AWD vs 2WD Drag Racing?

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sicbeing

sicbeing

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Cribanox
I was talking about this with my co worker...

We were comparing the Acura NSX and the Subaru Impreza STi. I told him there was no way that the NSX would win because the STI has more HP and Torq as well as AWD. I was wrong. We looked up the quarter mile times, and the NSX was faster and at a higher speed.

So I started thinking, maybe AWD is better for just low speeds? Better launch, but then when you get to the high speeds, the 4-weaker tires cant push against the wind as well as 2-stronger wheel can? Also I'm sure it prolly has something to do with the gear ratios (im sure the impreza is set up for low speed cornering) and the aerodynamics on the 2 cars, and the weight (the nsx is light).

What do you think?
 
Drag racing is far more complex then just hp, tq, and drivetrain. It's about weight, gearing, DRIVER, where the powerband is more robust, blah blah blah. Weight is probably the single biggest factor though. AWD is fantastic for the launch but RWD will be just as good with a good driver, because of that most hard core draggers use RWD because it weighs less then a AWD set up.

The NSX in general is not set up for drag racing, it's mid engine design is much more optimal for the twisties.
 
sicbeing
I was talking about this with my co worker...

We were comparing the Acura NSX and the Subaru Impreza STi. I told him there was no way that the NSX would win because the STI has more HP and Torq as well as AWD. I was wrong. We looked up the quarter mile times, and the NSX was faster and at a higher speed.

So I started thinking, maybe AWD is better for just low speeds? Better launch, but then when you get to the high speeds, the 4-weaker tires cant push against the wind as well as 2-stronger wheel can? Also I'm sure it prolly has something to do with the gear ratios (im sure the impreza is set up for low speed cornering) and the aerodynamics on the 2 cars, and the weight (the nsx is light).

What do you think?
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AWD has more drivetrain components, so a higher loss of power through the transmission. Given identical crank power, a front or mid-engined, front or rear wheel drive car will put more of it onto the tarmac.
 
RWD for teh win!







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tAlso I'd think that the NSX being MR would be quite suited to drag racing. Since it has a lot of it's weight at the back near the drive wheels.
 
The Impreza has to wait for the turbos to spool up too.
 
GTRacer4
The Impreza has to wait for the turbos to spool up too.
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That's not so much of an issue as you'd think. Launch the car at about 3,500RPM and you're on full boost the whole way down. What usually holds four-wheel-drive cars back is traction -- there's too much of it. All four tires are fighting against the tarmac, and that friction fights the engine which often has the tendency to bog the engine down. It's kind of like cruising along at 15MPH in 5th gear; the engine doesn't like that. High revs at launch (or lots of power with slicks) can overcome this, slipping all four wheels with just a chirp, but this can also destroy your gearbox (or other parts of the drivetrain). Try this at your peril.
 
Casio
tAlso I'd think that the NSX being MR would be quite suited to drag racing. Since it has a lot of it's weight at the back near the drive wheels.
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Like IMADreamer said, MR is better for twisties then drag racing.
 
When I had my 3000GT VR4 I would always own just about anything from a stop to 75~80mph. But, rolling along 60mph+ Supra TT's, C5 Corvette's, and 300ZX TT's gave me more than I could handle.
 
GTRacer4
The Impreza has to wait for the turbos to spool up too.
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Why don't we have a snack while we wait........Have you ever driven a standard turbocharged car on the road like the STi? Your not going to launch of the line when dragging at idle engine speeds.
 
I've been in my friends STi, it is by no means slow, I didn't notice any lag either, but that's probably because I was too busy being blown away at the turns.
 
I'm not sure about the numbers, but I know when the NSX was first built, it was a marvel at how light weight it was. I think the NSX is still lighter these days than the Impreza.
 
I assume you're comparing a 300hp version of the STi against the NSX?

Comparing the weight-to-power ratios of the two, you'll find that both have approximately 5kg to carry for every bhp. The NSX is lower and more aerodynamic, which means it carries a bit of an advantage towards the end of the drag strip. It also has nothing but a transaxle and 2WD, which means it doesn't lose nearly as much power through the drivetrain as the STi does, and it carries a bit more of an advantage towards the end of the drag strip. The NSX also has no turbo lag to slog through, wider rear tires, and a weight distribution bias that's well-suited for off-the-line acceleration.

With all of these small advantages piling up for the NSX, particularly when it comes to higher-speed acceleration in the latter half of the drag run, the somewhat-faster time and significantly faster speed at the end make perfect sense.

=V8 Power=
I'm not sure about the numbers, but I know when the NSX was first built, it was a marvel at how light weight it was. I think the NSX is still lighter these days than the Impreza.
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It weighed about 3000lbs. at its introduction, and it weighs about 3100lbs. today (less than the Impreza's 3350). That's "light" by modern standards, but in the 80's, luxury GT cars weighed that much.
 
From launch a RS4 will obliterate a M3 to 60. From 5mph to 60 the times are pretty much identical. This seems to be a trend when it comes with 4wd vs rwd cars.
 
The only real advantage/disadvantage, whichever way you want to put it, of AWD cars is traction at launch. Once up to speed, both cars should accelerate similarly, but the AWD car will be hampered by the extra weight of the drivetrain. AWD cars will usually rule the 0-30 time, but up high, RWD wins... still, it really depends on the cars and drivers in question.

I remember reading once that the Japanese market Evos used much less aggressive rubber than US market ones... was kinder to the drivetrain than the ultra-sticky rubber the US market preferred, and gave better launches.
 
niky
I remember reading once that the Japanese market Evos used much less aggressive rubber than US market ones... was kinder to the drivetrain than the ultra-sticky rubber the US market preferred, and gave better launches.
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True, that's why US Spec Evos have launch controls that restrict the revs to a maximum of 5000 rpm on standing still starts to prevent axle snap.
 

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