AWD vs RWD for Cornering

[blue92lx]

Jlapaglia actually sent a reply that was useful. I didn't act like an ass to him because that's what it was, something useful to this post that wasn't condescending and making a bunch of assumptions about what I know or don't know.

 

[Volfy]

This is a public discourse on an internet forum. Willingness to share is mandatory; agreement is not. Not being properly understood is seldom the fault of the readers at large, if one writes succinctly, provides examples, and presents thorough explanations to back up assertions put forth. That is what I try to do... not to win an argument, but to offer my perspectives that, hopefully, some find helpful. I'm very glad that appears to be the case, even if that reception is not universal.

Then again, this isn't the first time mud has being thrown my way, and it sure as heck won't be the last. Invariably, this happens when folks felt slighted because of their inability to win a perceived argument, on objective substance and on technical grounds. Pride prevents them from accepting the fact that their failure to be understood is by their own doing, so it must be the result of others' malicious intent.

This is unfortunate but not uncommon.

Life goes on.

 

[Nameneeded]

Lot's of comments. Nice!

In the end the advantage of AWD vs RWD for cornering is as people have eluded to. Coming out of a corner AWD lets you get more power down thus come out faster.

The disadvantage though is the added weight and drivetrain losses.

Now for an apples to apples here is avid where they used an M5 Comp to compare the the different drive modes (RWD, AWD, AWD+) and the results are not great for RWD.

Now would they be different if the weight difference between a RWD and an AWD car were present? IDK.

 

[Genny Guy]

Hey everyone,

There have been some AWD vs RWD posts, almost always about the snow. I don't care about that living in the south. I want to know which is better for handling corners, and acceleration while already rolling.

Also not interested in 0-60 racing where AWD is the obvious choice, I prefer cornering performance.

I had a 3.3t RWD loaner for a bit and loved it. It was super fun to drive in corners and highway on ramps. Although I could control the car with the throttle, I also felt like the limitation was the loss of grip. With all of the TC turned off I could ride it on the edge but had to hold back just a little bit where I felt like it had more in it.

Curious if anyone has purchased the AWD specifically for cornering/track use over a RWD.

Do you feel the extra front end weight pushing the car, or do you feel the extra weight in general?

Is there any weirdness in cornering waiting on the AWD system to get going? My GV70 I've trained myself to just start getting on the throttle just before the apex of a corner because it'll engage the front wheels, then I can add throttle and the front pulls the car in when accelerating out of a corner.

Does the AWD system slow down acceleration if you're already moving (or the extra weight of it)? I have a GV70 and in comfort mode it's like you can feel it take just a bit to turn on the front wheels and then accelerate. Sport mode is better for that since the AWD system is always engaged. The RWD G70 just moved, no hesitation anywhere.

And most importantly, do you lose any fun factor with the AWD? The fact that the backend of the car was so usable in the RWD car just made me love it so much, and at the same time I feel like held it back when I wanted to really push it. I know with the AWD system you can still get the back end to move around too, just curious if you lose any of the fun with it while maybe gaining more of a cornering weapon.

I don't have hard data to provide for most of your questions, but I will tell you about my experience so far and hope it helps.

I have a 3.3T AWD. It is not slow in a straight line or around a corner. I drove both the RWD and AWD versions of the car and I never felt that RWD handling was superior to my car. At least, not enough to warrant stronger consideration. My AWD vehicle did come with an LSD, so I'm sure that is helping me get around the turns quickly. Also, I had the AWD module on my car tuned. According to the tuner, it allows the torque to be sent faster.

As I said, I do not have hard data. I visited some twisty backroads that are close to home and familiar to me. The car definitely felt faster through the bends and I had more confidence in pushing the speed.

I've also had the car at a local motorsports park (Palmer Motorsports Park) here a few times and the awd did not feel out of place. I will say that I think the biggest issue is the overall weight. Even the RWD version is a heavy car. At the weight that this car is at, I don't feel that the extra 100 or 150 lbs is going to effect the handling enough to feel a burden.

It's really just the difference of a child. Or a fat driver vs skinny driver.

The weight might also feel like a little less of a burden because my car is tuned. Car is 550-575 bhp. I haven't dyno'd it since 2021 unfortunately. Even when the car was stock, the awd felt good going through a corner.

I have lost ZERO fun factor with the awd. The car does donuts and burnouts as if the awd isn't even there. I think a lot of why there isn't anything being lost for me is because the awd system is able to send all the power to the back wheels.

 

[EdP]

Jlapaglia actually sent a reply that was useful. I didn't act like an ass to him because that's what it was, something useful to this post that wasn't condescending and making a bunch of assumptions about what I know or don't know.

I have AWD and I've never lost traction in a corner.

 

[Nameneeded]

You're not understanding what I'm saying here clearly, and you think im a newbie, so I'm going to stop here.

I'll just reiterate the fact that my 4500 lbs GV70 is apparently just as much sports car as the G70 RWD I drove. got it.

I don't know why people are griefing you about your cars weight.

My last was a 2013 SHO. I don't anyone who knows what that is would consider it anything but a sports sedan.

She weighed in at 4400lbs.

 

[Volfy]

Firstly, for the G70, the difference between RWD and AWD is about 150 lbs, or roughly 4% relative to the overall weight of the car. It isn't a huge amount, but neither is it insignificant. The heavier the car, the less AWD adds to the overall weight. For a 2500 lbs sportscar, that could be 6-7%. For a large sedan weighing upwards of 4500 lbs (e.g. G80 or 5-series), it's closer to 3%.

Secondly, the position of that weight also makes a difference. For lateral acceleration, the farther away that additional weight is from the CG, the more it will have an effect on cornering attitude. The transfer case is generally behind the engine, so the added weight doesn't impose as great a polar moment as, say, the added weight of the 3.3TT vs. a lighter weight 2.0T engine. But, it is far rom being in the middle of the car either.

Thirdly, since the G70 is based on a RWD platform, the AWD version's added weight being mostly upfront actually works quite well in concert with the addition drive wheels being also up front. Contrast this with a FWD-biased platform, where the AWD version actually adds a good bit of the weight on the "wrong" end. This is why, while FWD Audis already tend to be an understeer fest, their AWD version are even more so. Precisely why I find them rather distasteful, but that's just me.

Fourthly, an AWD with the front wheel disabled does not a true RWD make. Especially if the entire chassis and powertrain programming (torque vectoring) is finely tuned for its native drivetrain layout, like the M5 rightfully would be.

Finally, on the street and in everyday driving, none of these AWD/RWD and weight differences are gonna manifest themselves to a degree where most drivers can really discern. You really have to put it on a track, toss the car around, and push linear and lateral accelerations to their limits (~1G) repeatedly before the pros can be truly appreciated and the cons rear their ugly heads. On public roads, even in some spiritedly canyon carving and twisties dicing, the felt differences between a RWD and an AWD G70 will be negligible at best.