why havnt hot hatches gone rwd ??

[thebrochureman]

The 1 series is a load of crap. Sure, it may be a descent drive, but it costs you way too much for the possible thrill.

The 1 Series is good, but like you said you do pay for the badge a bit.

Like other have said Hot hatches are mostly FWD because they based on FWD cars and it would be too expencive to make it RWD.

[Aloser]

Did you ever try to drive a FWD on ice wintertime with tires that after a long summer are turning into slicks? It's easier to get up the hill since you got all the weight over the front wheels, but once you lose control you did lose it.
RWD is also more funn

Did you ever stop to think about weight transfer as you go up a snow-covered road in a FWD car? The weight shifts to the rear wheels as the hill gets steeper and you lose traction just when you need it most. The engine is at the wrong end of the car.

The best car which I have ever driven in the snow was a 1964 Simca 1000 with a 944 cc in-line four cylinder (57 cubic inch / 52 HP) in the rear driving the 12 inch rear wheels. I drove it for two winters on *SUMMER* treads (NOT all-season) because my Dad had two nearly new summer tires for it and the snow tires which he had were bald.

I've found myself slipping backwards down hills in my FWD VW Jetta which would not have fazed the Simca.

The 35/65 weight bias meant that it was really easy to lock up the front wheels. So, you could gently brake *OR* turn but not do both at the same time. You had to brake well before the corner, get off the brakes to turn and be prepared for a lot of understeer. But you were not going to get stuck.

[Clivey]

Did you ever stop to think about weight transfer as you go up a snow-covered road in a FWD car? The weight shifts to the rear wheels as the hill gets steeper and you lose traction just when you need it most. The engine is at the wrong end of the car.

The best car which I have ever driven in the snow was a 1964 Simca 1000 with a 944 cc in-line four cylinder (57 cubic inch / 52 HP) in the rear driving the 12 inch rear wheels. I drove it for two winters on *SUMMER* treads (NOT all-season) because my Dad had two nearly new summer tires for it and the snow tires which he had were bald.

I've found myself slipping backwards down hills in my FWD VW Jetta which would not have fazed the Simca.

The 35/65 weight bias meant that it was really easy to lock up the front wheels. So, you could gently brake *OR* turn but not do both at the same time. You had to brake well before the corner, get off the brakes to turn and be prepared for a lot of understeer. But you were not going to get stuck.

Sounds like the perfect justification for one of these:



Though your wife might think you're taking the piste...

[crisis]

why are most hot hatches still fwd ??

ignoring the fact that most hot hatches are based on eco box fwd models

Actually you can’t ignore this.
As has been said “Hot hatches” are merely “performance” models of simple mass produced “peoples cars” . Their raison d'etre being to provide cheap economical transport. It is a natural progression for manufacturers to offer various model levels based on one car and a “sports” model is one. Given most Japanese and many Euro manufacturers only produce front wheel drive platforms this is the only way they can put a toe in the “performance” pool. But cramming high powered motors into them eventually results in a complete mis-match of engine and chassis. Very few realise whatever the actual potential the manufacturer was trying for effectively.

[Clivey]

Actually you can’t ignore this.
As has been said “Hot hatches” are merely “performance” models of simple mass produced “peoples cars” . Their raison d'etre being to provide cheap economical transport. It is a natural progression for manufacturers to offer various model levels based on one car and a “sports” model is one. Given most Japanese and many Euro manufacturers only produce front wheel drive platforms this is the only way they can put a toe in the “performance” pool. But cramming high powered motors into them eventually results in a complete mis-match of engine and chassis. Very few realise whatever the actual potential the manufacturer was trying for effectively.

Well said. FWD is fun in a hot hatch up to a point (Astra VXR), but beyond that I think trying to effectively put the power down is an exercise in futility. - It doesn't matter if you've got the best limited slip differential or 20 different traction control settings, you can't defy the laws of physics. - A tyre cannot give maximum steering performance and deploy maximum power simultaneously. The starting point for a full-fat performance car will never be FWD. - With hot hatches, what you're getting is Diet Coke. Myself, I prefer a TVR.