FWD versus AWD [Merged 2-8]

[TrippleStar]

Hello, kids. Here is the Official AWD or FWD? thread. All the hare-brained arguments about "rolling starts" and "top speed" and "deadly transfer cases" and "drivetrain losses" and the rest of the mis-guided "better" advice is right here.

It's recommended you just skip reading it. You already know which you want, and why. Still, it's a place to dump it all.

Let's start with this fine opener from 2002 (it really doesn't get much better):

newbie to DSMs here, whats AWD and FWD. just sold my civic hatchback and got my eclipse not to long ago and im still learing the dsm101 stuff.

 

[Well Traveled]

went from having a fwd nt to a awd gsx. Then sold that and bought a fwd turbo laser beater and a project awd tsi 5speed. I hate fwd. Even my stock laser AUTOmatic tries to throw itself off the road when shifting hard. But that may have more to do with my junk trannie. Now that it snows I can say fwd sucks in the winter. I'm probably going to get an awd for a winter beater and sell the fwd. AWD rules!

 

[pianoman]

My first one was a FWD. The last 2 have been AWD.

 

[InfamousEclipse]

91 n/t FWD
to 96 420a NT
to Turbo'd 420a FWD
to 93 TSI AWD

and a 2G AWD in the future...

theres NOTHING like AWD.... Power, in a FWD... is a bi***- #### traction issues. If I'm payin for the pwer I want to be able to put it to the street

 

[blcknspo0ln]

#### traction issues. If I'm payin for the pwer I want to be able to put it to the street

I agree. that's why i'm debating on built FWD or just go AWD. looks like AWD is definitely winning as far as practicality, time, money, self worth

Since i'm only at 250 whp and shooting for 400 whp next year, I think 3-4k would need to be invested in my FWD before any of that power is useful

 

[IHeartTurbo]

I have a 92 AWD and picked up a 91 FWD turbo. It sucks. I will never buy a FWD car again. 1st and 2nd gears are pretty much useless and it's pretty much stock.

 

[BlackHalo]

I have a 92 AWD and picked up a 91 FWD turbo. It sucks. I will never buy a FWD car again. 1st and 2nd gears are pretty much useless and it's pretty much stock.

I dont see how you dont hook... Your tires must be shitty or something. With my fpt28 and supporting mods i only spin in first and on a nice paved road sometimes i will even hook in first on my azenis. On a cold day i might spin through second on a real hard shift.... But its texas and its harldy cold here.

 

[CYrUs0k5]

Well...

I used to have a 95 GST.... I wanted a 97-99 Eclipse and wanted to go AWD....

I now own a 98 GSX. Ill tell you this much, the GSX gets a lot more respect. The first two questions people that have some sort of education ask me are (1) is it turbo? (2) is it awd? People are more likely to respect the AWD.

As for the advantage of AWD over FWD... It depends.... I miss the highway pulls.... Stop light racing is fun in the GSX but sometimes i miss having the ruber burn... My next car will be RWD...

 

[Gary 420A RS]

i got a 99 fwd n/t now and i slid out once and since that day iam scared everytime it rains to go fast and when i meen fast iam talking anything over 20mph... little j/k but serious. and i can always feel slippage under me as iam driving. so thats why i want and am going to get awd for the handling and i love the way a 2gb looks..

 

[Girvin]

Very nice..........do it!!

As for myself....I just bought a 91 Tsi AWD with a blown motor.......Im swapping my FWD parts to it and painting it................sick of traction issues with my damn fwd. Im curious to see how it'll do on the track. Last run with the FWD was 12.2 so Im hoping the AWD might get me into the 11s

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

 

[95TSiNewbie]

If I had the money....Id part out my 2g FWD back to stock and keep it for a daily driver and build a 1g AWD.

 

[bornine2000]

you must try battle on I95 with an awd

 

[ITSME4G63]

so Im hoping the AWD might get me into the 11s

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

it will

 

[karbon]

Very nice. The entire community thanks you for not posting a "fwd > awd conversion how much will it cost i dont want to buy a new car guyz thx" thread.

 

[telly699]

I hope I never post something like this, but perhaps one day I will tire of the clutch feathering game...

Yay FWD!

 

[Gary 420A RS]

you must try battle on I95 with an awd

????

 

[THE_ARTIST_]

i want to buy a 1G AWD and keep my GS-T, but i also want to make my GS-T fast.
not many stoplight races here mainly highway runs if you lucky enough to find someone to race. small towns suck........but the crime rate is low

 

[Camaro350]

I have been thinking about selling my camaro and picking up a 90-94 GSX or TSI. I have found a few but they have pretty high miles. I have been debating on the reliability of a DSM with high miles. I know DSM's aren't the most reliable cars out there but if they are properly maintained how are they? This will be my daily driver so I have to get something fairly reliable. My camaro used to be very problematic but I got it lined out. Now it has ran without a hiccup for over a year.

How reliable would a DSM with an evo 16g, 2g manifold, 3'' exhaust, and some free mods be? I am also debating on FWD or AWD. I know AWD is better but how much longer do the FWD trannies usually last?

 

[yankees1919]

This has been answered many times so I won't be surprised if it's closed...but...

If you maintain a car and take care of it it is not unreliable...

With only those mods you wouldn't be able to turn up the boost so it would be perfectly reliable

Awd vs FWD is a personal preference...I love AWD in the snow, and off the line it is the best out there

 

[Gary 420A RS]

this is the questions from alot of people and people alike. i have asked this question at one point or another. and the answer all comes down to what you want from your car itself.

fwd- more of a from a roll speed. as in high way speed
awd- also can be from a roll but more of a off the line speed.

so it all comes down to you. wanting off the line speed and being able to get some one from the get go or being able to take them on a free way. and at no way at all do i condone street racing or illegal racing at that. yet stating the facts.

 

[Spookcorleone]

Well.

From what you said you don't think you will be putting alot of time or money into it. (We all start out by lying to ourself, put another turbo on - want to go bigger.. and get sucked in!)

But if you are sure that you are not going to be all the serious with your car... then the AWD/FWD doesn't really matter. 300 pounds differ if you get the FWD. Manage your start well enough and you'll be catching up with the AWD in abit. AWD has extras to break, transfercase, shaft, rear - so forth. I myself want to take my car far... so in the long run my FWD will most likely become my 'daily' driver, and I'll get a AWD. Snow is annoying in a FWD, I dun care if you have chains on your tires , its still annoying.

If you don't think you'll be making over 300ish HP in your DSM you can deal with the wheel-spin of a FWD, with decent tires and suspension - from what I've seen atleast.

...Oh yeah
The tranny was rebuilt at around 120K miles... the owner before me did it. He used to race FWDs... *Shrugs*

 

[MattnGsx]

AWD, a Dsm can be as realiable as you want it. Just depends on how you want to drive, and how much you want to maintain it.

Havn't you asked this question before

 

[Camaro350]

I may have. It was a long time ago tho.

I am 21 now and I don't drive my cars really hard anymore. Every now and then I do but I do not beat on it anymore. I normally drive very reasonably so I think I could keep a DSM running well.

BTW I plan on some injectors and a fuel pump also. But I still don't want to run more than 15-16psi. Just to be safe.

I know a lot of guys with DSM's and most of them have had a lot of problems. But they also run the crap out of them everyday.

To be honest I had thrown out the idea of getting a DSM awhile back. Till I took a ride in a local guys. All it had was catback exhaust, external wastegate, big16g, k&n and an upper intercooler pipe. It was an AWD and it ran good. It really surpised me. It would definetly eat my camaro. That is what made me want one again. But posts like "who elses DSM is down right now" with 7 full pages makes me kinda worried. I'm sure you guys understand.

 

[dag97esi]

im sure if camaro drivers were as passionate about tuning their cars as DSM owners.... you would find a similar thread on camaro boards relating to down cars.

 

[1fstSS]

i own both a 97 SS vert and the laser, mines fwd, and i love it!! i look at it this way... if i can make my camaro hook i can make this hook a fwd with a LSD is a wonderful thing! but warning you these little mitsu cars are addicting!! when you hear that turbo spool its like an orgasm

 

[DSMcamaro]

i own both a 97 SS vert and the laser, mines fwd, and i love it!! i look at it this way... if i can make my camaro hook i can make this hook a fwd with a LSD is a wonderful thing! but warning you these little mitsu cars are addicting!! when you hear that turbo spool its like an orgasm

same here. I have a 79 Camaro that i love but ever since some of my friends got into DSM's I had to get one of my own. and now i have my DSM... i wanted AWD(92-94) Talon but i got a great deal on a 91 turbo FWD that i just couldnt pass up..