"YukonBound" wrote in message
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"John H" wrote in message
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On Fri, 7 Jan 2011 18:19:01 -0800, "Califbill"

wrote:

wrote in message ...

On Fri, 07 Jan 2011 09:27:24 -0500, "A.True.Boater"
wrote:

On 1/7/11 9:14 AM, I am Tosk wrote:
And anybody who has raced knows if you are going off the road, hit the
gas and get that back end between you and the guardrail. I did this
without even thinking about it a few years back when I hit the ice in
my
Wrangler... I slid long enough to know I wasn't catching it, so as I
came around I stayed in the throttle t

There are advantages of front wheel drive which include

Lower cost - you have reduced the cost of the driveshaft and additional
hardware. The has an advantage of providing better fuel economy due to
weight reduction.

Cabin Space You have increased the space inside of the car, by removing
the drivetrain

Traction - with the weight of the engine over the drive wheels you can
have better traction in slippery conditions

That being said, there are many automotive enthusiasts and engineers
who agree with you that front wheel drive sucks. Auto design like boat
design is a series of compromises.

Auto manufacturers like it because the whole drive train comes in on a
pallet and they slam it in in one piece. With standardized mounting
points it becomes a commodity item. That is why you see so few engines
these days.


Reply:
They also like it as you have a flat floorpan. Ease of interior design
and
more legroom in a smaller car. More wear on the front wheels as they are
both steering and powering. Means more traction required in the same
conditions for the front tires. More complicated transmission to wheel
coupling. But is quicker to assemble as a complete car. No drive shafts
to
connect, no extra transmission to install. But I do not mind driving a
front wheel drive car, but would be much harder to drift in a turn. Plus
all of the front wheel drive cars I have owned, including the newest a
2009
Venza all torque steer.

Is the Venza about the same as the Lexus 350 (or whatever it is now)? I'm
thinking of one of those for MrsH when she's tired of her Highlander. How
do you
like the Venza?

~~ Snerk ~~ Least reliable of the Toyotas...... better re-new your
subscription to Consumers Reports.
Another Toyota where the windshield seems to cave in on you.


Reply: Who the crap believes CR? They report to the highest bidder. Wife
loves the Venza. Gets worse mileage than I think it should. About 22-24 on
the highway. Buddy, same engine in a Avalon, gets about 30 mpg. Road noise
with the 20" tires is louder than I think it should be. Good visibility,
nice ride, good handling. Wife and I disliked the Highlander for a couple
reasons. Box with no style and the rear visibility with the rear seat
headrests sucks. Reliability? No problems in 2 years and 24000 miles.
Only recall is floor mats. Actually had one problem fixed at first service.
The overhead switch for garage door opener was bad. Hers in fully loaded.
Only thing it does not have that we wanted was seat heaters.