Can you ever go back from RWD?

[MikeHiow]

You must be properly bad at it, people get worse at motorsport as they get older. Look at the F1 grid. You are right in the prime age range for max ability yet you still get beaten every single time by a bunch of old men.

Maybe try golf instead?

Your understanding of motorsport fails.

In something like F1, ability is far less of a limitation than physical fitness/stamina. As people get older, fitness and stamina reduces, thus results suffer.

A one minute run is not a problem for even 50-somethings. Experience in this particular discipline prevails over fitness or any other factor, if you have any doubts you should tell the Formula Ford driver that routinely places in the middle (behind my 40-something year old Dad in the Strada at the last event), too.

 

[ubersonic]

Just my opinion but I think the car itself is much more important than the drivetrain, if you go from an MX-5 to a Yaris you will be disappointed, if you go from a 30 year old Volvo estate to a Integra you will not.

Personally I have owned a number of Honda Preludes over the years including a bog standard 2.0i UK only model, a Vtec with four wheel steering and a Vtec without 4WS but with TC and an LSD, all three of those cars handled differently and the 4WS actually felt somewhat like a RWD when going round a roundabout due to the artificial oversteer.

I used to own a MK4 Toyota Supra TT and that car was scarily good in a straight line however around the twisties it was no faster than the Prelude. I have just bought a 1990 MK3 Toyota Supra TT which has a Torsen diff and as far as I can tell it handles just as well as the MK4 did.

Before opting for the Supra I recently test drove a Mitsubishi Legnum (280PS twin turbo estate) which cornered like the friggin Pepsi Max rollercoster, 4WD/AYC/LSD (iirc) the thing had insane handling.

So to repeat my point, in my opinion 4WD/RWD/FWD has less effect on the "fun" of the car than the car itself

 

[sigma]

Remind me who said FWD isn't as fun?

 

[PMKeates]

I prefer RWD not for reasons of my spectacular drifting ability or the supposed cornering poise, but for the more mundane:

1) I don't like the feeling of the steering wheel moving under power. Virtually all FWD cars do it when you try to accelerate quickly.

2) I like having a good amount of traction from the get-go, especially in the wet.

3) I like being able to accelerate while cornering without it feeling weird.

In theory I'd be perfectly happy with four wheel drive as long as there wasn't a significant performance impact.

 

[crinkleshoes]

I'd like to see the difference back to back of a car with LSD and without. I'm guessing a car with an LSD would be less stable (maybe understeer then followed by oversteer when the rear wheels lose grip?)

Exactly the opposite... you have a LOT more control over what the rear end is doing with a LSD

Huge difference... can be a few seconds on track (track/car dependant)




As for the main question... I will never go back to FWD out of choice... I would consider AWD, but much prefer RWD...

 

[apple_man77]

I've gone from a 4wd mk5 r32 golf to a fwd ford focus rs.

Not had the focus in the snow but guessing the golf will be the better of the two but I can happily live with 300 bhp+ through the front wheels

 

[Justintime]

Dosen't matter to me tbh. Not with 20mph at best daily traffic. Most of my cars have been RWD.

 

[Lopéz]

Exactly the opposite... you have a LOT more control over what the rear end is doing with a LSD

Huge difference... can be a few seconds on track (track/car dependant)




As for the main question... I will never go back to FWD out of choice... I would consider AWD, but much prefer RWD...

Trying to hang the back end out on a RWD car is a bit of a pain on the arse with no LSD. It's very much a case of all or nothing and it can be difficult to predict whether you're going to get all or nothing!

 

[crinkleshoes]

Exactly... and once it's wiggling around it can be almost impossible to hold it/control it without an LSD... depends how far out it's gone and the surface conditions.

With an LSD you can hold it wherever you want it (within reason of course)

 

[Enfield]

Hi,

I just changed from an e36 BMW M3 Evolution to a Skoda Ocativa vRS and do find the change even more dramatic than it was from going from FWD to RWD.

I must admit that RWD is certainly more fun and makes you think more "what if" questions which certainly added to the excitement.

 

[rypt]

Depends on the FWD and RWD car

If you are stepping from an RWD barge to an FWD hot hatch then you are going to have more fun probably

If you are stepping from an RWD "sports" car to an FWD shopping trolley ....