Best place for an engine

[obi_waynne]

In your experience where would you say the best place is for the engine?

The options are Front, Middle or rear?

As far as Rear goes there are some inherent handling issues having all that weight over the back wheels.

Alfa showed how to do a front engine car with a rear mounted gearbox and that had nice balance (the 75 I believe)

There is also a lot to be said for Mid mounted engines such as in the MR2 but these can be harder to work on.

I guess I prefer front engine rear drive but I wouldn't be brave enough to say this is the best setup.

What are your thougts and opinions on this?

 

[turbonutter69]

Mid engined rear wheel drive for me.
Front engine with a 4x4 setup ain't a bad choice either.

 

[HDi fun]

Rear wheel drive is, without doubt, superior to front wheel drive, especially with torquey engines. FWD was devised as a packaging exercise for small cars (original Mini) to allow max interior space and economic construction. At the time no-one ever thought you'd see it in something as big as my own car, let alone a Cadillac!!

The Alfa 75 was good for weight distribution but have the weight either end of the car is no match for a mid engine arrangement where the mass is between the axles.

 

[lutonmatt]

dont think there is a best all have there pros and cons

any thing rwd is good

 

[pgarner]

engine up front in my experiance as thats all ive drven

 

[HDi fun]

"engine up front in my experiance as thats all ive drven"

Try an older 911 and you'[ll get a similar feeling 'cos you'll spend most of your time going backwards

 

[pgarner]

m theres an idea

 

[blacklineninja]

Under the bonnet...

 

[Twamgl3]

MR is a good layout for handling, but reaching over a boot (maybe with a wing on it) to get to stuff is annoying - my abdomem hurts even thinking about when I worked on my AW11!

FF is good at making people think they can handles well, which is why, I imagine I have seen various BMWs and the odd 200SX or 300ZX stacked with the owner complaining they hadn't had it long!

FR or FA, I imagine is the best compromise between working on the car and good handling.

Of course there are exceptions to the shaky rules.

 

[pgarner]

Under the bonnet...

was waiting for that one

 

[MasterAuron]

What is it in a Mid-engined car if it's not a bonnet (front) or boot (rear)?

 

[Twamgl3]

Hood? Canopy? Lid?

 

[Munday]

MR is a good layout for handling, but reaching over a boot (maybe with a wing on it) to get to stuff is annoying - my abdomem hurts even thinking about when I worked on my AW11!

FF is good at making people think they can handles well, which is why, I imagine I have seen various BMWs and the odd 200SX or 300ZX stacked with the owner complaining they hadn't had it long!

FR or FA, I imagine is the best compromise between working on the car and good handling.

Of course there are exceptions to the shaky rules.

So a civic EK9 with Front engine front wheel drive doesnt handle well? It would piss all over a standard 200sx and most other things for that matter round the bends

 

[Twamgl3]

So a civic EK9 with Front engine front wheel drive doesnt handle well? It would piss all over a standard 200sx and most other things for that matter round the bends

What I was suggesting was that an FF car takes less skill to drive well, which may even prove your point. I for one have been overtaken in an FF by many a FR or MR on a straight section, only to catch up to it again by the second bend at the end of the straight!

 

[Munday]

I agree with you about people maybe being apprehensive to take a rwd to the limit so fwd could have the advantage there, nonetheless a EK9 will still maul a 200sx (as an example) round a track with equally skilled drivers

 

[obi_waynne]

What is it in a Mid-engined car if it's not a bonnet (front) or boot (rear)?

Toyota MR2 most Ferrari and Lamborghini. The engine is mounted behind the driver but inside the rear axle. If the engine is on or over the rear axle then I guess we class is as Rear mounted.

 

[MasterAuron]

Lol no you donut I meant what do you call the thing that covers the engine on a Mid-engined car if it's not a boot or a bonnet! I guess canopy would be the most appropriate name.

 

[HDi fun]

The Metro 6R4s engine was installed without any enclosure at all. That must have been LOUUUUDDDDDD!!!!!

Personally I like as quiet as possible so I'm not likely to buy a mid engine car.

Engine amidships has got to be the finest place to start for weight distribution but modern CAD has assisted enormously in suspension design, and computer technology in adaptive suspension is so good that you can build a nose heavy, small, FWD, diesel car and still get go-kart like handling.

I know I hammer on about 'em but the current Micra is stunning in that respect.

 

[turbonutter69]

Lol no you donut I meant what do you call the thing that covers the engine on a Mid-engined car if it's not a boot or a bonnet! I guess canopy would be the most appropriate name.

I'd call it an engine cover

 

[charger69]

you know about skoda 130 L do you? i think it was the only sedan in the world with rear engine.
when it comes to me the best place for an engine is the front (mercedes SLR McLaren for example)

 

[herb]

well for me personally it would be front engine/4wd and cars i have driven with this setup are a scoobys, evo 4/5, celica gt-four and a sierra xr4x4 and i think these cars match the way i drive perfectly

the f/f would be my second choice probably cause thats what i more used to

the f/r setup is not my cup of tea in the slightest i have driven a few bmw's and mercs and with the way i drive the back end always feels twitchy (i know after time i would adjust but i dont want to)

and m/r setup for me was even worse than above the 2 mr2's i have driven 1 a gti and the other a turbo and they both had me driving like i was a learner again scary when usually im such a confident driver

 

[HDi fun]

you know about skoda 130 L do you? i think it was the only sedan in the world with rear engine.
when it comes to me the best place for an engine is the front (mercedes SLR McLaren for example)

There once was an eastern block luxury car with a rear mounted motor - I'll try and think of the maker

And the Hillman Imp

That's is Tatra T87

 

[charger69]

There once was an eastern block luxury car with a rear mounted motor - I'll try and think of the maker

And the Hillman Imp

That's is Tatra T87

yea, i know about tatra's long time ago.
forget to mention them.
they are cool cars, and by the way, they have a car with an engine in the middle, the tatra MTX.

 

[obi_waynne]

Lol no you donut I meant what do you call the thing that covers the engine on a Mid-engined car if it's not a boot or a bonnet! I guess canopy would be the most appropriate name.

Twas a long day! Talk about wrong end of the stick!