Why FWD?
 

I really hate the fact that Bonne's are FWD. I'd prefer AWD over RWD, though. Is there any reason why they have/had to make them FF?



This has probably been discussed before, but I found 25+ pages with the search function.

better winter and rain handling

Re: Why FWD?
 

Front wheel drive lends itself for a more efficient drive train over the old rear wheel drives. More power is delivered to the drive wheels, hp losses are fewer as opposed to rw drive.
There is also a slightly better handling/performance in rain & snow.

the N* that was used in the GXP was made specifically for a FWD application

a large part of the advantage can be negated by proper (read: snow) tires...

Why not all wheel drive, though? I was actually surprised when I found out they wern't.

Too expensive of a drive train. GM's pretty good at cutting corners where they can sometimes.

what's it matter if it's FWD? It's not a performance car to the point it would really benfit all that much from it. It saves weight, more compact, you don't have that huge RWD 'hump' in the center of the car, better traction in most driving conditions, etc. The Bonneville makes a good FWD car.

Actually we do have the hump in the center of the car....but whose counting..... :lol:

I you all want RWD that bad....get a mustang....want AWD.....get an Impreza.... ;)

Heck...get the mod bug and fabricate a AWD system.

That's one hell of a mod bug

So is dropping an L67 into a 90...and creating a Liquid Onyx

Ya but you're not recreating the whole drive line and adding a central dif and or transfer case anywhere it wasn't mean't to be

Ok..so you aren't up to it...lol..Others might be

well, to be fair that hump is for the exhaust pipe. on a RWD that hump is just about double that size to occomadate the driveshaft and transmission.

Only double the size in the firewall..... ;)


I'm not saying that it can't be done or anything.....but more of a project than I could handle that's for sure.

Eh, not worth it. Just throw it on a RWD Chassis and be done with it.


-justin

The AWD isn't totally impossible. I know theres at least one gm AWD tranny that will bolt up to our engines. I think it was in the 6000?
Of course it's still gonna be hard to make that trans hold up to a lot of power. And theres still a ton of custom work involved(axles, blah, blah).

Citroen 4 door sedans in years past, maybe 60's & 70's, had front wheel drive and the floor was completely flat side to side, front to back. ;)

3800 lbs car + AWD = the heaviest vehicle on the road

We'd get out of the whole quicker but would get passed by go-carts at high speeds.

Only if you got the power to push the AWD system. They bog down when launching compared to a 2wd system

RWD is easier to work on in many instances, but it does take a lil more room. Trannys run cooler, tire wear is better, and handling is better.

If you understand how to drive it, RWD can be easier in winter then FWD. Turning too wide? just mash it. ;) Both Front and Rear can't have heavy pedals in winter anyways... But here's how i look at it. FWD started big when the 80's started. People drove in winter from around the turn of the century till the 80's, why can't we do it now? Especially with Stability control, ABS, etc.

Its cheeper to build.
I live in a snow belt and prefer rear wheel drive with posi.
Ever try driving up a crowned street with your front tires spinning?
My Chevy 3500 has 3.70 posi and climbs like jack rabbit in the snow.
My 64 Bonneville has way too much horsepower and torque to be front wheel drive.

I agree. A competent (sp?) driver in a rear wheel drive car will do just fine against someone in a FWD car. The rear wheel drive car may lose traction more, but not control. Keeping your cool is key and you can usually bring rear wheel drive back from a fish tail that you have started.

Cops in their CV PI's seem to manage alright.

Well guys it is proven that FWD vehicles do better in snow than what a RWD car will. For example we live out in the county and have a driveway that is about 750 feet long and it is uphill with some curves. We had a 99 Astro with RWD posi, and that damn thing would make it up but spinning all the way. I took my Bonne with Traction on and it went right up with no problems. In my opinion FWD is better.

fwd does have some real advantages, but there is nothing, NOTHING like rear wheel drive. The fun factor is just quadrupled. reverse doughnuts are not that fun. I know this may sound immature, but rear wheel drive is much more enjoyable to drive. The way these cars are built the whole engine and drivetrain just bolts right up to the unibody so it saves a lot of time and effort on the assembly lines. Arent rear wheel drives much more robust in the drivetrain department? also the bodies are stronger due to the extra bracing.

i also remember hearing that they are cheaper because they use less materials

The hump is also a huge part of the car's structure... the "spine", if you will.

Don't know if it's still available at magazine stores, but the June 2005 issue of Motor Trend has a good article on this subject, called Push, Pull or Both - rear drive vs. front drive vs. all-wheel drive. They compare the driving performance of an Infiniti G35, Grand Prix GXP and Subaru WRX

Article also mentions a web site dedicated to rear-wheel drive www.rearwheeldrive.org

Here's a diagram for the 6000 all wheel drive system


http://www.members.shaw.ca/mikehklas...wheeldrive.JPG

as most of you know already there's a much better way to get AWD than swapping the 6000 STE drivetrain in...with all the work it would take to do that...
DOUBLE the power AND get AWD!
who's gonna be the first Twin L67 Bonnie? :naughty: :owned:

oh since were' at it..... Single engine cars... WTF? :mrgreen:

This is why I always thought FWD Bonnevilles were wrong. I've always associated drivetrains with types of cars.

FWD - small economy cars
RWD - sports/muscle/possibly luxury cars
AWD - luxury/off-road cars

The fuel crisis back in the 70's forced american auto engineers to design more fuel efficient drive trains. The Japanese & European auto makers already had front wheel drive in some of their cars.