[Mean Green Z28]

So f'n douche bag at work got a '07 Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon, and now thinks he's the holy grail of motoring. He says AWD cars (like his WRX, which ofcourse is what god designed himself and put on the dirt road) isn't supposed to be driven on anything else but rallies (just like Ferrari's as supposed to be on the track and not on the road) and cannot be setup for the track and people need to stay off the gas to drive it around an asphalt track and that RWD is where it's at for anything performance oriented 'cos you can bring the ass end around at will. I'm not disagreeing with the RWD part (although I've noticed our f-body's like to understeer) but of course I've never driven an AWD car around a track but from what I've read, heard and seen, AWD's push a lot and have quite a bit of understeer and need more of a nose down attitude to get the handling right and then can be pretty competitive on the track. What say you? If I'm wrong, I'm gonna shut up and cry in a corner (ofcourse, having learned something ... but I ain't telling him, I'll just say I got sand in my eyes .. lol)

so ... does a properly setup AWD like a WRX match, supersede a prepped RWD or will they forever be lagging behind 'cos they belong on the dirt road?

This post has been edited by Mean Green Z28: Dec 27 2007, 05:10 PM

[00 Trans Ram]

As with most things, it all depends on the car, its setup and the driver. I can disprove almost every statement above:

RWD are better than AWD at autox and RR - Try telling that to a Street Prepared Camaro that is competing against an SP Evo or STi. The "rally" cars will eat their lunch most times.

AWD cars are just for rallying - When was the last time you saw a Lamborghini Murcielago (which is AWD) on a rally course. (as a follow-up question, how much would you pay to drive one on a rally course!) Heck, even the Audis in the Speed WC series are AWD.

[dailydriver]

When was the last time you saw a Lamborghini Murcielago (which is AWD) on a rally course. (as a follow-up question, how much would you pay to drive one on a rally course!)

Actually the Lambo would not be much fun on a rally stage (unless you're talking a tarmac rally such as Corsica, or Monte Carlo with no snow/ice). There is just NO ground clearance on those things for rough gravel stages, and they are just a little too wide/bulky/massive to handle some of the rediculously tight corners on some of the special stages (tarmac OR gravel). Think autocross course designed for new Loti or Miatas tight. A current WRC car with the inlet restrictors removed, OR an old evolution Group B car, now THAT would be worth a king's ransome to drive on a special stage!

[00 Trans Ram]

When was the last time you saw a Lamborghini Murcielago (which is AWD) on a rally course. (as a follow-up question, how much would you pay to drive one on a rally course!)

Actually the Lambo would not be much fun on a rally stage (unless you're talking a tarmac rally such as Corsica, or Monte Carlo with no snow/ice). There is just NO ground clearance on those things for rough gravel stages, and they are just a little too wide/bulky/massive to handle some of the rediculously tight corners on some of the special stages (tarmac OR gravel). Think autocross course designed for new Loti or Miatas tight. A current WRC car with the inlet restrictors removed, OR an old evolution Group B car, now THAT would be worth a king's ransome to drive on a special stage!

That was half my point. It'd be fun as hell to drive "someone else's" Lambo through mud, gravel, and dirt in a rally. Sure, you may get stuck halfway through, but you'd have a story that I'd wager not one other person on the planet can truthfully tell.

FYI, I have seen a 4x4 C5 Corvette. The thing was at least 2.5 feet off the ground and had huge mud tires on it. I'm sure it was just body panels bolted to a truck, but it still looked funny as heck!