phat albert Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 i delivered a load of lumber down to Washougal, Washington last night on the way back up i stopped at exit 57 off the I5, there was a car carrier there with a load of STS,s the way they were on the trailer i was able to see underneath, pretty cool dual exhaust all the way(pretty much). i am so impressed that they are now rear wheel drive. just mad that i have 97 not an 05 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poobah Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Why is rear wheel drive now the wave of the furure? Twenty years ago everyone was ga-ga over front wheel drive. Is it like neckties that go from wide to narrow and back to wide again? I'm lost here. Happiness is owning a Cadillac with no codes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadiKing Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 PooBah, Rear wheel drive is more exciting to drive....PERIOD! my .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprucegoose Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Yup, I agree. Rear wheel drive is just much more exciting to drive. I love my Eldorado, but it just doesn't give me the same feeling with acceleration as my Firebird. Nothing like having major horsepower being sent to the rear wheels to get the adrenaline flowing! Especially with a stick and posi rear end! Of couse it has it's downside, like winter driving around here... I have yet to see a new STS on the road, but am certainly looking forward to it! '09 Cadillac CTS-4 3.6 direct injection, 128 K mi. '15 Chevy Tahoe LTZ, 5.3i V8, 125 K mi '70 Firebird Formula 400, Bored+.04, RAIII heads, M21 4spd., in-process restoration! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Why is rear wheel drive now the wave of the furure? Twenty years ago everyone was ga-ga over front wheel drive. Is it like neckties that go from wide to narrow and back to wide again? I'm lost here. It's the car magazines - the editors know EVERYTHING - just ask them....they say RWD is superior to FWD, so the public takes it at face value. I like RWD cars - no torque steer but it really is all what one get's used to. They are a little slow to accelerate on a snow covered road but my RWD Fleetwood Brougham is stored during the winters anyway. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 I once asked Guru about his preferance, FWD vs RWD and "north/south" vs transvers mounted engine. As I recall he said that 300 HP was just about the limit in a FWD due to torque steer. I think that is why they are going to RWD as the HP race seems to be going full circle just like neck ties (remember the late 60's). Traction control makes it much more feasable now for those who never learned to drive a RWD in the snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupillac Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 RWD is definitley fun to drive, but people are going to have a hell of a time in the snow. In my town even the FWD can barely make it up some hills when the roads are messy. I wonder if any other manufacturer's will follow with the RWD now? "Cadillac, it's not a car, it's an obsession" -W.Kingdon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtjwdad Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 I think some folks that arn't usd to rear wheel drive are going to be in for a surprise on slick road surfaces especially in corners. Traction control and the likes are great but inthe end physics's win. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadiKing Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 titiwdad, come on! quit trying to scare these young guns! I learned to drive in rear wheel cars and did so for 20+ years without a wreck attributed to rwd...I cannot wait to get another rwd car, (like my Camaro), and have some fun...I taught all four of my children to drive in the winter with rwd, (pickup truck, t-bird & town car), by controlling the gas with my left foot in a slick parking lot, (as is flooring it at will ), while they had to control the car using the steering wheel! It was much fun for me, , and a learning experiance for them. Two of my children are still driving rwd cars year round here in Ohio! Tire technology, anti-lock brakes, and traction control will keep you out of trouble if you use some sense on the road. Lets all go out and have some real driving fun with rwd, instead of plodding along with the ever-safe fwd...Look at the numbers, are we really a safer society with fwd. LIVE A LITTLE! my 2 cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschunke Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Rear wheel drive is just fine in the snow as long as you have the proper tire tread (yes you may have to get snow tires, especially if you have summer/performance style tires) and some weight in the rear (keep a few extra gallons in the gas tank). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vantasticdude Posted July 29, 2004 Report Share Posted July 29, 2004 Hey Larry if you want torque steer I had a Dodge Omni .............................. 200+ plus horse GLHS that was 10x worse than the 275 horse of my SLS . I've owned close to 50 vehicles both rwd & fwd my opinion is overall fwd is a little more stable initially in bad weather but once it skids your screwed no counter steer can save your but . I like the AWD but then you get sucky mpg . My 2 cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaddyShack24 Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 I think that is why they are going to RWD as the HP race seems to be going full circle just like neck ties (remember the late 60's). Traction control makes it much more feasable now for those who never learned to drive a RWD in the snow. Very insightful man. That and i think people are sick of not being able to kick the gas around a corner in the rain. Which is the best f'ing feeling you can have behind the wheel. Safty first kids. Drift cars are becoming pretty popular too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfoo Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 Very insightful man. That and i think people are sick of not being able to kick the gas around a corner in the rain. Which is the best f'ing feeling you can have behind the wheel. Safty first kids. Drift cars are becoming pretty popular too Hey now.. that's what the e-brake is for nothing like turning the wheel, punching the gas and slamming the e-brake at the same time lololol .. but yes, doing donuts with a rwd car is very very fun.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtjwdad Posted July 31, 2004 Report Share Posted July 31, 2004 CadiKing Posted on Jul 22 2004, 12:57 PM titiwdad, come on! quit trying to scare these young guns! I learned to drive in rear wheel cars and did so for 20+ years without a wreck attributed to rwd...I cannot wait to get another rwd car, (like my Camaro), and have some fun...I taught all four of my children to drive in the winter with rwd, (pickup truck, t-bird & town car), by controlling the gas with my left foot in a slick parking lot, (as is flooring it at will ), while they had to control the car using the steering wheel! It was much fun for me, , and a learning experiance for them. Two of my children are still driving rwd cars year round here in Ohio! Tire technology, anti-lock brakes, and traction control will keep you out of trouble if you use some sense on the road. Lets all go out and have some real driving fun with rwd, instead of plodding along with the ever-safe fwd...Look at the numbers, are we really a safer society with fwd. LIVE A LITTLE! my 2 cents For several years I drove a car with RWD, 4-speed, positive traction with 350+ horsepower & over 400 lb/tq in the snow, glare ice, rain and rain and of course, dry weather. I bought that car in 1978 and still own it today. Is it fun to drive in all those conditions. Live a little ... I don't hate myself that much to ever drive that car in glare ice or snow on the public highways. 1. Because the car is not very common, 1970 Trans Am and I would get a serious case of the "red *smurf*" if it was wrecked because some bone head hit due to negligent driving habits. 2. It's not my driving I have issues with. I know how to control the car to go up hill, down hill or what have you. But I have "zero" control how others drive and I don't hate my car. that's just the way it is! I will confess that some of the lesser power RWD cars were much better in adverse driving conditionsthan the more powerful one such as the one I have. And going down hill on ice is much more stable in a RWD than a FWD (IMHO). As long as you have traction, RWD is ok going up hills, besides I've seen a lot of FWD stuck on hills as well and then there is the 4 wheel drives in the ditch ... but that's another topic. Besides, all I said was: I think some folks that aren’t used to rear wheel drive are going to be in for a surprise on slick road surfaces especially in corners. Traction control and the likes are great but in the end physics’ win. And it's all true. What I meant by that is, it's a lot easier to spin out a RWD car as opposed to a FWD car. Again, IMHO. So enjoy ... and when the snow and ice come again I'll be thinking of you when I see those RWD cars heading west out on US 26 trying to get up that incline (and the other hills around here) past the tunnel spinning those wheels and going no where fast, if anywhere at all. In that stuff I'll stick to my 4 wheel drive or FWD. Just to pass on, (in the snow and ice) for the most part I keep my 4 wheel drive vehicle in the RWD mode. 4 wheel drive is great for starting and provides better traction while driving but it can make you over confident in the "stopping" department. This where the folks not used to it as opposed to FWD while have some issues. When a RWD spins out of control, I have yet to see one where the back end didn’t follow the front end. As far as the safety factors between the two modes, I have no idea which one is safer. Each presents problems. Keep it between the ditches! Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Phoenix Posted July 31, 2004 Report Share Posted July 31, 2004 <<"It's the car magazines - the editors know EVERYTHING - just ask them....they say RWD is superior to FWD, so the public takes it at face value.">> <<"It's the car magazines - the editors know EVERYTHING - just ask them....they say RWD is superior to FWD, so the public takes it at face value.">> Kevin is dead on! Remember back in the early 80's the scribes were all complaining about how you couldn't heel and toe the brake/gas pedals. So the engineers put the pedals closer together, like the race cars. Next thing you know, we got Audis and the like crashing through their garages and running over people. Unintended acceleration, my arse, they just put their feet on the wrong pedals! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justgreat Posted July 31, 2004 Report Share Posted July 31, 2004 if you have never driven a rwd car with the tail hanging out and you throttle steer through the turn...well, it can't be explained. if you do any serious driving in the snow, if you commute or absolutely, positively have to be there, then snow tires on EACH corner are a must...no way around that, imo...for occasional use then you can get by with the reg rubber....and whover said that for all the youngsters who haven't driven rwd are in for a big surprise...it's no joke. rwd is a blast but the inherent advantages to fwd, especially transverse fwd, is hard to beat from a design standpoint as far packaging and overall handling. sit in an e class and you'll understand how little room there is due to the rwd platform...very restrictive, imo. jack 90seville 95k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg P. Posted July 31, 2004 Report Share Posted July 31, 2004 Living in Pennsylvania, I have to say I was a little dissappointed in the recent move to RWD by Cadillac and Chrysler. On the other hand, If that's what they need to do to sell cars, then I guess it makes sense. Torque steer on my '95 STS was pretty severe under hard acceleration but I never really minded. On my '99 STS, there was hardly any noticable torque steer. I always wondered what they changed to make it so. I have owned over 35 cars in my lifetime that include a mix of RWD, FWD, 4WD, and AWD. My current winter driver car is a 1988 Volvo 240 (RWD) with Nokian Hakkapeliitta Q's on all four corners. With proper driving techniques, I can get it to go pretty good in the snow. I think it helps that I grew up practicing donuts in icy parking lots (I'm pretty sure that was the most popular winter sport for teenagers growing up in my Pittsburgh neighborhood.) On the other hand, my wife, who grew up in Thailand, is totally incapable of driving the Volvo in the snow without doing an unintended 360 sooner or later. She currently drives a Mitsubishi Outlander with AWD that seems to take her anywhere with ease. On this vehicle, you just push the gas and it goes. In a straight line. While I agree that with proper driver skill and the right tires, RWD can go in the snow, there is just no way that they are as good as FWD or AWD. When things get bad, there are simply places that the Outlander will go and the Volvo won't. Traction control helps, but as Guru explained a little while back, the traction control systems cannot be made as effective on RWD cars as it is on the FWD cars. The AWD version of the new STS offers some promise. It's kind of a bummer that they only offer AWD on the most expensive V8 version though. I'm wondering what the logic is here. If I lived in a warmer clime, then I guess I wouldn't care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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