RE: Lords of the Ring: Type R v Trophy-R v Clubsport S

[jl4069]

"A real good driver knows this as a simple fact, and can of course adjust their driving to this. And as a result will be safer at a given speed as they have more traction reserve and mid corner stability. My issue is that 4wd is by habit proposed as the safer option full stop. This simply isn't true, especially in the case where a average driver presses on, thinking he/she is safer because of 4wd. When it goes wrong, it's simply regarded as the drivers fault. Which it of course is in the end, every time, but it could be appropriate to be a bit more critical to how 4wd is presented and what role it has in mishaps where a driver isn't able to keep the car on the road due to excessive speed...

The other scenario is of the professional rally driver with a 4wd car that is so powerful that he/she can gauge traction by being able to break traction at relevant (high enough) speeds..."

Well put. I'm not used to reading such thoughtful analysis about handling dynamics, here or in the US/UK rags. thank you, j

[Dblue]

jl4069 said:

Onehp said:

Sure. If you just want to be safe, ESP and good tyres is what you need. If you want to feel safe, 4wd is nice. If you're pressing on and think you're safe because the car grips and is stable, you might be out on a ledge. Because you'll be going faster when it goes wrong, same story as in the snow...

Personally, when I want to enjoy my drive and press on a bit, I want to get a feel for how much grip there actually is. With a 4wd car I feel more like driving blind in respect to grip, the only time you get to gauge grip safely is on turn in and the resulting (usually earlier) understeer. Otherwise, when all four get loose, you're already going way to fast... With fwd, I can get a better sense of grip levels more of the time, it is still safe if you press on too much, also out of a curve you get some (power) understeer but can just ease of and not as tricky as rwd which is great fun obviously but not exactly safe. And fwd with a lsd diff and good sense of grip levels, you can still power out of curves mighty fast enough to have real fun - slow in, fast out remains the safe way to have fun any day. Because of this better sense of grip, you can get away with a sharper front end too, which is a very rewarding sense.
For a daily driven car, FWD offers a good mix of dynamic enjoyment and safety.

Edited by Onehp on Friday 31st August 08:51

Ive owned several older Impreza's and a UrQuattro and none of these ever handled unpredictably. Mild understeer at the limit like the FWD cars, but more traction more of the time. I understand that the Focus RS is also very predictable and safe at the limit. j

Mild understeer is how every car is set up by their manufacturer but the current LSD equipped HH responds to more throttle in those conditions by tightening its line and getting lighter at the rear -especially Renault sport cars- And without the extra weight and additional diffs that so affect 4WD rivals. Its why the best FWD cars generally come out on top when compared directly to the 4WD alternatives regardless of their power advantages