Acura has SH-AWD on some stuff now that's supposed to improve handling on dry pavement. Is there any benefit to the G35's AWD when the roads aren't slippery? Is there any downside to AWD other than the added cost, weight and complexity? I've never driven an AWD car so excuse my ignorance if these are noob questions.

 

My previous car was an Audi A4 with quattro which was great wet/dry. It's a liberty to be able to essentially mash the gas without concern.

That said it got a little boring.

Maybe it's a different story with more power. That I can't speak of, because I decided I wanted RWD, so I never test drove the G35x.

 

Here is a blurb I posted in another thread:

Rear Drive vs. All-Wheel Drive: That Is the Question

For fun, we brought a rear-drive Infiniti G35 to our autocross and compared it with its all-wheel-drive G35x brother, in both wet and dry conditions with VDC yaw control switched off. We assumed the rear-driver would be quicker in the dry, given its ability to hang out its tail and help the driver tighten his line. But in the wet, we were confident the all-wheel-driver would have a tremendous advantage, hooking up better out of turns. Here's what we learned:

Well, we were wrong on one front, right on the other. Based on group average times on the dry autocross, the awd G35x proved itself faster, surprising us with its rear-biased manners and lapping nearly a second (0.9 sec.) quicker than the rear-drive G35. In the wet the G35x fared even better, 1.3 sec. quicker than the rear-drive G35.

Credit goes to the electronically controlled awd system, which maintains a rear-drive bias while endowing the car with improved stability. Don't get us wrong, the G35x still liked to hang its tail out, but the driver didn't need to be quite so careful with the throttle to keep the car's back end in check. In the rear-drive G35, the driver had to be far less aggressive with the throttle (and quicker with corrections) to post respectable times. Wet or dry, the awd G35x was far easier to drive quickly.

The G35x's center diff is responsible. From 0 to 10 mph, its electromagnetic wet clutch splits the torque 25 percent front/75 percent rear for good grip off the line; thereafter, the car is 100-percent rear drive until rear-wheel slip is sensed. Then, the diff can send as much as 50 percent of the power forward. Although other awd systems will produce different results, the G35x proves that all-wheel drive, properly applied, can give you the best of both worlds. — Andrew Bornhop

 

Faster despite the 200lb weight penalty. Interesting.

 

faster around the track, interesting.

 

Most people think AWD is better just in the snow (which isn't an issue for a lot of folks), but it's also better when it rains a lot (which is an issue for almost all people, unless you live in the dessert). But, this article is somewhat interesting, that it also has its advantages in good (dry) weather.

 

I surprised MANY "faster" cars around the track by virtue of the AWD and some very sticky tires.

You can argue chassis dynamics vs. traction vs. weight all day with some folks, but the proof is in the faster lap times.

 

i think it depends on the vehicle itself. i remember reading articles about the older bmw 3 series. they claimed the awd on the xi car upset the way the car handled compared to the rear drive only vehicle. don't remember what the cause was. i think it had something to do with the added weight not being distributed properly on the vehicle.

 

Also note - that that article is based on the 05 (or 06) G35x model, not the 07. Different car may result in differnt results. I wouldn't jump to the conclusiosn that the above would hold true for the 07 G35S.

 

No doubt. Your X, sticky tires and you were fast. I sure hope the X will finally be offered in manual trans. This would be a great combination.

 

This article not withstanding, is there a huge difference in RWD vs. AWD in the snow? Is it worth the extra 2 grand for the AWD model? I've never driven a RWD vehicle in the snow, and have been told to avoid it like the plague since I live in PA.

I know that AWD will be good in slippery conditions, but is RWD really that bad?

[/First Post]

 

two words.
snow tires.
most people with AWD tend to keep all seasons on for simplicity.
most tire tests show that traction with snow tires on RWD is better than AWD in general.

 

Of course, this is the reason they banned quattro from audi racing. They kept beating all the BMW's and BMW complained that it was an unfair advantage. At first, they mandated a weight bias(putting about 200lbs extra in the front of the audis) but then they still kept winning. So then they just banned Audi from using quattro alltogether.

FWIW, I feel more confident handling in my A4 than I do my M3. Its just planted that much more and is nearly impossible to get into trouble with.

 

Weight is the enemy for sure.. more power doesn't compensate for more weight either...
At least the weight is down low which helps minimize its effects.. to a degree.

 

Nice racing... but you can't claim "better" times because of your setup. Not unless all the driver skills are equal.
I saw that vette easily pull away from you, then only to slow down and wave you by.. Would be interesting to see the same driver take a RWD and then an AWD version around the same track.