Inexpensive Snow Cars for 2006-2007
11-04-06 | 02:43 PM
#16
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2005
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A lot of people get caught up w/ AWD and 4WD and don't stop to realize that it doesn't make you stop or turn any better than FWD or RWD. A/4WD just means 4 wheels are accelerating.
Once you try to stop, you're using all four wheels no matter what car is in question, and turning is, unless you have 4 wheel steering, done with just 2 wheels no matter what.
Granted with turning a modern day AWD car with a good stability program could use the two additional drive wheels to correct for turn-in and slides a bit better. But still... the thing that generally seems to cause accidents is the inability to stop in time, and guess what the only thing that's gonna help you in that case is? Chains or snow/ice tires.
I'd take a RWD w/ snow tires ANY day over an AWD with all season tires (or worse yet, performance tires)
Granted AWD w/ snow tires is best of all but still...
Once you try to stop, you're using all four wheels no matter what car is in question, and turning is, unless you have 4 wheel steering, done with just 2 wheels no matter what.
Granted with turning a modern day AWD car with a good stability program could use the two additional drive wheels to correct for turn-in and slides a bit better. But still... the thing that generally seems to cause accidents is the inability to stop in time, and guess what the only thing that's gonna help you in that case is? Chains or snow/ice tires.
I'd take a RWD w/ snow tires ANY day over an AWD with all season tires (or worse yet, performance tires)
Granted AWD w/ snow tires is best of all but still...
People forget that starting from below 45 F, snow tires out perform summer tires, they think you have to be below freezing for summer tires to misbehave, which is simply not true.
11-04-06 | 03:11 PM
#17
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,509
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From: MD
I thought AWD was overrated too.....until I got an Outback. There's simply nothing else like it on slippery roads, especially with good tires.... ...and I have owned and driven many of both FWD and RWD cars, both with and without winter tires.
Theres's nothing wrong with choosing an Impreza over the SX4.....the Impreza is not quite the value or low price the SX4 is, and it lacks the SX4's multi-position 2WD/AWD/AWD Lock selector, but it also has a more proven drivetrain and mechanicals than the brand-new Suzuki.
All else equal, AWD may or may not help you stop any quicker. Compared to a RWD car, probably not, because of AWD's greater weight, even though the AWD weight is more evenly distrubuted front-to-rear than RWD. But even with more weight, it may help some in relation to a FWD car because FWD cars are quite nose-heavy, have a lot of forward weight transfer on braking, and force the front brakes to do most of the work.
Theres's nothing wrong with choosing an Impreza over the SX4.....the Impreza is not quite the value or low price the SX4 is, and it lacks the SX4's multi-position 2WD/AWD/AWD Lock selector, but it also has a more proven drivetrain and mechanicals than the brand-new Suzuki.
All else equal, AWD may or may not help you stop any quicker. Compared to a RWD car, probably not, because of AWD's greater weight, even though the AWD weight is more evenly distrubuted front-to-rear than RWD. But even with more weight, it may help some in relation to a FWD car because FWD cars are quite nose-heavy, have a lot of forward weight transfer on braking, and force the front brakes to do most of the work.
11-04-06 | 04:19 PM
#18
Thread Starter
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 91,613
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From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Apples and oranges. All other things equal ( and they rarely are in autodom ), an AWD product will be more evenly balanced than either a FWD or RWD product because of the heavy powertrain components distributed both front AND rear. However, many individual components and layouts can make a difference, like how engine/transmission components are designed and the weight of the components used. There are indeed some RWD products out there, like the Miata, RX-8, and some BMW's, that are close to 50/50, but this is not the norm. There are no FWD vehicles I know of that are at or close to 50/50...it is simply too difficult and expensive to do for a reasonable price.
Last edited by mmarshall; 11-04-06 at 04:23 PM.
11-04-06 | 05:05 PM
#20
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 91,613
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From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Not necessarily.....see my reply to vader11 in the thread on the different types of AWD and their performance.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=247088
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=247088
11-04-06 | 05:29 PM
#21
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,231
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From: Los Angeles/Vancouver
but dont you usually get more torque onto the wheel that needs it the most with the 4WD over the AWD?
pls educate me a bit more, im still learning about the mechanics of these systems
but from what ive been reading, it seems that 4WD does give you a bit more grunt in low speed than AWD
http://www.4x4abc.com/4WD101/awd.html
pls educate me a bit more, im still learning about the mechanics of these systems
but from what ive been reading, it seems that 4WD does give you a bit more grunt in low speed than AWD
http://www.4x4abc.com/4WD101/awd.html
11-04-06 | 10:21 PM
#22
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,509
Likes: 0
From: MD
Apples and oranges. All other things equal ( and they rarely are in autodom ), an AWD product will be more evenly balanced than either a FWD or RWD product because of the heavy powertrain components distributed both front AND rear. However, many individual components and layouts can make a difference, like how engine/transmission components are designed and the weight of the components used. There are indeed some RWD products out there, like the Miata, RX-8, and some BMW's, that are close to 50/50, but this is not the norm. There are no FWD vehicles I know of that are at or close to 50/50...it is simply too difficult and expensive to do for a reasonable price.
11-05-06 | 09:42 AM
#23
Thread Starter
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 91,613
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From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
One of the best-designed cars on the market, from a 50/50 weight distribution point of view, is the new RWD Corvette C6. Like the C5 before it, it has the transmission at the rear, where it helps balance out the heavy engine up front......and the engine itself is set as far back in the frame as possible.
( I reviewed a C6 6-speed manual last December.....it was a blast to drive )
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