dub81

iTrader: (39)

Well, to be honest... I havent seen any interesting threads in the HIIC area so ill start it off. I personally have/had experience driving cars equipped with each drivetrain listed below. AWD of course being my impreza, Front wheel drive being my First Car, a Honda, and Rear Wheel Drive being my cousin's
S2K and have my own conclusions about each system but I want to hear yours as we all have our personal preferences!! First Battling it out in Stock Form and then in Modded Form... NOW FIGHT!!

All Wheel Drive vs. Front Wheel Drive vs. Rear Wheel Drive

BoOm

iTrader: (4)

Having owned each of my cars in different drivetrain formats, I found them to have great advantages each. I don't honestly think there is a big difference between them and even FWD setups can be very superior than its counterparts(ie. Integras). In daily driving, the only thing I LOVE about RWD is the crazy turning radius and oversteer.

1. RWD
2. AWD
3. FWD

JourdanWithaU

iTrader: (39)

AWD... I ♥ traction.

#1 - '98 Legacy Outback (AWD)
#2 - '89 CRX DX (FWD)
#4 - '95 Aerostar (RWD
#4.5 - '95 Civic EX (FWD)
#5 - '09 Impreza 2.5i (AWD) (current)

I love AWD, I don't have to worry about getting stuck and the handling is IMO the best. Although I am not a big fan of the understeer, but the rotation is awesome.

RWD was ok. It was kinda cool to do little burnouts and dumb **** like that. Wee bit of oversteer but, the whole thing was pretty "Meh".

FWD was better* than RWD IMO. Maybe it was because the FWD cars I drove were very small but they were nimble as hell and that was pretty nice. Turn-in was pretty kickass, but it was obvious that the rear was doing jack and just going along for the ride and that kinda irked me.

However I feel with the proper suspension set-up AWD has the most potential and I intend to prove that.

*EDIT: I forgot about Drift... RWD is better than FWD.

Overall breakdown

1. AWD
2. RWD
3. FWD

HxllxMan

I have own/owned the 3 drivetrains as well and it is pretty much hard to say wich is our personal preference... especially when all of them are fun to drive...

FWD: Renault Clio 2 RS
Probably the first French car I felt in love ( I hate French car... ) Renault did a pretty good job with that small hatch. the 2.0L F4R is pretty damn good with 172HP/990kg.

Pros: lightweight, easy to drive, cheap to play with.
Cons: got traction? driving in mud, gravel, rain.... pointless or having overated WHP

AWD: Evo 8 & 9
no need to talk really about AWD since anyone buying an Sub should know.

Pros: Handling, whp on the road ect...
Cons: heavy and expensive

RWD: Nissan Skyline R33
You know tokyo drift?

Pros: Drift and fun at low or high speed
Cons: Scary when traction is lost at high speed.

1WD: Yamaha R6 2008

Pros: Scary fast
Cons: Scary

In overall AWD is the best, this is why car have 4 wheels, so let use them all.
But of course it depends, what you are looking for and for what type/purpose. ( mostly in racing )

1.AWD
2.FWD
3.RWD
4.1WD kek

die_lawn

iTrader: (5)

FWD cause i drive a honda...

haha but on a serious note, i think that you all should come out to SCCA and then we can let the numbers tell us.

i like FWD cause i feel like i have the best control and i don't have to worry about kicking out the back or anything. and i've had FWD for a while

i've driven a s2k and its ok. but it feels completely different, but not something i wouldn't enjoy driving.

and i'm still waiting for someone to let me sample their suby, but i've had my fair share of driving a evo so i know how AWD feels. i love being able to put all 450awhp to the ground and to use

sneezerboi

iTrader: (9)

Each have their advantages, I agree. I like AWD for most situations. The quickest forms of motorsports favor RWD. i.e. F1 and drag racing. My AE86 was loads of fun and its natural balance delivered a feel I haven't found in any AWD yet.

BUT, I am not a professional by any means and AWD works best for me in most situations. I like how I can predict the handling of the car on various surfaces while using the same tires for everything. A well set up AWD car can be a drag car, a car for corners, and a daily driver all while using the same set of tires. A RWD or FWD car would need drag radials or slicks to keep up with an AWD car with street tires at launch.

FWD cars are formidable in the hands of a skilled driver, however, their ultimate limits are well.....limited.

touge-n00b

iTrader: (21)

Well, I already made my case for FWD in the steak thread, but that was just to prove that FWD is NOT inferior to AWD all the time. Of course, all the things I've said and am going to say pertain to factory setups. I tend to not judge cars on what you CAN do to them.

Now all that being said, I think for motor sports RWD owns all. IMO, RWD is traditionaly the most balanced setup (of course as always, it depends on the car).

Particularly, Midship-RWD owns all. There's a reason Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, Koenigsegg, Bugatti, Audi, etc all use MR platforms.

Risk3233

I've owned all major drivetrain configurations except MR (midship).

I've also raced in SCCA Solo all layouts (MR - MR2, MR2 and Lotus Elise, RR - Porsche 911). I used to own a 97 GTI VR6, 85 Corolla GTS (I am an ol' school Hachi owner and won ES on Oahu in 1987). I've raced my 04 STi in SM class for over 1 1/2 seasons. I currently race a 90 Mazda Miata in STS.

IMO during daily driving and not driving at the limits, all cars are very similar in feel in the dry. When you start to push towards the limits in the wet or dry, each car starts to display it's inherent "compromise" of its layout.

Some FWD cars are fantastic because of design - Honda's double wishbone setup in their cars. The favorable camber curves with these cars helped to alleviate some of the inherent problems with FWD cars.

Personally, it took a lot of time and money to get the GTI to handle even decently. It had struts up front so getting usable camber was an issue. Also with over 60% of it's weight bias in front of the front axle, it was destined for understeer (not to mention that incredibly heavy 2.8l VR6 engine). This car handled much differently than my friends EG civic. Also, the GTI was essentially a meat grinder to its front wheels and really couldn't handle well until I installed a LSD (Peloquin).

My experience with AWD is in my STi. Essentially, I dealt with a lot of the same handling issues as my GTI since both cars are strut based suspensions. The STi needs a lot of static camber to be effective at Solo. On a dry track, I don't see that much advantage to the AWD over other drivetrains, but when it gets wet, you have to adjust to wet conditions "less" than the other layouts.

I currently drive a Miata in SCCA. It is the complete opposite of the STi and GTI. It is a pure momentum car, thus, your line has to be spot on. I got to drive it in the pouring rain at yesterdays Solo and I finally got to use my rain racing skills after many years. In RWD you have to be more deliberate and patient in wet conditions. You can't just stomp and steer like you would in AWD or FWD for that matter. The brake zones get a little longer and more gentle and the application of throttle is more gradual to WOT. But it can be driven fast.

You have to include RR and MR in your poll.

bpang1

iTrader: (25)

1. AWD
2. RWD
3. FWD

AWD = THE BEST solution for virtually all driving situations except for drifting and burnout contests. Yes, it is heavier, more complex and has more drivetrain loss but I willingly take all of those for the fact that I can launch without any lost traction, drive in snow with no issues and when I begin to slide all I have to do is press the gas and I am golden (more or less).

From here on out, all of my family's primary cars will be AWD.

WRXed

iTrader: (7)

1. AWD
2. RWD
3. FWD

For daily driving I feel safer in AWD/FWD, but for racing/auto-x, I prefer AWD/RWD. Out of all the cars I've owned, the 2 cars I currently have are my favorites (AWD and RWD).

dub81

iTrader: (39)

It is Great to hear everyone's response especially to die_lawn since he doesnt even own a suby but still troll on here . I would like to hear from Joe/joejoe69 and his opinion since he has a boosted FWD subie impreza... As for me, I would like to share my experience. With my first setup being a Honda Civic and did SCCA a long time ago, I quickly learned and noticed its habits especially on a FULL Suspension setup and it is "very quick" but sometimes when Im not really paying attention, the rear swings out alittle but that ok IMO. And Back then when nights where Tantulus wasnt swarmed with racers and cops, my rear would kick out alittle after going over alittle bump. I guess it due to my rear being alittle to stiff. In my Civic, I think I encounterd more oversteer than understeer during the lifetime that Ive owned it. FWD in IMO is just Economically Friendly and torque steer might be a nuissance to some.

Then comes AWD, though my impreza is just in 85% stock form, i mostly suffere understeer but anyone who does spirited drives with their subie knows that. I have never SCCA my subie but always hit the back roads in the back of my mothers house since we live right near to the mountains and its habits and tendencies are like how you see in the rally video's and contest you see that GrassRoots Motorsports host in SoCal but I have more confidence in the AWD system. Like they always for us subie drive, "dont let go!! Just Commit" and its so true!! Im still getting used to AWD since i dont go driving spiritually all the time so I consider myself still a n00b in the AWD.

Then finally comes the RWD. Though this might not qualify since it took place in SoCal but ehhh, a road is a road.. With my cousins mid-modded S2K, i had the pleasure of tearing up the touge @ Azusa Canyon Roads near Glendale/Eagle Rock and the S2k was a very versatile machine yet it is very sensitive especially if you miscalculate entry speed, speed checking, etc. etc. For a RWD, it took the turns like a champ and didnt even feel like the it was going to oversteer either through an APEX or through a DORI DORI turn. And what was weird is that I think I had alot of fun that day and pondered about selling out to RWD.LOL... Shame on NiNJA.. And I also wanted to drive one of my cousins friends s2k that was supposedly sponsered by Spoon buy i know I would have raped that car due to the fact that if it was sponsored, he got all his parts free.LOL But I didnt!! If you guys want to see some pretty bad *** s2k's. check out TopDown.org or Team TOpDown.org/com. Other than that, the only con to the s2k was the seats. Im a big boy and felt kinda uncomfortable.

So for everyday control yet have spirited FUN, AWD is #1

For an Econobox yet still have some spirited fun(if you dont mind the Torquesteer) FWD #1

For Total package fun but drop some bucks especially if your oversteer alot, RWD is #1. Plus too Keiichi Tsuchiya, the Guys @ Top Gear states only a Real Man drives a RWD.

joejoe69

iTrader: (2)

Hah Walt!!

As far as what my personal preference is on a Subie only: RWD, FWD, AWD

3) Why AWD last? Especially on a Subie, it has to make so much power to get it to speeds of other drivetrain setups with lesser power and weight. My previously owned '04 Honda Accord felt faster @ 160HP than my other previously owned 170HP '08 Impreza hatch, even around corners and uphills. Sure, it can go around corners and launch like nobody's business, but not every driver autox's and rallies pretty well and often, and to mention not every AWD owner can launch it perfectly just because they own an AWD car. It's actually harder than you think, if you're not a seasoned AWD drag racer. To me, understeer is worse on AWD than FWD in my opinion, plus more tire$ to deal with. Not only that, they break alot if not handled well enough, and clutch jobs are a *****.

2) Having a FWD boosted Subie is mostly fun on a straight, if only my car was offered a front LSD, it would be a different story. I have a friend on the mainland who is willng to sell me a spare Cusco front diff off of an older JDM GC but not too sure if it would fit. Anyway, I like the fact that my car only loses 10-15% horsepower at the wheels, big plus, even less than RWD by 5-10%. The FWD Subie tranny is not to be underestimated. I've launched it, power shifted it, and have taken it up to an estimated 330HP (280.5WHP) @ a now normal 23psi of boost on 92 pump and is still turning my front wheels as it did when I snagged it from an old lady in 2005. The front axles are surprisingly tough and are thicker than RS and WRX front shafts. The only weak link in my boosted FWD setup within the past, almost year and a half, is 5 ripped CV boots. Clutch jobs are cake. How's that?

1) RWD has always been my favorite drivetrain setup. I agree with Joey as it being more balanced between all three drivetrains, and has been the benchmark for true sportscars. Not only do I like the tail-happiness nature of it, but I also would like it in my Subie in the near future. Not saying I plan to drift with it or do burnouts, which I believe is a waste of tires if you don't have the money for it, lol. Aside from not having an awesome ability to launch like AWD, it still has the potential to handle just as good if not better than AWD, depending on the driver behind the wheel. As for clutch jobs, no front shafts to deal with, just gotta remove one main driveshaft to the rear, separate the tranny, and whatever small stuff associated with it, another plus.

BattleD01

iTrader: (7)

1. AWD
2. RWD
3. FWD
4. MRWD
5. 1WD

ill race any high end car on a muti condition road surface.
from road to gravel to grass and back who will get stuck first?

For me I prefer AWD because it just feels safe to be driving and riding in.
There was a old HotVersion video about AWD vs RWD touge battle! I forgot who won.

Bugatti Veron or how ever you spell it is AWD no?

Shin RS

1) rwd
2) awd
3) fwd

To me, rwd is the most rewarding to drive. It offers the most ways to get around a corner and balance a car, you can drive like a dork and have fun, and for racing it's a challenge, but driven well can be very quick.

Awd is nice because it's so easy to drive, most people can just jump in one and do well. They also offer the best bad weather traction. The bad thing about them is they UNDERSTEER, badly, utterly horribly, terminally.... They can be tuned to rotate better, or you can drive rough and toss the car ( my personal favorite ) but it's still a battle... Don't get me wrong though, with enough power or mods, awd can rotate quite well... But it does tend to take a lot.

Fwd, usually light, quick and handles well if tuned correctly, but I don't like torque steer and understeer... I haven't driven one in quite some time, but wouldn't mind doing a mid 90's honda project one day...

In my experiences with them at scca, I've managed a 2oa with my gc chassis 2.5rs a long time ago, 2oa with my miata, and ftd with my mr2. Honestly, I love them all, I just wish my impreza didn't get totaled...

ProjekBluBuk

iTrader: (11)

i didnt buy a subaru for the fwd or rwd im just saying.