4 wheel drive & the real world
Discussion
I've got an A3 Quattro.
My view; is 4wd necessary? No
Useful and reassuring in skiddy conditions? Yes.
Nice to have when it snows? Very much so.
The be all and end all of on road performance cars? Probably not. My particular car is nice enough, but not especially thrilling to drive (handling wise); it's possible to induce quite considerable under steer if you're driving like a lemon (on winter tyres especially). It does work well if you "slow in, fast out", and can be surprisingly effective at getting on down the road. Just depends on your wants from a car. I've sacrificed some driving pleasure for all weather/ all season traction and reassurance. I'm sure I'd much prefer a RWD on certain days during the year. But generally as a do-it-all car, I'm happy with my choice.
If you're concerned about snow, then a set of winter tyres on a 2wd car will probably be safer than a 4wd on summers. Essentially giving you best of both worlds.
(I speak from experience on this)
My view; is 4wd necessary? No
Useful and reassuring in skiddy conditions? Yes.
Nice to have when it snows? Very much so.
The be all and end all of on road performance cars? Probably not. My particular car is nice enough, but not especially thrilling to drive (handling wise); it's possible to induce quite considerable under steer if you're driving like a lemon (on winter tyres especially). It does work well if you "slow in, fast out", and can be surprisingly effective at getting on down the road. Just depends on your wants from a car. I've sacrificed some driving pleasure for all weather/ all season traction and reassurance. I'm sure I'd much prefer a RWD on certain days during the year. But generally as a do-it-all car, I'm happy with my choice.
If you're concerned about snow, then a set of winter tyres on a 2wd car will probably be safer than a 4wd on summers. Essentially giving you best of both worlds.
(I speak from experience on this)
Scuffers said:
Look, the point is matteyboy turns up saying a p1 would be this and that, but as usual, unable to back it up.
Which you can't disprove because you haven't driven it, yet feel happy berating someone else for stating an opinion when all you've done is the same. I don't really care which is faster, but you're arguing from a basis of conjecture, not fact.
Pesty said:
Scuffers said:
This really sums up PH at times...
Too many people with the rhetoric, but zero ability to back it up.
Yes, i am sure the p1 is amazing, and on decent open roads, it would be blistering fast, but on a typical unclassified country road at the moment, ie. s
t broken surface, somewhat waterlogged, covered in mud and the like, i just don't think a p1 with its massive pzeros are going constant any chance of gaining enough consistent grip.
As with most things, it's courses for courses....
Four wheel drive doesn't help grip. It helps traction.Too many people with the rhetoric, but zero ability to back it up.
Yes, i am sure the p1 is amazing, and on decent open roads, it would be blistering fast, but on a typical unclassified country road at the moment, ie. s
t broken surface, somewhat waterlogged, covered in mud and the like, i just don't think a p1 with its massive pzeros are going constant any chance of gaining enough consistent grip.As with most things, it's courses for courses....
Look, i get your point, and in the dry on an open road/track, then yes, 4wd is no great advantage, however, running massive wide tyres on s
t surface roads with limited grip is another subject.Output Flange said:
Which you can't disprove because you haven't driven it, yet feel happy berating someone else for stating an opinion when all you've done is the same.
I don't really care which is faster, but you're arguing from a basis of conjecture, not fact.
Sorry?I don't really care which is faster, but you're arguing from a basis of conjecture, not fact.
You might want to back up the thread a bit, he made the challenge/statement, i just called him on it.
JD said:
I am constantly amazed how magic certain people believe 4WD to be.
That someone can believe a barge of an Audi would be faster than the fastest road going car around, simply because of a little rain is staggering.
Those engineers have missed a trick not fitting it with 4WD
I do wish people were as good as reading as they are at posting...That someone can believe a barge of an Audi would be faster than the fastest road going car around, simply because of a little rain is staggering.
Those engineers have missed a trick not fitting it with 4WD
Scuffers said:
Sorry?
You might want to back up the thread a bit, he made the change/statement, i just called him on it.
I've read it. He chose a P1 in response to your cross-country in the wet challenge, then quoted some facts about what both cars can do in the dry, you then expected him to turn up in a P1 to prove you wrong.You might want to back up the thread a bit, he made the change/statement, i just called him on it.
By all means point out which bit of that is wrong, but you're doing exactly what you're accusing him of. THAT is very PH.
Scuffers said:
Sorry?
You might want to back up the thread a bit, he made the challenge/statement, i just called him on it.
How about we take a vote on who would get down a wet cross country road quicker? You in your 4wd car or max_torque in his RWD car, this RWD car to be exact...You might want to back up the thread a bit, he made the challenge/statement, i just called him on it.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
With permanent 4wd you can take more liberties on greasy roads, pulling out of junctions etc. For that reason they are better to live with.
And that uber low mclaren would be terrible on the road and would absolutely be dusted by a rally rep in a great many real world driving condition .
And that uber low mclaren would be terrible on the road and would absolutely be dusted by a rally rep in a great many real world driving condition .
As a person who is perfectly prepared to admit on an open forum to not being a driving God, liking fwd if it's in a car that displays that formats strengths ( Corrado VR6 springs to mind ), and who is now on his second long term 4wd sports saloon ( 10 years in the current one, Evo 8 ), it's maybe a fair suggestion that people stick to what they feel comfortable with, without resorting to criticising others choices and abilities. I'm sure rwd is immense fun in the right hands, not mine though, didn't grow up with it, and am not entirely comfortable trying to get to know it on the road.
The people accusing 4wd of being boring perhaps want to attempt a spirited drive across a country road of their choosing in an Evo before drawing that conclusion, I think it's a little misguided. I'm not arguing that it'll be the fastest thing point to point, just that It'll do exactly what you want of it, and make extraordinarily fast, fun progress if you ask it the right questions.
The people accusing 4wd of being boring perhaps want to attempt a spirited drive across a country road of their choosing in an Evo before drawing that conclusion, I think it's a little misguided. I'm not arguing that it'll be the fastest thing point to point, just that It'll do exactly what you want of it, and make extraordinarily fast, fun progress if you ask it the right questions.
Edited by Heaveho on Monday 27th January 22:14
DaveCWK said:
With permanent 4wd you can take more liberties on greasy roads, pulling out of junctions etc. For that reason they are better to live with.
For the same reason they are dangerous, as too many idiots think they can defy the laws of physics and drive beyond what the conditions dictate as sensible.I honestly can't believe anyone on here 'thinks' they 'need' awd in a non-off road type vehicle.
How did we all manage before 1980
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