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Squirrel time!
- Thread starter StellarRat
- Start date
I don't disagree with you about the importance of tires and obviously a wet road is not going to allow you to drive like a dry one. But I'm nearly certain AWD M3 will take off much quicker than an M3 RWD on a wet track in a drag race (yes, yes, discounting that the AWD is faster anyway.) If you're only talking about cornering (not drag racing) than the differences will be much smaller.
Hey, don't let me stop you from an upgrade. I'm in the AWD camp, some "purists" love RWD.
No, no, I'm not getting another car, I'm just saying the AWD has an bigger advantage in wet weather. I just need to mellow out in the winter here. I could have bought the AWD to start with, but I wasn't willing to shell even more for an already pricey car. The M3 RWD is more than fast enough for me. If I lived in a place with certain snow in the winter I would have gone AWD.
Yeah, I couldn't handle another boxmobile. The Leaf was ugly enough, but did convince me that electric was far superior to ICE.
Maximilien
Member
Believe it or not, you can check the thread in the S forum how one owner found mice in the frunk. Real story.
I am just too lazy to search...
I get a little backend slide in my AWD if I floor it into a sharp turn even in dry weather. Haven't done much driving when it is wet outside but no noticeable slide driving normal. I have to assume the amount of torque in these cars will always make slipping around a risk if you floor it when it's wet.
People have been taught for the last 30years that rwd is bad in anything but dry, when in reality rwd was the norm till into the 80s and awd/front wheel drive have just given us a lot of crappy drivers who don't actually know how to control a vehicle.
Being the norm for decades doesn't imply something is superior, like the ICE for example.
Yes, RWD cars can certainly be driven safely in all sorts of conditions. Your statement about AWD/FWD having given us drivers that don't know how to control a vehicle is evidence in itself that AWD/FWD provides easier/better vehicle control in the bad weather.
Mine was this:My first impression reading based on the title was his/her brand new Model 3 got damaged by running over the squirrels on the road.
I would argue that given a 50/50 weight distribution (or close) and appropriate tires for the conditions, RWD is better than FWD in bad weather *in the hands of a competent driver*. The front wheels being used for power delivery *and* steering is inherently problematic. But most people are idiots so it's "safer" to understeer and hit something with a crumple zone.
I was thinking about that, too. Possibly because it's become a common shorthand for flighty/easily distracted moods among a bunch of folks I know.
Maybe. I can tell you that with the RWD experience I've had (never 50/50), there was never a time where being able to steer with the limited traction in bad weather got my unstuck or out of an accident, but there have been cases where being able to thrust sideways with FWD got me unstuck.
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
That squirrely feeling is the cars way of telling you the road is slippery and you need to slow down.
fluxemag
Member
My RWD Model S was good in in the rain and terrible in snow, but I had DWS or Cinturato tires on it to help in rain. My AWD BMW with DWS tires was an absolute savage in rain or snow. I had no worries at all. I bought the RWD Model 3 and these 18" Michelin MXM4 tires are awful.
My benchmark is a clover on ramp to the highway, which I could do up to 50mph in the BMW and Model S, but even at 35mph in the 3 it not only oversteers but it also understeers! It just pushes ahead in a slide in the rain, which is very disconcerting. I hate to buy new tires already but that's what I'm facing.
My benchmark is a clover on ramp to the highway, which I could do up to 50mph in the BMW and Model S, but even at 35mph in the 3 it not only oversteers but it also understeers! It just pushes ahead in a slide in the rain, which is very disconcerting. I hate to buy new tires already but that's what I'm facing.
I’ve definitely been able to break the rear end loose a bit on wet pavement. But luckily my previous car was a Mustang so I’m quite well versed in what you can and can’t do in a RWD vehicle under various road conditions. It does seem that it is harder to get the rear end loose on the 3 than it was on my Mustang though.
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