Video: Renault Megane RS 256 Trophy Breaks Nurburgring FWD Record

"Shrug. Doesn't change the fact that the car will not feel as good in corners. "

Does that mean a RWD car will be good in corners?

It definitely SOUNDS far more exciting with all the FWD tire-screeching!

As good as it is, if you nail the gas in the corners, it either lights up the inside front, or, with limited slip, lights up both and you stop turning. In the event of torque vectoring, some of this behavior is tamed, but it can never respond like a proper RWD car. It can only be "very good, for FWD" at best. That's not hating on, or being ignorant, or being a RWD-fanboy. That's just the way it is.

That doesn't mean it can't turn a fast lap time, of course.

Hell, an 08 Cobalt SS ran just under 8:23 way back in 2007.

"As good as it is, if you nail the gas in the corners, it either lights up the inside front, or, with limited slip, lights up both and you stop turning. In the event of torque vectoring, some of this behavior is tamed, but it can never respond like a proper RWD car."

or in a parallel world where people like FWD cars...

As good as it is, if you nail the gas in the corners, it either spins out, or, with a mid-engine set-up, oversteers even more violently. In the event of traction control, some of this behavior is tamed, but it can never respond like a proper FWD car. It can only be "very good, for RWD" at best. That's not hating on, or being ignorant, or being a FWD-fanboy. That's just the way it is.

Each have their pro's and con's. Numbers don't lie: find me a RWD car with 265hp and a 8:08 lap time!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCrburgring_lap_times

I'm going to take wild guess and say it was on Bridgestones. Still an impressive time. has the Focus RS done a ring run?

The Megane is a cool little machine - wish we could get it in Canada.

"Each have their pro's and con's. Numbers don't lie: find me a RWD car with 265hp and a 8:08 lap time!"

You mean something like the 263 hp Caterham R500 that does it 13 seconds faster?

"Numbers don't lie: find me a RWD car with 265hp and a 8:08 lap time!"

I think the bigger problem is finding a modern RWD sports car with just 265 hp.

@sniper -

The key word in my post: feel. Yes, this screaming bugger can do it and do it fast. But will it feel fluid and sublime? No. FWD cars do not impart that feeling to me. You must play too much with putting the weight back on the front wheels to keep the blasted thing turning and it's never zen-like quality of being in a zone for corners.

I could not care less about the ultimate lap time. I sincerely miss RWD every day in my current car. 19 months into the FWD lease and I can't wait to get back to a RWD (or RWD biased) car (with a manual too...).

bent13: totally forgot about the roll cage on 4 wheels.

greenpony: good point, but the this Megane creamed the Lotus Exige S. It is sad that 200hp would be considered asthmatic these days.

blueguy: i agree about the unique "push" sensation from a RWD car, but RWD does not a sports car make - read: Pontiac Solstice

http://www.insideline.com/pontiac/solstice/2009/2009-pontiac-solstice-coupe-full-test.html

Is it a cheese eating surrender monkey???

:)

@ sniperruff

The NSX-R is faster with only 25 more horsepower.

I saw the Top Gear RWD coupe challenge yesterday on Netflix (really excited about S17), and loved Stig drifting around the track in a VXR8 (I think that's what it was, looked just like the Pontiac/Holden G8 GXP, the boys just called it "The Stig's Portable Drifting Toy"). However, you are indeed right. RWD does not a sports car make. Read: Morris Marina...

Yes, but FWD, no matter how good the engine, transmission and suspension, just makes me long for RWD. :)

Why exactly can't we get this car in the United States.

saturn95 says:

02:55 PM, 06/20/11

Why exactly can't we get this car in the United States.

Because Renault does not want to compete with Nissan. It seems only GM and VW like their brands competing against one another.

That's pretty impressive. Wasn't it a Cobalt that held the record before that, or did something else grab the record in between?

As for the FWD vs. RWD debate, the simple fact is, a tire can only generate a limited amount of total traction. If you ask it to generate traction in more than one direction, i.e. braking/accelerating and cornering, then the amount of traction available in each direction will be reduced. For example, a tire may be capable of 1.0 g lateral acceleration during steady state cornering, but can only gererate .70 g lateral and .70 g longitudinal acceleration. Plus as you accelerate, weight transfers from the front tires to the rear tires, decreasing front grip, increasing rear. This is why RWD is better than FWD for performance. You can use the front tires to their full potential to steer the car while the rears drive it forward, and with the weight shifting rearwards it will grip better and power out of the corner. Front drive gives up some of it's cornering grip to accelerate, but it can't put down max power because it's longitudinal grip is being used to steer, and the tires are being unloaded by weight transfer. Not to mention having to route all the power through extra joints (weak)in the powertrain.

Right. Some RWD cars aren't that good, and some FWD cars are really good, so clearly the drive configuration ALONE doesn't dictate 100% how the car will behave. That much should be obvious to everyone.

However, I much prefer the characteristics of a well setup RWD car, particularly the interplay between the throttle and chassis, as I near the limit. You can't duplicate that with FWD.