I always hear that Road America is a FWD type of track while long other tracks are RWD tracks. My question is what makes one track favor one type of drivetrain over another? What are the advantages of AWD, FWD, and RWD on road courses?

I can't imagine FWD having an advantage on any dry surface.

Hitokiri2 - 13 June 2008 11:39 PM

I always hear that Road America is a FWD type of track while long other tracks are RWD tracks. My question is what makes one track favor one type of drivetrain over another? What are the advantages of AWD, FWD, and RWD on road courses?

IMO, the only drive setup that has any kind of advantage if you will is AWD. You have power available at all 4 wheels to push AND pull you where you want to go.

RWD would be next, but it has it's disadvantages too. Mainly, power oversteer. In the hand of the wrong driver, one could end up swapping ends all day, especially in less than ideal weather conditions, but in the hands of the right driver, that power oversteer can be used to "rotate the car", thereby shortening the time required to pass through apex areas.

IMO with FWD, you kind of have to dirve it like an AWD car...toss it into the corner, and then rely on the front wheels to pull you where you want to go.

So I guess the only configuration that truly has an advantage is AWD

At a track like Lime Rock, AWD is ideal....then RWD

On long straights...I think its a wash. You are either being pushed, pulled, or pushed and pulled. I can see FWD presenting an aero and traction issue at higher speeds because of lift.

You can be assured that RWD during ideal conditions at any paved circuit is hands down the best.

the key here is "Ideal"

Becuase a AWD car can be better then a RWD when:

-The circuit is green
-When a spec tire is too hard (ie. speed world challenge)
-Wet track
-Dirty Track
-Very very cold weather

During these conditions, a AWD car will out do an equivelent RWD car.

a FWD car brakes steers and accelerates all with the front wheels, making for a very unique corner entry/exit. There is a racing term, 'trail braking' this is where a driver will brake too deep into a corner, collect and rotate the car around the apex, and try to straight line the exit as much as possible. This is done to minimize "power push". As a FWD car is given more throttle, weight distribution moves more and more to the back, the causes the front wheels to lose traction.. thus braking too deep and straightening out the exit allows the driver to keep weight on the front wheels for as long as possible, and then accelerate in a straight line to avoid a power push condition.

a RWD car brakes for a corner slightly earlier then a FWD car becuase a very important part of getting a RWD car though a corner as fast as possible is having control in the rear of the car. as a RWD car brakes for a corner, the front wheels do most of the work, meanwhile the rear allows plays a part beacuase properly downshifting a car will help slow the car down even further then what the brakes can do. as a RWD car approaches the exit of a corner, weight distribution moves to the rear wheels to help plant or give grip while the front wheels have the sole duty of steering the car. Don't forget, alot of the steering of a car can also be controlled by the real wheels, they help point the car with varrying amount of throttle.

Now an AWD car is where some people get a little bit lost. Generally a AWD car is good in three ways.. When the track is slippery or the tires are awful, or when you accelerate from a dead stop against a RWD or FWD car. The true brilliance of AWD is seen in rally. On a cicuit like Road Atlanta there is only on way and it is RWD. AWD has zero advantage past 1st gear in a straight line, meanwhile they have a disadvantage to RWD in any corner. When an AWD car gets to a corner, it brakes as well as a RWD car, but as it rotates and the driver begins to apply throttle, the front wheels pull the car and the rear wheels push the car, this eventually turns into a front wheels push condition as the FWD cars have, causing much more front tire wear then a RWD car. Now assuming the track is dirty, wet, cold, or a spec tires that are too hard is being used, then an AWD car will help get the car through the corner while a RWD car will struggle to get power down and find grip.

Back in the 70s AWD was tested in F1 cars, among the likes of Jackie Stewert, Infact I believe 1 race in grand prix history was won by an AWD car. They simply came to the conclusion that during a typical race, the cars would go into a push condition off the corner, and some sort of slip diferential would be needed in the front essentually meaning.. the car would only drive its rear wheels out of a corner... meaning... well you can figure it out.

Any one that says a FWD car has an advantage in any condition other then daily driving in snow has never raced a car, and has never driven any other car then the civic they glorify.

Agreed...there are some answers for you Hitokiri..! For me, if its not AWD its RWD