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I started my HPDE driving and autocross history in 3 Ford SHO's. The last one has a Quaife installed.
I also co-drove a Integra Type R over a 2 season period in SOLO 2.
Then 2 RWD BMW M cars and then until just 2 years ago a EVO X and a FR-S.
Currently back in a RWD MX-5 RF.
FWD just plain sucks gang. I don't give a rats ass what you do to make it torque steer less, how you play around with strange spring rates & sways to compensate for the 60+% over the front axle, or fit a LSD into the transaxle.
I just has some plain physics problems:
1)Weight distribution
Causes brake bias issues, and interesting mid corner handling dynamics, acceleration, and more...
2) Its FWD..... Torque steer, uneven pavement traction issues under acceleration, and "PUSH" Everywhere. Yes its far easier to drive a LSD FWD car than a RWD car at 10/10's, but it gets boring real fast. At mid corner you simply drive the car using the go pedal, same as an AWD car like the EVO. BORING!
3) My home track is NHMS. T3 is the slowest corner on the track. After braking from over 100MPH down to corner entry speed you hit the bump where the road course leaves the NASCAR oval.... at this point the turn proceeds uphill while still sweeping sharply right. FWD drive cars here get left behind, even with a LSD. Its quite simple physics.
OTOH my EVO smoked just about everything it ran with here. You just worked the gas pedal until you were about to drop your LF Tire off the surface.
Even that got boring pretty fast.
You know what never gets boring? Working a RWD car with good power up that hill using the rear diff and gas pedal. More fun, more challenging, and faster. I'd rather get "pushed" up the hill than "pulled". Or working the diff corner braking at Big Bend at LRP.
Honda makes the finest mass produced 4 banger in the world. They have massaged this car and done a damn good job of making the whole pkg work.
Food for thought: which car has more room for mods and improvement in both track times and fun?
The M2 or M2C. Given a $10K budget for mods the M2 platform will return a bigger return on investment. How much power can the transaxle in the Honda be able to handle under track driving conditions if modded much further than it is now? How long will the motor last running even higher boost numbers than it does now. I ran 28 lbs of peak boost thru my EVO X 2 liter. I had the engine rebuilt twice and heat problems were ALWWAYS a problem on tight tracks.
Nope, I will never own a FWD performance car again...And I can say that I've come full circle and left AWD drive as well.
Also the Honda is butt ugly. It actually is uglier than a SUBI and that's hard to accomplish. It has more scoops, wings, spoilers and warts than a SUBI.
Go figure...It can't take the award away from the Subi for engine and exhaust sounds. Nothing sounds worse than an flat four SUBI a kid has slapped an exhaust on. It sounds like a Singer sewing machine underwater.
Peace
HAZMAT
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