theboom

The concept of rear wheel steering interests me. I was wondering if they might ever put rear wheel steering on a corvette. There are many high end cars that already have it from luxury to performance cars.

I’m also wondering what benefits it has on performance cars. On luxury cars the benefits are smaller turning circle and high speed stability which I think that by itself makes it worth it. But as far as performance goes I’m not sure. Ferrari made a video about the f12’s rear steering and they claimed that it increases cornering speed and lateral acceleration grip but does anyone else have any input on how it helps from a performance standpoint? All cars that have it turn the tires in the same direction as the front when above ~30mph or so, so keep that in mind.

NY09C6

GM had it as an option in their pickup trucks many years ago. I guess it comes down to how much we all want the car to cost.

Quinten33

That insane Mercedes-AMG GT-R has it, and it is considered by many to be one of the best handling cars out there. All wheel steering improves steering response and allows you to carry more speed all the way through corners. It also makes turning feel a lot easier and smooth(one person told me that turning in his his AMG at high speeds feels like turning in his Miata at speed limits). It seems pretty good to me. Porsche uses it on a plethora of cars, and I think that includes the Nurburgring record holder. I would love to see all wheel steering as an option. The performance hungry would really appreciate it and those who buy vettes for comfort would benefit from the smooth and effortless turning.

sunsalem

Rear wheel steering is one of those features I would like to see on the ME.
It soon will become the norm in performance cars.

MitchAlsup

A modern Corvette already has rear wheel steering, it is controlled by the right foot!

Steve Garrett

Lamborghini Aventador S now has it too.

stevebz06

With modern electronics it seems to be a great idea. I just wonder how things will turn out if it fails mid corner when you are committed. Kind of like I found out what happens to a new set of tires when I was doing hard braking and then the ABS fails.

sunsalem

You bring up a good point.
The reviews I have read were pretty positive regarding RWS.
Time will tell if it is destined for the ME and/or Corvette.

KnightDriveTV

Honda Preludes had all wheel steering in 1990....Honda also had variable valve timing and lift in 1990, variable intake manifold geometry in 1994, variable cam timing in 2001....yet people often pour lots of hate on the brand. Some of the best engineering out there throughout the 90's...that's why I loved the B series engines...no doubt influenced LSx engine development internally.

BMan0660

3000gt/Stealth had it way back in the 90s as well. It was more of a primitive stability control IMO. Rear wheels turned in the same direction under high steer rates. Helps keep the rear and in line under dynamic maneuvers but doesn't affect steady state.

Quadra-steer. A little different. Rear wheels turned in the opposite direction as the front to make the steering radius smaller at low speeds. Was completely disable at speed above like 5mph.

Rapid Fred

I had an RX7 Turbo II (the '80's RX7) which had a primitive version which steered opposite at low speeds and same direction at higher g-forces. All mechanical, so pretty clever engineering -- BUT -- slick surfaces (think rain) tended to fool it. My underwear budget was quite high that year. Scariest car I ever owned and I was happy to be rid of it!

I am sure that none of the AWS variants out there today have this failing.

rgregory

Yes it does but their fastest best handling car does not use it.

I would rather they focus on saving weight than add the complication of rear steering. Making the car lightweight will aid in handling way more than adding rear steering.

rgregory

I had a '93 and they didn't keep that for the 3rd gen and it was a fun to drive great handling car.

JoesC5

The AMG GT R weighs 88 pounds less than the C7Z06(both are front engine with a carbon fiber toque tube and a transaxle, all bolted to a aluminum space frame).

The AMG GT R has rear wheel steering and the heavier C7 Z06 does not.

Apparently Mercedes knows a little more about saving weight than does GM, since Mecedes included rear wheel steering and ended up with less weight.

BMan0660

For an extra $50k....

JoesC5

What does $50K have to do with rear wheel steering and weight? The $140,000 Porsche 911 GT3 Touring has rear wheel steering and less weight than a $120,000 C7 Z06

Redalfie

In 2003 I bought a GMC Quadra steer pickup. I normally don’t keep vehicles a long time. I absolutely loved it. They discontinued all wheel steering in 2005. Had I known they where discontinuing it I would have bought a 2005.I kept it for 10 years. It was great in both high and low speeds. The rear wheels steered opposite the fronts until you hit 45 MPL. Above 45MPH they steer with the fronts. It stays working at all times. With a pickup they had a switch on the dash that gave two other options to put the steering into. You could turn it off and that would lock the rear wheels straight. The third option is for towing. Backing up with a trailer and four wheel steering is different. Exiting a highway or doing a high speed maneuver are extremely comfortable. It didn’t feel like a pick up at all. I think it would be a great fit into a C8.

Racer X

All wheel steering creates a different handling dynamic. If it changes from opposite to same direction steering in the middle of a turn, and does that change your line from where you expected it to be?

Maybe with all nannies on, it would be great. But how would/should it change as you moved to sport, track, weather type modes? Does a inconsistent response to inputs create problems on the track or in emergency situations?

rgregory

And it could have been more than 88 lighter if it wasn’t aws.


C7 zo6 is way too heavy. 3200 or less should be the goal.

CPhelps

I thought Quadra-steer didn't disable above 5, but switched from turning the opposite way to turning the same way to help with lane changes.

The new CT6 Cadillac also has four wheel steering as an option, so GM has done it recently on a performance/luxury car.