In article <ECBZa.12239$jg.4345625@news1.news.adelphia.net> ,
"Tang Wong" <tangwong@adelphia.net> wrote:

> As for RWD, can someone really explain what are the advantages of RWD over
> FWD. I just can't see how RWD can manage snow and ice.

Oh, it can; just look at Volvo, for instance. RWD only until just a
couple years ago, and in northern Europe to boot. Trust me, a Volvo can
go through snow just fine. They also use good snow tires and they have
exeperience driving in snow.

The advantage of RWD over FWD is this: the rear wheels do one thing,
drive, while the front wheels do another thing, steer. When you bunch
up both driving AND steering in the same two wheels, neither function is
able to be done as well as if you put them on separate wheels.

That being said, the above is useful only to people who drive at 7/10s
and above. That would be race car drivers, primarily; very little
everyday road driving is done anywhere near that.

So, let's qualify your question a bit: what are the advantages of RWD
over FWD **in everyday regular driving**?? None. And since all I do is
everyday regular driving, commuting, road trips, etc., I choose FWD.

The next question is, why do I choose FWD for those tasks? ARE there
any *advantages* to FWD over RWD in everyday driving? Yes, there are.
With the complete drivetrain installed up front under the hood, I get a
better packaged vehicle for my passenger comfort--no drive shaft going
through the car to the rear. Also, more of the weight of the car is
over the front tires, the driving tires--giving them better traction in
the wet.

Disadvantage: with so much stuff under the hood, you may see repairs
costing a bit more because it's that much harder to get to even simple
things. But then, with engines being as complex as the space shuttle
nowadays, it really doesn't matter. EVERYTHING is expensive to repair.