What are the characteristics of FF, MR, and FR..a track-driven sports car
Jun 02, 2025
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For this reason, many driving enthusiasts who want to run the track properly take the time to practice. However, there are a number of burdens on track driving. It is natural that traveling to the track takes a lot of time and money. After running on the track all day, there are also significant costs in the process of inspecting and repairing the vehicle.
Due to this situation, many enthusiasts purchase "practice sports cars" to enjoy track driving properly. Fortunately, there are currently several sports cars in Korea depending on how they are driven. For example, Hyundai Motor's Avante N is a FF (front engine - front wheel drive) sports car. Among MR (Midship Engine - Rear Wheel Drive) sports cars widely used in traditional sports cars, Lotus Emira is the only option. As a FR (front engine - rear wheel drive) sports car, the Toyota GR86 is getting a lot of choices.
We looked at what charm each sports car was chosen by track enthusiasts and used for track practice.
Avante N, a cost-effective sports car enjoyed at a reasonable price
Avante N is a model that has opened up the era of domestic sports cars. Even before that, there were several domestic cars that advocated sports cars, but they never showed full-fledged performance enough to handle track driving. In fact, the Avante N has received a lot of attention since its launch as it has evenly specifications that can encompass everyday life and tracks.
The engine is noteworthy. A four-cylinder 2.0L turbo engine delivers a maximum power of 280 horsepower and a maximum torque of 40.0 kg·m to the front wheels through a six-speed manual transmission or a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. This FF configuration is generally known to be unfavorable to track driving. This is because understeer entering a corner occurs at a high speed, and it is not possible to take advantage of the load being loaded onto the rear wheel in a sudden acceleration situation.
The key to the Avante N's choice as a track car can be found in its solid chassis, which minimizes understeer and raises fun. While increasing the rigidity of the suspension and steering compared to regular Avante, it added dedicated parts to improve responsiveness and durability. The brake, which delivers the most load when driving on the track, has also been reinforced by increasing the diameter of the disk and adding high-performance pads.
Other features are also noticeable. For example, electronic LSD increases the driving power of the front and left wheels, and electronic control suspensions minimize load movement. In addition to this, several functions such as rev matching, launch control, and engine boost were added to double the driving fun. The Avante N has established itself as a synonym for a cost-effective track sports car in that it can be purchased at a price of 30 million won despite such a fruitful composition.
Track-driving sports car
Track-driving sports car
Track-driving sports car
Emira Continues Lotus Heritage, Authentic Midship Sports Car
In general, midship sports cars are discussed as a sports car suitable for track driving. This is because the heaviest engine in the car is placed low in the middle of the body. However, most midship sports cars have a price tag of over hundreds of millions of won. Although it is the best method for track driving, it is often in a paradoxical situation where the track cannot run due to the burden of maintenance costs caused by track driving.
In this situation, Lotus Emmy is like a welcome rain in the dry sky. The price is around 150 million won, so it is relatively less burdensome than other mid-size sports cars. However, except for the price, Emmy has a wide range of elements of traditional sports cars that are sufficient to enjoy the track by itself.
First of all, Emira consists of a short 4.4m body and a light tolerance weight of 1,400kg. There are two engines in the center of the body. The Emira V6 comes with a V6 3.5L supercharger engine. The maximum power is 405 horsepower and the maximum torque is 42.9 kg·m. Another model, Emira 2L, shows off a formidable performance with a maximum power of 364 horsepower and a maximum torque of 43.9kg·m through a series four-cylinder 2.0L turbo engine.
Above all, the Emira V6 can be expected to have a "sweet taste" in that it is equipped with a six-speed manual transmission that is difficult to see even in the sports car market. Of course, it is also possible to select a six-speed automatic transmission as an option. For reference, the Emira 2L's transmission has a great sense of direct connection and is agile, making it an 8-speed dual clutch method suitable for track driving.
Lotus's lightweight sports car manufacturing technology is known to be concentrated in the chassis, which is commonly applied to the two emiras. In particular, it is interesting to be able to order sports settings suitable for track driving in addition to tours suitable for daily life at the ordering stage of Emira. Sports settings that are available with the Lotus Driver Pack option will come with a solid suspension, Michelin Pilot Sports Cup 2 tires and more.
Sports car that combines boxer engine and FR drive system, GR86
Sports cars using FR-driven systems think the FF method is not suitable for track driving, and the Midship is the most suitable method for burdensome people. However, FR sports cars can be difficult for track beginners because strong engine force is transmitted only to the rear wheels. In this situation, the Toyota GR86 is the sports car that is drawing attention.
The Toyota GR86 is rather normal when you look at specifications alone. The maximum power of the 2.4-liter natural intake engine is 231 horsepower and the maximum torque is only 25.5 kg·m. However, a detailed specification gives a glimpse of the extraordinary nature of GR86. First of all, the engine type is unique. It uses a horizontal counter engine in which four cylinders are horizontally arranged in two left and right directions. Thanks to this, the center of gravity is extremely low. The engine speed, which produces the highest power, also reaches 7,000 rpm, so you can enjoy the thrill.
The GR86 is a manual transmission sports car that is rare in the domestic automobile market. Avante N and Lotus Emira also offer a six-speed manual transmission, but for the GR86, the automatic transmission option itself does not exist. Therefore, the GR86 is highly regarded as a car for pure sports car enthusiasts. Above all, it is suitable for track beginners to build their driving skills because they can run on the track by controlling the output with a six-speed manual transmission.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
