4wd vs 2wd lab time?

[XxEeNnXxEeIi]

I need to know if the two car have a same power, which one is better for lab time? or race?

[clairvoyantwolf]

By "lab time" I assume you mean lap time. On a high traction surface a 2wd car will be faster than its 4wd counterpart for a few reasons. The 4wd car will be heavier than the 2wd car and the 4wd car will have more drivetrain losses than the 2wd car. In a low traction situation (rally for instance) the 4wd car will be faster for obvious reasons.

Going forward it will be interesting to see if small hub electric motors in the front wheels could give the traction advantage of 4wd without the weight penalty of driveshafts, differentials, and a higher CG.

[XxEeNnXxEeIi]

Thank you, and that happen in game so in about real life who should win?.

[clairvoyantwolf]

To elaborate on what I said. Between 2wd and 4wd in real life or the game, if you had a superhuman robot drive both cars perfectly the 2wd car will be faster, as I said. In real life things get more complicated. In most instances a professional will be faster in the 2wd car. For a amateur that may not be the case. A inexperienced driver may be more comfortable with the 4wd due to the perception of greater traction (which is not actually true) and that comfort may allow them to push harder. I've talked to several track drivers who said that they basically had to relearn how to drive after transitioning from 4wd to 2wd.

That is a very important aspect of driving that is rarely talked about. Driver perception is often a bigger factor in performance than the actual performance of the car. There was a very good article years ago that compared the track performance of a rank amateur, a skilled amateur, and a professional with a NSX, Z06, and a 911. The rank amateur liked the NSX the most. The skilled amateur liked the 911 the most. And the professional liked the Z06 the most for precisely the same reasons that the other two didn't like it.

Hope that helps

[NTU]

Lol wow dude.. You missed tons of key talking points in your argument. Without wasting a lot of time, I'll just say this to get you talking about everything you missed. An R34 skyline (which is 4WD) is faster around the Nurburgring than most 2WD cars with the same amount of BHP. Explain, since you like talking so much and are arrogant enough to always do so.

[Profile]

Originally posted by NTU:

Lol wow dude.. You missed tons of key talking points in your argument. Without wasting a lot of time, I'll just say this to get you talking about everything you missed. An R34 skyline (which is 4WD) is faster around the Nurburgring than most 2WD cars with the same amount of BHP. Explain, since you like talking so much and are arrogant enough to always do so.

First of all, calm down, I don't see why he is arrogant he said a lot of insteresting stuff so stop hating on him, second it seemed weird for me too because yes a lot of racecars are RWD but audi in the late 80's dominated the TransAm championship with AWD, but I don't think he is wrong, you just need to see the difference between AWD and 4WD, 4WD is for offroad like jeeps with a 50/50 power distribution for the front/rear, whereas AWD does not have a fixed power distribution.

Still I think that if one day a kick-ass AWD system comes out with a perfect power distribution "calculator" optimized for speed and control it will beat everything assuming that has the same weight, power, etc... (like with quattro and Trans-Am) And it has to because in RWD you are limited to sending power the rear wheel so if you don't have grip in the rear you're ♥♥♥♥♥♥, but as clairvoyantwolf said driver perception is still the most important unless it is a robot driving, because you can have the fastest car in the world but if it feels like it is gonna snap any moment you won't push it as hard as you technically could.

[Profile]

Originally posted by NTU:

You know, if you're really fat, your car will be slower, I don't care if you're driving 2WD, AWD, or 4WD. If you're really FSCKING fat, you won't even be able to race because you're too FAT. FAT FAT FAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Most people are fat so that works in my favor on the track. LMFAOO!!!!!!!

True, it is also the same when your tires are flat, but is it assumed in this topic that you have a working car+driver combo.

[clairvoyantwolf]

Originally posted by Pseudopourri42:

second it seemed weird for me too because yes a lot of racecars are RWD but audi in the late 80's dominated the TransAm championship with AWD, but I don't think he is wrong, you just need to see the difference between AWD and 4WD, 4WD is for offroad like jeeps with a 50/50 power distribution for the front/rear, whereas AWD does not have a fixed power distribution.

When I said 4wd I mean AWD, I am simply using the vernacular of the OP (what is lab time anyway).

It should be remembered that in a sanctioned racing series performance is balanced (or at least an attempt is made to balance) the cars for better competition and lower costs. If a manufacter comes out with a new technology that gives a competitive advantage it is often easier for the sanctioning body to ban it instead of figuring out how to make the new car or technology fit within the existing class structure. Audi in the 80's is a good example of a sanctioning body pulling their hair out trying make the car fit within the exisitng rules. Even for boardly similar cars it can be difficult.

As example, Porsche protested Corvette's use of a pushrod engine in GTE as they felt it gave them a performance advantage (specifically a OHV engine has a lower CG than a DOHC engine). Porsche (later) was allowed to move their engine forward to facilitate underbody aero, once again for improved competition even though Porsche sells no such 911.

A large displacement engine accelerates completely different from a low displacement engine, even if they have the same horsepower. So if you take two 500hp engines one with say 350 lb-ft of torque and the other with 500, theoretically both cars will have the same top speed, but the higher torque car will get there first (more average HP).

That is just some of the examples of the problems racing bodies have to deal with. In reality you CAN'T point to anyone one car as superior to another in racing, because of what it is. You CAN point out that a particular car is superior to another for the given rules it races under in a given situation.

[XxEeNnXxEeIi]

So which one is best, that why i make a topic many opinion said 2WD or AWD, why we don't talk about the time of lab? for now on who got the world record for each map and what car of they used, maybe it easy to judge.

[NTU]

Originally posted by XxEeNnXxEeIi:

So which one is best, that why i make a topic many opinion said 2WD or AWD, why we don't talk about the time of lab? for now on who got the world record for each map and what car of they used, maybe it easy to judge.

Most record lap times IRL are held by Schumacher in his F2004, which is MR (mid-engine, RWD.) Does that mean that MR is always the best, or does it mean that a 3.0L V10 that revs up to 19,000 RPM with 950 BHP and a 7-speed gearbox with LSD, weighing just over 600 kg is the best?

[XxEeNnXxEeIi]

Oh sorry, i ask for a car but not for a F1 or anything like that, just a touring car like 488 GT3, AMG GT3 or some hyper-car fusion to touring car like Vulcan FXX K.