Quote:
Originally Posted by apirumann
I really appreciate the time you take to explain this. This makes sense now. I wonder what's the weight distribution of my 335i convertible. Also, from a marketing point, BMW are not totally wrong when they say "50/50 is the key, 'whispering' (for a front engine car)". I guess ATTESA (omitting the other reasons for the sake of this argument) like systems is to mitigate this problem.
|
Like I posted earlier, there’s nothing “special” about a 50-50 weight distribution.
Regarding AWD, it only exacerbates the issue of weight distribution by adding more weight on the front axle plus it overburdens the front tires even more by asking them for longitudinal traction over and above the lateral grip they need to provide to rotate the car. Smarter AWD systems that can decouple the front wheels can indeed alleviate some of the AWD drawbacks.
Systems that get the rear axle to contribute at rotating the car are the only ones that really help at countering the effect of the polar moment of inertia, such as torque vectoring differentials and rear wheel steering systems.