Lol, he's got a point there.

says the guy in the lancer...

AWD does not make a car handle better, but it allows the car to get better power down.

Either Motor or Wheels recently had a little sidebar that goes into detail about it, and they claim AWD does not improve handling either. You only need to see how poorly the new WRX handles on a track to see that AWD does not always equal good. The FG Turbo was quicker around the track than the WRX, when was the last time that happened stock Vs stock. Its gone backwards big time, so much so that Subaru have just announced they are going to make a big suspension tune change for the new WRX due to the critism it has copped of being way too soft, Australian market only. New shocks, springs and swaybars.

WHO WOULD BE FASTER AROUND A CORNER?

Awd easily.

It can carry a higher speed around a corner and maintain it where as the 2WD would just lose it at the similar speed.

I own a lancer GSR and the grip over 2WD is heaps better.

My 2c anyway

Its hard to say to be honest...

When I had my GTR, with the AWD the car gave you much more confidence and I was able to push it to the limits in the cornering & safety ability of the car. I would corner much faster than I can in a RWD, but as most of you have mentioned, it was pretty much a road legal track car (to an extent). I had a full house adjustable suspension set up, it was obviously light and I had really good tyres & brakes so Im sure it all contributed etc... Handling was almost as good in the wet as it was in the dry. Grip levels were astounding.

Again, as some of you have mentioned, STI's, Evo's and GTR's all come from factory well equipped to handle like a dream. The whole setup works to contribute to a handy little package.

Getting off the line is totally different, rev's up to 7K RPM, slip the clutch and your away and grabbing second faster than you can blink. An amazing feeling to launch a powerful AWD vehicle.

I did on a few occasions take the FWD fuse out in my GTR (Meaning using RWD only) for a bit of sideways fun - and boy it was great lol. If id have tried to launch at those revs, it would end up in smoke. Likewise the cornering, I wouldnt have been as confident as the line of control and loosing it is a lot finer and it would most likely have ended up spinning like I did on a freeway on ramp one time.

For me and in my experience, the AWD is faster, they are both equally as fun in different situations and depending on your mood but saying that, our vehicles are not meant to handle like track warriors so what can you do other than use the best suspension, brakes and tyres available?

Edited 15/10/08 09:33 AM15/10/08 09:33 AM by Dirty32

AWD does not make a car handle better, but it allows the car to get better power down.

Either Motor or Wheels recently had a little sidebar that goes into detail about it, and they claim AWD does not improve handling either. You only need to see how poorly the new WRX handles on a track to see that AWD does not always equal good. The FG Turbo was quicker around the track than the WRX, when was the last time that happened stock Vs stock. Its gone backwards big time, so much so that Subaru have just announced they are going to make a big suspension tune change for the new WRX due to the critism it has copped of being way too soft, Australian market only. New shocks, springs and swaybars.

Everyone agrees the new WRX went backwards so its a pretty ordinary argument against AWD. They need to look at the whole model rather than the suspension I think!! Although I've driven a couple and they felt ok but are lacking that something that the other models had

I guess those of us with real life AWD experience generally think the same

The average person will go faster around corners because of the extra confidence.

AWD gives better GRIP, not better handling, as handling depends on many factors.

If it’s wet, then AWD is far superior; it’s no contest. If the AWD doesn't have too much power you don't have to adjust your driving style much in the wet compared with the dry; in a 2WD there is far more care required.

You can get a 2WD to handle well, but that is not the argument here.

AWD has disadvantage of extra weight, less fuel consumption because of this, extra manufacturing cost and complexity.

For me as power levels increase AWD becomes more a safety feature, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get into trouble if you push the limit.

Fyi I have 2 F6’s and 2 STi’s.

Brian

says the guy in the lancer...

What? I miss it, that's all. Torque steer was humorous at the start but now it's just a pain in the arse, especially in the wet.

I believe awd is quicker around corners, behind the hands of an inexperienced drive. I know I have one.

an awd is way easier to drive at the limit, however in terms of turning circle at speed on a track, I believe RWD is better assuming the driver is good enough to take the right lines.

I think most of us here fit into the inexperienced driver category, and as such feel much more comfortable in an awd car around corners.

I think during the corner they will be the same (off gas) with all other things being equal. However, the AWD will be able to get back on the gas sooner on exiting the corner due to the AWD grip.

Edited 21/10/08 10:51 PM21/10/08 10:51 PM by David99