Sketch of RR layout

In automobile design, an RR, or Rear-engine, Rear-wheel drive layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the rear of the vehicle. In contrast to the RMR layout, however, the center of gravity of the engine itself is actually past the rear axle. This is not to be confused with the center of gravity of the whole vehicle, as an imbalance of such proportions would make it impossible to keep the front wheels on the ground. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Automotive design. ... Rear-wheel drive (or RWD for short) is an engine/transmission layout used in automobiles. ... An engine is something that produces an effect from a given input. ... Sketch of RMR layout In automobile design, an RMR or Rear Mid-engine, Rear-wheel drive layout is one in which the rear wheels are driven by an engine placed just in front of them, behind the passenger compartment. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... An engine is something that produces an effect from a given input. ...

This layout is typically chosen for a combination of several reasons. For optimal handling and to eliminate the phenomenon known as torque steer, the wheels which propel the car should not be the same ones that steer it.^{[citation needed]} For optimum traction, the engine should be nearest to the driven wheels since the engine is typically the densest/heaviest component of the car. Thus, in a car which steers with the front wheels, it is better for the engine to be located in the rear of the car — either a RR or RMR design.^{[citation needed]} Car handling and vehicle handling is a description of the way wheeled vehicles perform transverse to their direction of motion, particularly during cornering and swerving. ... Front wheel drive is the most common form of engine/transmission layout used in modern automobiles, where the engine drives the front wheels. ... Sketch of RMR layout In automobile design, an RMR or Rear Mid-engine, Rear-wheel drive layout is one in which the rear wheels are driven by an engine placed just in front of them, behind the passenger compartment. ...

The disadvantages of the RR configuration is that placing the engine outside the wheelbase creates significant problems for handling as, when the car begins to slide on a corner, the end of the car will tend to want to swing wide and overtake the front — especially under braking. This tendency is referred to as oversteer and creates potential safety issues in racing applications as well as for ordinary drivers on wet or icy roads, although such behavior is desirable in drifting, a motorsport based on intentional oversteer. Ideally, when the car reaches the turn, the driver will steer it along the line marked with green dots. ... A Toyota Supra in drifting exhibition in Atlanta in 2005. ...

In addition, even though the rear wheels benefit from the additional traction the added weight of the engine gives, the front wheels still need traction in order to steer the car effectively. For this reason, a RR layout car can also be prone to understeer. Most manufacturers have abandoned the RR layout apart from Porsche who has gradually developed their design with improvements to the suspension as well as electronic aids to reduce the shortcomings of the layout to acceptable levels. Understeer is a term for a car handling condition during cornering in which the circular path of the vehicles motion is of a markedly greater diameter than the circle indicated by the direction its wheels are pointed. ... This article is about the auto company. ...

Further, problems with engine cooling are commonplace. Since the radiator is not at the front of the automobile, it does not benefit from the airflow a front-engine car would readily avail of. Special ducting must be built into the body of the car to facilitate airflow to the radiator, therefore.

While Porsche has continued to keep its 911 model as a rear-engined vehicle, most versions of the 911 are now all-wheel drive. Versions such as the GT3 remain true RR, however. This article is about the auto company. ... Porsche 911 in hillclimb The Porsche 911 (pronounced as nine eleven) is a sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. ... This article is missing citation of sources. ... The Porsche 911 GT3 is a high performance version of Porsches sports car, the 911. ...

Another manufacturer to implement the RR configuration was the De Lorean Motor Company with its DMC-12 sports car. To compensate for the uneven (35/65) weight distribution caused by the rear-mounted engine, De Lorean used rear wheels with a diameter slightly greater than the front wheels. Other than the Porsche 911, the last mass produced RR configured car, at least in Europe, is the Smart Fortwo. Before that was the Škoda 130/135/136 (produced until 1990) or the Polski Fiat 126p (produced until October 2000). The De Lorean Motor Company (DMC) was a short-lived automobile manufacturer formed by automobile industry executive John De Lorean in 1975. ... The De Lorean DMC-12 is an American sports car which was manufactured by the De Lorean Motor Company from 1981 to 1983 in Northern Ireland. ... Porsche 911 in hillclimb The Porsche 911 (pronounced as nine eleven) is a sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. ... The Fortwo is the original Smart model, launched in 1998 as City Coupe. ... The Å koda 130/135/136 were three variations of a rear-engined, rear-wheel drive car that was produced by Czech car manufacturer Å koda Auto in Mladá Boleslav, Czechoslovakia between 1984 and 1990. ... Polski Fiat 126p (in English: Polish Fiat 126p) is a small car produced in Poland between 1973 and 2000. ...

A range of sports road cars and racing cars with the RR layout were produced by the French company Alpine. These had bodies made of composite materials and used mechanical components made by Renault. (Alpine was eventually acquired by Renault; the A610 was a Renault product that used the Alpine name.) Alpine A110 1600S Alpine was a French manufacturer of racing and sports cars which used rear mounted Renault engines. ... A cloth of woven carbon fiber filaments, a common element in composite materials Composite materials (or composites for short) are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties and which remain separate and distinct within the finished structure. ... The Renault Alpine GTA and Renault Alpine A610 were two successive versions of a coupe automobile produced by the Renault-owned French manufacturer Alpine between 1986 and 1995. ...

Early cars using the RR layout include the Tucker, the Volkswagen Beetle, the Porsche 356, and the Chevrolet Corvair. 1948 Tuckers on display at the Gilmore Car Museum. ... This article is about the original Volkswagen Beetle. ... The Porsche 356 was a sports car produced from 1948 through 1965. ... Corvair convertible The Chevrolet Corvair was an automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors from 1960 to 1969. ...