08-15-2004, 04:03 PM
OK... you say that it's been proven time and again that FWD is safer than RWD so I decided to go and do a little research (I love the internet). I found all sorts of things telling me how much better AWD and 4WD are than either FWD or RWD but I did manage to find a few reliable sites that are pushing RWD as the safer alternative.
THIS GUY who is a regular auto columnist for MSN wrote the best article I could find extolling the virtues of RWD. I suggest reading the whole article HERE and deciding whether or not he's full of shit for yourself.
To back it up I found the following links from CHRYSLER talking about the improved safety of RWD in slippery conditions and BMW talking about RWD and an interview from RENAULT about their trucking division going to all RWD for the improved safety.
I also found a number of references stating FWD is safer but when I read them there was no support... it was just a statement as if it was a well known fact. I was unable to find ANY research online to support that FWD is safer than RWD.
I was also surprised at how many articles I found about the Saturn VUE having problems but that's a discussion for somewhere else.
Kak, you were fast to say that you didn't believe in any of Robojack's links but when you say that you've "researched" times and other information I don't see you backing any of it up with links or references that you deem to be "reliable".
I haven't done any research on the actual acceleration of either car and I was probably out of line calling a 3.5 liter engine a "big block". I can only speak from experience of dragging against some of those "family" cars in my humble Subaru Legacy wagon. I ALWAYS own them off the line. That's just the fact with manual transmission and the gearing. Once we hit 50kmph the tables change for me though. Those clunky automatic transmissions have finally gotten the hint that they're doing hard accelleration and start doing their job in ernest. My car just doesn't have the torque to compete in outright accelleration over the long haul.
I did have one guy smart mouth so much that he thought he could beat me in the turns as well and I did show him the advantage of manual transmission and a tighter suspension. It was only three turns before I couldn't see him in my rear view mirror any more. That was against a Monte Carlo SS.
THIS GUY who is a regular auto columnist for MSN wrote the best article I could find extolling the virtues of RWD. I suggest reading the whole article HERE and deciding whether or not he's full of shit for yourself.
To back it up I found the following links from CHRYSLER talking about the improved safety of RWD in slippery conditions and BMW talking about RWD and an interview from RENAULT about their trucking division going to all RWD for the improved safety.
I also found a number of references stating FWD is safer but when I read them there was no support... it was just a statement as if it was a well known fact. I was unable to find ANY research online to support that FWD is safer than RWD.
I was also surprised at how many articles I found about the Saturn VUE having problems but that's a discussion for somewhere else.
Kak, you were fast to say that you didn't believe in any of Robojack's links but when you say that you've "researched" times and other information I don't see you backing any of it up with links or references that you deem to be "reliable".
I haven't done any research on the actual acceleration of either car and I was probably out of line calling a 3.5 liter engine a "big block". I can only speak from experience of dragging against some of those "family" cars in my humble Subaru Legacy wagon. I ALWAYS own them off the line. That's just the fact with manual transmission and the gearing. Once we hit 50kmph the tables change for me though. Those clunky automatic transmissions have finally gotten the hint that they're doing hard accelleration and start doing their job in ernest. My car just doesn't have the torque to compete in outright accelleration over the long haul.
I did have one guy smart mouth so much that he thought he could beat me in the turns as well and I did show him the advantage of manual transmission and a tighter suspension. It was only three turns before I couldn't see him in my rear view mirror any more. That was against a Monte Carlo SS.
Gullible isn't in the dictionary.