RWD outdated?

[fpv_gtho]

Remould's are usually pretty crap, i think youre not supposed to go over 100km/h with them or something...

Well Lotus being involved with Proton doesnt necessarily mean they had an involvement though..

[SlickHolden]

Yeah i got a warning on them that says do not exceed 140kp/h Woops

Lotus done the engine and made it have max power when you get high in the revs real racy like them, But they tunned the suspension it's been said it's maybe to hard. It is hard on bumps hard on body and car.

[charged]

the Lotsu Elan S2 was amazing in behaving most like a RWD with an FWD platform

Never driven one , have heard they are an absolute joy to punt round a track and the looks appeal to me also. Matra have you ever driven one and what price are they going for in the UK. I will buy one over the net and youcan post pack it to me in Aust

[Matra et Alpine]

Never driven one , have heard they are an absolute joy to punt round a track and the looks appeal to me also. Matra have you ever driven one and what price are they going for in the UK. I will buy one over the net and youcan post pack it to me in Aust

I nearly bought one about 7 years ago.
Passed it over ..... and now wish I hadn found a way to fund it
They are worthy of the LOTUS name although at the time purists were up in arms at Lotus doing FWD
I'd driven it hard over our local twisties, hence how I described it as beign more like a RWD than FWD car !!

[McReis]

I nearly bought one about 7 years ago.
Passed it over ..... and now wish I hadn found a way to fund it
They are worthy of the LOTUS name although at the time purists were up in arms at Lotus doing FWD
I'd driven it hard over our local twisties, hence how I described it as beign more like a RWD than FWD car !!

I understand the bad reaction from the purists, but in my opinion, a great FWD is something as refined as a great RWD. The Elan S2 was a great way of Lotus showing to the world that they could do their magic on both kinds of car. And the S2 looked wonderful.
There are other great examples of FWD well engineered cars that can be driven like RWD. Take the Fulvia for example.

Having lived for years with FWD cars on daily use and now almost 5 months with RWD, it's interesting to put it in perspective.
RWD is not that intimidating on everyday use and moderated speeds, even when the roads are very wet. Unexpected snaps from the rear are almost impossible to happen on my car. And when you let them happen you can catch it with not much worries.
However, on rainy days it's very common to see mothers crying with their babies on the back seat, while their nice looking BMW tds break is stuck on the armco after a misjudged highway exit. Wich means that, for the less sensible driver, RWD can be scary. When combined with the diesel torque, it's even harder for unexperienced drivers to feel the limits.

You rarely get big understeer on a FWD unless you're pushing hard, and when you do, taking off the gas usually puts things back in shape fast. But it's scary to see the car heading to a wall while your steering angle nervously increases. However, judging when the tires will let go is easier on a FWD. After all, the vibrations on the traction wheels are being transmited to your hands. That makes it easier to push the car up to it's limit. You can feel very relaxed while driving very hard your FWD. The RWD, while much more fun, is something that requires much more concentration, skills and experience to get close to the car's limit. I have pushed my MX-5 a few times now, and I'm amazed by the amount of traction and the speed it can carry around corners. I never thought it would be like that. But I have to admit that I feel very respectful and intimidated by the idea of what can happen if I misjudge a corner. In a way I didn't feel in the 206. And mind that this might be one of the easiest RWD cars to drive, since it has not much power, has lots of feedback and low weight ans gravity centre (I've driven lots of BMW's and a couple of Mercedes and they are in fact trickier).

But hell, this is so much more fun.

[PerfAdv]

McReis, that's a very accurate summation!

I drove an Integra GS-R for years and it was a fantastic handler. Only, a well setup RWD has lighter steering and feel even the best FWDs still cannot match. On the plus side, I remember being able to drive the GS-R with abandon, even in the wet. FWD allows for some sloppy driving. They are great at getting you accustomed to getting a little sideways using lift-throttle. Then when you graduate to RWD, you can enjoy the greater control you have in getting sideways.

[greg.harvey]

Intrigued to what hte hell happened that a driver willing and able to get a FWD that fast didnt' knwo hwo to stick in there.
FWD is easier at the limit, but you just have to use 3 pedals and 2 feet simultaneously.

A surprising number of people don't! A guy killed himself near my parents' place a few years ago - lost it in a big Saab (FWD, of course) doing something near 100mph on a left-hand bend. No one saw it, but the best guess is he came in far too fast, got huge understeer and reacted all wrong. Straight in to a tree. Last thing he ever did! To this day I wonder how on Earth he managed it... must've been driving like a man possessed!

[Matra et Alpine]

A surprising number of people don't! A guy killed himself near my parents' place a few years ago - lost it in a big Saab (FWD, of course) doing something near 100mph on a left-hand bend. No one saw it, but the best guess is he came in far too fast, got huge understeer and reacted all wrong. Straight in to a tree. Last thing he ever did! To this day I wonder how on Earth he managed it... must've been driving like a man possessed!

Half of the first batch of Saab 99 Turbos in the UK were wrapped around trees
Neighbour had LONG argument with Saab UK because he wanted to fit the faster rack in it for road competition. He had to go to Saab UK to get "clearance" and they showed him 4 written-off Turbos.
They had VICIOUS torque steer when the turbo kicked in tho'

[SlickHolden]

I just remember this,
About 2 years ago i went through this big roundabout in the good old VB Commodore (RWD) Flew through it cause this little car was up my do not enter It was maybe a older Honda integra. Anyway as we both went through this roundabout it got it's rear out to my shock and i didn't? No word of a lie 100% truth. The old VB was a ripper on corners better then the VP But the VP kills it with power.

[Kooper]

Refocusing on the issue at hand...the RWD wasnt a problem when it came to handling the car, just when doing 1/4 mile and mile acceleration tests. The Hennessey viper would spin the back tires through all of the gears, granted a FWD car with over 1000 hp would spin the tires even more, but would an AWD car?

Don't know if someone answered you yet, so here goes:

AWD will probably have better traction off the line, but I once heard this rumour that with most high-powered AWD cars, you can't just stomp the accelerator. You have to lean into it gently, otherwise you run the risk of melting the clutch - then again, I have no idea how true this is...

[McReis]

Don't know if someone answered you yet, so here goes:

AWD will probably have better traction off the line, but I once heard this rumour that with most high-powered AWD cars, you can't just stomp the accelerator. You have to lean into it gently, otherwise you run the risk of melting the clutch - then again, I have no idea how true this is...

It's true. Read and heard it many times. There are more moving parts and much more traction to fight with. So it seems logical.

[greg.harvey]

But with the AWD Audi A3 I used to have the computer did everything! Another factor... These days the traction control computer on a powerful AWD car won't let you do that anyway I guess... (I used to stomp on the power all the time! Company car... )

One undeniable fact about AWD is it is more expensive to make, more expensive to run and more expensive to repair - which is always going to make it less practical for general use where it is overkill for most people.

[QBridge]

RWD all the way. Everyone should go and buy a RWD car right now.

[Matra et Alpine]

By the time you've done half a dozen serious launches in a road-version Subaru WRX on tarmac you're needing to service the clutch !!
Seen the guys bills for the one he brings to Crail

[-What-]

An AWD car will usually post faster lap times than a RWD car of similar spec. AWD is better for max performance than RWD.

Also, America rules all.