AWD feels like RWD?

[fastestdsm]

So why do I feel like my awd eclipse seems like a rwd car. The rear end fishtails sometimes not enough to lose control or anything but I can feel the rear fish tail. Is this how awd cars are supposed to be?
Ive driven two rwd beamers and it feels the same just not as much, does that mean that the awd is failing? Can anyone help me? or explain to me?

 

[turbo2g111]

See if your car came with an LSD. I know that it was a factory option on my car, so I'd assume that it still would be on a '98. Or, it could be that your center differential is shot and you truly do have a RWD.

 

[pnishr]

It could just be that either your front susp. is really sloppy, or your rear is much stiffer. (due to shocks, swaybar, etc) I know going from the stock swaybar to RRE without changing the front made for a NICE oversteer feeling.

 

[fastestdsm]

hmm, im assumming the differntial is still good, i get power to all the wheels but it does feel a little bit nappy kinda like a rwd.

 

[v2ner]

are you runnin stock wheel/tire combo?

 

[olmytsi]

All 97-99 GSX' had LSD

Only time my car feels like rwd is in the snow. Something has to be wrong.

 

[fastestdsm]

yes im running stock wheels, also one time, i got off the freeway at about 60, the turn was a 25 mph and the car fishtailed, is this suppossed to happend with awd if going fast enough?

the car came with tokico shocks and eiback prokit.. or sportlines or something, I know eibach makes two models and this is the model with more lower stance.
The car didnt have camber kit installed but previous owner threw in a camber kit which i never got around to install. Camber wasnt that bad, but you can tell there is some bad camber. I dont know camber will cause this either.

Something wierd I noticed about the car as well is that if I pull the steering wheel all the way to the left, it will go more further with the left than if I was to move all the way to the right. IS this alignment issue or suspension issue?

 

[ReebisTSI]

Did the previous owner weld the center diff or install a new one? That can make the rear-end step out under power in the corners.

 

[nightspeed87]

was it always acting like this since you bought the car because if its a new sympthom then you know something is off, and alignment is a possiblity, when you drive in a straight line does the car drift to either side, because if not then i doubt its your alignme nt. Possibly your suspension set up going out of wack or something.

 

[out there]

i would check out the alignment/suspension... maybe your tires are really worn? after getting new tires and an alignment, my rear end would stay put in all but the most aggressive situations or questionable traction situations. yes, my car has a viscous lsd

 

[IslanderTsi]

Did anyone think that maybe this guy has just never driven an all wheel drive car before? My car will hang the rear out a little when I get on it real hard around turn.

 

[nightspeed87]

depends on how hard hes turning, i mean if hes flinging his car around a corner hard at high speeds then yea im sure its going to do that to some degree, but if hes talking about its doing that on easy going situations then sounds like theres a problem.

 

[pnishr]

Did anyone think that maybe this guy has just never driven an all wheel drive car before? My car will hang the rear out a little when I get on it real hard around turn.

Except that, in general, AWD tends toward understeer; not a characteristic of RWD. Especially not in our cars with stock susp. Assume you are full weight with good tires and try to flip a U-turn. I bet you I can do it faster (tighter radius) in a RWD pickup truck than the car. (assuming it was a lowered truck so it didn't flip, but that's another issue) The way the question is posed leads me to believe he knows what a RWD feels like as compared to a FWD. The car "should" feel more like a FWD.

The VC LSD will (should) probably divert more power to the front wheels on turn in (braking), thus making it seem more like a FWD. As somebody mentioned, if the center diff has been welded or replace with a spool, this could definitely cause a more Oversteer/RWD feeling.

 

[ILLiCliPSE]

whats the power distribution between the front and rear wheels on gsx's/tsi awd's ?

 

[herostar]

50/50 power split

 

[AWD_Launch]

maybe he is thinking of the body roll and the tires starting to break loose when you take a turn fast.

 

[leet]

The cars understeer from the factory. Most cars do as a safety precaution.

 

[JOEY A]

I can get my car to power slide and step out, but thats me driving the car and really trying. My car like most DSMs is more like a FWD car with awd, if you car is fish tailing" And not acting right. It might be the center diff is fryed and its sending more power to the rear wheels than the front.

 

[JOEY A]

depends on how hard hes turning, i mean if hes flinging his car around a corner hard at high speeds then yea im sure its going to do that to some degree, but if hes talking about its doing that on easy going situations then sounds like theres a problem.

Thats what im thinking, it takes a good amount of effort to make awd cars drift" or oversteer alot. Its not easy it takes some skill, sounds like somthing is broken.

 

[exile]

This is obvious, but make sure your wheel's lugs are tight on the back tires.

It sounds stupid, but when I got my car back from being inspected (BY A TIRE SHOP) they didn't tighten my wheels up and my front wheel made a weird noise for a while and eventually started pulling the car off of the road during turns and then eventually in a straight away.

 

[gsxeclipse97]

check the tire pressure when. When i adjustesd tmine from 40 all around to 38 front and 32 rear i could feel the rear alot more

 

[steve-o_95_GST]

Im pretty sure that my diffs are all functioning fine and I got my car to hang the rear out taking off on right turn from a stop. My car is lowered with the prokit and I have front and rear strut bars

 

[xSojooxShotzx]

50/50 power split

Is this a set ratio, or does this power split vary due to driving conditions? I know that most manual cars are set, but on automatics, is this power ratio set also?

Howie~

 

[4BangR-x]

How to make people go WTF

Fishtail under power in a import that everyone thinks is front drive.

 

[pnishr]

Is this a set ratio, or does this power split vary due to driving conditions? I know that most manual cars are set, but on automatics, is this power ratio set also?

Howie~

changes under conditions. the 50/50 split is given perfect (and equal) traction conditions at all 4 corners. If your rear end squats during acceleration so much that your front comes up and loses traction, more tq will be diverted to the rear.