In the automotive community, there has been a question which has been long fought over; is it better to send power to the front wheels, rear wheels or all wheels? To find out, I have conducted an experiment in Forza Motorsport 6 where it is possible to simulate the driving dynamics of each setup using one car. The study consists of setting hot laps in a Scion tC around the alternative Lime Rock Circuit, providing a mix of tricky corners and a long back straight in a compact environment which means a small learning curve and less time needed to master the racing line.
Let's talk more about the car now. This Scion tC has been slightly modified featuring lower suspension, beefier brakes and sports tyres for better handling. It also features a reprogrammed ECU chip which brings the total power output up to 196hp without changing the characteristics of the engine too much. Oh, and there's a bodykit and Momo wheels for eye candy. Got to look good for the camera, right?
Before conducting the practical test, take a look at the performance figures:
Front Wheel Drive
Rear Wheel Drive
On paper, there is not much between each configuration but all wheel drive has the edge in low speed acceleration and performance index rating, making it the favourite for the test so far. Seeing as the Scion tC is designed to be front wheel drive, the test started with the car in this configuration. Getting this car off the line isn't the most exciting experience, the engine sounds more eager than the rate of acceleration thanks to the quick gear ratios. Even the stickier tyres can't stop this car understeering through the sweeping corners. After six laps, the best time I could manage was a 1:12.1.
Next up, the rear wheel drive tC. It is worth noting the drivetrain conversion comes with a hefty weight penalty, hence why the acceleration figures appear to be lower than its front wheel drive counterpart. Conversely, it has made the tC a lot more fun to drive - I almost got carried away with the tC's tendency to drift around corners and spent a few laps lighting up the rear tyres! When I actually raced the stopwatch, I was able to dial in a 1:10.5, 1.6 seconds quicker than the standard Front Wheel Drive configuration. From the way it drives, it was clear to me there was going to be a significant difference - the car felt more agile despite the added weight. I couldn't find any reason why the Front Wheel Drive configuration had a much higher index rating based on track performance.
The outcome was hardly surprising but a few conclusions can be made. While Front Wheel Drive is good for beginners, it is far from being competitive in this test so only two drivetrains are worth looking at. The All Wheel Drive configuration is victorious in this test, but the performance index is 15 points higher than the Rear Wheel Drive setup which is only 2 tenths slower. However, a Rear Wheel Drive car requires throttle control to get the most from it. Once you get the hang of it, you could find yourself becoming more competitive in races thanks to a greater allowance for performance mods. I bet if all of these configurations were tweaked to a rating of 400, the RWD tC would have the upper hand, but let's save that for a future post...
Let's talk more about the car now. This Scion tC has been slightly modified featuring lower suspension, beefier brakes and sports tyres for better handling. It also features a reprogrammed ECU chip which brings the total power output up to 196hp without changing the characteristics of the engine too much. Oh, and there's a bodykit and Momo wheels for eye candy. Got to look good for the camera, right?
Before conducting the practical test, take a look at the performance figures:
Front Wheel Drive
- Performance Index: 387
- 0-60: 6.5s
- 0-100: 17.4
- Top Speed: 146.8mph
Rear Wheel Drive
- Performance Index: 378
- 0-60: 6.7s
- 0-100: 17.9s
- Top Speed: 147.3mph
- Performance Index: 393
- 0-60: 6.2s
- 0-100: 17.6
- Top Speed: 147.4mph
On paper, there is not much between each configuration but all wheel drive has the edge in low speed acceleration and performance index rating, making it the favourite for the test so far. Seeing as the Scion tC is designed to be front wheel drive, the test started with the car in this configuration. Getting this car off the line isn't the most exciting experience, the engine sounds more eager than the rate of acceleration thanks to the quick gear ratios. Even the stickier tyres can't stop this car understeering through the sweeping corners. After six laps, the best time I could manage was a 1:12.1.
Next up, the rear wheel drive tC. It is worth noting the drivetrain conversion comes with a hefty weight penalty, hence why the acceleration figures appear to be lower than its front wheel drive counterpart. Conversely, it has made the tC a lot more fun to drive - I almost got carried away with the tC's tendency to drift around corners and spent a few laps lighting up the rear tyres! When I actually raced the stopwatch, I was able to dial in a 1:10.5, 1.6 seconds quicker than the standard Front Wheel Drive configuration. From the way it drives, it was clear to me there was going to be a significant difference - the car felt more agile despite the added weight. I couldn't find any reason why the Front Wheel Drive configuration had a much higher index rating based on track performance.
Last but certainly not least is the configuration which sends power to all four wheels, heavier than the other two setups but also the most balanced. You do encounter understeer while cornering but not to the extent of the tyre-smoking front wheel drive. Unsurpringsly, the All Wheel Drive configuration was the fastest, but not by a huge margin - only two tenths quicker than the Rear Wheel Drive tC at 1:10.3. The thing about the AWD tC is that it is easy to drive fast as the car hugs the apex and you don't have to worry about the back end getting loose. In the scenario of too much power being sent to the rear, the car will powerslide but it is easy to recover from without losing too much time.
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