So far the consensus seems to be:

From AWD owners, you need AWD;
From RWD owners, you dont need AWD.

 

So AWD with drag radials is is slower? I dont understand.
I think we have to compare with the same tires, conditions.

 

This forum always exceeds expectations!

 

Not quite. I have rwd but would have preferred awd had one come up with the right colour and options when I was looking for the car. Where i live i can never drive at anywhere near 9/10s because the roads are too congested. It also rains 1 day in 3 and snows occasionally in the winter. My F is my daily driver so awd would benefit me because my only real bit of fun most days is quick traffic light starts and my F wheelspins when i do that. I had awd in my XE and liked the system.

 

Everyone agree that awd is safer and faster in wet streets. But is it faster in good streets and dry conditions? Someone like me agree awd faster some others are afraid of the weigh, less power and ugliest thing... Engine 1, 5" higher.
​​​​​​Ok for the 80kg more wheight, but less power? Its not a 4x4, awd became a RWD after a start , so are you sure about rhis?
Another thing engine 1,5" higher to fit trasmission, are you sure barycentre is higher? They fit some weight in the low car position with awd , are you sure about higher barycentre?

 

Drag radials really don't make much sense on a sportscar unless you only have straight roads to drive on. Under that circumstance, a sportscar really doesn't make much sense either. Time to buy a Hellcat.

 

Yeah, that's why I'm not buying drag radials. But if I were in an AWD F-Type R lining up against a RWD R with drag radials, I would be worried. Cup2s or R888Rs will make for a formidable 650 HP car.

The Hellcat is in even worse tire hell than we are with OEM 275 PZeros on 9.5" rims. They need tires plus replica rear wheels to put up respectable numbers. And at a factory-tuned, non street legal 800HP on race gas over 4450 lbs, it still probably needs drag radials to beat a higher power to weight ratio, street legal tuned 650 HP RWD F-type on 93.

So yeah, I agree, drag radials are a pretty painful one trick pony, but so is 0-60 from a dig. A high power to weight ratio at the lightest possible curb weight to turn the car, OTOH, is a big part of an overall sports car experience. It's why the heavier C8 product roadmap is turning out to be inferior to the C7 Corvette.

 

Often RWD owners have said that you can't drift or have fun with AWD. I don't agree with that, I enjoy drifting in almost every possible turn and it's AWD

 

I've learned that I don't need what I have and don't have what I need, and that neither would be right for my driving. At least, that's how it seems. If I paid more attention to the criticism, I'd be in danger of not enjoying the car.

What was the question?

 

Another disadvantage of the AWD is the noticeably larger turning radius.

 

Considering to buy the new f-type 5.0 V8 450 hp (580 nm) do you think awd is required?

 

Really? I've been impressed at how tight mine will turn, but I did come from an XKR.
Just looked it up - radius is an extra foot, not really that noticeable, surely? I guess it depends how tight your turn requirements are.

 

I like it tight :-) My RWD impresses me each time I use the full steering input in a sharp turn.
But sure, a one foot increase in turning radius is probably not a show stopper, but not an advantage. Just thought I should point it out for completeness.

 

That is very individual, and depending of use (weather/winter etc).
I have the MY15 rwd V8 550 hp (680 nm), and would not have anything else. It is a very easy car to drive, but when you want to use all of the power, you need to be carefull and learn how the car behaves. That is the real fun of it - for me 😉

 

I (and a number of others) have the v6 tuned up to 450hp. It doesnt need AWD driven in the wet or dry. I dont know about snow. 450hp is a very sweet spot for the car IMO though it would depend on how freely it revs.

 

I'm dynoing 560 WHP with RWD and I would love a few hundred more. I'm on MP4Ss that are great all around and especially in the rain, but overwehlmed on hard acceleration. When spring comes around I'll sacrifice wet performance for Cup 2s or R888Rs and hope to put some good numbers down.

Personally I think this Jaguar is a p.u.s.s.y cat with RWD at 650 HP.

 

I disagree very strongly with my otherwise learned forum members on these points :

Like many on here I am old enough to have learned to drive before ABS was commonplace, was taught cadence breaking techniques for braking on snow/ ice. Even in my twenties I wouldn't have come close to 10 Hz brake applications that modern abs manage.

The benefits of ESP / DSC are even more significant to drivers of all skill levels from beginner to expert, the reason is simple, it can take corrective action beyond that of any driver, by braking independently one wheel.

Anyone is entitled to have their own opinion on this matter, they can't have their own version of the facts.

 

I would not disagree with anything you wrote. The question is does an F-Type need to match an SUV in inclement weather capability?

I would prefer to ditch every automated system that adds weight including the touch screen. Otherwise, what is a sportscar? DSC is fine since it can be turned off, as long as it doesn't add weight which I doubt. Even with V8 RWD I turn it off on dry pavement because predictablility is always better than uncommanded, unknowable intervention IMO.

RWD with no help is the way cars have been for most of auto history, and it's a great perfectly safe layout. Increasing rain, snow, and off road performance makes no sense for a serious sportscar/supercar unless it's weight and cost free. It makes perfect sense for an all season sedan, SUV, or 4x4.

 

The turning radius of a tuned RWD V6 with the DSC turned off isn’t much more than the length of the car.

 

With a v6, awd is not needed. You’re adding extra weight to the front end, more complexity which means more parts that will fail and need to be maintained at extra cost. If you think you need better traction on a v6, simply upgrade the tires. If you are worried about slipping in snow or ice - get snow tires or just don’t drive it. Snow tires with rwd are superior to awd on regular tires. Awd May help you move forward better in snow or ice, but it will stops and corner just as poorly as rwd.

for the v8s, I can understand that 500+ Wont hook for crap, so maybe awd might be nice for them folks (or their wives lol) who tend to drive their cars in snowy / slippery conditions. Personally the early v8 w rwd in manual would be Ideal.