AWD, RWD, or FWD?

Question

Which is quicker? Ive heard AWD is but also heard it can make a car slower. What do you think, and overall, not just in speed, which is better?

Answer 1

AWD is quicker from a deadstop.

After that it depends on the road conditions.

AWD can make a car slower due to extra weight as compared to same vehicle without AWD.

However, AWD is just that much more versatile, as it delivers thrust over 4 wheels instead of 2. AWD will outpace equivalent 2WD car in acceleration, that's a given.

Answer 2

AWD would be quicker off the line in slippery conditions if the RWD or FWD car lost traction but in the dry AWD vehicles are slower because of all the weight the added parts to make it that way contribute.

Answer 3

FWD setups tend to have the lowest loss due to driveline drag (good for fuel economy). RWD setups have the best setup for weight transfer on straight line acceleration. AWD setups are the best for power distribution and all round traction (worst for fuel economy). Best choice depends on what you want to do with the car. For all round rallying the AWD setup is the best especially if someone else is paying for fuel and tires. Hooning down main street and drifting down every side street or as a dedicated 1/4 car RWD is the way to go. FWD can handle 300+ HP which is more than enough for most streets. But the bigger issue is power to weight. Have you thought of something Mid engine Like a Lotus Elise? Decent on fuel, decent ride, easy on tires, though it is a bit expensive to run long term. did you have a price range in mind?

Answer 4

if three cars have the same weight, weight distrubution, and power, the AWD will take off from the line quickest and hold speed much better through the corners. however, you may lose a little top end speed, because turning all four wheels requires more torque than just turning two.
import cars with AWD (mitsubishi's, subaru's, vw's, etc) tend to do better than american AWD cars
japanese cars do better because they tend to be high revving, high tuned engines with a nice smooth power band
vw do well (especially diesel) because, for such a small engine, they have a butt-load of tourque.
there is a picture of a vw touareg pulling a 747 jet (using stock engine and drivetrain but upgraded chasis and about 4000 kg extra weight to give it traction) sorry couldn't find english site

overall, i think AWD is much better

Answer 5

i prefer front wheel drive for everyday driving, becuae it rides the same as any of the rwd or awd cars, its cheaper and better on gas. The all wheel drive cars can be faster because of the added traction on take off, but the awd cars carry around alot of extra weight. For racing i would go with the rwd drive car because it gets okay traction off of a launch, and it doesn't have the added weight.

Answer 6

AWD is better because the car maintain the traction on the road better than RWD or FWD.

Answer 7

RWD is quicker because it is used in race cars and in BMWs, Mercedes, etc. But AWD provides more traction on wet pavements so I would go with that.