Originally Posted by ALoneR

the problem is;
once you break 200whp on most FWD cars, wheel hop and traction become serious issues.

there's a reason why a Turbo B16 Civic can't take an SVT Cobra from a dead stop, but from a 60mph roll, it has a fighting chance...and that reason is...once the wheels are in motion, all the power can be utilized, but off the line, most FWD set ups can't handle much more than 200whp, if that.

that's where RWD beats FWD...because usually there is more room in the wheel well of RWD cars, allowing them to put wider rims + wider tires on to get more traction. Most FWD cars are gonna be in the 195-230 tire range (im not even sure if any get up to 230)...but RWD will have tires that are damn near 300.

put a RWD and an FWD car on a dragstrip, each with 350whp and relatively the same weight, suspension etc etc...and see which one makes it down the strip faster.



as for handling....there is so much more behind handling than the drivetrain. the suspension, weight, weight distrobution and height of the car are wayyy more important. both FWD and RWD have their weaknesses in the turns. FWD is prone to understeer, and RWD is prone to oversteer. The difference is that oversteer can be controlled and utilized to your advantage [aka "drifting"], where as understeer will only slow you down.

what about the AE86, arguably the most popular drift-car of all time, and is also RWD. Does it handle poorly? No, it handles amazingly, but the real reason why the AE86 is successful is because of it's amazing weight distrobution. With enough chassis bars, weight redistrobution and a stiff enough suspension, a FWD or a RWD car can be amazing in the twisties.

I think drivetrain has very little to do with handling and FWD and RWD can both be successful as race cars, if prepared correctly.