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Are you seriously talking about 40 year old technology? That is quite laughable. If you think a 70s rwd car handled poorly, try a 70s fwd car on the same bias ply tires and leaf spring suspension but with a forward weight bias. Lets keep things relevant, shall we?
If RWD was all it took, then it woudn't matter what year. iv'e bveen road racing and slalom racing for 30+ years. It doesn't matter WHAT decade we're talking about, RWD isn't the magical bullet that cures understeer or makes a car handle good. THAT comes from the way the car as a whole is set up. PERIOD.
F1 cars (well formula cars in geenral) are set up the way they are due to rules, as well. And supercars, the fastst cars you are talking about, have to pack in pretty large, powerful engines and a couple drivers. so mid engine tends to dominate, as packaging for that is the best.
But, unless you are at the outer limits of performance, (which I said before, which removes the top formula cars and supercars) it doens't matter which end is drivin, as much as it matters how the total car is set up. Once you come back down from a 400+ hp car, to a normal street car, then it doesn't matter, so looking at the average street car and saying that FWD or RWD is WHY it handles the way it does is just crap. It has nothing to do with it.
If RWD was all it took, then it woudn't matter what year. iv'e bveen road racing and slalom racing for 30+ years. It doesn't matter WHAT decade we're talking about, RWD isn't the magical bullet that cures understeer or makes a car handle good. THAT comes from the way the car as a whole is set up. PERIOD.
An Acura/Honda Integra or Prelude, which is FWD, when set up properly, can outhandle many RWD cars. You never, ever want to tell this to a BMW fanboy, but, it's true...
An Acura/Honda Integra or Prelude, which is FWD, when set up properly, can outhandle many RWD cars. You never, ever want to tell this to a BMW fanboy, but, it's true...
Until you take a rwd car, and set it up properly as well. I love how people love to make apples to oranges comparisons. You can make anything fast, and make anything handle better - customization and modification is not the point when talking about the relative merits of one design over another. Besides, when you start talking about racing cars and modified frames and suspensions, you lose all relevancy since you have such a specialized vehicle at that point.
If RWD was all it took, then it woudn't matter what year. iv'e bveen road racing and slalom racing for 30+ years. It doesn't matter WHAT decade we're talking about, RWD isn't the magical bullet that cures understeer or makes a car handle good. THAT comes from the way the car as a whole is set up. PERIOD.
Duh.
Quote:
F1 cars (well formula cars in geenral) are set up the way they are due to rules, as well. And supercars, the fastst cars you are talking about, have to pack in pretty large, powerful engines and a couple drivers. so mid engine tends to dominate, as packaging for that is the best.
Irrelevant and a generalization.
Quote:
But, unless you are at the outer limits of performance, (which I said before, which removes the top formula cars and supercars) it doens't matter which end is drivin, as much as it matters how the total car is set up. Once you come back down from a 400+ hp car, to a normal street car, then it doesn't matter, so looking at the average street car and saying that FWD or RWD is WHY it handles the way it does is just crap. It has nothing to do with it.
BS. Any car with any power level can be effected by the drive wheels. Its not power alone but the driving dynamic where a fwd/rwd bias is felt - you, a race car driver of all people, should know that. Go drive an original Miata and a Toyota Paseo convertible and tell me which one you prefer.
No one is saying that fwd cars can't be made to handle, but you keep going back to track duty and specialized applications. For the mainstream, the fact is that fwd does not handle as well as rwd. Fwd exists because it is a cheap, economical package good for cheap, economical cars. When you start getting into serious power and performance, and even luxury cars, the majority of the market is exclusive to rwd, and there are good reasons for that.
With FWD the rear wheels are just free-spinning wheels on roller bearings. It is impossible for them to lift the front of the car.
There are actually FWD drag race cars that have wheelie bars. No, the rear wheels don't lift the front of the car, but the car does squat down under load when they launch and the front wheels bounce as they lift, spin and regain traction over and over.
So if you want to go fast in a straight line and that's it, you want a RWD car for this reason. If you are running a race on a technical course with more tight corners and less long straight aways with a rolling start that features cars with production engines like SCCA Touring Car, then a stripped out FWD Acura with a huge budget can dominate BMW 3 series, Mustangs and other "superior" RWD vehicles.
Until you take a rwd car, and set it up properly as well. I love how people love to make apples to oranges comparisons. You can make anything fast, and make anything handle better - customization and modification is not the point when talking about the relative merits of one design over another. Besides, when you start talking about racing cars and modified frames and suspensions, you lose all relevancy since you have such a specialized vehicle at that point.
I'm always relevant, cochese.
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