1St Ford Focus Rs In Sl

[Gayan Weerakoon]

Sachas GT starlet will kill it....

[RABA]

I was watchin Fifth Gear last week on DTV and if i am not mistaken they just did a review of this very same car...

the car they used was also of the same colour and the guy who drove it simly loved it except for the colour of the car (he preferred a blue instead of green)...supposedly the noise the engine makes when u rev it is awsome...

[The Stig]

I was watchin Fifth Gear last week on DTV and if i am not mistaken they just did a review of this very same car...

the car they used was also of the same colour and the guy who drove it simly loved it except for the colour of the car (he preferred a blue instead of green)...supposedly the noise the engine makes when u rev it is awsome...

Thats actually quite an old episode, i believe that was from season 15 episode 7 or 8 ?

[terrabytetango]

Gymkhana anyone?

It's a Fiesta, but srsly, this is all I can think of when I think of the Focus.

Edited November 23, 2011 by terrabytetango

[The Don]

Gymkhana anyone?

It's a Fiesta, but srsly, this is all I can think of when I think of the Focus.

This is the WRC version though, AWD and a slightly different beast. Have had the pleasure of riding in one though (the older generation focus WRC)

[CARBON B4]

Nice driving , but doubt he could do all that in a FWD car.

[terrabytetango]

The RS is not AWD? That I didn't know. Can you say torque steer?

[MrCat]

The RS is not AWD? That I didn't know. Can you say torque steer?

That`s exactly what Jeremy C demonstrated in that video. Plenty of Tourque Steer. The Mazda 3 MPS (FWD, Turbo, 255 hp as advertised) supposedly have the same issue.

[Watchman]

I aint no Adrian Newey, but am I the only one who sees something wrong here... Why do manufacturers still design 200+bhp FWD cars. I mean its not the first time they put a 200+ engine into a FWD car and suddenly realize the existence of torque steer. And if even a simple corolla can have a AWD variant why dont manufacturers simply take the excess power to the back wheels. I'm truly baffled by this...

[The Don]

I aint no Adrian Newey, but am I the only one who sees something wrong here... Why do manufacturers still design 200+bhp FWD cars. I mean its not the first time they put a 200+ engine into a FWD car and suddenly realize the existence of torque steer. And if even a simple corolla can have a AWD variant why dont manufacturers simply take the excess power to the back wheels. I'm truly baffled by this...

Apparently the engineers have tried to alleviate torque steer by fine tuning the suspension. Their reasoning not to have an AWD system is the added weight. Hopefully Dinesh will be kind enough to enlighten us after he's used the car for a bit.

Based on the same core as the Focus ST, the RS adds power, handling and appearance modifications to improve the car’s ability to put its power to the ground and direct it down the road, track or gravel path. To keep the potent engine from creating unmanageable torque steer, the engineers designed the car with a unique suspension called the ‘RevoKnuckle,’ which enables the car to keep the intended direction of travel even under heavy throttle. This works in conjunction with a Quaife automatic torque biasing limited-slip differential. Combined, the Focus RS obviates the need for AWD and the attendant weight gains of the extra differential and driveshafts.

http://www.motorauth...cus-rs-revealed

Edited November 24, 2011 by The Don

[CARBON B4]

I aint no Adrian Newey, but am I the only one who sees something wrong here... Why do manufacturers still design 200+bhp FWD cars. I mean its not the first time they put a 200+ engine into a FWD car and suddenly realize the existence of torque steer. And if even a simple corolla can have a AWD variant why dont manufacturers simply take the excess power to the back wheels. I'm truly baffled by this...

The move from the RWD to FWD is mainly due to carrying is better than pushing. In the RWD the rear wheels have to push the heavy engine which is in front Vs the FWD where the engine is right on top of the wheels. So the process is more energy efficient. Also the transfer of energy is better when the distance is shorter.

On a different note I always find a RWD car more fun to drive, so if the Ford RS is marketed as a fun car to drive, they should have taken this in to considerations especially considering this will be driven by people who want to drive it hard in a fun way and not by a teenage girl just cos its got a line green color that may match her hand bag or shoes.......

[heavyD]

The move from the RWD to FWD is mainly due to carrying is better than pushing. In the RWD the rear wheels have to push the heavy engine which is in front Vs the FWD where the engine is right on top of the wheels. So the process is more energy efficient. Also the transfer of energy is better when the distance is shorter.

I don't see how carrying a weight is better than pushing it. The only reason manufacturers prefer FWD cars is because they're cheaper to mass produce and are subsequently lighter, which makes them better for fuel economy, more space, easier on maintenance, and so on.

[The Stig]

The move from the RWD to FWD is mainly due to carrying is better than pushing. In the RWD the rear wheels have to push the heavy engine which is in front Vs the FWD where the engine is right on top of the wheels. So the process is more energy efficient. Also the transfer of energy is better when the distance is shorter.

Not true !

• Rear wheel cars have a better weight distribution because of the added weight by the rear axles and differentials making the handling, braking, and acceleration better
  

• RWD cars have no torque steer
  

• Better stopping distance, because of the even weight distribution the RWD cars don’t lean forward during braking as much as a FWD car thus creating more grip
  

• Just like the weight distribution affects braking like i said above it also affects the acceleration, any car during acceleration will lean backwards putting more weight on the rear wheels and less on the front. More weight mean more downforce which ultimately means more grip, in RWD car this works as an advantage cause the wheels that have more downforce are the ones that is also pushing the car forward. But in a FWD car the wheels that give power are the ones that have less downforce during acceleration.
  

• Another factor is that during cornering on FWD car the front wheels have to steer and give power at the same time meaning the chances of slipping and understeering is high but on RWD the power is given to a separate wheel set and the turning to another meaning less chance of slipping.
  

• Maintenance and servicing parts of the drivetrain are is much easier on a RWD car as the parts are spread out as opposed to being clustered together like in FWD cars.
  

And many many more , cant really be bothered with writing them all

The shift from RWD to FWD are purely based on facts like less weight resulting in better economy, more interior room cause there wont be a huge drive shaft tunnel in the middle of the back seat, manufacturing costs are less etc. That pulling is better than pushing crap is bullshit !

Edited November 26, 2011 by The Stig

[terrabytetango]

Blame the Mini for FWD becoming the norm. There are so many cars I imagine would perform far better as a RWD, the Rover 75 is the only vehicle which comes to mind right now though.

[Watchman]

The move from the RWD to FWD is mainly due to carrying is better than pushing. In the RWD the rear wheels have to push the heavy engine which is in front Vs the FWD where the engine is right on top of the wheels. So the process is more energy efficient. Also the transfer of energy is better when the distance is shorter.

You couldn't be more wrong. You need to do your homework more often

Another reason manufacturers go for FWD is that with it you can direct the engine's power in the direction you want to go when turning, and not just in a straight line, but this doesnt apply beyond a certain level of power cos it becomes too much work for the front wheels to do.

[Sylvi]

Members

today I received by email.

FORD CARS MEGACOMMERCIAL

Sylvi Wijesinghe.

[racerx]

Drag race ?

torque steer

[JadeyBlitzen]

saw the parked car outside my gym last night. couldn't help but notice the 10 plates. so the car has been used in the uk for some time.

[Chooti Putha]

The move from the RWD to FWD is mainly due to carrying is better than pushing. In the RWD the rear wheels have to push the heavy engine which is in front Vs the FWD where the engine is right on top of the wheels. So the process is more energy efficient. Also the transfer of energy is better when the distance is shorter.

On a different note I always find a RWD car more fun to drive, so if the Ford RS is marketed as a fun car to drive, they should have taken this in to considerations especially considering this will be driven by people who want to drive it hard in a fun way and not by a teenage girl just cos its got a line green color that may match her hand bag or shoes.......

The move from the RWD to FWD is mainly due to carrying is better than pushing. In the RWD the rear wheels have to push the heavy engine which is in front Vs the FWD where the engine is right on top of the wheels. So the process is more energy efficient. Also the transfer of energy is better when the distance is shorter.

On a different note I always find a RWD car more fun to drive, so if the Ford RS is marketed as a fun car to drive, they should have taken this in to considerations especially considering this will be driven by people who want to drive it hard in a fun way and not by a teenage girl just cos its got a line green color that may match her hand bag or shoes.......

Watchman was really asking why it wasnt AWD....

[CARBON B4]

I don't see how carrying a weight is better than pushing it. The only reason manufacturers prefer FWD cars is because they're cheaper to mass produce and are subsequently lighter, which makes them better for fuel economy, more space, easier on maintenance, and so on.

You are right on the weight reduction, but my point is really on the transfer of energy. From the engine to the wheels, the shorter the distance the better it is.

[CARBON B4]

Not true !

• Rear wheel cars have a better weight distribution because of the added weight by the rear axles and differentials making the handling, braking, and acceleration better
  

• RWD cars have no torque steer
  

• Better stopping distance, because of the even weight distribution the RWD cars don’t lean forward during braking as much as a FWD car thus creating more grip
  

• Just like the weight distribution affects braking like i said above it also affects the acceleration, any car during acceleration will lean backwards putting more weight on the rear wheels and less on the front. More weight mean more downforce which ultimately means more grip, in RWD car this works as an advantage cause the wheels that have more downforce are the ones that is also pushing the car forward. But in a FWD car the wheels that give power are the ones that have less downforce during acceleration.
  

• Another factor is that during cornering on FWD car the front wheels have to steer and give power at the same time meaning the chances of slipping and understeering is high but on RWD the power is given to a separate wheel set and the turning to another meaning less chance of slipping.
  

• Maintenance and servicing parts of the drivetrain are is much easier on a RWD car as the parts are spread out as opposed to being clustered together like in FWD cars.
  

And many many more , cant really be bothered with writing them all

The shift from RWD to FWD are purely based on facts like less weight resulting in better economy, more interior room cause there wont be a huge drive shaft tunnel in the middle of the back seat, manufacturing costs are less etc. That pulling is better than pushing crap is bullshit !

I have not said a FWD car is better than a RWD car, what I have tried to do is rationalize why majority of the cars are FWD. Although the weight is a factor this is not the only reason why the FWD is energy efficient, and a lot to do with the way the components are set up to obtain the best energy transfer from the engine to the wheels. What I mean by pushing is that the front engine has to transfer the energy all the way back to the rear wheels and these need to again push the front of the car which has the heavy engine. This issue will not apply in case of a RWD car where the engine is right on top of it, which is the case is most sports cars.

What you have listed out are the advantages of a RWD, and I fully agree with each of them as a RWD is better in terms of handling, braking etc.....

[The Stig]

I have not said a FWD car is better than a RWD car, what I have tried to do is rationalize why majority of the cars are FWD. Although the weight is a factor this is not the only reason why the FWD is energy efficient, and a lot to do with the way the components are set up to obtain the best energy transfer from the engine to the wheels. What I mean by pushing is that the front engine has to transfer the energy all the way back to the rear wheels and these need to again push the front of the car which has the heavy engine. This issue will not apply in case of a RWD car where the engine is right on top of it, which is the case is most sports cars.

What you have listed out are the advantages of a RWD, and I fully agree with each of them as a RWD is better in terms of handling, braking etc.....

Yes i also agree there is little loss of power but that's around 1-2% probably, negligible.

Most FWD cars are not aimed at giving power, their main market segment is the family in which case the target is to give more space in the interior, less initial purchasing price and more fuel economy by reducing weight.All the above can be done better by FWD than RWD.

The shift of most RWD manufacturer to FWD was during 1970's when the oil crisis hit and cars started to become smaller to save weight, and since the interiors started becoming smaller and smaller they shifted to FWD to create more space inside, has hardly anything to with efficiency.

[The Don]

Yes i also agree there is little loss of power but that's around 1-2% probably, negligible.

Most FWD cars are not aimed at giving power, their main market segment is the family in which case the target is to give more space in the interior, less initial purchasing price and more fuel economy by reducing weight.All the above can be done better by FWD than RWD.

The shift of most RWD manufacturer to FWD was during 1970's when the oil crisis hit and cars started to become smaller to save weight, and since the interiors started becoming smaller and smaller they shifted to FWD to create more space inside, has hardly anything to with efficiency.

Stig, also in colder climate countries, FWDs are a lot better during the winter, as the weight on top of the driving wheels helps get better traction in slippery snowed in icy roads. If you want to test this you only need to go up a slight incline during a snowy day in a BMW Noticeable wheel spin (this was an E39 don't know about newer) and quite a lot of fish tailing at the back. The FWD cars performed a lot better with the same driving style (slow steady acceleration). This is I think one of the major reasons why FWD became so popular apart from the factors like space and easier faster assembly which have already been mentioned.

[charitha19]

what ever said and done.. the best combination for a good drive is a front mount RWD.. engine in the front.. gearbox in the middle.. and power at the back....perfect weight distribution..

[The Stig]

Stig, also in colder climate countries, FWDs are a lot better during the winter, as the weight on top of the driving wheels helps get better traction in slippery snowed in icy roads. If you want to test this you only need to go up a slight incline during a snowy day in a BMW Noticeable wheel spin (this was an E39 don't know about newer) and quite a lot of fish tailing at the back. The FWD cars performed a lot better with the same driving style (slow steady acceleration). This is I think one of the major reasons why FWD became so popular apart from the factors like space and easier faster assembly which have already been mentioned.

Yep agreed, i haven't driven in snow but i have gone in a RWD in snow and getting traction even on a normal drive is a bitch.

I believe the weight of the engines pushing the front wheels gives FWD more traction ?