are there any disadvantages for an AWD car?

sidemarker

 

-you dyno less to the wheel

-extreme highspeeds if one differential locks and the car is pointed in the wrong direction.......bad news

-less MPG

-more things that will break

 

well it depends if you rally or like to take corners and to stick corners sure AWD is the way to go(like the new EVO,WRX,or VW R32)
but certain people like the old school sliding through the corners.(which I've seen guys that mastered that and can beat guys with WRXs)
a lot depends on where and how you drive
if your just going around town running errand and your a average or middle catagory driver(far as agressiveness) then I'd stick to your Front or Rear wheel drive
but if your on a curvy track or aggressive driver in curves that goes to the track pretty often. then go with your AWD.

another thing to remember with AWD is they'll be a little heavier due to the differential. cause like on a 4x4 pickups. grant it won't be as heavy and big as a 3/4 ton chevy or ford but its still going to be more weight

 

Weight, poorer gas mileage, weight, mechanical complexity, weight, higher cost, weight, and weight.

 

 

so if acura made and option for the cl-s to be AWD RWD or FWD which would u pick?

sidemarker

 

it's also a bitch to get towed, you have to go on a flatbed.

 

couldnt they just put the individual dolly wheels on each rear wheel?

sidemarker

 

I'd take AWD and just up the power

 

That's a very good question. For me, it would depend where I lived. Here in Philly four season capability is important but we do not get much snow. FWD is a good enough in the snow we get. It's never let me down except for the 30" we once got and nobody moved in that.

In mountainous snowy areas AWD would be better. In southern climes RWD would be better. For all-around use you can't beat FWD as a solid compromise.

 

i can understand the danger in disabling the front or rear diff while the car is gear but leaving the car in neutral isn't possible? I guess not since front/rear diffs would still move regardless of power to the driveshafts.

 

1) RWD
2) AWD
...
...
...
50) FWD

j/k , FWD would be 3rd if you didnt catch my sarcasm there.

 

i'd probably say i'd stick with front wheel drive cause it's hard to go wrong with front wheel drive cause you get more "true power" to the front end and plus its easier to drive in the winter than rear wheel drive

 

the main reason i ordered an audi and am selling my car is...i drove and AWD Audi lowered with toyo tires, etc..

from now on, any car i will own will be AWD.

Difference is night and day..

Lots of issues with weight...but Audi Engineering does a good job to keep the AWD fast...S4, even the 2002 Audi A4 1.8t with a chip, and exhust (1500 dollars package) will get the 1.8t faster than a CL-S. Then if you wanna slip into low 14's, high 13's you can look into the Stage III turbo upgrade that puts out around 320hp and 300lbs of torque...

Nothing beats Quattro + Chip.

 

generally they get a bit less gas milage and at the same time have smaller fuel tanks. The result is poor range. Dont like the WRX for that reason.

 

The advantages of AWD far outweigh the disadvantages.

I used to own an AWD Talon (quite a few mods) and believe me when I tell you that it would run rings around a lot of so-called sports cars.

 

I have a Subaru Forester (in addition to my CLS) and, as far as I understand, it is AWD only when the front wheels lose traction. Otherwise it is FWD only!

I thought the WRX is built that way too.

Is the Audi always in AWD mode?

 

Audi is ALWAYS in AWD mode...

but, you can purchase FWD models in the A4..

 

I thought the WRX was AWD, all the time. A friend of mine took one for a drive, and he was impressed. I know with my supercharger 4x4 Chevy, the extra 2 wheels really rocks the party! Pull up beside some Rustang, and crank on the gas. No wheelspin, just 0.5+ g's of acceleration! Pretty damn cool.....

Audi's advertise it transfers power from the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip, so I'm guessing it's very dynamic.

 

From a high-performance handling perspective, in respect to "common" AWD cars with a non-intelligent center diff and FWD weight distribution (which means excluding the Porsche 911, Skyline GT-R, Diablo, and maybe the Lancer Evo VII, but probably not the Lancer Evo VIII):

* Inherent understeer
* No access to power oversteer.
* Slightly less steering feedback.

(All relative to RWD cars of roughly equal quality and sporting intent.)

All current Audi AWD systems except for the Haldex system on the TT is true, full-time AWD. Haldex systems are part-time AWD.

All current Subarus are true, full-time AWD.

AWD is both easier to drive fast and more tolerant of mistakes than RWD. AWD will launch better than RWD for everthing but really low power levels and/or really high grip. AWD will outperform RWD whenever the grip-to-vehicle-mass ratio becomes severely compromised by inclement conditions (rain, gravel, snow, mud, ice, etc.) Dry road-course performance is another matter, as RWD cars with reasonably comparable power-to-weight and power-to-tiring ratios have routinely proven capable of better lap times than their AWD counterparts. Dry-road driving "feel" and the joy of balancing the car through curves is just about always superior with a RWD car.

(Everything is in regard to production cars. With race cars and extensively modified cars, all bets are off since the end result is more of a reflection of the capabilities and the degree of willingness to accept trade-offs to "normal car" qualities by the tuner.)