Before anyone starts a flame war with me, I want you all to know that I think Imprezas are great, and Subaru is definatly going to change the way people think about cars. But I grew up in America, and no matter how great the impreza is, for me, its just never going to be as great as a good old American V-8. To me, there's NO subsitute for cubic inches. But having that same love for all wheel drive now, i have to wonder...

lets say we take a big v-8 car, something cheaper, say a TransAm. And we make it all wheel drive... and we put better suspenion on it so it can go off road.. granted the camaro probably isn't the best example, since its so ubalanced between the front and rear, but lets pretend that its well balanced. Now you have the power of a v-8, and the versatility of all wheel drive. But anyways, here's my question... how would all wheel drive work on a larger car? Something the size of a camaro or firebird would drive a lot differently than a little impreza. Imagine driving sideways with one! Is that possible? Just rambling on with my thoughts right now, let me know what you all think.

There are big, heavy AWD vehicles. Ever seen a GMC Typhoon? It's not so much how AWD would work, but how it would feel.

The whole reason a Trans Am is such a screaming deal is that it uses old technology. In order to give it the handling dynamics of a Subaru AWD car, you'd have to change a lot, including getting rid of that rear axle.

That being said, sure, it's possible. But the only thing keeping hi-po pony cars alive is the old school, and they'd see AWD and IRS as anathema (look how the Mustang guys reacted to it!) I just don't think it'd ever fly.

heck, they make vans with AWD.

I drag raced a 4x4 GM van in the snow guess who won :) :)

I don't think the two types are mutually exclusive. I went to an 8th mile strip tonight and watched 69 Camaros and Chevelles and Chargers shake the gound like only a 454 can.

Sunday I am going to the Autox which has Porsche and Imprezi as it's two main stars. Not one single car from the strip could perform worth a damn here.

There is room for both types!

There are a lot of Vettes, F-bodies and other V8's that do quite well at autoX. They compete in a different bracket than we do because they are faster AND they handle VERY WELL!

I have an AWD Viper. It's great sideways :D

[ June 07, 2001: Message edited by: Ant WRX ]

That little joke made me remember the Diablo...V12...AWD...Pretty damn big!!!
Not American though.

[ June 07, 2001: Message edited by: Ant WRX ]

Honestly, without moving the engine to the middle of the car and making it a mid engine AWD, there is no way to balance the load, there for the center of gravity would be way high and AWD would only cause people to roll their cars more often..
Just My 2 cents
Mikey B
PS, I still love and Aspire to own a 1959 Cadillac

I think what overtime said is true. Any fundamental change in one of the American icons (i.e. Camaro, Mustang, Trans Am) would be met with hostility.

However, one of the American companies might be able sell an AWD vehicle, sporting a V8, marketed as a performance vehicle, if they marketed it differently. Just think of the acceration of a 330 hp AWD vehicle. I'd like to think people would respond positively to any high performance vehicle but, maybe not.

Hmmm, big V8 and all wheel drive? Sounds a lot like an Audi A8 to me. I've heard it works pretty well...

That is a good reason why America has it's downfall; we as a country do not have good initiative on the technical boudaries. I could say that the Germans have always had that, look what kind of vehicles come out of Europe today. So America would never have even had an idead of AWD if it wasn't for the Euro-Asians. Before writing on this post, I checked the encyclopedia and it was said a Euro-Asian group thought of the AWD. It didn't say who utilized it first but I think it was Asia. It is nice and all that you are so patriotic, but the people who take advantage of our FREEDOM (which is a brainwashing by the American Public), are what is going to, and is corroding our country from within. We are by not the freest country by far today, we may be able to say we were the first, but not today. I have room to say this, too; Because I have been serving in the USMC for 3 years now. I have seen so much bull shiit. You would not believe the advances that other countries have over us! The US is so damn cheap we don't want to utilize initiative to gamble with progress, we would simply be destroyed by others with so called "ingenious ideas". In the automotive boudaries we will always follow behind as other countries, will succeed, as far as the future goes.

OOh Rah!

yeah.. i'm sure the tranny and transfer case from an chevy tahoe will bolt right up..
you would have rear AWD performance!!
until the detroit lockers freeze up and send you tumbling to your death..

or the secondard shaft rips from the transfer case going 90 on the freeway and shreds through the bottom of the car leaving in a wheelchair


chevy doesn't make performance awd ever.
if you try to go over 45 in an AWD american car your engine will explode or you will..

american cars are evil

except an 1970 chevy nova.. which is rad as ****..
hahaha

The only American V8's I respect are from the 60's :p All the current ones just bite...

Note: People are calling the Rex the beginng of the "second musscle car era", so you can see why im saying what im saying :)

Kostamojen, I don't know if you meant the current V8 pony cars suck, or all current American V8's suck. Cause the current Vette kicks ass IMHO. Oh, and the new ZO6, omg, if only I had the money.

You may be interested in doing a search about the Pontiac Grand Prix G8 one-off. It's a 2 door Grand Prix, huge fender flares to acommodate larger wheels, an LS1 350hp engine, and the GM Versatrak AWD system. All this is enough to push the car from 0-60 in 5.5 seconds. Pretty impressive for a car that weighs in probably close to 4,000 pounds. Here's one link... http://formen.ign.com/news/28568.html

you guys ever been in a typhoon/syclone? How does 0-60 in under 5 seconds sound?

Best thing to do is write SOA and ask them for more power from the factory.
www.subaru.com (http://www.subaru.com)

They listen to us!!!

the VISION K2 (http://www.visionk2.com/)
There ya go... american, twin turbo V8 and one of the options is AWD.


I want one of them so BAD.

Oh ya I love the country that is america and the people that make up its population are for the most part good people... but we the people need to reallize that all governments are corupt. Our de-public is no exception.

Ok sorry for the rant but I felt I had to include it for my own sake.

[ June 08, 2001: Message edited by: SHADOWES ]
oh sorry last years model was a twin turbo corvet V8. they must have desided the V12 was better.

[ June 08, 2001: Message edited by: SHADOWES ]