FWD cars require more effort from the driver to move them because they have less grip than RWD cars. The weight of the car is spread over a larger area and this makes it harder for the engine to turn it. This lack of grip can also lead to decreased acceleration, braking, and cornering performance in FWD vehicles.
Since all the weight is located in the front of the vehicle, front-wheel drive cars tend to understeer. During sudden acceleration, front-wheel drive vehicles tend to veer to the right or left because of something called “torque steer.”
And yes, you can make a FWD car oversteer all day long if you set it up right. But in terms of street cars, trying to drive it fast, you're going to be relying (mostly) on two things: A really good tire, and really good OEM electronics. If you can learn to pilot a FWD car fast, you can drive anything.
Poor acceleration: FWD cars offer a more sluggish acceleration than RWD cars. Difficult handling: With the weight of the engine up front, the handling of FWD cars can be a challenge. Faster wear and tear: The CV joints/boots in front-wheel-drive cars wear out sooner than rear-wheel-drive cars.
Vehicle physics also prevented the FWD from remaining stable under extreme acceleration as the rear tended to fish out, which also caused a loss of traction. As a result, most carmakers opted to transfer power to the rear wheels or all four wheels instead of only the front.
You can, but it takes some practice and a bit of bravery.
Rear-wheel drive is better than front-wheel drive for ultimate acceleration. This is because of the increased weight over the car's drive wheels, its rear tires. That weight pushes the vehicles' tires into the road, increasing traction and their ability to push the car down the road.
Is AWD better than FWD? For navigating on unpaved ground, all-wheel-drive is preferable. Driving on gravel, grass or any other soft surface causes your drive wheels to lose traction. All-wheel-drive systems are designed to increase the vehicle's grip on every type of terrain.
FWD cars tend to be safer to drive and have an easier time going up hills or over slippery roads. This is due to the extra weight of the engine pushing the front of the car down and thus giving the front tires more traction. They're also harder to spin.
Front-wheel drive cars have become more popular because they are more affordable to manufacture and purchase. For drivers looking at economy, front-wheel drive vehicles give drivers everything they want at a price less than rear-wheel drive counterparts.
Front-wheel drive (FWD) has been common in mainstream cars for decades. It's a practical way to package the powertrain of a car or SUV since it gives a vehicle good traction on snowy roads. It also leaves lots of room for a spacious interior since there's no driveshaft sending power to the rear wheels.
The 2023 Civic Type R is the fastest front-wheel drive model to ever hit the road with a top speed of 169 mph.
THE ANSWER TO THIS myth, all depends on your definition of fun. If it means balancing a vehicle via the throttle through a corner on the cusp of grip and slip, or if it involves drifting then, yes, a rear-drive car is likely to be more 'fun'. But it really is a myth that front-wheel drive cars can't be fun.
Rear-wheel drive is better for drifting because losing traction in the rear wheels is the essence of drifting. Conversely, it's very difficult, maybe even impossible, to drift in a front-wheel-drive car, in part because you lose any form of control when you attempt it.
FWD cars are usually more fuel-efficient. They also require less maintenance because there are fewer moving parts. If a car break, the parts are typically cheaper and easier to fix. Front-wheel-drive vehicles also tend to have more interior space.
A big problem is that FWD cars are often regarded as 'easier to drive' than their RWD counterparts. But this is simply not the case. Unlike a RWD vehicle, you can't use the power to adjust the attitude of the car mid-corner; in fact, more power would cause a FWD car to understeer.
Compared to AWD cars, FWD cars have fewer moving parts. This keeps the weight down, which results in improved fuel economy. Fewer moving parts means fewer things to fix, so there's also lower potential maintenance costs.
Understanding FWD
Because all of the key mechanical components required to make the car move - including the engine - are housed at the front of the vehicle, they tend to be more affordable and easier to maintain than RWD models.
RWD Pros and Cons:
Pros: Allowing the front tires to specialize in steering while the rear tires do the driving vastly improves both steering feel and ultimate cornering grip; (mid- or rear-engine): engine weight over drive wheels plus dynamic rearward weight shift during acceleration optimizes accelerative traction.
Partly, it is oversteer that makes rear-wheel driven cars more fun, because there are few things as satisfying, and heart fibrillating, as catching and correcting an oversteer moment, or, if you're on a track and in possession of the necessary skills, holding a rear-wheel slide.