Luxury Drivers, Beware (Front Wheel Drive vs. Rear Wheel Drive)

Wall Street Journal ^ | 03/24/2010 | Joseph B. White

[Responsibility2nd]

When BMW AG Chairman Norbert Reithofer declared last week that his company would start making front-wheel-drive BMWs, there were screams from Stuttgart to Sacramento. BMW, after all, had built the Ultimate Driving Machine franchise on rear-wheel-drive cars. Now Mr. Reithofer appears to be chipping away at what made luxury cars so luxurious.

Auto enthusiasts—including many automotive designers and engineering executives, as well as wealthy car buyers—generally prefer cars to have the driving wheels in the back. It makes a difference in the way a car handles and steers. That difference is instantly recognizable but hard to define.

A rear-drive car is "livelier, it's more direct-connected to the road," says Dave Leone, global vehicle chief engineer for General Motors Co.'s rear-wheel-drive and performance cars, including the Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Camaro and Chevrolet Corvette.

Mr. Reithofer's challenge is fueling the debate over what makes a luxury car special. It's a question that luxury-car buyers and luxury-car brands have been struggling with ever since volatile oil prices and environmental regulators began pressing car makers to evolve away from the "bigger is better" approach to marketing premium vehicles.

The advantages of front-wheel drive are mainly practical. Because the drive train, engine and steering gear are all packaged together under the hood, it's easier to give more space to passengers or cargo inside.

Front-wheel-drive cars are usually better in snow, because the engine weight is located over the driving wheels. And they typically get better fuel economy and thus emit less carbon dioxide than similar-sized rear-drive vehicles—although thanks to technology, today's rear-wheel-drive cars are closing the gap.

Still, front-wheel-drive cars suffer from being pegged as relatively unexciting to drive.

[j-damn]

Here we go with the “it’s not a real car unless it’s a RWD with a manual transmission” nonsense, again.

I guess we’ll also soon see a “it’s not real music unless it’s being reproduced by a needle being dragged across a piece of vinyl” article soon. These birds tend to flock together.

Sidenote: why do people who want to be seen as rich drive a MB or BMW...shouldn’t the truly rich be DRIVEN by a DRIVER in one of those cars?

[Minn]

If you've ever tried to change out an alternator or air conditioner compressor in a front wheel drive car...

Or a power steering pump. On my Chrysler van, I was able to easily detach the thing, But there was no way to work it out of the engine compartment. The manual said to remove the catalytic converter and tail pipe, then work the pump out through the exhaust tunnel. Like that was going to happen. I had to just put it back on, take to a shop, and pay $525 to replace a $60 part.

[paterfamilias]

“Front wheel drive cars have the same advantage rear-engined cars have: the driving wheels have the weight advantage of the engine on them when they need more traction.”

True, to a certain extent; FWD cars have a decided disadvantage over rear engine RWD when going up a very steep hill; on a very steep hill, the center of mass may drop far enough behind the drive wheels that traction is reduced; more than once I have had to back up a steep, icy hill with my FWD car.

Also, in high performance driving situations, FWD cars tend to understeer. On the other hand, the oversteer characteristics of high-performance rear-engine RWD cars is well-appreciated, especially in trailing-throttle situations. I have seen more than a few new owners of Porsche 911’s pile up rear-end first when taking an expressway off-ramp a bit too fast.

Nice cars, but tricky to drive at the limit.

[paterfamilias]

“If you’ve ever tried to change out an alternator or air conditioner compressor in a front wheel drive car...”

Or an Italian car. I once had to replace the voltage regulator in my Alfa GTV6: the regulator was held to the alternator by 2 small screws, but only somebody with small girly hands could change it without removing the alternator. However, the main alternator bolt could not be removed because it hit a chassis crossmenber - as I found out, every Alfa mechanic knows that you have to put a floor jack with a wood block on it (to protect the finned aluminum oil sump cover) under the oil sump and jack up the engine about 3/4” inch on its mounts in order to get that @#$%&* bolt to clear that crossmember.

It is particularly fun to do this during a drenching summer thunderstorm with lightening hitting the pavement about 20 feet from you....

[RoadTest]

Your fine points complete the story.

[RoadTest]

I think the new 911s have drive control that’s computerized and prevents those off ramp spinouts.

[jimt]

The advantages of front-wheel drive are mainly practical. Because the drive train, engine and steering gear are all packaged together under the hood, it's easier to give more space to passengers or cargo inside.

For "practical", read "it's cheaper to manufacture", as long as you have no concern for servicing the vehicle. When you get into that, it's no longer so "practical".

Front-wheel-drive cars are usually better in snow, because the engine weight is located over the driving wheels.

Until you try driving downhill. Of course, you could back down every hill you come across.

How many race cars do you see with front wheel drive ?

[VOA]

“
Or an Italian car.
“

RE: your complex Alfa Romeo situation.
I recall an article that suggested the designers of Fiats (of 1970s vintage)
had extreme anxiety complexes.
How else to explain using six bolts to secure an air-cleaner,
when many other cars (many from the USA) got along with one wingnut?

(I love the eccentricities of auto mechanisms from around the world;
but some are a pain to work with, for sure!!!)

[VOA]

“
A rear-drive car is “livelier, it’s more direct-connected to the road,”
says Dave Leone, global vehicle chief engineer for General Motors Co.’s
rear-wheel-drive and performance cars, including the Cadillac CTS,
Chevrolet Camaro and Chevrolet Corvette.
“

I have to restrain myself from my general thought that any GM pronouncement is
generally a good NEGATIVE indicator of reality.

I know many friends that love rear-wheel drive. All I know is that
it has only been real-wheel drive vehicles that have nearly got me
kilt on snow/winter condition roads.

But if someone wants to gift me a new/classic Camaro or Corvette,
I’m open to the offer!!!

[paterfamilias]

I remember that article!

But it was the German cars that had the 6 10 mm bolts to secure the small access panel. The Italian cars just had a couple of sheet metal screws, but they were inaccessible due to some other component!

Hah! It’s all true!

[spetznaz]

Sidenote: why do people who want to be seen as rich drive a MB or BMW...shouldn’t the truly rich be DRIVEN by a DRIVER in one of those cars?

As an owner of a Benz, and my girl owning a BMW, I can answer that. First of all, we are not trying to 'look' rich. That's silly. Just because someone has the money to buy something nice (andwithout using debt) doesn't mean they are showing off. Unless the recommendation is to buy some cheap vehicle so as to 'fit in.' Secondly, only idiots would buy the sporty types of Benzes and Beemers (the AMGs and the Ms) only to give them to a driver! If you want a chaffeur then buy a 7 Series on an S Class, or maybe a Bentley or Rolls ....and even nowadays most people I know with the higher end marques (Bnz CLS, S and BMW 7s) drive themselves since the vehicles are quite dynamic. The only person I know with a driver is a certain company head.

[Fresh Wind]

...every Alfa mechanic knows that you have to put a floor jack with a wood block on it (to protect the finned aluminum oil sump cover) under the oil sump and jack up the engine about 3/4” inch on its mounts in order to get that @#$%&* bolt to clear that crossmember.

Even worse, there was the 70's Chevy Monza with a V8, in which you had to jack up the engine to get one of the spark plugs out.

[Glenn]

All I know is that it has only been real-wheel drive vehicles that have nearly got me kilt on snow/winter condition roads.

We've just had the snowiest Winter on record here in Pittsburgh. My commute to downtown is 21 miles each way. I live on a hill. My daily driver is a GTO powered by a 400HP Corvette LS2 engine. I had no problems. It's all in the throttle and how you use it.

[j-damn]

No, I wouldn’t buy a sporty Benz to hand it over to a driver, but the sedans look frumpy enough.

And you have to admit that the people you see driving the “entry-level” MBs or BMWs are most definitely trying to “look rich”. Often they have no furniture in their condo, but they damn sure have that Benz.

[steve86]

Does the transverse engine tilt forward in the Chrysler vans like in my Uplander? I was wondering that.

[tacticalogic]

Not really hard to define: FWD pulls the car, RWD pushes it. Besides, burning off the front tires is lame.

FWD also loads the steering wheels, where RWD does not. Under deceleration, FWD slows the front end of the car, and RWD slows the rear end.

Accelerate a FWD car hard into a corner in a low gear then back off the throttle in the middle of it, and you can get to see where you've been in about half a second.

[Minn]

Does the transverse engine tilt forward in the Chrysler vans like in my Uplander?

On first glance I read "transvestite engine" What's that?

It doesn't seem to tilt, but with the bracket holding all the belted components sticking out to the wheel well, there's just no room to remove anything you unbolt. I can't believe the approved way of removing a steering component is by removing the entire exhaust system first.

[steve86]

On the Uplander/Venture, this was the first time I'd ever heard of tilting the engine to get at components. Haven't done it yet but will to change spark plugs and whatever accessories might go out.

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Here is the procedure for rotating the engine. The tool they refer to (J41131) is a ratchet-strap, which you can get at most auto parts stores.

Rotating the Engine for Service Access

Tools Required

J 41131 Engine Tilt Strap

1. Remove the throttle body air inlet duct.
2. Set the park brake.
3. Shift the transaxle into Neutral.
4. Remove the engine mount strut bolts. Swing the engine mount struts aside.
   
   

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5. Install the J 41131 .
6. Pull on the engine in order to rotate the engine forward.
7. Tighten the J 41131 .