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[zman <zman AT gibbon.kungfumonkey.com>]

On Wed, 18 Dec 2002 childers.paula AT epamail.epa.gov wrote:
> As far as "handling" on ice/snow, it's really about the weight
> distribution. Rear wheel drive cars (with front-mount engines) have less
> of their total weight on the rear drive wheels, and thus break loose,
> skid & slide more easily, and generally have less drive-wheel traction
> in bad conditions. Steve's description of  "unpowered skis" in the front
> is a good one.  Front wheel drive cars generally have the weight of the
> engine block directly over the driven axle, meaning the rear wheels just
> become, well, somewhat extraneous to the whole operation - they'll go
> wherever the pull of the weighted, steered and powered front wheels pull
> them, more or less.

if you look at some of the more high performance cars, they have taken to
seperating the engine from the trannsmission/transaxle and having the
engine in the front and the tranny in the rear. This is probably as close
to 50/50 weight distribution as you'll ever get.

-- 
Scott H. Zekanis
zman AT kungfumonkey.com
scott AT thehellbenders.com
http://www.thehellbenders.com
1957 Buick Riviera Hardtop (2 dr., 364" Nailhead)
1951 Kaiser Henry J (4" chop, 60's custom front end, bellybutton)