RWD - As dangerous as what people make it out to be ?

[McBain]

Hi all,

I've been looking into getting an MR2 - ( Either GT, or Turbo ) and have been looking into reviews, and what people generally think of the cars reliability and handling etc.

I've never driven a RWD car, but I do have a decent amount of experience on the road, however i'm a little concerned with the 'you'll be spinning in the wet, or around every corner' comments that seem to crop up in a lot of discussions/reviews. I appreciate that if you drive any car like a clown that you'll be off the road, but is a RWD car really that dangerous ? Or is it mostly exagerated ?

Input appreciated!

Cheers

 

[James_N]

Drive to the conditions and take extra care, and its not dangerous.

Inexperiance and too much speed catches a lot of people out. Just take care and you'll be fine

 

[Dolph]

RWD isn't that dangerous, unless you're inexperienced, driving like a pleb or just plain unlucky (eg diesel on a wet road). The problem with RWD is that when it does suddenly let go, it can be rather dramatic and rather quick, and unlike most fwd cars (where they default to understeer) can't be sorted out by simply backing off the throttle.

As long as you take it easy at first and treat the car with respect (or go to a big open aerodrome and learn how it handles) you'll be fine

 

[Von Luck]

Have never had a problem with any of the RWD cars I've driven - although an original XR4i with bald tyres in the wet was fun

I think the reputation arose because the majority of people are used to the understeer you get when you push a FWD car too far. Can be a nasty surprise the first time the rear end steps out on a RWD.

They're not baby eaters though

 

[Homeslice]

No, its a doddle. Anyone who loses the rear end of RWD car on anything less than the wettest / iceist / sharpest corner should imediately be put back into a Fiat Panda

 

[needmorespeed]

i jump into a 2.0 sierra after about 9months in a 1.1 fiesta and i'm still here sadly the sierra isn't roof rusted

 

[HEADRAT]

As Dolph said diesel on a wet road can be a real hazard, always be wary of roundabouts near filling stations.

HEADRAT

 

[Confused]

An MR2 is slightly different to many other RWD cars.

Many RWD cars have the engine in the front, which equalises the weight balance, making it easier to catch if the back end starts to go light.

An MR2's engine is over the rear wheels - so when the wheels let go, especially round a corner - there's a lot more weight going sideways, so it tends to go in a more spectacular fashion. You'll have lots of grip right up to the limit, but once it goes - it's gone.

Providing you drive with respect, and don't push it, especially in bad conditions or where you don't have enough run-off - then it won't be much different to driving a FWD car within the limits.

 

[SgtTupac]

Got to say, every RWD/4WD ive driven has been similar in terms to a FWD.. they are fine until you push them to the limit. FWD will understeer, RWD just slings the backend out. But tbh if your giving it a bit of hell i do always expect the backend to come out so your prepared for it Only car which has every really truely caught me out was my XR2 ona wet roundabout! And thats FWD

 

[Simon]

Got to say, every RWD/4WD ive driven has been similar in terms to a FWD.. they are fine until you push them to the limit. FWD will understeer, RWD just slings the backend out. But tbh if your giving it a bit of hell i do always expect the backend to come out so your prepared for it Only car which has every really truely caught me out was my XR2 ona wet roundabout! And thats FWD

Mine will just crash if you go over the limit. Its a painful lesson to learn this limit, no nice understeer

 

[ci_newman]

As most have said above really. RWD is perfectly safe, it just handles differently from FWD cars.

The MR2, however, is a different kettle of fish (especially the turbo version). There is a lot of power and torque with the Turbo, so if you don't handle the car properly it will put you in a ditch / kerb.

The later revision ones are fair better than the rev1s due to a slightly different suspension set up but they still must be respected.

 

[Sirrel Squirrel]

Got to say, every RWD/4WD ive driven has been similar in terms to a FWD.. they are fine until you push them to the limit. FWD will understeer, RWD just slings the backend out. But tbh if your giving it a bit of hell i do always expect the backend to come out so your prepared for it Only car which has every really truely caught me out was my XR2 ona wet roundabout! And thats FWD

That happened in my xr3i, I felt it understeering and thought I'd corrected it, last think I thought about was the backend flying out, somehow I managed to 'sort' of control it and done a 360 spin without hitting anything and carried on driving, I was quite impressed with myself really because it must have looked so cool

 

[happytechie]

you'll be fine. just remember that the speed that you are driving at when you enter the corner is the speed that you will have to take that corner at. As a rule I don't brake or accelerate in the wet if the wheels are not all pointing in the same direction.

I'd get youself out to a nice quiet empty car park in the wet and make sure you know what happens when the back end does let go, you don't have very long to react when those rear wheels start to loose grip.

I got my MG at 26 with no RWD exp and didn't crash it for 4 years of hard driving. But then I took a corner in icy conditions with a bit too much throttle, lost the back, and spun across to the other side of the road. Luckily there was nothing coming, unluckily I hit a big kerb sideways and ripped the two drivers side wheels off fully comp for the win, A MR2 turbo has ALLOT more power than my MG as well.

Paul

 

[Dr Who]

If a FWD car loses driven wheel grip it behaves in a manner that is safer than if a RWD loses grip...

A RWD has a tendency to oversteer and a FWD car has a tendency to understeer...

Both are dangerous in a given scenario, but both are correctable if you know what you are doing...

RWD can be faster in a given scenario, so as a result when it goes wrong, it tends to go wrong more seriously... but I guess thats why you are looking at a RWD car rather than FWD car..

 

[spaceman]

if you get one, just take your time getting used to the handling and your be fine.

my mr2 turbo was my first RWD car and i never had any problems

it's all about being smooth with all the controls, once you're used to it, they handle like go-karts

 

[InvaderGIR]

once you're used to it, they handle like go-karts

You mean they spin out on a corner if you slightly overcompensate on steering?

InvG

 

[Dr Who]

You mean they spin out on a corner if you slightly overcompensate on steering?

InvG

Well as a Kart is potentially the fastest cornering vehicle on 4 wheels, you would have to look at your driving if you are struggling in one

 

[InvaderGIR]

Well as a Kart is potentially the fastest cornering vehicle on 4 wheels, you would have to look at your driving if you are struggling in one

My right foot seems to attach it'self to the pedal and then it gets really heavy and I can't help but have my foot all the way to the floor...goKarts are just so much fun to floor and spin

InvG

 

[Dogbreath]

An MR2's engine is over the rear wheels - so when the wheels let go, especially round a corner - there's a lot more weight going sideways, so it tends to go in a more spectacular fashion. You'll have lots of grip right up to the limit, but once it goes - it's gone.

In the dry mine felt reasonably progressive, I think tyre choice affects this a great deal. They have enough grip in the dry that you have to be doing silly things to provoke it anyway.

In the wet they can just let go with virtualy no warning if you do something silly, e.g. exiting a corner and applying too much throttle to compensate for turbo lag, turbo spools up quickly, you enter hedge backwards.

 

[encephalopathy]

then there is lift-off oversteer..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lift-off_oversteer

i can get this to happen a little in my alfa 156 on roundabouts but couldn't in my previous, more neutral, focus 1.8

lift off oversteer is more of an issue in mid or rear engined cars