Front and Rear power limits??
 

Just a quick question what do you guys think would be the limit of power for a FWD before it becomes hard to get traction on take off and becames too hard to control ??
Also what the most powerfull FWD car you have driven???

I seem to remember Jeremy saying something about ~200 bhp was the Limit? Anyway whats your opinion? :D

:good:

The strongest FWD I've driven had a 170hp V6.

About the limit? The new Autodelta Alfa 147 GTA has a Rotex supercharger and 400hp:
http://www.italiancar.com.au/images/...7GTA_01_lg.jpg

^ that thing looks awesome, I have a review of it in a magazine around here somewhere. :D

Go AWD and you don't need to worry about these issues.... :P

I get pretty decent traction with my car(205HP), so i'm guessing 250HP may be close the limit of a FWD just as dani_d_mas said

it depends on the car
the previous generation Caddilac ETC/DTS/STS all had optional the 320 hp 4.7 v8 in FWD configuration... it did have torque steer, but hardly the traction limit (of course it is a much heavier car)

Thanks for you input guys.
250bhp is a lot for most FWD cars, But imagine the torque steer if not set up right :lol:

hell a FWD car with 100 hp can torque steer like a maniac if its not set up right. It all depends on the quality of the chasis involved. Certain cars can do fine with 250 or more at the wheels but others will end up completely useless cause they cant handle the power.

As the daily driver of a 255bhp FWD car I can say that this has to be pretty close to the limit. Obviously, it is not noticable during normal driving, but any spirited sprint in 1st or 2nd gear will have you concentrating on keeping the car pointed striaght. This is also without mentioning adequately controlling wheelsping.

Its definatel alot of fun :D , but I couldn't imagine too much more power for the street especially in a smaller vehicle.

OK - so that's FWD... but what about all the rumours of 400 and 500hp Civics floating around? ;)

I am going to guesstimate RWD is about 480 to 500rwhp for year round drivability.

I am at 420bhp, and will soon be at about 475bhp - and with 420 I already have to be extra attentive in cold weather as cold tyres/cold asphalt have me spinning 2nd/3rd in traffic with no effort.

500+ must put a little extra drain on your attention glands as you would spend most of the time feathering the trottle and backing off the gas ... it's also not the peak hp that's the issue, it's how soon and low down the rev range the motor makes power that makes a big difference.

Something that needs to be would out to red line to get going is easier to drive at low rpm in and around traffic and daily roads/streets - it's the nutters making 400 or 500lb right idle that must really have a hard time of it ;)

there is 270 for either teh Acura TL or the Nissan Altima racey car

The TL is actually 258 hp and those things are torquey little bitches if they don't get the LSD in them (trust me I drive atleast 10 of them a day) and they will smoke the tires from 1st all the way to 3rd...

I've driven a TL type S with a Supercharger and other goodies and that thing was planted to the ground.

Zot09: nice choice on the TSX but I would have waited till next year for the supposed V6 and I can get a new TL 6-speed with the LSD and Brembos for the price of a TSX. :D

I would say it depends on the size of your contact patch the weight and balance of your car and where in the rev range you make your power

My last car was 240 hp fwd. I think it isnt as simple as an overall limit. It all depends on the setup.

I had no problems getting over 250bhp down here:

(excuse the giggle, but my mate was removing himself from the dash :P )

http://i1.zvhost.com/1/k/k1z58p76.jpg

Further, we had no problems getting over 300bhp down in a very well set up mkII golf

Yesterday drove a Smart Brabus Forfour with 177bhp and it put the power on the ground, even in wet, so I get near 250bhp.

More than that, and you can't use all the power you have unless you have LSD and Slicks.

So i'm guessing that you work for an Acura dealership? Nice! What kind of discount do you get? A TL w/ a LSD and Brembos sounds sweet! You S.O.B lol j/k So where did you hear about the supposed V6?

yeah I'm an apprentice for an Acura Dealer so I get cars at dealer cost and parts at 5% over cost. The news about a proposed V6 was in our Insider newsletter a few weeks ago. And the new Turbo 4 cylinder going into the new RDX might be available in the RSX aswell...

I've had a go in a few relatively powerful FWD cars, and occasionally I find that when you approach 250hp, the front begins to get very wobbly. Probably can be fixed with fine tuning the suspension, tires, etc... but still, a bit disconcerting.

I'm at 340whp right now...It's a bitch to keep in a straight line and the tires don't grip until 4th.

And isn't 4th about where your governor kicks in... ;)

My governor should be at 65...I'd pay a lot less for insurance.