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Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank

thedrive.com

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Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank

#161

Post by bluGill »

thomastjeffery wrote: post #139
bluGill wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The engine weight is still over the front wheels, so FWD gets more traction.

I see what you mean: an engine leans a truck forward, particularly because the truck's engine is usually farther in front of the wheels than it would be in a car. I imagine that's exasperated by the fact that everything behind the cabin is built to be as minimal and lightweight as possible, but the overall design is made to support a heavy maximum load filling the bed. Without significant weight in the bed, the truck…

Your civic still has more weight on the front wheels than the rear, unless you overload it. (I've never looked at the specs on a civic, but most cars are not rated for much weight.)

Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank

#162

Post by bluGill »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #138
bluGill wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The engine weight is still over the front wheels, so FWD gets more traction.

How would that work for an EV that doesn’t have an engine? I guess that’s a point in the article, however.

Depends on how they distribute the weight, which is easy to control on an EV (within limits)

Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank

#163

Post by JoeAltmaier »

mrinterweb wrote: post #59

Rear-wheel-drive vehicles have traction problems on slick roads. Losing traction on your front wheels is terrifying. I've had this happen before as I have had the opposite fishtailing with front-wheel-drive. Losing rear-wheel traction is something that can be compensated, but I don't think you can do much when you lose front-wheel traction.

We live on a gravel road with lots of twists and corners. I taught all my kids to experiment on corners, go too fast, turn too hard, slide. Learn what it feels like, how to recover.

Eventually they could all do a 'controlled slide' around a corner and continue uninterrupted. They've all reported how useful this skill is later (they're all 25+) when they encounter slick conditions - they can feel what to do and respond quickly and intuitively.

Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank

#164

Post by 0_____0 »

yourusername wrote: post #156
0_____0 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Norway, this is basic driver education. The drivers' license there requires "slippery road" training, which involves a more basic version of what you're describing.

I've done a course like that but i question the value. The few hours i spent sliding around on a slippery track 10 years ago didn't really embedd the skills to the point that i would know what to do if my cars got in a slide today. Most people don't get into situations like that enough to train the skills regularly.

Living in a place where it snows has done a lot more for my skills. I would recommend to anyone that they find an empty, snowy parking lot and try throwing their car around a little just to see how it reacts.

Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank

#165

Post by ethbr0 »

rationalist wrote: post #160
ghostpepper wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't sound to me like it was intentional

> trying to catch a yellow light It sounds very intentional and reckless.

Other countries and yourself may be different, but you'd find it difficult to find a US driver who has not tried to catch a yellow light.

Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank

#166

Post by 0_____0 »

Brajeshwar wrote: post #130
0_____0 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Norway, this is basic driver education. The drivers' license there requires "slippery road" training, which involves a more basic version of what you're describing.

Wow! This is nice and should be must. In India, we get our driver's license along with the local street food snacks. /s

My father has a story about this that I think involved driving straight down a frontage road for a couple of minutes and a bribe.

Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank

#167

Post by thomastjeffery »

bluGill wrote: post #161
thomastjeffery wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see what you mean: an engine leans a truck forward, particularly because the truck's engine is usually farther in front of the wheels than it would be in a car. I imagine that's exasperated by the fact that everything behind the cabin is built to be as minimal and lightweight as possible, but the overall design is made to support a heavy maximum load filling the bed. Without significant weight in the bed, the truck…

Your civic still has more weight on the front wheels than the rear, unless you overload it. (I've never looked at the specs on a civic, but most cars are not rated for much weight.)

Yes, but that weight isn't in front of the front wheels. The center of gravity rests between the front axel and the driver.

When I accelerate, the center of gravity moves back to the middle of the car. Accelerating up a hill puts that center of gravity in the backseat near the rear axel.

Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank

#168

Post by davchana »

Dalewyn wrote: post #151
davchana wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In California Highway driving for cars is required for special drives only i.e. can't read charts, or tickets.

You would be wrong, the handbook (and presumably the law it derives from) states (or at least stated when I took the test) freeway driving is a mandatory part of the driving test. I asked the instructor why we skipped it, and they said it was because the freeway portion "is too dangerous for the instructors". I had a good chuckle that day.

Easy to say one is wrong. I would not argue, but the fact is fact. For car, as long as your vision in 20/40 in each eye, & 20/70 in both, at least, no physical disabilities for car controls, no seizure or medical issues, no law enforcement referrals, you don't need to do freeway drive. Any Yes to any of the above things will warrant a Special Driving Performance Evaluation, and that most probably includes freeway 99% of the time (assuming there's a freeway access), plus some other things.

And for the record, no, no part of the driving test is dangerous for the examiner any more than for anybody sitting as a passenger. Routes are carefully designed to cover as much & as little as law requires, conditions allow, and much more.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/driving-test-criteria...

Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank

#169

Post by seanmcdirmid »

bluGill wrote: post #162
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would that work for an EV that doesn’t have an engine? I guess that’s a point in the article, however.

Depends on how they distribute the weight, which is easy to control on an EV (within limits)

Batteries are the heaviest part of an EV, and it is super easy and...actually obvious, just to distribute them evenly under the vehicle.

Re: Rear-wheel-drive cars are back and we have EVs to thank

#170

Post by seanmcdirmid »

ars wrote: post #153
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I only had one driving test when I was 15 in Mississippi. Drive around the court house block, no parallel parking. I moved to Washington the next year and only had to take the written test, and I’ve seen to be able to miss driver tests ever since even though my license has lapsed twice, the last time for 7 years. I’m now back in Washington (Seattle), and I’m shocked at how often people run stop signs here.

And despite the easy testing I suspect you have not had any major traffic incidents. That seems to be the way it goes in the US. Running stop signs is not a sign of a bad driver, most stop signs in the US are not necessary (and really should be yield signs, except that's not legal to do that for no good reason).

Running a stop sign is a sign of a bad driver when I'm walking into the crosswalk assuming they'll just stop.
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