|
Registered
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posts: 464
|
I had grip explained to me very simply as "a tyre can only do a 100% of anything at a given time". If the driven tyre is also the steering tyre (e.g front wheel drive) then you can't get 100% steering while asking for 100% acceleration at the same time.
So hard into a corner, foot down will result in lost grip (understeer, wheelspin) because the inputs are exceeding the 100% threshold. Now that is at the extreme...
However in my front wheel drive turbo sedan many times while waiting for a gap in the traffic to pull out of a driveway or a side street and then needing to pull out in a hurry, I have heard my front tryes squeal. That noise is lost and wasted energy (traction). In an AWD you are less likely to get that because 2 wheels are steering and pulling and two are pushing.
When I need to get out of the way of traffic the last thing i want is lost traction.....and that is NOT a marketing ploy. Our family has 4 Audi Quattros (2 of them RS models), a RWD Mercedes, and my front wheel drive Ford and I definitely think AWD is an advantage.
|