VIDEO: The RISE Of The All-Capable, All-Wheel Drive Exotic Car

It use to be fairly common that any sports car or any piece of serious metal followed a logical equation: huge engine, brake rotors the size of pizza pies and, most importantly, it was rear-wheel drive. Of course this meant there was a problem with all of this indulgent behavior. It was useless in the winter time if you lived anywhere snow fell.

That's all changed going into the 21st century. Now it seems that most high-performance machines looking to get the most traction have stuck to all-wheel drive setups. Take, for example, the Porsche 997 Turbo and Nissan GT-R.

When you use launch control in a 997 Turbo, you're basically planted in your seat until the driver lets off the accelerator.

Down below you'll note some of the latest videos on the web showing off the capabilities of new, high-performance vehicles in snow.

The first clip is an Audi R8 spot that uses its main clip from when Ezra Dyer reviewed the 5.2 V10 coupe, which follows.

The last clip is promotional material from Ferrari displaying the first all-wheel drive car they've produced.

You know if Ferrari is going all-wheel drive, there is a paradigm shift in the making.



According to tradition, supercars are for the flat. The track. The nice. And certainly not the biggest snowstorm in recent memory. That is, unless it has quattro and is an R8.




Ezra Dyer, a contributor to The Times, runs an important errand after a blizzard... in an Audi R8 sports car.




Completely integrated with the car's electronic dynamic control systems, the four-wheel drive technology delivers record levels of performance on all terrains and in all conditions via continuous and intelligent predictive torque distribution to all four wheels.



[Source: Audi, The New York Times, Your Car Press]


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Steve - 3/8/2011 7:56:54 PM

+4 Boost

Just for the record, I have a RWD BMW. The first year I got it, my first BMW, I got stuck in 3" of snow on a nearly level driveway. Damn, BMWs are crappy in the snow. I went to my dealer to voice my concerns, and he kindly advised me to get rid of the all-seasons for winter, and use good snow tires on all corners. I did, and it was good. Really good.

Maybe RWD is problematic when the snow gets really deep, but in ordinary stuff, like 6" to 8" of fluffy white, my BMW does nicely. I attribute this to the 50/50 weight distribution (worse if the extra weight is not over the drive wheels) and the grippy tires. Traction control helps to prevent/reduce a loose rear end.

Just wanted to share my two cents for those who feel RWD is crummy in snow.

Bmw8ter - 3/9/2011 8:02:31 AM

+1 Boost

It pretty much boils down to the tire on a RWD car during winter. FWD and AWD you can get away with the allseason tires but, RWD's should have nothing less than a directional snow and ice tire. It aggrivates me to see people put a set of Blizzaks or offroad style snow tire on a RWD car for winter driving.

I had Goodyear GW3's on my Mustang and Michellin X-Ice XI2's on my Mercedes CLK. Personally, I think the GW3's are hands down the greatest snow tire in the world, even though they cost a crapload. You can almost drive and stop over snow as if it were damp pavement.

RWD's are even easier to drive in the snow if you have a manual transmission and no traction control. Even with snow tires though, you'll always struggle with hill starts and some hill climbs.

Steve - 3/9/2011 9:41:19 AM

+3 Boost

Bmw8ter writes "It pretty much boils down to the tire on a RWD car during winter..."

I disagree that tires alone make the difference. I've seen front-heavry RWD cars with good snow tires do really poorly in snow, for obvious reasons. Weigh distribution (more weight over the driving tires) + good snow tires make the big difference.

Bmw8ter - 3/9/2011 12:23:35 PM

+1 Boost

Obviously, if the weight is too front biased, you're going to have traction issue e.g., F150 2X4. My Mustang wasn't exactly sporting the most desireable weight distribution but, I had little to no problem getting around. I personally think people get too hung up on the weight distribution thing. Human error is the biggest problem affecting a car's abilities.

Steve - 3/9/2011 2:19:34 PM

+2 Boost

Bmw8ter write "Human error is the biggest problem affecting a car's abilities."

While I respectfully agree with your statement, it down-plays the fact that every machine has its own handling characteristics. For example, the Porsche 911 of a decade ago was tail heavy, and required a talented driver to make use of its *potential* performance in the twisties. Today's 911 is much better behaved, and even professional racers prefer a car that is better behaved over one that places higher demands on its driver. Such is the case with a weight bias over the drive wheels (combined with good snow tires) when driving in snow. It helps a lot, but cannot compensate for certain types of bad driving.

AJIndy - 3/8/2011 10:10:11 PM

+3 Boost

This is something Porsche has been aware of for some time...

freeagent - 3/9/2011 5:38:01 AM

+1 Boost

it's all about the tires. good snows make RWD viable in winter

GTR35 - 3/9/2011 11:43:03 AM

+1 Boost

here's another one guys:

http://www.viddler.com/explore/GTRBlog/videos/73/

enjoy!!

uhn2000 - 3/9/2011 5:35:46 PM

+3 Boost

Its all in the snow shoes.. no matter what you drive. Yes 4x4 can be better in some situations but overall you need good tires to take advantage of that.