In effect, the laws of physics conspire to give RWD cars a bit more grip where they need it when they need it. This transfers weight to the rear wheels – away from the driving wheels in a FWD car but toward the driving wheels in a rear-drive car, where it adds to available traction. Front-drive cars start with an advantage – but when any car accelerates, the front end tips up, and the rear end squats down. What’s the best way to get traction? Answer: Have as much weight over the driving wheels as possible. Front-drive cars, which must connect the engine and transmission to the front axle, typically have their engines mounted way forward and can’t do much better than a 60/40 front/rear weight distribution.Ĥ) Weight Shift: Suppose you just want to go in a straight line. Meanwhile, the driveshaft and rear differential (necessary to send power to the rear tires) add weight in the rear. Engineers can move the front wheels forward, so that the engine – which doesn’t have to be connected to those wheels – sits behind the front axle. “A rear-drive car can typically approach that,” says Zellner. The ideal weight distribution, then, would be split about 50/50 between front and rear (actually, 48/52 to help with forward pitch during braking). An ideal car would distribute its weight evenly, so each tire had to bear the same load, and none would give way earlier than all the others. There are, I learned, five basic reasons:ġ) “Balance”: The car rides on four patches of rubber, each about as big as your hand. So I called up a helpful GM suspension expert, Vehicle Chief Engineer Ed Zellner. Why are rear-drive cars more fun? Every enthusiast may know the answer, but I didn’t.
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