Rear wheel drive
Discussion
Hello, long time lurker and general pistonheads pervert here.
I've a slight worry. I'm 24 and have spent the majority of my time driving FWD cars. Things like Megane 250's, Clio 200's and Alfa 147 GTA's to name some of the better stuff. I love them, they're absolutely fantastic cars and I've always had complete confidence in them when pushing on a little as I know i'm not going to end up facing the other way. I consider myself a fairly good driver but have never had the same confidence to do the same in a RWD out of fear of how the car will react.
Despite my first car being RWD (318ci so it was never going to get sideways!) i think i've avoided them for this reason. Drove an MX-5 for 10 minutes and can understand the fuss and did try out a bit of sideways stuff and it did bring a smile to my face.
Long story short, does/did anyone else feel the same and how long does it take to build that confidence? I've never had an accident and want to keep it that way.
FWD for me at the moment just feels like i'm cheating a little and not doing it properly!
I've a slight worry. I'm 24 and have spent the majority of my time driving FWD cars. Things like Megane 250's, Clio 200's and Alfa 147 GTA's to name some of the better stuff. I love them, they're absolutely fantastic cars and I've always had complete confidence in them when pushing on a little as I know i'm not going to end up facing the other way. I consider myself a fairly good driver but have never had the same confidence to do the same in a RWD out of fear of how the car will react.
Despite my first car being RWD (318ci so it was never going to get sideways!) i think i've avoided them for this reason. Drove an MX-5 for 10 minutes and can understand the fuss and did try out a bit of sideways stuff and it did bring a smile to my face.
Long story short, does/did anyone else feel the same and how long does it take to build that confidence? I've never had an accident and want to keep it that way.
FWD for me at the moment just feels like i'm cheating a little and not doing it properly!
I went from a 4 wheel drive 300 bhp impreza into a RW drive Skylne GTST with 350 bhp.
What I found was it was about confidence to start playing a little and building it up slowly.
Anything foolish was swiftly rewarded with a warning, BUT the key is decent rubber and driving to conditions.
If you get decent progressive rubber, a well set up and balanced RWD car then you can have a play.
The skyline did try to kill me on a regular basis but that was more the agressive boost dump at 2,500 rpm
That car didnt end well though.
A vast empty wet car park was used a few times to get to know the feeling of the limit - away from prying eyes and the public.
Roundabouts were always grin inducing after that
What I found was it was about confidence to start playing a little and building it up slowly.
Anything foolish was swiftly rewarded with a warning, BUT the key is decent rubber and driving to conditions.
If you get decent progressive rubber, a well set up and balanced RWD car then you can have a play.
The skyline did try to kill me on a regular basis but that was more the agressive boost dump at 2,500 rpm
That car didnt end well though.
A vast empty wet car park was used a few times to get to know the feeling of the limit - away from prying eyes and the public.
Roundabouts were always grin inducing after that
I haven't owned a front drive car for some time. Unless you are being a proper wally you will not bin a rear wheel drive car.
If you do choose to buy one, just take it easy and don't hoof it at every opportunity, especially when the roads are damp. You'll soon get used to it and learn to understand how your rear wheel drive motor behaves.
If you do choose to buy one, just take it easy and don't hoof it at every opportunity, especially when the roads are damp. You'll soon get used to it and learn to understand how your rear wheel drive motor behaves.
Always treat the car with respect. Remember that it won't massage the skills like a FWD will. For me, respecting the car is the most important thing. I e owned RWD before, but my MR2 Turbo is another thing altogether. RWD+mid engine+aggressive turbo is not a setup you want to take silly risks with. Once you're in tune with the car though, the confidence will come as you learn to read the feedback it gives you.
My first car was a triumph dolomite I spent so
Much time doing silly things in
Car parks and sliding out of roundabouts I killed it by destroying the g box. rear diff.rear hub studs. My second car was a mk2 Astra d reg. the first day I had it I rammed it up the kerb, bent the front strut, bent 3 wheels and front wing,took me a while to master fwd but I got there, if you can't afford skid pan lessons find a wet greasy big car park with nobody around and have some fun :0)
Much time doing silly things in
Car parks and sliding out of roundabouts I killed it by destroying the g box. rear diff.rear hub studs. My second car was a mk2 Astra d reg. the first day I had it I rammed it up the kerb, bent the front strut, bent 3 wheels and front wing,took me a while to master fwd but I got there, if you can't afford skid pan lessons find a wet greasy big car park with nobody around and have some fun :0)
Baryonyx said:
Always treat the car with respect. Remember that it won't massage the skills like a FWD will. For me, respecting the car is the most important thing. I e owned RWD before, but my MR2 Turbo is another thing altogether. RWD+mid engine+aggressive turbo is not a setup you want to take silly risks with. Once you're in tune with the car though, the confidence will come as you learn to read the feedback it gives you.
+1 and wise advice, treat it with respect and you wont go far wrong.Some good replies.
The only time i push on is on empty B roads when I can actually enjoy driving. Naturally i want something more powerful than what i've had hence having to go RWD like an M3 or something similar.
The only thing is if I can't enjoy myself with worry during cornering then whats the point? Thats the bit i enjoy! In the clio its ridiculously good fun.
Any good suggestions for a tame RWD car above 300 bhp?
The only time i push on is on empty B roads when I can actually enjoy driving. Naturally i want something more powerful than what i've had hence having to go RWD like an M3 or something similar.
The only thing is if I can't enjoy myself with worry during cornering then whats the point? Thats the bit i enjoy! In the clio its ridiculously good fun.
Any good suggestions for a tame RWD car above 300 bhp?
Don't worry about cornering too much.
Others will keep you right but the trick is to change your style to smooth out sudden transitions.
You can still carry speed into a corner, its how you go in, hold and exit the corner that needs to change (and other situations).
Sudden braking or steering inputs will provoke a different reaction - same with throttle. Start smooth with respect and gradually build confidence and you will end up provoking for fun within limits.
All this makes it sound worse than it is - just drive smooth and any car wont give you any problems.
I would suggest however going for something with a linear power delivery, as per above MR2 turbos and high power turbos can "dump" power suddenly.
M cars however should be more linear for example (not driven one).
Something smooth and big engined is where I would go, M3 or Monaro or even 4 wheel drive with a rear bias if you are worried about confidence. (some subarus have diff adjustment for example).
Others will keep you right but the trick is to change your style to smooth out sudden transitions.
You can still carry speed into a corner, its how you go in, hold and exit the corner that needs to change (and other situations).
Sudden braking or steering inputs will provoke a different reaction - same with throttle. Start smooth with respect and gradually build confidence and you will end up provoking for fun within limits.
All this makes it sound worse than it is - just drive smooth and any car wont give you any problems.
I would suggest however going for something with a linear power delivery, as per above MR2 turbos and high power turbos can "dump" power suddenly.
M cars however should be more linear for example (not driven one).
Something smooth and big engined is where I would go, M3 or Monaro or even 4 wheel drive with a rear bias if you are worried about confidence. (some subarus have diff adjustment for example).
Matt UK said:
Lucky13 said:
Any good suggestions for a tame RWD car above 300 bhp?
The more powerful BMWs are predictable enough and have electronic traction and stability controls.My first experience with RWD left me oppo locking it round a corner after giving it a bit much in the wet away from traffic lights. As others have said, just build up slowly, you need to learn to be nice and smooth, rather then chucking it in like a go-kart as I expect you have been.
Mercedes AMG experience at brooklands would help a lot.
Baryonyx said:
Always treat the car with respect. Remember that it won't massage the skills like a FWD will. For me, respecting the car is the most important thing. I e owned RWD before, but my MR2 Turbo is another thing altogether. RWD+mid engine+aggressive turbo is not a setup you want to take silly risks with. Once you're in tune with the car though, the confidence will come as you learn to read the feedback it gives you.
Absolutely.I spun my MX-5 in the wet not long after I bought it due to my inexperience with RWD, gave me a proper wake up call and I new feel very confident driving it quickly. Totally different to driving the hatches I was used to...
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