What car do you drive?
- Thread starter RussianGuy89
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H3nry, man... FWD isn't more safe. I've seen it contribute to accidents in snow, thanks to drivers all having RWD instincts. Your rear tires start to come loose, what's everybody's first instinct? To get off the throttle. In a FWD car, guess what you just did? Turned a mild skid into a spin, since you shifted weight forward (happens with RWD, too) and applied brakes to the front but not the rear.
Understeer is MORE dangerous than oversteer, and that's the biggest gripe when it comes to FWD in a performance arena. I'd rather have oversteer (most racers say the same), since that's controllable. With understeer, you just get to say "oh, shi-" as you slam into something.
Balanced chassis are awesome, but there always (ALWAYS) comes a point with any chassis where the front/rear grip is unbalanced, and if it's going to have a bias one way or another, give me a slight oversteer bias. Understeer is a horrible thing.
I will admit, though, that if you know how to handle FWD correctly, if you KNOW to gently accelerate to stick the back end, that FWD is probably the best platform for driving in slippery conditions at anything faster than a crawl. In those circumstances, it's honestly better than AWD... if all you want to do is move in a straight line (wait, where have I heard straight lines bashed before...?
).
Get the FoxStang. They actually were pretty good. The one to avoid: the F body. There's a reason they don't make 'em anymore.
The Turbo Coupe or Supercoupe... Supercoupes were better, but IMO not terribly good. The best (only?!) reason to buy a Turbo Coupe is for a donor car on an SVO clone project.
Understeer is MORE dangerous than oversteer, and that's the biggest gripe when it comes to FWD in a performance arena. I'd rather have oversteer (most racers say the same), since that's controllable. With understeer, you just get to say "oh, shi-" as you slam into something.
Balanced chassis are awesome, but there always (ALWAYS) comes a point with any chassis where the front/rear grip is unbalanced, and if it's going to have a bias one way or another, give me a slight oversteer bias. Understeer is a horrible thing.
I will admit, though, that if you know how to handle FWD correctly, if you KNOW to gently accelerate to stick the back end, that FWD is probably the best platform for driving in slippery conditions at anything faster than a crawl. In those circumstances, it's honestly better than AWD... if all you want to do is move in a straight line (wait, where have I heard straight lines bashed before...?
).Get the FoxStang. They actually were pretty good. The one to avoid: the F body. There's a reason they don't make 'em anymore.
The Turbo Coupe or Supercoupe... Supercoupes were better, but IMO not terribly good. The best (only?!) reason to buy a Turbo Coupe is for a donor car on an SVO clone project.
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Yes, though oversteer is harder to tackle since mostly the lowest point of mass (sorry don't know the english word for it), which usually is the rear is tossed in front of the usually highest point of mass.
And when having to correct a spin is virtually impossible, braking often makes the situation worse.
When having understeer you should be able to counter it by braking a little harder and releasing it.
If you did that too late, well. I guess with RWD you wouldn't be off any better or worse.
With FWD it's basically put your foot down on the accelerator, steer and the rear will follow.
Of course when it becomes slippery... It's totally different.
I don't have experience on snow driving though, here in Holland it's usually wet and there FWD has it's advantage against aquaplaning because the highest point of mass (engine, tranny, diff) is on top of the driven wheels.
It's funny to see a large wheelbase FWD car outturning a 4WD with small wheel base.
But since I'm 17, I have yet to drive any car (gently conforming the traffic rules
) "officially" on the open road.On the track however...
We do get slip and skid training here in Holland if you are going for the more expensive driving lessons, so RWD instincts here shouldn't be a problem.
Truly, the only reasons why I prefer FWD is because it's lighter, and you don't need TCS, hell, it's easier to drive without.
Yes, electronics are terrible in any VAG-car.
My dad and mother once shared a Passat 2.0 GT, it had problems with the ignition ECU.
It took my dad only 5 mins to replace since it was near the air filter and fuse box.
The ABS ECU never was any problem, it stalled sometimes but you simply stop the car at a safe spot, and turn the key again.
The MAF units never was a problem either, which is crazy since it's a glowplug and a PTC/NTC (can't remember which one
)Cheap rubbers, well VW's are kinda cheaply built, eh.
Also remember the US 2.8 12v VR6 SOHC is different to the EU 2.9 24v/12v VR6 DOHC.
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Eh, spins are no problem. Braking is actually how I recover them. If you lock all four wheels, you don't have as big a difference in traction any more, it converts a spin into a slide probably 90% of the time, in my experience. A slide you can control and recover from pretty easy. In a rear drive, "when you spin, both feet in." Thump down on the brake and clutch HARD. Works alright in a front-drive, too, if it's too extreme a spin to save with accelerating and counter-steer.
Of course, avoiding the spin in the first place is the best idea.
What you're saying about oversteer is kind of backwards. It's easier to control a front engine rear drive car in an oversteer situation than it is to control a rear engine rear drive car, or even a mid engine. That's what makes FR cars so fun to drive. The balance and neutrality, especially when you talk about a car like a Miata that has nearly perfect 50/50 F:R weight distribution. Can't get that from a wrong-wheel drive car.
A longer wheel base is always more stable. But, if you want to turn, the shorter car is probably going to do so more easily.
I've never needed TCS. TCS isn't a "need" item, it's a nanny for crappy drivers. Same with VCS or VCD or ASC or whatever they want to call vehicle stability systems. ABS actually is something I'll take on my next car. It was a hard sell for me, though. But no matter what the driver's skill or the conditions it helps you stop faster.
Ah, it was a diesel... well, no MAF on those. Gasoline models rule the day here. Most gas stations in CA don't even carry diesel!
Man.. my slip and skid training involved a parking lot full of snow and me going in and seeing what happened when I did stupid things like pull the handbrake, then try to recover. Took me a while, but now I'm really good at vehicle control.
Of course, avoiding the spin in the first place is the best idea.
What you're saying about oversteer is kind of backwards. It's easier to control a front engine rear drive car in an oversteer situation than it is to control a rear engine rear drive car, or even a mid engine. That's what makes FR cars so fun to drive. The balance and neutrality, especially when you talk about a car like a Miata that has nearly perfect 50/50 F:R weight distribution.
Can't get that from a wrong-wheel drive car.A longer wheel base is always more stable. But, if you want to turn, the shorter car is probably going to do so more easily.
I've never needed TCS. TCS isn't a "need" item, it's a nanny for crappy drivers. Same with VCS or VCD or ASC or whatever they want to call vehicle stability systems. ABS actually is something I'll take on my next car. It was a hard sell for me, though. But no matter what the driver's skill or the conditions it helps you stop faster.
Ah, it was a diesel... well, no MAF on those. Gasoline models rule the day here. Most gas stations in CA don't even carry diesel!
Man.. my slip and skid training involved a parking lot full of snow and me going in and seeing what happened when I did stupid things like pull the handbrake, then try to recover. Took me a while, but now I'm really good at vehicle control.
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Slides seem to be pretty hard to recover from IMO.
Counter-steering sometimes end up in spinning the other way briefly, having to counter-steer again or releasing the steering wheel, but that way you'll certainly stop because you're using the momentum to stop the car.
If you don't roll over that is.
But to tell you the truth, I've never even seen a slide other then on the TV. So I can't say anything about that.
Hehe, ain't that the truth.
Huh? What MR car? RMR's yes, but FMR's should be easier to control then a regular FR despite the weight balance.What you're saying about oversteer is kind of backwards. It's easier to control a front engine rear drive car in an oversteer situation than it is to control a rear engine rear drive car, or even a mid engine. That's what makes FR cars so fun to drive. The balance and neutrality, especially when you talk about a car like a Miata that has nearly perfect 50/50 F:R weight distribution.
RR's like the 911, well, that's really logical.
Yes, a Miata seems to be fun to drive (don't have experience though) but I think they are girl cars really.
RWD's, especially FR's certainly are more fun to drive, however I know somebody here in my village who was in a car from his best friend's father, a brand-new Mercedes-Benz C-something.
It was a wet (though not cold) day, and well bye brand-new Mercedes-Benz, luckily they got out unscathed.
That was about 6-7 years ago, when I was 10-11...
Aquaplaning is not such of a problem in a FWD because you got all the weight in the front and all the braking force aswell.
If the rear does break out, you still have no problems at all.
Exactly, TCS (ASR, ESP whatever) is kinda crappy. Well, it does save tyres, clutchplates and gas I guess.I've never needed TCS. TCS isn't a "need" item, it's a nanny for crappy drivers. Same with VCS or VCD or ASC or whatever they want to call vehicle stability systems. ABS actually is something I'll take on my next car. It was a hard sell for me, though. But no matter what the driver's skill or the conditions it helps you stop faster.
TCS for FWD doesn't have any clear advantages, other then when you really need to brake when it starts to spin the wheels in a sharp corner because you always have that point where you can't drive the car and steer it with FWDs.
ABS however works like a charm... When you need it that is.
The problem in Europe is, you can't disable it for the moment where slippage is NOT a problem, and that is probably most of the time here.
What was a diesel? The VW Passat GT 2.0 was a gas-powered car.
But don't worry, Bluetec will help you Americans taste the early torque of diesel engines without having to pay for loads of gas. ^^
It won't stop the global warming problem, but at least nobody can say that you guys are pumping loads of sulfur and nitriousoxigen particles in the air.
At least it doesn't take megawatts like building a battery for hybrid cars.
Hybrid cars are really the opposite for an environmental friendly concept IMO.
I have yet to take an official slip and skid training.
Parking lots, well haven't done that either, perhaps I'll go to my uncle in the UK, there is an abandoned military airfield nearby where people are racing, learning to race and even learning to drive cars.
But I did found out handbrakes are seldom the correct answer.
For instance the answer of maintaining a no-claim.
Ok, I wasn't anywhere near the car when it happend but I did see the damage on pictures.
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I hate when I rent a car and it has TCS. It makes it next to impossible to do a burnout.
BTW, don't ever buy a used rental car.
BTW, don't ever buy a used rental car.
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A buddy of mine from college drove a Lincoln Mark V and I have to say it was an awesomly huge car. It had the shark gills and a hood you could put a king sized bed on.
He drives a Mark 9 now, which is a nice car, but I really do miss his Mark V. Not sure which the VII looks more like, but if it's gigantic and boxy, go for the Lincoln. Paint it black and tint the windows though. It makes a good proxy for the "black helecopters" effect.
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this is the Mark VII
the LSC has the same HO 5.0 that was in the mustang GT, forged pistongs and roller cam from the factory
the LSC has the same HO 5.0 that was in the mustang GT, forged pistongs and roller cam from the factory
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I hate when I rent a car and it has TCS. It makes it next to impossible to do a burnout.
There's always a switch to disable it. Else they wouldn't be able to dyno test them for CA's emissions madness.
Oh. I could tell you the story about the BMW 850 and the impromptu "who can do the best burnout in the manager's friend's car" (we hated the manager, and therefore all his friends) that I won cause I was the only one who knew how to disable the TCS.
Who'd imagine that a 5L V12 could be such a dog, anyway? Lol, I have to link Wikipedia on this one. I know some people on here are fond of noting the Wiki's uhhh.. inaccuracy? Well... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_8_Series
850... a supercar!? Lol, if the 850 is a supercar, then supercars are horribly slow and why would they be called "super." Honestly, it does NOT compare to the NSX, despite what wikipedia lists in the "similar" slot.
H3nry: We're not really pumping a lot of NO(x) into the air with our cars (Bullitt excluded
). I've seen emissions test reports showing NO (and HC and CO) readings near or at 0 PPM. New cars are very clean.
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Just to be fair sage, the article said it was AIMED at the supercar market, it didn't say it WAS a supercar...but I did not read the entire thing so I could be wrong...but I doubt it
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Hehe, well I wasn't really counting newer cars.H3nry: We're not really pumping a lot of NO(x) into the air with our cars (Bullitt excluded
I was shocked when I saw diesel (Bluetec/BlueMotion) engines on the Geneva auto salon with much lower sulfur particle-rates compared to even small gas engines (the new Honda Civic for instance).
And those also didn't have much NO's (0,015 gr/km which is about 0,025 gr/mile) because Bluetec/BlueMotion diesels have a third "selective catalytic reduction" which converts NO's (using water and ammonium) in to nitrogen and water which are combined again to ammonium for the third catalyzor.
There were also plans for EGR systems which have their valves controlled directly by the injection ECU which also reads out the Lamba-sensor.
They still produce a little over 100 gr/km (160 gr/mile) of CO2, but the small particles are going through a particle filter anyway.
Can you believe it, diesel engines in regular cars in the US?
Probably your government will try another attempt to cut it down, but these engines which are cleaner then petrol engines of the moment will be probably be hard to ban.
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1995 Ford Mustang GT Convertible 5.0 V8 5-speed
Has over 200k miles probably, but I wouldn't know! The odometer stopped working at 117,941 miles. Gets about 14mpg avg depending on what mood it's in. It's loud, both inside and out. The radio doesn't work. It pulls to the right when I'm driving it.
But it's rock solid reliable. Despite the super high mileage, it only drinks about a quart of oil every 3 months. I've always used premium synthetic in it. Humorously, it used to be an automatic, but that went bad and the previous owner installed a 5-speed Tremec 3550 with a King Cobra racing clutch. Friggin' clutch lasted me about 80k miles before I had to replace it. It also has an aftermarket radiator which the previous owner installed thinking he would mod it, but he never did. Drinks more gas than it should because of that though since it runs too cold all the time, and takes about 10 minutes of running just to warm up. It never does get to temp unless it's steaming hot outside.
It's torquey as heck (260ft/lb of torque at 2200rpm, 281ft/lb of torque at 3300rpm), and "fast enough", though it's not fast by other sports car standards. Ran a 15.1 @ 93mph with it (oh no, watch out!).
It's fun to drive.
Sounds friggin' sweet as heck, though it does have that "old" sound now.
Has only broken down once in it's lifetime, and it only costed $400 to repair.
Funniest moment in it: I was taking one of my friends, Tina, out to lunch one day. This was before I had tailpiles reinstalled, as they used to be cut off just behind the driver and passenger seats (true dual exhaust). The car sounded amazing, and it added a pure of a vibration to the car. She gets in, sits down, and as we're pulling out of the school campus at the college I went to, she turns to me and says, "Nate, I'm vibrating..."
Has over 200k miles probably, but I wouldn't know! The odometer stopped working at 117,941 miles. Gets about 14mpg avg depending on what mood it's in. It's loud, both inside and out. The radio doesn't work. It pulls to the right when I'm driving it.
But it's rock solid reliable. Despite the super high mileage, it only drinks about a quart of oil every 3 months. I've always used premium synthetic in it. Humorously, it used to be an automatic, but that went bad and the previous owner installed a 5-speed Tremec 3550 with a King Cobra racing clutch. Friggin' clutch lasted me about 80k miles before I had to replace it. It also has an aftermarket radiator which the previous owner installed thinking he would mod it, but he never did. Drinks more gas than it should because of that though since it runs too cold all the time, and takes about 10 minutes of running just to warm up. It never does get to temp unless it's steaming hot outside.
It's torquey as heck (260ft/lb of torque at 2200rpm, 281ft/lb of torque at 3300rpm), and "fast enough", though it's not fast by other sports car standards. Ran a 15.1 @ 93mph with it (oh no, watch out!).
It's fun to drive.
Sounds friggin' sweet as heck, though it does have that "old" sound now.
Has only broken down once in it's lifetime, and it only costed $400 to repair.
Funniest moment in it: I was taking one of my friends, Tina, out to lunch one day. This was before I had tailpiles reinstalled, as they used to be cut off just behind the driver and passenger seats (true dual exhaust). The car sounded amazing, and it added a pure of a vibration to the car. She gets in, sits down, and as we're pulling out of the school campus at the college I went to, she turns to me and says, "Nate, I'm vibrating..."
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Truck, Cargo, 3/4 ton, 4x4 Dodge (G-741)
or, for humans, 1962 Dodge M37B1 (Military varient of the Power Wagon), 4x4, cargo body (pick-up bed), can carry 3/4 ton off road, 1 1/2 ton on-road, Chrysler Flathead 230 engine (yummm... it sounds delicious even only on 5 cylinders).
Its got a blown head gasket (will be replacing that, sometime in the not-too-distant future), but its still awesome.
EDIT: No, that's not a pic of it in my sig. That, I recall, is a decked-out US Army 5-ton M543 Wrecker in Vietnam, with a fabricated M60 mount on the passenger-side windshield frame.
or, for humans, 1962 Dodge M37B1 (Military varient of the Power Wagon), 4x4, cargo body (pick-up bed), can carry 3/4 ton off road, 1 1/2 ton on-road, Chrysler Flathead 230 engine (yummm... it sounds delicious even only on 5 cylinders).
Its got a blown head gasket (will be replacing that, sometime in the not-too-distant future), but its still awesome.
EDIT: No, that's not a pic of it in my sig. That, I recall, is a decked-out US Army 5-ton M543 Wrecker in Vietnam, with a fabricated M60 mount on the passenger-side windshield frame.
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