FWD or RWD sports car?

Question

I'm looking for a fairly cheap 90s sports car. I live in colorado so I don't know if I would be screwed in the winter with rwd ... but then again a fwd sports car doesn't have the best handling in certain situations. Please help me decide! Also I would love to hear some suggestions on a make/model.

Answer 1

RWD isn't so bad once you get the hang of it.

I took my 2001 V6 mustang to a parking lot my first winter with it and just got it sideways and taught myself how to correct it and how to keep it sideways and control it.



However honestly if I could go back - I'd love a DSM AWD Turbo.



Find a nice 90-99 Eagle Talon / Mitsubishi Eclipse / Plymouth Laser(90-94) in the Turbo / AWD trim.



They are really fast - look good - and with AWD and their light stature - they get around in the snow/ice better than the trucks/suvs

Answer 2

If you are a good driver, and have a set of 4 decent snow tires, you will just barely be able to get by during snowy Colorado winters. It is entirely possible to drive a RWD sports car in the winter, it is just a real pain in the butt, and not really practical.

I would suggest a FWD car, or even better yet, and AWD car.

Even if you choose FWD I would still suggest investing in a set of 4 nice quality snow tires. I live in Maine and drive an 05 Accord EX V6 coupe. The 1st winter I had it I used regular all-season tires, and got by just fine, but still got stuck a few times, and in bad storms slide around a little bit on the roads... The following winter I bought 4 Nokian Hakkapalita snow tires, and the difference was night and day!! Starting from a standstill was much better, the grip while driving was much improved, and the best improvement was braking during a storm.



So, I would recommend against a RWD vehicle, because even though you could manage, it will be a big hassle. FWD is better, and AWD is the best option.

Here is a list of AWD vehicles that have decent performance:

Subaru Impreza 2.5RS (98-01 is my favorite, used to own one and loved it!)

Subaru WRX

Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX/ Eagle Talon TSi



depending on your price range, here are a little more expensive AWD options:

Mazda Mazdaspeed6

VW R32

any BMW with the letter X in it

Subaru WRX STi

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

Lexus IS250 AWD

Answer 3

do NOT get a FWD car they didn't have any good ones in the 90's anyway (civics, celicas and fwd eclipses are slowwwww) i would suggest the 94-95 mustang GT with a 5 speed. there is a wealth of aftermarket parts available at a good price and the 5.0 engine will last for ever. also check out the Camaro Z28 or Pontiac Firebird, get a V8 with a manual otherwise you might as well get a normal car. the 5.0 mustang can be bought for less than 5k or so the camaro / firebird are a little bit more expensive unless your really look hard. i find the best prices on crags list. any sports car will do horrible in the snow / ice.

Answer 4

Get a RWD if you want to spin your car all over the place. Get FWD if you want good handling. See, ive got a Honda Integra that's a FWD drive car and the only time i can go sideways and drift is when i lift up the handbrake. With RWD cars, u can just dump the clutch off high rpm's and turn the sterring wheel, you will do a fishtail.



So yeh, RWD for fun drifting or FWD if you want a safe, good handling car.



Their is also AWD. Suburu WRS STI's are AWD, for eg.

Answer 5

Since you live in Colorado, I would recommend something like the Subaru WRX, Subaru WRX STI, Mitsubishi Evolution (any generation) or the VW R32.



All of these have the inspiration of a true sports car and are All Wheel Drive for the harsh Colorado winters.



Sorry Chuckles, I have to comment on your response that claims the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky are true sports cars.

Are you serious?

I have a FWD MazdaSpeed 3 that would run circles around the Solstice and the Sky.

Answer 6

I have a '99 Camaro with RWD and I can tell you that driving that baby in the winter was brutal.

It's fine if the roads are cleared off, but the least bit of snow or ice, and you just fishtail all over.

It takes a lot of driving around in the snow and practice with your gas and your braking to figure it out and make sure you've got weight in the trunk and great snow tires.

But in the summer, it's fantastic! I love it. It handles curves beautifully.

Answer 7

If There`s SNOW or Muddy Roads or EXTRA dry roads, Then go for Four Wheel Drive.

Ford Explorer, the kind before the "Not Pick-up" one, there is a button if you want to do FWD or RWD.



if you travel in normal ones, then go for RWD :)

Answer 8

If it has FWD or a back seat it is not a sports car. Just a "sporty" car. A pretender to the title.



The true sports cars available are the Miata, Honda S2000, BMW Z4, Saturn Sky and Pontic Solstice. And Ferrari

Answer 9

RWD allows a car to have a better balance under acceleration. if you've noticed, when you accelerate the weight of a car moves towards the rear, in a front wheel drive car, this shift of weight makes the front wheels lose grip a more easily. it's easier to spin your wheels on a front wheel drive sportscar than a rear wheel drive one. on top of acceleration, rear wheel drive also helps to move the weight of the car towards the read to get a perfect 50 50 weight distribution between the front and rear of the car to help in cornering and braking. under extreme handling conditions, rear wheel drive allows the driver to induce oversteer rather than understeer which can drag a car out of a corner. by allowing the driver to put power on the rear wheels to the point where they begin to slide, the driver is able to use power to swing the rear of the car around while in a front wheel car, adding power under under maximum lateral acceleration will cause the wheels doing the steering to let go and lose any sideways traction they had resulting in understeer. while both scenarios are bad for lap times, oversteer can be controlled by the driver and can be fun for the driver. a good alternative is all wheel drive which helps to reduce both under and over steer by allowing all four wheels to help in cornering by improving traction and allowing the rear wheels to induce slippage and the front wheels to pull the car out in the direction of the turn. This is easily seen in rally cars which require the best traction for high speed corners on uneven loose terrain. The reason why front wheel drive is used is because it uses less metal making manufacturing cheaper, and while many people seem to enjoy the benefits of the engine being placed over the driven wheels in winter, i like to drive rear wheel drive even on snow. when a front wheel drive car's wheels slip, the car can slide sideways resulting in a complete loss of control. with a rear wheel drive car, you can prevent skidding with counter steer or if you are not going to make a turn, the addition of power to the rear wheels will help turn the car. if you've noticed there aren't many true front wheel drive sports cars. there are regular cars with added power that are front wheel drive but these are not designed to be sporty. proof of this are the VW golf GTI, Honda Civic Type R, and Dodge Caliber STR-4 which are modifications on family cars. front wheel drive may be cheap and easy to make but for speed, rear wheel drive is key. AWD is fine too but the extra weight needs to be taken into account.