Why does some cars have FM (front mid) engine location, while some of them have RM (rear mid) engine locations? And how does it affects the performance of the cars itself?
Many cars are front engined and front wheel drive for economic reasons due to powertrain packaging. Mid engines are generally favoured for high performance cars due to the lower polar moment of inertia which improves handling response.
FWD: High stability and less performance (Generally)
Lower cost, more satability, fuel efficiency , more interior room for passenger because of lack of transmission tunnel which is exist in RWD cars. So it is a good choice for economic (Low segemnt) and city cars. They are more subjected to understeering.
RWD: High perfomance and low stability (Generally)
More expensive, less efficient , more performance and less room with respect to FWD becaus eof transmission tunnel inside the passenger compartement especially for rear passengers BUT they provide a fantastic FUN TO DRIVE thanks to their Architecture. They are more subjected to oversteering. Most of sport and premium cars like BMW, MERCEDES, Jaguar and etc have this type of arcitecture.
Only use rear engines for very sporty cars (Porsche 911). The rest is bettter with front engine. Especially the driving dynamics with front engine is much easier to handle (generell understeering behaviour)
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