driving styles

[KnifeEdge_2K1]

what are the main differences in driving style between driving a fwd car and rwd (sperate front and mid engined cars)

obviously to correct oversteer and understeer the methods are different but i'm talking about on a track taking corners

on hairpins, chicanes, fast sweeping "Esses"

talk about average cornering speeds, corner entery procedure, apexes, braking points

as far as i can figure out you need to use left foot braking and lift off oversteer in the fwd in alot of situations to keep understeering in control and tire wear as well

in MR cars you trail brake alot to load the front tires in order to maintain a 50/50 (or close to) weigh distribution and can therefore both deccelerate later and accelerate earlier as opposed to a FR machine

any inputs are welcome

[Matra et Alpine]

Once your in to left foot braking and oversteer scrubbinb to keep speed up you will consuem tyres.
The ONLY way to keep FWD tyre wear reasonable is to NOT drive at teh limit.
FWD fronts work harder than ANY otehr layout so when pushing hard wear fast !!!

You can typically get a FWD INTO a corner faster but will come out of it slower than an equal power/weight RWD.

Driving "style" depends a lto on teh suspension as well.
Some FWD will lift rear wheels and get itsy in the brakgin/turn-in.
Some RWD will really push the fronts out as soon as power is applied.

It's not as simple (sadly) as a set of rules for each.
It's more a set of "guidelines"

[magracer]

Driving "style" depends a lto on teh suspension as well.

I agree. Identical cars with different suspension and alignment setup might behave very differently. There is no "one size fits all" for this.

[Daz27]

I agree, 2 identical cars with even something as basic as ride hights varying from front to rear will change the handling characteristics enough to make you wonder i they are the same type of car. Hell, even tyre pressures will do that... The variables are immense. Especially if there is a lot of tuneability in the suspension, etc. I prefer rear wheel drive myself, cant beat 2 turnen and 2 burnen out of a corner... Bout the only thing a front wheel drive is good at is reversy-firsties...

[2ndclasscitizen]

What I like about FWD is if you're in a car that's not really powerful, around a corner thats got plenty of room on the exit you can go wide, turn in hard on the apex and then floor it and let the understeer make you flow out wide, do that in a RWD car you better have a clean side window

[hightower99]

Me I like AWD regardless of how it is setup (front/back biased) The scandinavians invented a way to make FF cars very flickable and used the technique in rally. Matra can fill you in on that. FR and MR cars feel very different. I always feel like FR understeer abit before they bite and MR seems to oversteer before it bites. FR cars normally are most intuitive to drive.

[Matra et Alpine]

Bout the only thing a front wheel drive is good at is reversy-firsties...

"depends" ..... Put an Escort Mexico and a Mini on a tarmac stage in Scotland and the Mini will win it ( First hand experience )

Civic Type-R has beaten many "fast" cars around Knockhill -- and the Civic only had a comp air filter and de-catted

There are cases when GOOD fwd handling is an advantage.
In an ideal world, I'd have one of each and pick which to run once I saw the venue.
THere is no "one is always faster than the other rule" -- until you get onto the simple straight line stuff adn then you just dont' get to use >400hp through jsut he frotn wheels

Mini specials OWN the autocross competitive circuit ( lots of reversys there )