Understanding the specific driving characteristics for different drivetrains

There are many different types of drivetrains and each has its own unique character. Below is an overview of some of the key differences.

●Front-engine front-wheel-drive (FF)

In front-engine front-wheel-drive cars, the front wheels cover both the drive force and steering. So in order to move an FF car, you need to apply load to the front wheels to raise the grip force of the front tires.

When cornering with an FF car, be sure not to drop your speed too much. If your speed drops, you need to accelerate again. However accelerating means that your car’s load will be shifted to the rear and the drive force and turning force of the front tires will be reduced. Remember the neutral acceleration we mentioned earlier and try to corner in a way that does not drop your speed too much.

FF

●Front-engine rear-wheel-drive (FR)

An FR vehicle has an optimal characteristic where braking produces load in the front, which aids in producing turning force at the front wheels. Upon acceleration, the load moves to the rear wheels leading to more traction for acceleration.

Though the FR has these advantages, you still need to be cautious of understeer during a turn and oversteer at the last parts of the turn. Understeer is caused by accelerating too early; the force pushing the rear wheels has overcome the force at the front wheels, which are trying to change direction. Oversteer, meanwhile, is caused by accelerating too much. Accelerating should be increased gradually, in sync with returning the steering wheel to a straight-line position.

FR

●Four-wheel-drive (4WD)

Though there are differences depending on whether the car is based on an FF or FR layout, the 4WD has both good stability and traction. Your driving should try to maximize these merits. When cornering, high stability is maximized by entering the corner in a straight line right up to the clipping point; you can then change the direction of the car all at once, using the high traction of the 4WD to rapidly accelerate out. This bold driving style is something that is quite particular to a 4WD.

4WD

●Mid-engine rear-wheel-drive (MR)

An MR with the engine mounted near the center of the body has the advantage of high agility and high cornering speed. However, if the load on the front wheels is not enough, it can understeer, and if the limit of tire grip is exceeded while cornering, it can suddenly go into a spin. When driving an MR, you can produce turning ability by increasing frontal load through braking, enabling you to turn the car towards the exit early while cornering and set your driving line to focus on acceleration.

MR