Why is it that the RWD is faster than the AWD? Shouldn't it be the other way around?

What type is your IS, RWD or AWD?

 

awd. love having it for my driving conditions. its rains or snow 85% of the year and have a lot of curvier roads where i live. wish it has the 350rwd power but im very happy with my car its handling dry or wet.

 

With AWD you get better handling, but you lose the power compared to a RWD?

So, you're basically picking between Handling (AWD) or Power (RWD), right?

 

It depends. AWD tends to be slower than RWD on dry pavement, but you get better handling.

I have AWD 250 and I do love it during inclement weather, its like cheating when it rains/snows.

Good read: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...wd-vs-rwd.html

 

the 250 awd is slower than the 250RWD because the 250 just doesnt have enough horsepower to make use of the AWD system, so it sort of just becomes dead weight if you will, making it slower than the RWD. I think you need around 400+ horse power to make just of AWD (in terms of making your car faster). because apparently the 350AWD is slower the than 350RWD still, and that's like 300 horsepower.
I could be wrong, but I think that's the reason why 250AWD is slower than 250RWD.

 

it made be just me. but i really dont ever line up against anyone to race from a stop light nor do it track my daily driver. i would love to have neck snapping power but really id buy an all out sport car if i wanted to race.

i bought my lexus based on my personal driving needs. get around (better) in bad weather. looks nice, sporty feel, and having a nice luxury brand backed by the toyota/lexus name and reliability.

also awd doesnt guarantee you complete "safety." yes its great to not get you stuck in the snow. but you still have to stop on four wheels.

 

AWD is generally slower than RWD for a couple reasons:

1. I'm not going to say 100% of the time, but most of the time an AWD drivetrain is going to be heavier than a RWD system.

2. An AWD drivetrain is generally a more complex system, meaning more mechanical interactions = more friction = greater horsepower loss from the crank to the wheels.


And yes, at a certain point the added traction of AWD is enough to offset the loss of power caused by the drivetrain, and it will be faster than its RWD counterpart. There is no way to say exactly how much power that's going to be though. It depends on car weight, gearing, tires, etc.

 

AWD is great for snow/heavy rain..but as long as you learn how to adapt to a RWD it's honestly 10x better and of course you get more power with the RWD, and MANUAL FTW! As long as you have great tires, especially snow tires in the winter, your fine, just gotta turn off your traction and stability control in case of slips in the rear, but you become a smarter driver that way, because you really know what your car can handle on every level and P.S. DID I MENTION INTENSE STAGGERED WHEEL SETUP FOR RWD

 

mines RWD, hate it during winter, love it when its dry

 

AWD is just great in bad weather, no matter what anyone here says about proper tires blah blah, no one here has driven at highway speeds with confidence, in a blizzard, with summer tires

It is just so confidence inspiring in bad weather. Yes it is a bit more sluggish, but for day to day driving and commute, it is pretty awesome. I can drive normally everyday without a mind about the weather or prepping necessary tires or worry about throttle during turns etc.

Most of the time when I am in a car if I am not on T conference I am brain storming stuff about work, AWD takes some of the dangers of road condition out of my mostly used up brain functions thats left for driving

 

they all have their place, that's the beauty of having more than one option availble to pick from

 

RWD, I will put winter tires on mine soon... but won't drive the IS during the snow days.

 

awd. i loved going through winter with those crappy dunlop sp5000 tires and still never got stuck except for this one time in my driveway when the snow was higher than my bumpers but that's another story. it gives me my piece of mind and i know when i wake up in the morning and there's a blizzard, i can make it to work no problem.

 

awd = drivetrain drag

 

AWD for Chicago weather!!, i love plowing through snow and rain without worrying about slipping ;]