what do you answer to people saying rear propulsion cars suck

[Mordan]

in a BMW context

[Russell]

Rear propulsion cars. LOL. Like the Jetsons!

Seriously, rear wheel drive cars just handle different than front wheel drive cars. Is this why some will say that rear wheel drive cars suck? Perhaps they mean in rainy, icy or snowy weather. Hard to tell from your post.

[RallyD]

depending on how technical their understanding is I would have to say that tires have X amount of grip. That grip can be used either laterally (cornering) or radially (propulsion). Driving the front wheels limits the amount of grip as it needs to be divided between turning, accelerating, and braking. It also tends to bias the vehicle weight towards the front, making a 50/50 weight distribution nearly impossible.
A rear drive vehicle uses the front wheels predominately for turning/braking and rear wheels for accelerating/braking thus allowing more of the tires grip to be used before slip is induced.

if they don't get it then I tell them that FWD just plain sucks, it is boring and you can't do proper donuts. FWD is great for inexperienced drivers because if you push the car too hard it will plow, let off and it is easily recovered. However it just doesn't give me the driving pleasure of RWD.

If theire opinion of BMW rear drive is based on foul weather experience then the car was most likely not fitted with proper tires. My 5er is a blast in the snow with narrow grippy tires, forget about it with the 9" sport wheels/ all season rubber.

[whiskychaser]

in a BMW context

Tell them FWD cars understeer, chew up front tyres and suffer from axle tramp. BMWs on the other hand are perfectly balanced driving machines.
Dont mention snow though!!

[Ross]

And they suck why?
Front drive's only justification, other than packaging, is having the weight of the engine over the drive wheels for better FORWARD traction in snow. A rear drive, rear/mid engine car accomplishes the same thing with the added benefit of being able to A. Steer while drive wheels are spinning B. Control steering angle with the throttle.
Typically these gripes come from inexperienced drivers with summer tires complaining about poor winter traction.
If I could afford to I'd buy 'em all a Camry to shut the **** up.

[repenttokyo]

i usually just walk away.

[tim eh?]

usually something along the lines of "i pity you."

[xspeedy]

Different situations call for different setups. Depending on situation or context, I guess anything can suck. Some people say AWD sucks.

RWD lets you throttle steer around a corner. It also offers better weight distribution (to get to 50/50). It frees up the front wheels so the steering is unadulterated and natural.

FWD is the lightest I believe, so it is good in that sense. Plus it puts more weight over the wheels for slippy situations. Good for economy and daily grocery duty (i.e. minivans and Camrys) where performance isn't always a concern. Some will argue that FWD cars on race tracks have beaten RWD ones. That is true, but with heavy modifications that you will never see on a road car. There seems to be vast improvements to FWD, so torque steer isn't as big a problem as it once was.

AWD offers the best for traction and handling now that it is more intelligent. Though some argue dry condition handling benefits, I think there is still an advantage. Weight is the main negative though, and fuel economy suffers.

[e345spd]

AWD suffers from the same problems as front wheel drive plus even more weight. And no, front wheel drive cars are hardly any better, they still understeer like a bitch. Dry track, all conditions/power/weight/driver equal, the rear wheel drive car will provide the fastest lap times. End of story. AWD can help a driver get better lap times, but the same car in rear wheel drive will be faster if the driver knows how to handle it.

[Paul in NZ]

ask them how many miles/kilometres they get out of a set of tyres...front wheel drive makes for a compact and lighter car(all being equal)I have no problem with small FWD cars bt i draw the line at about 100 kw.....almost impossible to tke of without spinning the front wheels.The final straw for me was driving up a long steep hill,at open road speed,in the rain....the car was spinning its front wheels alternately!!!Powerful fwd cars can spin the front wheels at almost any time,thus compromising steerin.In the same conditions a well balanced rwd car is still controllable