Hyundai Rear Wheel Drive Driveability

[Jackson]

I'm not sure in which thread to ask this question, so I'll try it here. sorry if I'm in the wrong place. some of the autos cited above are great in the snow and some are terrible. Does Hyundai have any experience with rear-wheel drive performance/luxury sedans? Is there anyway to predict it's ability to handle serious snow? (Or is the answer all in the tires?)

 

[GrandPrix08]

Re: 2009 Hyundai Genesis Review

First of all welcome aboard. When it comes to Rear wheel drive, I know Hyundai have a lot of experience. I am not sure about the rear drive performance, but all the cars they made prior to the very first Excel they exported to US were all rear-drive. I know, the rear drive of those yester-years are far inferior than the current technology is, but I think the issues on the snow is probably all depend on the kind of tire you will get, but since all the new cars that are comming out have the all-season radials equipped, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[gentau]

Re: 2009 Hyundai Genesis Review

I'm not sure in which thread to ask this question, so I'll try it here. sorry if I'm in the wrong place. some of the autos cited above are great in the snow and some are terrible. Does Hyundai have any experience with rear-wheel drive performance/luxury sedans? Is there anyway to predict it's ability to handle serious snow? (Or is the answer all in the tires?)

I doubt that we can make an accurate prediction based on what we know at this point. The specs do include Electronic Stability Control (ECS) and a Traction Control System (TCS) which, coupled with proper tires, should enhance driveability during inclement weather conditions.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Part of the answer is in the tires. The other part is in the ECS and TCS as mentioned above.. It's a "we're gonna have to wait and see". However, I'm confident that they've done their homework on these new technologies...

 

[bnhbutts]

What's difference does rear-wheel drive make? I've never had one and I'm not sure what the bonus or negatives would be compared to front-wheel drive. Can anyone comment on this?

 

[Mishka]

What's difference does rear-wheel drive make? I've never had one and I'm not sure what the bonus or negatives would be compared to front-wheel drive. Can anyone comment on this?

Um.....wow.

 

[GrandPrix08]

I never had one too, for, my very first car was the Front drive 92 Pontiac Sunbird, then Front Drive 99 Pontiac Grandam, and now, the front drive 08 Pontiac Grand Prix. I do know that Rear Wheel Drive will suffer from the hills, unless it have plenty of power. Well, not a fan of rear drive anyway, for I consider the Rear Wheel Drive as an old technology. I maybe the only one.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

What's difference does rear-wheel drive make? I've never had one and I'm not sure what the bonus or negatives would be compared to front-wheel drive. Can anyone comment on this?

Rear wheel drive cars handle better than front wheel drive cars. The motor being on top of the wheels that turn the vehicle has disadvantages. Also, with enough power, torque steer becomes an issue on FWD cars. Personally, I don't have anything against FWD vehicles. I feel they are better to drive in snow.

 

[GrandPrix08]

Oh, the handling. I guess that's part of the reason why most Sports cars are rear drives. The ones with craploads of power while light as heck, yet still have the handling capabilities. But I know, that the Rear wheel drive will have serious issues on the snow, and going up hills, and where I live, which snows a lot, and filled with hills here and there, I don't think Rear Wheel Drive is an option for me.

Also, according to the video that's out for the Korean spec Genesis, even if the VDC(whatever heck that is) is off, it keeps interferring, and the reviewer saids he can't really experience the rear drive car's characteristics, and warns that, if you are not experienced with Rear Drive cars, you have to be careful.

 

[e_stewart]

Rear wheel drive provides better traction.... Sports cars... racing cars... dragsters... are rear wheel driven... as that is the way best traction and cornering control is achieved.... such as with regard a controlled four-wheel drift. Try doing a wheely in a front driven car. Can't be done. A wheely occurs at maximum possible acceleration... when the drive wheels still have some grip.... though may be mostly slipping.

I remember way way back in the old days of the DKW import... watching at a road race at the Kitsap Airport... when the ground was real muddy. The spectator DKW drivers were forced to drive their front wheel drive cars backwards... to achieve any traction in the mud... and forward movement in the mud. I used to have a Sunbeam Tiger sports car... years ago... which had a factory installed Ford V8 engine... and so was heavy in the front. (Felt like I was driving a truck.) Never-the-less... I could drive in snow (even up hills) up to about three or four inches... with street tires... as I never ever put any snow tires on the car. I was limited to the depth of the snow because the car was low.... it could get hung up easily. I had to have it towed off of a lawn I had parked on one time... as the ground wasn't perfectly flat. On asphalt... though... it could really go... and was highly steerable via the throttle... in a four-wheel drift. I can't begin to imagine a front-wheel drive car being controlable like that car was. IF.... front-wheel drive was the best... then... that is how Chevy would build a Vette.

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[Michael_S]

e_stewart, I understand what you mean.

But the limits of front wheel drive versus rear wheel drive only really matter when you're using a lot of power, and driving around curves at high speeds. That's something a person driving a Corvette or a Sunbeam Tiger would do, but not most drivers.

If someone gets the Genesis on an on-ramp to the highway and punches the gas, it doesn't much matter which wheels get the engine power. There might be a little torque steer to one side or the other if it was front wheel drive, but either way it's just going to rocket down the ramp onto the road.

I want the cars I own to have good handling, but I'm not the type of driver to push my cars past what a good front drive vehicle can handle. So to me, the advantages of RWD aren't that important for my own personal vehicles.

 

[e_stewart]

Mike... what you said makes good sense. Yeah... hard torque steer would be the only real disadvantage of front wheel drive in normal driving situations. And front wheel drive does make for a lighter car... and thus.... it automatically provides for better gas mileage. SOME CARS, though, do sufferer from an intolerable amount of torque steer... but with some, I understand from reports, it is negligible. Not an issue. YET STILL... glad to see that the new Hyundai is good ol' rear wheel drive. It is a real sports car! I say, this car could be awesome. Never thought I would ever see the day when I'd say that about a Hyundai. But this car is way way cool. The styling is as good as they come. I have a rare shot of the interior as my desk top background. And that overall design is excellent. It does look like a sports car. There's lotsa black plastic, however... such as for the console... (which has molded-in large sized cup holders) and which to me is a good choice of material... better than heavy metal.... where metal is not needed. And.... it looks good.