a hedge.
 
Just slow down then, you can arguably corner more quickly in a well balanced rwd car anyway if you know what you are doing. Remember, slow in, fast out.
 
Im so used to keeping the power down in corners I think id find myself in a hedge.
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A rwd car will corner better in my experience, not sure I know why exactly maybe its balance but if you pay attention the car will travel better through the corner.

You do have to alter the whole braking and balancing part though, you will unsettle the car doing it the wrong way round. The weight and bias of the car alter even if the actual bulk of weight is still at the front, the whole nose dip thing plays out different

I somehow managed to get the back end out at 20mph on a right angle corner driving a rwd as if it were fwd. Obviously I lived to tell the tale :p but best to realise the difference as soon as possible, you should not drive it 'blindly'
 
[TW]Fox;14493672 said:
Given your absolutely disasterous car history with regards to driving into things, being 'stolen' by your brother, falling apart and generally chavving about are you really sure thats entirely sensible? :p
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Probably not, but I'm going to end up with one sooner rather than later :p - Plus its ages off yet, lots of pennies to save!

You drive that MG like you've just nicked it from a council estate :p
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Only at meets....people are under this impression I drive like a raving lunatic constantly. If I did quite simply I'd be dead. But at a meet, oddly enough when the whole group is going for a hoon I tend to join in, odd that :p
 
Drive with your brain in gear as well as the car and you'll have no problem at all with it.

I.e. take care in the wet on greasy roundabouts etc.

Do MX5's have any form of Traction Control? I ask as my e36 328i has none(!) and its relatively tame unless provoked and even then its easily corrected. I guess its autobox helps tame the rear end a tad......
 
Simon said:
If one wheel hits a white line at full throttle you can run into problems.
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Theoretically. I've never come across a white line that is large enough to remove enough tyre surface area from the actual tarmac. Then again, I have large cross-section rears.
 
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