I've driven AWD twice.  Both times felt kinda wierd, a little sluggish, but had grip.

Owned a few FWD cars and always thought it felt funny but wasn't sure until I went RWD.  

I think i'm partial to RWD now.

Pushing versus pulling- what's your take?  Have you gone RWD and can not go back now?


Poll?

I like RWD cars, had a Grand Marquis and it was a good car to have RWD (when it ran).

Have a Subaru Outback and the AWD is excellent.  I have yet to get this car stuck in anything.  Even taken it off roading

The Subaru only has a 4 Cyl (at least mine does, there are 6 cyls out there) and it is very sluggish.  Don't even think of trying to pass someone going 60+MPG without a good 5 mile stretch.

FWD --- UNDERSTEER

AWD --- Understeer

RWD --- Oversteer, how much depends on the CG


on acceleration, AWD will sitck to the road
FWD shifts weight off the drive wheels and u spin tires easier

RWD shifts weight to the drive wheels and therefore its easier to put power down

AWD is great in the snow.

My Isuzu has torque on demand. More or less like a RWD until the wheels start to slip. Then its variable AWD.

AWD>RWD>FWD

really depends on what purpose you intend on using it for.

all wheel is good for just about everything. performance (ie subaru wrx sti, mitsubishi lancer evo, etc). as well as the more common applications in snow and off road.

front wheel drive is simpler, less expensive and more stable in more conditions due to the fact that they tend to understeer instead of over steer.

rear wheel drive. much more fun that front wheel drive. oversteer when properly controlled (otherwise known as drifting) is diffinately fun but not so good on tires.

like i said, it depends on what you wanna use it for.  rear wheel is usually conscidered more sporty. but all wheel is catching up. some of the fastest, best handling cars around are all wheel drive. the afformentioned wrx sti and lancer evo. are both wicked fast and fun to play with.

Remember...

Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of your car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the back of your car.

I have two cars, both coupes, both six cylinders, both pretty quick... one is front engine, front wheel drive, one is rear engine, rear wheel drive...

Damned shame we don't have a Cars & Bikes FORUM  

Subaru WRX STi - AWD... and it's AWESOME!

My previous car was an underpowered RWD, which was nice and simple, and very easy to work on.

FWD isn't bad, but I didn't like the steering sometimes, and cornering was lacking.

FWD-
Worst thing? Torque steer just plain old sucks Hard to accelerate out of turns when the car is both pushing (understeer) and fighting you. Eventually you'll have to replace CV joints but not for a long time. Steering effort feels fairly disconnected from road.
On the good side they generally have good grip in snow (my Honda and VW did anyways), good directional stability when you hit a wet patch in the road and hydroplane so it's pretty unlikely to get out of control like an RWD car. Generally most inexpensive/economical option.

RWD-
Much more fun and lively if the car has any power so you can really play around. Steering usually feels more connected and precise since the front wheels aren't trying to drag the car around and steer. Better performance under acceleration.
Cons are that they'll generally be terrible in snow or wet conditions, with the more power the worse off you'll be. Hydroplaning can quickly become life-or-death as the rear of the car will have a tendency to get away from you.

AWD-
take a ride in a Subaru WRT or Audi S4 and it won't feel sluggish. I think this is more a function of the specific car than anything else but AWD does add quite a few pounds (maybe 400) to the car so it will weigh more. The best thing is stomping it from a dead stop on a wet pavement, the thing will just scoot as all wheels have grip. Also there are a lot of AWD cars out there with sophisticated stability control systems that will do everything physically possible to keep the car on the road as long as you aim it in the right direction. Very cool in my opinion.
Cons are that it will generally be more expensive and there really aren't that many cars out there to choose from (certainly not like FWD or RWD). Long term maint costs may be higher?

Given a choice with everything being equal I'd prefer an AWD car but since they're not equal I went with a RWD car.

I just got tired of the feel and handling of my last 2 FWD cars and went back to RWD.

crap... duped my post some how... wtf?  

Quoted: Damned shame we don't have a Cars & Bikes FORUM

RWD is best. Good performance without the added cost of AWD. Unless you're rally racing......

AWD if you need the grip, but it's more expensive, to buy, to maintain, and to insure. I know for a fact that an Audi A4 2.8 Quattro (AWD) is more expensive to purchase, and to insure than the FWD version.

FWD if you can't afford otherwise. IMO, front wheel drive was invented to cut costs (no need for a long driveshaft going to the rear).

Depends one what your using the car for. If snow is a big issue AWD for sure. If bad weather isn't an issue and its your daily driver...fwd is good.

If you want something fast RWD is the way to go. FWD actually has less drivetrain loss but RWD is much easier to make stronger.

I have been test driving cars lately. In the market for something newer. Anyways, I drove a dodge SRT4. Quick car but FWD does kind of suck. Under hard acceleration in 1st it would get bad torque steer. Stock...imagine what will happen once you modify it. It will either pull you all over the road or spin bad. Since weight is transfered off the drive wheels during exceleration it will have traction issues. RWD transfers the weight to the drive wheels. Much better.

I drove a WRX...weather was nice and sunny so it didn't really feel different than a RWD. In snow that car would be awesome I bet.

I have been driving my Camaro in snow for 4 years. I have only got stuck once. I have had a lot of trouble getting up hills thought. I have had to go up hills sideways a few times.

Snow = AWD
Daily driver = FWD
Fun, fast car = RWD

In AR15 fashion....get all three    

Quoted: Remember... Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of your car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the back of your car. I have two cars, both coupes, both six cylinders, both pretty quick... one is front engine, front wheel drive, one is rear engine, rear wheel drive...

What model 911?