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ENGINE &DRTVEII WHERE SHOULDTHEYGO? In handling and traction tests of conventional, front-drive, mid-engine and rear-engine layouts in four similar cars, we found each to have its own advantages and disadvantages. l't (Reptitllecl frcm JtlLy 1973 Radd & 7tdch.) (oDriehl 1973 CBS Pt blratrcrs unique 'N THE REGINNING it didn't much matter where the engine to further confusion. Better to say that each has its o\rn was, so Iong as it was near the driving wheels. The imPortant characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. thing was whether or not a car actually moved under its With that general viewpoint, we set out on this test to find own poier, not how fast it traveled or how well it went around out just whaa those characteristics, advantages and disadvan- exPerience uith car\ of the corners. But as cars became more soPhisticated and People tagei are. Our year-in. lear-out became more sophisticated about ca$, controversy arose con- vaiiou" mechanical arrangements led us naturally to have some cerning the inherent superiority of one design over the others. preconceptions. Some ot these \4ere connrmed by our testsl One famous manulacturer of lronl_wheel-drive cars argued that othert were contrddicled. Belore we 80 lo our lests and their and the lour since no one in his right mind would Pul the carl belore the results, lefs first discuss the theory Practice of horse, an engine should be used to Pull the car instead of layouts. pu.hrng rt. fhe'e und .imil.rr arBumenlc continue. and thor-tgh Rear DriYe iutonr.riue,le.ign prdclr(e har er,-rlred tnto lour ba:.ic catego. Front Engine/ ries-front engine/rear drive. rear engine/rear drive, front en- nFs( RtpTIoNs oF lhe firsl 3ulomobiles as horseless carriages gine lrunt drire. and mid-enBIne.relr dri\e lhere is 'lill 3 l-,f are really quite appropridte. Thel were lilerall) car- wheelbase, enormous ground clearalce, latge- grneral lacl of agreemenl as to uhiih i. best. riages-short _ One area in particular-vehicle stability and handling has diameter wheels and all with a small engine fitted under the been the subject of some of the most heated debates. Each seat. At that time this was adequate lor low-sPeed motoring manui'acturer can list any number of reasons why its particular with two or three Passel8ers. But cars began to grow larger, dc,ipn i.5upcflor. Thlt.ome carmalers ha\e endinc. and dri\e especrall; in America. and space for six or se\en Passengers trdin\ in more IhJn one localion tn similar car. and cdn pre\ent wis demanded. Engines had to be increased in size to pull equally convincing arguments for each with a straighi face leads (or push) these loadi and it soon became apParent that locating Fig 1 TEST CAR SPECIFICATIONS Op€l GT Saab Sonett Porsche9l,l VwKarmannchis front engine/ front engine/ mid- engine/ r€ar ergine/ .err drire fron. drive relr drive rear drive G€neral: Curb weight. lb 2035 r8r0 2145 1960 weiehl Di\rribution 1*irl ar;u.9, lronr/rear, % 5r/45 60/40 41153 4)/58 95 _',1 84.6 96.5 94.5 49.4/ 50.6 48.5/48.5 52_4 /54_O* 51.3 /52_7 Lentlh 161.9 160.0 159.4 165.0 62.2 59.1 6s.0 64.3 Heishl 41.4 4'7.o 48.4 52.0 Engine: Displacemcnr. cc 1897 1698 l91l 1584 Bhi @ rpm. ner 75 @ 4800 65 @ 4?00 et @ 4e$ !9 @ !009 I9IC"i@_1p4.!:! 2 @l! 85 @ 2500 roe @ 3000 72 @ 2800 Chassis: l3x5 l5x4h l5x4k* l5x4l, Tires (original equipment) 165-13 hias 155-15 radial 165-15 radial 6.00-15 bias recommended tire pressures, fronl/rear, psi t9/23 24/22 26/29 18/27 Froni Suspension Indeperdent, Independent. Independenl, IndePendenl, Trans Leaf Spring Coil Springs Torsion BarS Torsion Bars Rear Suspension Live Axle, Beam Axle, lndePendent. Independent, Coil SPrings Coil Sp.ings Torsion Bars Torsion Bars _ + 15 x 51, wheels are original equipment on 914 2-ti1er; 15 x 4h wheels w€re used for this le't dnd aa\e lerr (or these rrdck dimens'on\. Balanced weight distribution of a mid-engine layout is a disadvantage fu the snow, but "dead" weight on the dritet wheels can be used to get through low'traction situations the engine under the seat was no lonSer practical. company used the principle in a series production car. h Ger- The geography of the U.S. had an influence on engine place- many during the Thirties the low-priced Adler proved popular ment as well. LonB, flat stretches in the midwest and the hiSh as did the lwd DKW, and Europeans developed an interest mountains of the west required cars with greater horsepower in fwd. Citroen has built nothing but fwd cars since 1936 and and as metallurgy was in its inlancy. increasing power meant in England fwd was given a boost by various Austin and Morris larger and larger engines. Displacements of 500 arld 600 cu models starting with the Mini. Today companies such as Fiat, in. weren't uncommon-try fitting one of those monsters under Saab. Renault and Audi build fwd cars with technical and lhe rear seat! commercial success. The effect of racing on automotive design was also stron8. In the U.S. fwd is new only to the youthful and forgetful; Cars that were successful in racing sold well to the public and at least five such cars have been produced in some volume. those early American racers were big, brutish affairs with enor- 'fhe last one before WWII was the legendary but relatively mous engines located up front. But even then designers knew shorrlived coffn-nose Cord. discontinued in 1937. The first something about wheel loadings and the effect of weight dis- modem American lwd design, the Oldsmobile Toronado, ap- tdbution on handling, so many of these cars were actually peared in 1966 and was lollowed one year later by the related forward mid-engine designs with the engine several inches Cadillac Eldorado. Though technically interesting, these cars behind the front axle For better weight distributior. are successful more for their luxury appeal than the esoteric Over the years a great wealth of know-how about designing aspects of fwd. cars with front engines and rear drive was built up, and it was In Europe and Japan the current trend 1() smaller urban-type cheap and convenienl to incorporate a high proportion of cars has resulted in several fwd desigrs: Peugeol 104, Renault well-tried components in each succeeding new model. So the 5, Honda Civic and Subaru models to name just a few. conservative auto industry, especially in the U.S. and Britain, Why such interest in fwd? A lwd layout gives maximum was reluctant to change from the established front engine and interior passenger and luggage space with minimum outside rear ddve. dimensions, particularly when the engine is transverse in the There are advaltages other than cost and design experience chassis. It's easy to see why. Combining the engine, transmission to a front entine/rear d ve layout. Size is a major factor. and final drive into one unit makes for a compact power Packaging five or six passengers plus luggage is a more difficult package. The driveshaft is eliminated, making a flat floor possi- engineering task with a rear engine desigo and to date it hasn't ble, and even a simple beam axle at the rear reduces trunk been done wjth a midship engine in the current sense. A front intrusion to a minimum. There is a drawback to this design engine/rear drive car lends itselfto an inexpe$ive independent sophistication: added cost. Contributing factors include the front suspension for improvements in ride and steering. A solid more costly gearing on a fwd car and the rather tricky front axle at the rear cannot otrer the lirst-class ride of independent axle system- More money must also be spent to keep noise designs but does have its advantages. One is low cost; the other and vibration irom the power unit out of the passenger com- is the elimination of camber change with its possible extra tire partment. But there are oflsetting cost savings as well. A beam wear and abrupt reversals in handling characteristics. axle is simpler to suspend than the solid live axle of a rear-drive The effect of ram air through the front grille and forward- car (although some fwd cars have independent rear suspension). mounted radiator makes a frcnt engine relatively easy to cool The driveshaft is also eliminated-another saving. and accessibility ofcommonly serviced components is generally better tharl with mid- or rear-engine designs. Today, safety is arl obvious consideration and most designers see in the front- engine layout the only solution to providing adequate crush space (for protecting passengers in a front-end crash) at reason- able cost. Then there's handling. A noseheavy front-engine car under- steers under most conditions and engineers view this as an asset for the average driver. A driver is less likely to get into serious trouble upon entedng a corner too last if the car's front end runs wide than if its tail has a tendency to come around. There are minuses to a front engine/rear ddve layout as well. The driveshaft is a necessary evil of any front engine/rear drive car; it encroaches on passenger space and makes lor uncom- fo able seati[g for the middle passengers.
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