The Front Wheel Drive Thread

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Philly

Philly

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Since the RS Focus thread has been run over with all sorts of FWD things, I thought we might try to get that out of that thread. It's popular among the cars that a lot of us drive so I thought maybe we could get some interesting stuff in here.

Put all your FWD stuff in here.
 
I think this could be a very good thread. Alot of people poo poo FWD vehicles for no good reasons. Some of the most fun cars to drive in the world are FWD.
 
FWD is loads of fun, especially when you don't have a lot of power. A RWD sedan weighing around the same as a FWD hatchback with 200 horsepower just wouldn't compare in terms of fun to that FWD hatch.
 
A lot of the entry level German ones are within a couple hundred pounds. I'm sure a heavy hatch like the GTI would be more fun to drive than the A4 with the same engine in it.
 
FWD, Mini Cooper and Acura TL FTWW Woot

rwd Hatchback = something i remember there was a car that was a rwd... but that's OFF TOPIC, Fwd's please
 
I love my FWD car. The handling is good and so is the traction in the snow. It's a far cry from the Blazer which would instantly go sideways when trying to take a corner no matter how easy I drove it.

I think FWD get a bad rap here on these boards because many people here just assume the entire world is composed of automotive enthusiast which isn't the case. Most people who drive to and from work could care less if there car is pushing or pulling them along. Even then I think you'll see a greater number of people liking FWD in the automotive community because their are some great little sporty cars out there now.
 
Ladies and gents I nominate this as one of the most fun FWD boxes to be sold on American soil:

2000 Ford Contour SVT (aka Ford Mondeo ST200)
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It makes a very lovely noise at WOT (wide open throttle).
 
Driving enthusiasts embrace FWD cars for what they are. There's a completely different technique to making a FWD car go as fast around a track, and I think it's even more fun than a typical RWD car because it's more difficult. There are some types of racing that FWD cars are typically better at, like autocrossing. With all the weight that transfers forward under braking it's super easy to fling the car into really tight corners. Also, you don't have to worry about trying to wrangle oversteer through all the tight stuff. Some FWDs even have surprising handling characteristics, like Civics' high-speed oversteer tendencies and plentiful lift-throttle oversteer, which helps you dive into a late apex.
 
Keef
Driving enthusiasts embrace FWD cars for what they are. There's a completely different technique to making a FWD car go as fast around a track, and I think it's even more fun than a typical RWD car because it's more difficult. There are some types of racing that FWD cars are typically better at, like autocrossing. With all the weight that transfers forward under braking it's super easy to fling the car into really tight corners. Also, you don't have to worry about trying to wrangle oversteer through all the tight stuff. Some FWDs even have surprising handling characteristics, like Civics' high-speed oversteer tendencies and plentiful lift-throttle oversteer, which helps you dive into a late apex.
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You also get awesome three wheel action!!!

HSWinner4.jpg
 
The Saab 9-3 is one fun front driver. It's a big go-kart, and I still have trouble convincing myself that it's a GM product whenever I see one. It's a front-drive GM product that doesn't ride like a mattress. I *almost* miss the one I drove for a year and a half.

Front-drivers can be great fun. :)
 
The Honda Fit Sport is certainly one of the best FWD cars I've ever driven. It goes exactly where you want it to go, and won't give up. Lift the throttle mid-corner, and wow, it is just one crazy ride. I really hadn't had that much fun driving a FWD car since my '93 Fox.

...Similarly, the Mazda3 is spectacular as well. If the Honda felt light and spunky, the Mazda feels athletic and "tight" in the end. Just a magnificent balance of handling and ride quality...

There is absolutely nothing wrong with FWD performance, that is, as long as you're using it properly.
 
TopHat
Actually they aren't. If anything the conventional FR is the cheapest.
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How about some proof? 👎
I don't trust the logic of a 14 year old without a permit, and likely without any real automotive experience.

If anything, thanks for your ill-informed opinion.
 
Because most people's opinions of FF cars were formed on luxo-barges like the old Camry or under-tired old Corollas (not that Corollas are bad, but stock ones just understeer).

It's all suspension. Suspension, suspension, suspension. The Honda Jazz has it. The Mazda3 and Ford Focus have it. My Protege has it. Some Rear-drivers have it, but some rear-drivers don't.

The beauty of FF on track is that it's predictable, stable, and hard to mess up. If you crash one, you were either pushing extremely hard or driving like an idiot. I've gotten the Focus pretty sideways on long corners, and I've gotten through perfectly safely.
 
frestkd
The only reason why auto manufactures build FWD cars is that FWD cars are cheapest to build.
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I highly doubt that is the only reason. My TL is probably one of the market's most expensive FWD cars available, more so than many RWD cars including the Mustang GT, Infiniti G37, and Lexus IS with just as much power. And with 285 horses on tap, it obviously isn't as cheap to build as say, the Mustang GT which are massed produced by the thousands.
 
*McLaren*
I highly doubt that is the only reason. My TL is probably one of the market's most expensive FWD cars available, more so than many RWD cars including the Mustang GT, Infiniti G37, and Lexus IS with just as much power. And with 285 horses on tap, it obviously isn't as cheap to build as say, the Mustang GT which are massed produced by the thousands.
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That's a bad example, the TL is a luxury car and has a ton of add ons with it hence why it is expensive. Most economy cars are FWD because it is cheaper do to fewer moving parts and less complexity.
 
Finally, a thread that shares the love for FWD vehicles!

It is good to see that people do understand the magic that IS FWD.

A lot of people give my MS3 grief because they state the power is too much for a FWD car. GOD the ignorance!

1. It is rated at around 260hp/280ft.lbs. at the crank, meaning it only puts down about 220 at the wheels (depending on the dyno.....recently some friends dynoed their modified MS3's and got uber low numbers...it was on a Mustang Dyno and they got only 212hp at the wheels with modifications.) And while every FWD car will have some understeer (by design), I dont think 220 at the wheels WITH an LSD will bring too much trouble.

2. Granted, it is a heavy vehicle but it feels lighter than it is. If you turn off the Dynamic Stability Control, the rear end will come around on you if you arent paying attention.

Im not saying that the MS3 is the best FWD car out there by any means but it is a shame that people knock FWD vehicles just because it is different. You just have to KNOW how to drive them.
 
niky
It's all suspension. Suspension, suspension, suspension. The Honda Jazz has it. The Mazda3 and Ford Focus have it. My Protege has it. Some Rear-drivers have it, but some rear-drivers don't.
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Agreed. Proteges, 3s, Focii, Civics, Minis, Sentras, and probably many others I can't think of, aer some of the best handling front drivers on the planet because of great suspension design. And just because it's good doesn't mean it's complicated. The Civics are probably the best example, because Honda stuck with basically the same double wishbone front and rear suspension from 1988 to 2000, and yet everything from old CRX Sis and SiRs to EK Civic Type Rs put up numbers like real sports cars.
 
i think all the little kids that have never even driven a car before on their own who say FWD is crap should get banned from this thread.

I know of a couple Evo, m3 and STI owners who all have said that on public roads the must fun they have ever had was in their warm/hot fwd hatches. They say that in their M3's Evo etc they will have to be in the near triple mph figures before they have fun, but with that comes great danger and the risk of loosing their license, and therefore in their opinions FWD cars is some of the most fun you can have on the road.
 
Joey D
That's a bad example, the TL is a luxury car and has a ton of add ons with it hence why it is expensive. Most economy cars are FWD because it is cheaper do to fewer moving parts and less complexity.
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That, and the lack of prop shaft gives more interior space.

I suspect my views on front drivers are well documented :)

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A bundle more fun than my RWD Volvo.
 

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