Rear Wheel Drive Cars

Real wheel drive (RWD) cars refer to cars to cars designed so that the engine powers the rear wheels as contrasted with front wheel drive (FWD) cars where the engine powers the front wheels. Rear wheel drive cars where popularly used during the 20th century but seemed to fall out of favor during the 80s due to high costs of manufacture and safety issues. The last couple of years have seen a return of the rear wheel drive cars as manufacturers seem to be returning to RWD.

In RWD cars the engine is usually placed in the front of the vehicle and it powers the rear wheels using a driveshaft linked with a differential on the rear axles. RWD cars seem to perform better on slippery roads and are still popularly used as police cars and taxis due to cheaper costs of maintenance and better performance.

Even during the years when RWD seemed to lose favor, rear wheel drive systems was still the top choice for many racing cars and luxury cars. This is primarily due to the fact that RWD systems are considered safer. Since the weight of the car is almost distributed equally from the back to the front, the car has better balance when in motion. The car is thus easier to handle and control with a rear wheel drive and are also better suited for sudden stops compared to FWD.

There has been a recent increase in the purchase of RWD cars. There are a number of manufacturers and brands of RWD cars in the market. The most popular market brands include Ford Mustang, Honda S2000, Dodge Charger, Toyota Supra, Ford Crown Victoria, Chrysler 300, Chevrolet Camaro, Infiniti J30, Lexus SC and the BMW 3 Series.

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Rear wheel drive cars are cars powered and driven by their rear set of wheels. These types of cars seemed to lose popularity sometime around the 80s but there has been a recent upsurge of interest in them. Some manufacturers have even started to manufacture them again. Here are a list of the pros and cons of a RWD,

Advantages

RWD applies less force on the front wheels which makes them easier to handle and control during dry conditions and on dry roads. The mechanism of a RWD car is simpler and so they are cheaper and easier to maintain, dissemble and replace.

RWD cars do not have torque steer and can drift with much ease than FWD cars. Rear wheel drive cars also enjoy a better weight distribution because the engine can be spread from front to back. Usually there is a 50/50 distribution of weight from the front of the car to the back thus making it easier to control the car when in motion that with a FWD car. RWD cars also enjoy better weight transfer during acceleration and they can be towed easier.

Disadvantages

RWD cars are harder to control and master as they require more skill to drive although they offer higher rewards. For passenger cars, RWD system reduces leg room, trunk room and interior car space. The RWD system also is heavier and contains more parts thus increasing the overall weight of the car.

RWD cars are more difficult to assemble and involve more material parts which make their manufacture costs more expensive. It is thus more expensive to purchase a RWD car. RWD do not perform so well on low grip surfaces such as gravel, snow, ice or wet roads and in the case of over-steering the car would fishtail.

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