I’ve got 197 horses on the front wheels of my car. And all that’s happening is that I’m leaving my expensive precious Pirellis smeared across the pavement near stop lines all over Toronto…
What should be the most power going to the front wheels of a car?
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
Learn to use the clutch or buy a hybrid.....
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
Automatics have no clutches. I'm getting the mother of all wheelspin....
A kinf of solution to the problem is to switch the gearbox to winter mode so that it starts in second gear. But that takes a lot of the fun out of driving.
Otherwise, I'm reduced to verrrry gentle pushes on the accelerator until after the turbo kicks in at 1800 rms, then I can push her in and have fun.
But really, with that much power, why didn't Volvo send it to the back wheels like they did in the olden days? (read "olden days" as 1980s)
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
MS, there are many new cars that come with rear wheel drive. You just happen to pick a model with Front Wheel drive.
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
depends on the driver mostly.
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
197 isn't a huge amount of power - u just have to know how to drive the car - my friend recently bought an Audi RS6 - wow,, just read these figures - 4.2 V8, twin turbo, 480BHP - now that rocks!... it seriously rocks - its a quattro,, so the 4x4 really helps and so do the electronics - - but yeh, as Brute said above, it depends on the driver - u need to know how to take off at the lights!!! .
happy driving!.. :)
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
marry some fat lady/guy (whatever suits you :D ) and make her sit on the hood
200 is max tho :)
and depends on the driver yea :)
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
MS just make sure that the front horses are females and the reas ones male. It always works out in the end. Same concept men chase women, horses in your rear wheel will chase the horsans in the fronts. Smooth performance.
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
I didn’t just happen to pick front wheel drive. I was considering the BMW 3-series, Lexus IS 300, and Mercedes CLK, but ended up rejecting all of those precisely because they were rear-wheel drive. In a snowy and icy Canadian winter, I prefer having the eight of the engine pushing down on the drive wheels.
Only problem is, now winter is over and this engine is a leeeeeeetle bit more powerful than what I’m used to. My 2002 Civic in England had 108 bhp , the Volvo is turbocharged and have nearly twice that much power, and a hell of a lot more torque.
Maybe I should have gone for the AWD Audi or Subaru instead…
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
Yer such a Sally. 197 HP is not that much.
Try this on for size, 725 HP:
http://www.uniqueperformance.com/supersnakeGT500E.aspx
More than likely your Pirellis are rock hard, and have no real stickiness. Of couse sticky tires last about a week. Your choice.
In the mean time, you are pressing on the accellerator hard enough to get up into the RPM range where the turbo kicks in, and the boost must come on very suddenly. At least by having the engine sitting over the wheels it applies some weight to the wheels, real wheel drive would be worse. Control your urges, and try to avoid looking like a testosterone laden adolescent. Turn down the thumpy Rap music, and get rid of the stupid looking spinner hub caps, as well as the furry dice hanging off the rear view mirror…
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
u might need different kind of tires on it ... but yea 197 aint that much .. acuras are all front wheel drive aside from the rl which is basically front wheel too if u count out the allwheel drive. Take a TL that has 270. You just need to let it start of gentle ....
p.s who cares about the tires .. :p just gun it
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
lol, M_S - why are you ignoring all the wonderful people who have already said it's the driver? Aside from proper inflation of your tires (which is a possibility), you have a lead foot.
You're not used to the responsiveness, adjust your foot, not ur car :D
I had a chevelle I would street race and a corolla and a suburban for home. The chevelle would take off at the drop of a hat, so adjusting from one car to the next was a chore sometimes.
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
MS, it’s ironic that you rejected RWD because of snow and went for FWD. Should have got an AWD and please stop saying that 197 is too much power. Yes it’s a big jump for you from 108 to 197 but still for some people like myself 197 is too low.
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
Mad Scientist needs a nice battery powered thingy:
[thumb=H]2717554_4183038.JPG[/thumb]
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
Maddy… what’ve you been driving before this new Volvo thingie? 197 is fairly small compared to 240HP in Accord and I don’t have problems picking it up slowly… or were you driving Suzuki FX before this one? 
EDIT: Okay I just read your response above and you were driving 108HP before this one… but you should be used to handling 197HP already unless you don’t know weight of your foot 
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
Grab a set of Hoosiers wrapped around magnesium wheels, NICE
ure picky on this amount of power - try driving a 4g63t(evo3) powered colt hatchie.
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
Post another picture of your foot and the answer will be self evident to all guppies. 
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
^^ lol
Please don't post another picture... I just ate!
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
Thanks for posting the picture, i was beginning to think you were trying to address maddie’s other needs.
Re: How much horsepower is too much for front-wheel drive?
In all honesty I dont understand this hoese crap in engines. I had a Ford explorer with 230 horses, I dont know whether it was rear or front (but doesnt matter thats why they have a reverse gear) wheel. Now I have a Land Rover Discovery with 197 horses.
LR is more powerful with less horses. I asked the salesman and he said something about 6 cyl vs 8 cyl. Maybe you should go to the dealer and ask him to install another cyl rather than shoving another horse under the hood.
One question do you have two pipes in the back or one. I think it does make a difference if smoke comes out of two (something like a jet engine). I just welded another under my LR it looks coool to have a two or more pipes sticking out.