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I know that, I was making a point. mass market cars usually don't have over 400hp either- which is what he said awd is a must for, and it isn't.
I never said it was a "must" it just typically makes the car easier to control for inexperienced drivers. Some vehicles have a reputation for being wild and hairy and hard to deal with, like Vipers. Cars like R8s and Gallardos are generally easier to handle.
I never said it was a "must" it just typically makes the car easier to control for inexperienced drivers. Some vehicles have a reputation for being wild and hairy and hard to deal with, like Vipers. Cars like R8s and Gallardos are generally easier to handle.
Lol, can't really argue with that logic. Granted t/c, and grip hasn't been surpassed, nothing like a front skid to grow hair on your chest.
So if you were me, would you get a car with AWD or 4X4? I mean I'm not an off-roader or anything like that. I just seem to get unlucky trying unfamiliar roads or short-cuts.
Try buying better tires first. My 2x4 RWD Ford F150 had no issues on back roads with a foot of snow on them when I was rolling on BF Goodrich four season radials. I eventually had to replace them and bought some Michelin four season radials which have almost no traction on wet pavement, never mind in snow. The performance difference between the two brands were like night and day, despite Michelin having a reputation as one of the best quality tires on the market.
As for your original question, the most capable off-road production vehicle being sold today is the Jeep Wrangler, and it has used 4 wheel drive since they first started making them in 1941.
I never said it was a "must" it just typically makes the car easier to control for inexperienced drivers. Some vehicles have a reputation for being wild and hairy and hard to deal with, like Vipers. Cars like R8s and Gallardos are generally easier to handle.
My last three cars were RWD over 400 hp and no trouble in the world from them.
After dealing with the winters out here for the past, three years, I'd say just carry a shovel and drive carefully until you no longer have to deal with any of that mess.
I'm still paying for my current pickup truck and unless I could find a good deal on some manual transmission, unaltered, classic ex-military Jeep(a'la M*A*S*H), then I'm not expending any extra funds or credit on something I don't plan on using outside of emergencies.
I still don't see the fun in taking a perfectly good vehicle and getting it stuck in mud, snow, or some other road condition conducive to a developing nation.
I do that every day in some of the places I have to drive a semi-tractor.
I guess you aren't inexperienced. Would you want your 16yo's first car to be a 400hp RWD?
What I would do is to teach my 16-year old how to drive the car or truck. Now a lot of old farts learned how to drive what are now considered dangerous automobiles, and even how to handle firearms, when we were very young
SOME (most these days) AWD systems have a manner in which to lock the diff, it is not however a requirement to be AWD. An completely open diff AWD would act like this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68lEFjjG798
(yes there is osmething wrong with that car, just the first example I could find. 3 open diffs + one loose wheel = stuck )
Subaru has a much more effective capacity to sort of lock the center diff than most AWD vehicles.
The downfall of AWD is when torque is needed. When that happens most AWD systems cannot send enough torque to the axle that needs it. Locking the center diff (4x4) makes it happen.
There are several AWD systems that work as well or better than Subaru's. Mitsubishi uses one of the best in the world in some of their rally cars, Audi has a very advanced one, and so on. But I would agree with you that Subaru's is a good bang for the money.
That said, I wonder if all AWD systems are designed by a very few companies, and then licensed to other automobile manufacturers?
Last edited by RayinAK; 11-27-2015 at 11:34 PM..
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