it's much faster from a stop. much much much faster
I duno about from a roll, but the FWD might be faster since it loses less power to the drivetrain

 

my experiences.

Stock '95 gst vs. stock '97 gsx (both black by the way LOL).

The gsx gets the gst by 2 cars outta the hole, then the gst zooms by the gsx at about 50-60 mph to take the win by a car to a car and a half.

That same gsx vs. my stock 1g fwd from a roll. It's not much of a race.

When you start to mod, you need the awd.

 

driven correctly the GSX will be ahead at the end of a qaurter by a length or 2, but the GST will be pulling and have a higher top speed due to less drivetrain loss and less weight...Its a toss up, but the mnore mods you get, the bigger the gap gets...

 

Yah, seems to me a AWD will always be better off the line no doubt.

But as speeds increase, seems obvious the FWD will have the increase because less weight, and drive train loss.

As for 1/4 times, I dont know which is better in that range for similar modded cars.

My guesses are for extreme range, either off the line (AWD), or highway punch it from say 70mph (FWD).

 

yea, basically, stock gs-t vs. stock gsx, they are both the same in 1/4 mile times. they both have 210 flywheel hp, but the gsx is heavier and loses more power through the drivetrain (and has lower gearing). this is what evens it out with the traction problems the gs-t has. when you start modding, the traction problems become ridiculous for the fwd, while the awd continues to keep the gsx from spinning its tires. however, if an evenly modded gs-t and gsx race from a roll, the gs-t will win.

 

Are you sure about this?

 

What are the 1/4 mile times of each? Who would win between an evenly modded GST and an evenly modded GSX from a dead stop? I know the GSX would take the GST from a stop, but wouldn't the GST catch up and win?

 

Well from what i have read 2g both stock in the 1/4 the gsx beat the gst by .2 of a second, and i think that holds true for 1G's as well.

 

A GSX weight about 150lbs or so more then a GS-T. A GSX has the same weight as a GS-T spyder.

 

Well when I ran one of my first times in the quarter I went against a GS-T with an intake and exhaust. I ran a 14.6 in the quarter with only an intake and he ran like a 15.10(but his trap speed was like 95 mine was only 90). So even though he had more power and less drivetrain loss it couldn't make up for hiss loss of traction. I'm sure if we raced from a roll I would have lost, but we didn't so Plus I'll never have to use slicks to run real good times and my tires will last a lot longer.

I have yet to run again, because I want to get my timing belt and misc. things changed first.

 

So a GSX is better for drag racing right?

 

GSX or GS-T

A GSX like everyone writes is faster outta the hole due to the bite, but as you get going the extra drive from AWD are there for the ride and using power. Granted, with equal drivers and both cars totally stock I'm sure it would be safe to assume the GS-T would win getting by on the top end cause it's lighter and every 100lbs is 1/10th of a second. However, being the AWD guy I am there is NO way I'd let a FWD go by me in my AWD car. I'd crash em if I had to! Haaa! Kidding. Seriously, AWD wasn't intended for drag racing to begin with it's home is on the road course or rally course. Drag is waay to hard on the driveline especially when you start making gobs of power. From my view I've yet come across ANY streetable FWD HotDOG (honda) or FWD
what-have-you that could get by me in the first 500ft anyway.

Ciao!
95 Tsi 199k
ET:13.93@96mph
Mods. K&N, 1G BOV

 

Go that way...really fast...if something gets in your way...turn

Someone watched "Better off Dead"

 

I can only say that AWD is great. Everytime I pull out from a stop, I can move with authority. You can also drive through ridiculus amounts of snow. Even on the road my GSX has beaten GSTs from a roll. You just need more HP if your going to be doing rolling starts. My advice go with AWD. Once you've driven AWD it will be hard to go back to FWD.

 

Re: GSX or GS-T

A GSX like everyone writes is faster outta the hole due to the bite, but as you get going the extra drive from AWD are there for the ride and using power. Granted, with equal drivers and both cars totally stock I'm sure it would be safe to assume the GS-T would win getting by on the top end cause it's lighter and every 100lbs is 1/10th of a second. However, being the AWD guy I am there is NO way I'd let a FWD go by me in my AWD car. I'd crash em if I had to! Haaa! Kidding. Seriously, AWD wasn't intended for drag racing to begin with it's home is on the road course or rally course. Drag is waay to hard on the driveline especially when you start making gobs of power. From my view I've yet come across ANY streetable FWD HotDOG (honda) or FWD
what-have-you that could get by me in the first 500ft anyway.

Ciao!
95 Tsi 199k
ET:13.93@96mph
Mods. K&N, 1G BOV

beating an AWD in a FWD is almost impossible unless the driver is completely inept. I have however outlaunched RWD cars before. But you have to launch REALLY well and they have to do poorly to some degree. But they don't annihilate you like AWDs do

 

You can get good at launches with a fwd car, just a talent within itself. I'm sure a GSX would be quicker off the line than mine, but hey, I like it, and if Rado can run a 8.911 with his FWD unibody honda, i have faith that with the right stuff(AVC-R) i can get good launches.

 

AWD

The things FWD has going for it:
Less weight
Less drivetrain power loss

The things AWD has going for it:
Traction
Better handling

If you get a DSM, do yourself a favor and get the AWD version in almost every situation. Sure, the FWD gets better gas mileage, but if your worried about that, you better buy a Civic. These are NOT cheap cars to own. They need synthetic oil, premium gas, etc. etc.

FWD sucks for traction. Just sucks. AWD rocks. In any situation. You don't need slicks to hook up with an AWD. You just need normal all-season tires. I know a guy with a 450hp FWD. The damn thing can burn it's tires off in 5th gear going 60 on the highway. Cool, huh? Too bad it's going NOWHERE while it's doing that.

And how about bad weather? Snow, rain? AWD is so superior, we should just stop talking about it.

Stock, a DSM has too much power for FWD. Once you start modding, forget about it. AWD can put the power to the ground, FWD can't.

In conclusion, if you like making smokeshows, get FWD.
If you like to use power to actually MOVE, get AWD.

I'm sorry, but FWD was designed to make things cheap for auto manufacturers, and that's it. If you think there was anything noble about the design, it may be that it has inherent understeer, which makes it safer for UNSKILLED drivers.

GET AWD.
(what's the next topic? 1G vs 2G? heh heh)

 

All I hear is a bunch of awd hype. And who says that an awd handles better than fwd? I beg to differ; you are slinging around ~200+lbs. more than us fwd guyz/girlz and I would guess with the front wheels pulling you guyz too; you would understeer just like us. yall aren't driving evo's and wrx's ...but anywayz, you can make a fwd launch with some pratice, and you can keep close enough to an awd launch to show him tail lights at the end of the 1/4. so...what kind of 60ft. times are you awd peps pulling?...I'm willing to bet that yall not doing much better than 1.7x's...I've pulled 2.3's with worn out 170,000mile stock suspension and garbageyear tires, now that I've got good rubber(read sticky) and some adjustable agx's on the way, any takers on me not pulling 2.0's....so who thinks a fwd can't make up 0.3 in the 1/4?

 

so...what kind of 60ft. times are you awd peps pulling?...I'm willing to bet that yall not doing much better than 1.7x's...I've pulled 2.3's with worn out 170,000mile stock suspension and garbageyear tires, now that I've got good rubber(read sticky) and some adjustable agx's on the way, any takers on me not pulling 2.0's....so who thinks a fwd can't make up 0.3 in the 1/4?

I guess we have to put forward what we are comparing. By good rubber do you mean good street tires? On street tires a AWD will kill, maim, destroy an equally modded FWD. The more you mod the bigger the gap grows. Because the FWD cannot put the power to the pavement.

You WILL NOT get under 2.1 60 ft times on street tires on a FWD. FWDs only hope is slicks of some type... tires that cannot go around corners.

"Not doing much better than 1.7x's" HA HA HA... you can dream, FWD-Boy! Every .1 second in the sixty foot equals .2 seconds in the quartermile at least. By that common logic, you will have to make up .6 seconds. Sorry, won't happen.

If your going to argue about FWD being decent, don't use the drag strip. You will lose. The road-racing area is far more fuzzy, so you can argue with more success, but answer me this: Why were the AUDI AWD's banned, and why did the Archer Brothers DOMINATE with there AWD talons in Road Racing? Because when the rain came, the game was OVER, kids.

FWD isn't called wrong wheel drive for nuttin!

 

I have recently test drove a stock AWD and really don't see what all the hype is about. It's much heavier and way unresponsive compare to my FWD. I haven't tried driving it in the snow, or a swamp, which it was originally designed for, but I don't think that I will ever have to. I'm sure that once It's putting out hundreds of horsepower, it would do magic, but it's a long way to ge there.

On another note, I have yet to have an AWD beat me from even a mild roll, and I have raced them in all shapes and sizes. Just FYI, most of the street races happen from a roll. People usually like to punch it while rolling from the dead stop, which is fine with me. Yeah, my car will smoke tires all day once the go pedal is mashed, but with just a little practice, it's easy to avoid. Handling? Not sure, but stock class FWD Hyundai wins rally races all day long, beating AWD cars in the process. I assume it's all in the skill.

In AWD defence, I've raced equally modded awd cars at the track and street races. And all of them, once lauched properly, put a tear in my eye with those rediculously insane 7K rpm launches. But the outcome of the race is up to me, depending on how well I get off the line, while awd bastards keep on running consistant times with no visible effort whatsoever. At the track, AWD kicks ass hands down.

So the question is, where do you race? If you are a track junkie and like to collect timeslips, AWD is a way to go. But if your car is a freeway commuter, feel free to annihilate just about everything in the top gear run in your FWD. I personally choose the later and will continue modding my car, aiming at the Supras and the likes of it.

Just my .02c

 

When I'm hanging out at the local trash talking gathering most people who say their car is faster always want to race from a roll. I wonder how many guys in the 1950s or 1960s said that,probably none.
At the drag strip they don't race from a roll. I race to see who runs the 1/4 mile fastest. Most of the fwd guys (Hondas too) can't handle the fact that they dumped twice as much $$$ as the AWD guy and still can't win a 1/4 mile race. No I can't beat a Vette from a roll but I lay the smack down on one by nearly 3-4 tenths in the 1/4 and that to me is real racing. How do you race fair from a roll? Somebody will usually get an early jump.
In the 1/4 mile a similarly modded GSX vs GST the AWD will almost always win and of course with a slower trap speed but a win is a win.
Look at the list of the fastest DSMs 9 out of 10 are AWD and Garry Marsh's fwd is the only one in the 9s and only 9 fwd w/no nitrous cars run in the 11s or faster. I guess if you highway race I guess go fwd.

Handling? Take me on in a SCCA autox race Nitrox,can you out handle me through a tight course? Put some rain down and the gap will really show between AWD and FWD. Sorry I just don't care for fwd combined with a turbo,too much torque steer.

Rally racing? Yes,the Hyundai's do well but it sure seems the Subis and the Evolutions win their fair share too.
I also Ice race (snow) in the winter and you don't see any fwd cars there,it's all Subarus,Audis and Mitsus.

I know the FWD guys might be a bit miffed at my comments but I'm just stating what I've seen. I like all DSMs but of course I prefer AWD and I deal with the tranny's/driveline's shortcomings so I can get year round driveability and ultimate traction at the strip without buying slicks.
Flame on!

 

Theres so much bull in this thread....anywhere a gst has traction, it will beat a AWD, asuuming they have similair crank HP, the wheel hp goes to the FWD and so does the weight advantage....and thats not at 70, more like 15-40 depending on HP....2nd a GSX weighs about 250 pounds more then a GST and a spyder weighs about 80 pounds more then a GST....a GSX is heavier then a spyder...what do I like...AWD!!!!

 

0-60 the AWD will always win on street tires.

 

Yeah, i'd like a AWD too, but, found a GS-T first, and hey, I think we can find a way to launch a FWD with some traction, but, i don't disagree with anything said here, AWD is prolly faster, and has better traction, but hey, so what, we all know this, but sometimes we don't like it shoved down our throat. So, as opposed to that, i've scowered(? on spelling) the papers for an AWD in my price range, and it isn't happening, and AWD or not, they're still all badas$, I mean c'mon, and another neat thing about FWD, is that the hondaboys don't have the traction excuse when we smoke em up n down. So, AWD runs faster quarters, if that's more important to you, more power to ya, get an AWD, i must say i'm a fan of the 1/4s too, but if you really wanna run the fastest quarters, get a 73 nova drop a 454 rectangular port head engine in it with two 4 barrell holley's on top, a crazy cam and a roots supercharger on top, but, it's about doing the best with what you have. 2 liters of whupas$, in two flavors, AWD or FWD. Anyways that's just what i think, if you wanna flame, and it's a decent post, i appreciate all structured criticisms. See ya on the road.

 

I love my front drive... I guess thats what matters, no? Do you love your car? I love my bike too.. it will take a lot of DSMs... my point is that platform superiority is not really important. Getting out of your ride with an ear to ear grin is what matters. I think we all already know the differences and so deciding which one is better or worse should be a personal preference issue.