Mitsu's S-AWC, Subaru's Symmetrical system, Audi's, etc...
Oct 10, 2009, 10:13 PM
#16
After driving the 06 sti, current sti, evo ix + upgraded rear diff, and evo x, i have to say i honestly prefer the awd system of the current sti, 06 sti, evo ix, and evo x in that order - this is independent of suspension set ups however. Subaru definitely knows what they're doing with their 4wd systems, though their suspensions may be set up to understeer.
in terms of suspension set ups, current gen sti suspension feels pretty soft, and the evo x feels very, very stable. The IX feels a little.. skittish in comparison.
I've never driven an audi with quattro so I can't comment, but I heard they're pretty great - the new s4 also has an optional rear diff add on so I'm pretty interested to see it. Don't forget honda's sh-awd, which has torque transfer between left and right wheels, but I think it's tuned for safety rather than performance.
This is all completely my own personal opinion though.
in terms of suspension set ups, current gen sti suspension feels pretty soft, and the evo x feels very, very stable. The IX feels a little.. skittish in comparison.
I've never driven an audi with quattro so I can't comment, but I heard they're pretty great - the new s4 also has an optional rear diff add on so I'm pretty interested to see it. Don't forget honda's sh-awd, which has torque transfer between left and right wheels, but I think it's tuned for safety rather than performance.
This is all completely my own personal opinion though.
Oct 13, 2009, 07:32 AM
#17
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The Evo X is based on a FWD car like every Evo before it. Yeah, its more advanced because its their latest design, but it still a FWD biased system.
Oct 15, 2009, 12:32 PM
#19
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Oct 15, 2009, 12:55 PM
#20
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Forgot to include Honda's Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system (SH-AWD)
http://world.honda.com/HDTV/news/2004-4040401a/
http://world.honda.com/HDTV/news/2004-4040401a/
Oct 15, 2009, 05:21 PM
#21
Forgot to include Honda's Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system (SH-AWD)
http://world.honda.com/HDTV/news/2004-4040401a/
http://world.honda.com/HDTV/news/2004-4040401a/
Oct 15, 2009, 09:33 PM
#22
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I've just put 700 miles and finished break in on my 2010 Evo and part that I really like is that you can actually feel awc working when you take a good corner very fast, I feel almost an oversteer compare to audi's quattro or sti. Audi's handling is more of a neutral feeling coming from b6, b7 s4s.
Oct 15, 2009, 10:31 PM
#23
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I drove an 06 STI for 3 years and autocrossed with it many many times. Subaru definatly hit it right with the STI with the active center diff and amazing AWD.
My only problem with Subaru is they have horrible factory suspension setups. They understeer horribly from the factory. To drive the car any bit competitively you need upgraded sways at the least to remove some of the understeer. A good set of sways/coil overs and it really tightens it up. I removed most of the understeer and could power on oversteer through corners very easily.
The older A4's I've driven use a completely different method to control the AWD. Instead of a active center diff or LSD's they use braking to the wheels to control the car. It works extremely effective. I'm sure their S line cars are much more advanced and are setup more for a track.
I just got my MR so its hard to say but I can notice this system feels much more electronically controlled. I can't tell if that will work to its advantage on the track but it sure does seem to do a damn good job on the street on a bone stock car. Where ever you point the wheel, thats where it goes. No under or oversteer. I'd imagine with ASC all the way off, it may start to oversteer, which is a plus on the track.
My only problem with Subaru is they have horrible factory suspension setups. They understeer horribly from the factory. To drive the car any bit competitively you need upgraded sways at the least to remove some of the understeer. A good set of sways/coil overs and it really tightens it up. I removed most of the understeer and could power on oversteer through corners very easily.
The older A4's I've driven use a completely different method to control the AWD. Instead of a active center diff or LSD's they use braking to the wheels to control the car. It works extremely effective. I'm sure their S line cars are much more advanced and are setup more for a track.
I just got my MR so its hard to say but I can notice this system feels much more electronically controlled. I can't tell if that will work to its advantage on the track but it sure does seem to do a damn good job on the street on a bone stock car. Where ever you point the wheel, thats where it goes. No under or oversteer. I'd imagine with ASC all the way off, it may start to oversteer, which is a plus on the track.
Oct 16, 2009, 07:58 AM
#24
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Jun 17, 2011, 08:08 PM
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Fans of the other systems will tout the symmetrical or more traditional layouts of systems from Nissan, Audi and Subaru because they are RWD based cars with FWD added to make AWD. Mitsubishi starts with a FWD economy car layout and adds the RWD. Most other cars that use a FWD biased layout like Audi and Volvo for instance, aren't known for their handling prowess. However Mitsu uses this layout to great success and Evo has all the accolades to prove it. It has the world's premier AWD system.
Sorry i know this is old but i am new here and stumbled upon this. You are actually wrong, Subaru doesn't start with a RWD car and add FWD. The AWD is built from the ground up-i think that is one of their advertising points. Once again sorry-i just like to correct bland mistakes sometimes. A quick google would have told you that.
Jul 6, 2011, 02:22 PM
#27
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Bringing this back from the dead?? Who cares.
any research will reveal the nissan gtr has the best awd system in the world. More research would lead one to believe the evo is 2nd. Most other systems are not electronic (subaru) thus are not as sophisticated or capable. And the ones that are, don't make track performance the highest priority.
any research will reveal the nissan gtr has the best awd system in the world. More research would lead one to believe the evo is 2nd. Most other systems are not electronic (subaru) thus are not as sophisticated or capable. And the ones that are, don't make track performance the highest priority.
Jul 9, 2011, 09:54 AM
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I don't know about torque steer so much as the STi understeers like a fat pig. Always has, and takes $$$$$$$$texas to get it to not understeer so badly. The Evo IX was much more neutral-handling out of the box. The Evo X handles almost like an RWD car in a lot of ways.
Jul 10, 2011, 05:54 PM
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXYO7...feature=relmfu
im pretty sure all audis are fwd converted too awd, dont think the r8 would be tho, more like a lambo rwd coverted too awd?