costermonger
Member
- :
- CX-5
^ agree with that; the Forester I tested felt 'heavy' and unresponsive compared to both versions of the CX-5. I didn't feel there was much difference between the AWD and FWD CX-5 in this regard.
AWD or FWD, one better than the other?
- Thread starter Chas
- Start date
TreyP
2018 Soul Red AWD Touring CX-5
Agreed on all points. It's hard to cover every possible variable without losing the main thesis. We could say that winter driving in Hawaii is less stressful than in Alaska as well.
In the UK we have touring cars, years ago Audi entered some A4's with Quattro drive.
The Audi quickly dominated the event, won practically ever race, and the championship.
After that other competitors said either ban 4wd or we don't enter, so the Quattro drive was banned.
The following year Audi again entered the A4 but with FWD, the car did nothing,.
I'm unsure what happened after that but I believe they withdrew from the event.
The Audi quickly dominated the event, won practically ever race, and the championship.
After that other competitors said either ban 4wd or we don't enter, so the Quattro drive was banned.
The following year Audi again entered the A4 but with FWD, the car did nothing,.
I'm unsure what happened after that but I believe they withdrew from the event.
Incase you haven't seen this vid, a comparison between AWD with summer tyres and FWD with winter tyres.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-video/winter-tyres-vs-4x4
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-video/winter-tyres-vs-4x4
Nice video. Pretty much confirms what we all have been saying. I would have liked an other car with AWD and winter tires to see how and where AWD improves on FWD, when they both have adequate tires...
Having owned plenty fwd and AWD cars with winter tyres, I can say there is hardly any difference in braking or cornering. It mostly comes down to how the AWD is setup and how that affects the the cornering when you add throttle or harder acceleration as you exit the corner.
Fwd tends to under steer due to the front tyres losing traction from being pushed by the rear tyres which have plenty grip. My AWD impreza turbo gave a neutral drift, rally style or oversteer if you wanted fun. My Golf R32 gave major under steer due to the front wheels unable to grip as the rear tyres found traction. I really had to try to get that car drifting on snow. So far, the CX5 is much more under steer biased with AWD and winter tyres. The is probably down to the power distribution when traction is lost, although I don't know how this is setup in the cx5. Most family cars tend to be setup this way as its deemed safer and easier to control for the average driver. Tyre width also plays a major part. Skinny tyres tend to cope better as they cut through the snow instead of riding up. I still think the best winter car money can buy is a 4x4 fiat panda!
Fwd tends to under steer due to the front tyres losing traction from being pushed by the rear tyres which have plenty grip. My AWD impreza turbo gave a neutral drift, rally style or oversteer if you wanted fun. My Golf R32 gave major under steer due to the front wheels unable to grip as the rear tyres found traction. I really had to try to get that car drifting on snow. So far, the CX5 is much more under steer biased with AWD and winter tyres. The is probably down to the power distribution when traction is lost, although I don't know how this is setup in the cx5. Most family cars tend to be setup this way as its deemed safer and easier to control for the average driver. Tyre width also plays a major part. Skinny tyres tend to cope better as they cut through the snow instead of riding up. I still think the best winter car money can buy is a 4x4 fiat panda!
Yes I found the AWD under steered, more than I'm use to with the Xtrail, but my approach speed was quicker.
The Panda has an amazing reputation for off road use as well.
But they appear to be very rare in the Uk.
The Panda has an amazing reputation for off road use as well.
But they appear to be very rare in the Uk.
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SayNoToPistons
Wheels, not rims...
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- CX-5 GT AWD w/ Tech, RX-8 GT 6spd w/ 'goodies'
With my AWD, there is no sense of any front wheel slip. Though all these front wheel biased Haldex type AWD systems are largely similar in terms of handling, unlike Subies' Symetrical AWD, Audi's Quattro, Acura's SH-AWD, Nissan's Attesa (avail on Skylines, QX, FM platform), and Toyota's All-trac they had back in the days.
I can defiantly sense the front wheels could loose grip with the diesel version, while my last car with less torque (around 40 pound feet less) never really threatened to lose grip, and didn't even has TC unlike the CX-5 which does.
SayNoToPistons
Wheels, not rims...
- :
- CX-5 GT AWD w/ Tech, RX-8 GT 6spd w/ 'goodies'
The CX-5's TCS and DSC does not intervene with little amount of slip. It is a very lenient system, which some prefer. I would imagine with the amount of torque a diesel produces, it would easily cause the front to lose traction at low speeds, especially on throttle exiting a corner.
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Remember and choose winter tires before AWD, ideally both. There is no point in AWD if you are driving in snow conditions every winter and leaving summer tires on.
Absolutely correct.
I can't believe how many people I've heard say "I don't need snow tires because I have AWD". Nothing could be further from the truth.
Snow tires get you 90% of the way there - AWD is a nice 10% bonus that is not necessary for most people.
I bought awd (nj) for two reasons. The marina where we slip our boat has a nasty launch. Although we never move the boat, we use the launch for our waverunners, I'm pretty sure the FWD wouldn't move the 2000 lb trailer up this wet hill. Secondly it makes my wife feel safer. In a week or two I'm going to pull the WRs for the first time, I'll let everyone know how it goes.
