[Aaron]

I know RWD is better than FWD in dry, but not sure in rain. any inputs?

Why would that matter? Physics doesn't change in different weather. Friciton does, but that doesn't affect how a car behaves. It is just that most people do not drive at the traction limts on dry pavement, but sometimes do on wet pavement. They are fooling themselves into thinking certain drivetrains are inferior under different conditions.

 

[jupiterfish]

having a rwd car made me a better driver i think, especially in the winter.
everybody kept telling me not to get the car for winter here in MI.
picked up a set of good snow tires and had 0 problems last year.
tires make all the difference.

 

[TeCKis300]

A friend of mine told me that RWD is better than FWD in rain, after he watched Top Gear FWD vs RWD vs AWD show. He said it is law of physics that RWD is better than FWD in rain/wet. any inputs?

I know RWD is better than FWD in dry, but not sure in rain. any inputs?

If we are talking about about a racing environment with a professional driver and equal tires, then yes, RWD will typically post faster times than FWD on a road course. This is because with limited traction, if you are already at the limits of adhesion turning with the front tires, you have to wait much longer before applying any gas when exiting a turn....unless you want to understeer and plow ahead. In RWD cars, you can get on the gas much much earlier since the front tires tire does not have to do double duty. This is what will make the differences in track times....being able to able to accelerate out of a turn earlier and stronger.

On the street, FWD cars are inherently more stable and easier to handle at the limit for the avg Joe.

 

[ckolsen]

The average Joe doesn't drive even 7/10ths - while people on this forum might drive 8/10ths or 9/10ths. So for Joe, maybe it doesn't matter, front drive or rear drive. Also, most rear drive cars these days have stability control, so in emergencies, all you have to do is steer, and not worry about countersteering or throttle input.
Most front drive cars are 60/40 or 65/45 weight balanced, which means they don't handle as well either, regardless of front/rear drive.

If we are talking about about a racing environment with a professional driver and equal tires, then yes, RWD will typically post faster times than FWD on a road course. This is because with limited traction, if you are already at the limits of adhesion turning with the front tires, you have to wait much longer before applying any gas when exiting a turn....unless you want to understeer and plow ahead. In RWD cars, you can get on the gas much much earlier since the front tires tire does not have to do double duty. This is what will make the differences in track times....being able to able to accelerate out of a turn earlier and stronger.

On the street, FWD cars are inherently more stable and easier to handle at the limit for the avg Joe.

 

[charcoalis300]

Hell no. RWD sucks in the rain. I was driving in austin last week with the traction control off. I know I know. first mistake. i took a turn kinda quick to get on the service road of I-35. As soon as i let off the clutch i lost the back end. Then i over compensated for it. Second mistake and ended up pulling a 180. I was damn lucky that no one was near. But it ended ok and i put my tail between my legs and cleaned the shit out of the passengers pants and learned a lesson for it.

 

[HoustonLex]

Hell no. RWD sucks in the rain. I was driving in austin last week with the traction control off. I know I know. first mistake. i took a turn kinda quick to get on the service road of I-35. As soon as i let off the clutch i lost the back end. Then i over compensated for it. Second mistake and ended up pulling a 180. I was damn lucky that no one was near. But it ended ok and i put my tail between my legs and cleaned the sh*t out of the passengers pants and learned a lesson for it.

I think we can safely say that you were already driving faster than most FWD cars would have survived...

 

[bartkat]

Hell no. RWD sucks in the rain. I was driving in austin last week with the traction control off. I know I know. first mistake. i took a turn kinda quick to get on the service road of I-35. As soon as i let off the clutch i lost the back end. Then i over compensated for it. Second mistake and ended up pulling a 180. I was damn lucky that no one was near. But it ended ok and i put my tail between my legs and cleaned the sh*t out of the passengers pants and learned a lesson for it.

I think we can safely say that you were already driving faster than most FWD cars would have survived...

Agreed. People have to learn to knock off some speed in the rain. Also you have to use a lighter touch on the controls. Also to leave some extra distance in front in rain and even more in snow.

 

[vlad_a]

Hell no. RWD sucks in the rain. I was driving in austin last week with the traction control off. I know I know. first mistake. i took a turn kinda quick to get on the service road of I-35. As soon as i let off the clutch i lost the back end. Then i over compensated for it. Second mistake and ended up pulling a 180. I was damn lucky that no one was near. But it ended ok and i put my tail between my legs and cleaned the sh*t out of the passengers pants and learned a lesson for it.

Learn how to rev-match. Do not do hard downshifts when slippery. Trac control would've not done much in your case.

 

[ckolsen]

Put a sign on the dash that says "Don't shift gears while cornering in rain" :wink:

Hell no. RWD sucks in the rain. I was driving in austin last week with the traction control off. I know I know. first mistake. i took a turn kinda quick to get on the service road of I-35. As soon as i let off the clutch i lost the back end. Then i over compensated for it. Second mistake and ended up pulling a 180. I was damn lucky that no one was near. But it ended ok and i put my tail between my legs and cleaned the sh*t out of the passengers pants and learned a lesson for it.

 

[charcoalis300]

Yeah you are all right. I should have rev matched or not of downshifted at all. I was just being an idiot.

But instead of "dont shift gears while cornering in rain" it needs to be

Slow the F*uck Down All the time"

 

[vlad_a]

If you do this again, be sure to step on the clutch quickly to stop engine braking so it is easier (possible) to counter-steer.

 

[ckolsen]

Don't feel bad, my instructor drove my car in the rain at Lime Rock, and spun us into a tire wall on the first lap. Fortunately minor damage (cracked plastic bumper and an indentation in the metal body) - or I would have strangled him.

Yeah you are all right. I should have rev matched or not of downshifted at all. I was just being an idiot.

But instead of "dont shift gears while cornering in rain" it needs to be

Slow the F*uck Down All the time"

 

[thisISwhatIwantToDrive]

front wheel drive is better for rain/snow because you have control of the drive wheels. in rear wheel drive, you dont.

I could've sworn that both FWD and RWD cars have gas pedals... That should be all the drive-wheel control you ever need. If you need more, you shouldn't be driving.

 

[Paki_Sleepa]

i'm coming from a completely fwd background, and this car(is300) is my first rwd. In wet weather, snow, blah blah fwd is better. BUT a good driver can probably benefit more from a rwd, if he/she knows what they are doing. tires also matter. (fun fun doing donuts in the snow w/ my honda odessey hehehehe)

 

[IS JOE]

Well I think there's a difference between better handling and safer handling.

RWD of course should have better handling since the front wheels only have to maintain latteral traction and not both steering and acceleration forces. The acceleration traction is handled by the rear wheels.

But in terms of "safer" handling, i would say fwd, since it tends to be more predictable and easier to recover in a slip. And they don't have crazy snap oversteer.

 

[look@myIS300]

I think there are two sides to what "better" means here.

1. Safety -> FWD
I mean for avg drivers, FWD is definitely safer. It's definitely harder for FWD to spin out in wet than RWD. BUT if you do manage to lose control with FWD, it's a lot more difficult to correct than RWD since front axis needs to do two things.

2. Handling -> RWD
We all know RWD's got better weight distribution. And with some practice, meaning once you know how to control your rear, you can use it to your advantage to actually save your ass when you are in trouble. Also good luck going downhill with FWD on curvy road since the front will be that much heavier.

I come from FWD to RWD and I can just feel the "fun" RWD provides. Sure, I may not drive my car to Reno when it's snowing, but you are going to have so much more fun with RWD and with some practice, I think you can get RWD to perform better in wet than FWD. I think RWD's got a lot more potential than FWD.

 

[IS JOE]

^^^ Thats what I just said :lol:

Well I think there's a difference between better handling and safer handling.

RWD of course should have better handling since the front wheels only have to maintain latteral traction and not both steering and acceleration forces. The acceleration traction is handled by the rear wheels.

But in terms of "safer" handling, i would say fwd, since it tends to be more predictable and easier to recover in a slip. And they don't have crazy snap oversteer.

 

[look@myIS300]

:lol: yea i know. but i wanted to say it too instead of short "i agree"

But I know for me personally, I won't go back to FWD

^^^ Thats what I just said :lol:

Well I think there's a difference between better handling and safer handling.

RWD of course should have better handling since the front wheels only have to maintain latteral traction and not both steering and acceleration forces. The acceleration traction is handled by the rear wheels.

But in terms of "safer" handling, i would say fwd, since it tends to be more predictable and easier to recover in a slip. And they don't have crazy snap oversteer.

 

[Aaron]

I find the contradictions in this thread amusing.

"FWD is safer and easier to control, but an experienced driver would benefit from RWD." How is that possible?

I guess it is ultimately the combination of driver and vehicle, but I wouldn't call one safer. With FWD, you understeer and head straight. That is very predictable, but not always the safest if you are understeering into a ditch, tree, other vehicle, etc. RWD has the potential to still steer with both ends of the vehicle, but also is more likely to surprise people, experienced or not.

Wouldn't the same handling characteristics that certain people claim are superior with RWD also be true under less than ideal driving conditions?

 

[ckolsen]

Let me just add that rear drive is a blast to drive in the snow (with snow tires) - instant oversteer whenever you want, at really low speeds - it's great fun to go to a parking lot and screw around. Even more fun is my friend's WRX, where you can do instant safe power slides and drifting even at like 5 mph - that's awesome, and it feels really safe, unlike my car.
I'd never let my mom drive my car in the snow though.