Quote:
Originally Posted by DoubleF
Honest question. I've been told in the past by older drivers that for RWD situations, when you enter into an evasive maneuver/recovery scenario, the method to recover in an FR is different than a FF or 4WD/AWD vehicle. As in your mentality for throttle, steering, braking, cruising etc. should differ when in a RWD than a FF or 4WD/AWD. It's not major differences, but supposedly the order is slightly different that could have significantly different results. Is that true?
Most of the other younger drivers I've asked say they don't notice a difference in the way they have to drive in inclement weather in a FR vs a FF vehicle which seems bizarre to me. The older guys I seem to recall, used to say that you'd want to do evasive maneuvers and get clear of as much as possible before you'd aim to slow down and stop almost as if they assume you can't stop in time or that slamming on your brakes would mean instant spin out or something like that. Most people in a FF/4WD vehicle slam on the brakes right away and then do evasive maneuvers if they deem they can't stop in time.
Or was this difference mainly a difference of older FR vehicles that didn't have ABS vs more modern FF vehicles that have ABS standard? Or am I seriously misremembering something?
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Honestly, it's just a feel thing. It's so hard to explain. It's almost no different than your first few time on skates or a snowboard. You suck at it and gradually get the feel. Even without profesional instruction, you'll figure it out. I just don't think a lot of drivers are taking that time to figure it out.
Driving cars with no traction control and RWD back in the day when snow tires were an absolute luxury, inevitably lead to quite a few hit curbs and spin outs until you just figured out the limitations of throttle, counter-steering, brakes etc. You just kinda got used to it over time. And got better. These cars were the norm not the exception.
However, in a situation where you start breaking traction on a launch, my first instinct is to power through and countersteer through it. If you hit brakes when you're out of control, whatever you are pointed at is what you are going to hit if you lock up with your wheel turned at high speed. Especially if you end up in gravel or on grass. ABS or not.
As counter intuitive as it seems, braking can be the dumbest thing you can do in certain situations.
However, these rules are typically going to apply in a performance driving/track scenario. RWD cars now have so many traction aids.... ESP, ASR, ABS etc... in an every day, getting groceries scenario, you just drive like every other car out there.
It's black ice, track situations, being an idiot at Cross Iron Mills as shown above, you have to shift the mentality. Especially if you've thrown it in track mode or turned off traction control. 250 HP Camaros and Mustangs were already a handful back in the day. Now stuff is coming off the showroom floor with double that and making bad things happen twice as fast.