I have my mother's Accord and I've always wondered how it would feel to drive a RWD. I've sat in my friend's MX-5, my uncle's MR2 turbo, but I don't really feel the difference as a passenger. My uncle did accelerate hard from a stand still on an empty road to let me "feel" it, but all it did was raise my hairs and pushed me back into my chari just a weebit more lol.

 

you don't feel it on the acceleration, you feel it more on the turns. Also, to say that you can feel the difference b/w FF, FR, and MR is also too general. You can feel the difference between one FF car to another, FR1 vs FR2, etc.

 

hmm let me reword it a bit....umm what's the first thing you guys noticed when switching from a FF to a RWD

 

The difference in weight distribution (Front heavy vs relatively neutral). How easy the car rotates in comparison. Depends on the cars in comparison of course.

 

hard to describe. mostly for me it's a steering feel. the steering feels lighter, and you don't feel the engine accelerating you through the steering wheel (no torque steer to fight)

First thing I noticed was the tail end getting out from under me

 

Ever balance a pencil standing up on the palm of your hand? Thats rwd. Fwd is holding the pencil from above. The difference in feel is felt from the driver's seat - the steering, acceleration, turning, its all different, like being pushed from behind rather than pulled through.

 

FF, you can feel the car being pulled while turning. I never noticed it until we bought our Accord, since I've been driving only FR and AWD cars.

 

the first thing i noticed was oversteer. this is a general statement but i feel that it is generally easier to push a rwd drive car to the point of oversteer than it is a fwd to under steer. in my miata i can just look at the steering wheel and it will get sideways. in my daily driven civic i can haul ass at low speeds around corners without having to worry about wrapping it around a telephone pole.

 

Go to an empty parking lot.
Start driving in one circle, start applying power and hold a steady pace. Then stop on the gas and hold on. Use common sense to know when to let off the gas pedal. You could also do this in gran turismo so you can see the difference.
I think this is self explanatory, but I'll say it just in case, make sure it;s a very wide open space with nothing around you.
Oh, and the power you're feeling is the difference between a 200+hp turbo engine vs. an accord engine.
If you really want to feel a difference in just acceleration, jump into an awd car and let them do a launch, just be sure you're facing straight.

 

+1.

Throttle control is actually important in a RWD car. Even after 5 years of ownership, I still get the occasional unexpected throttle-oversteer in the S2000. Happened just the other night on a cool evening. I didn't apply much throttle, but I was turning, the tires were cold and the street was cool (and maybe slightly damp from dew).
Result: the tail wagged a couple of times as I was completing the turn. Nothing dramatic, but it wasn't expected, considering the speed I was travelling and the amount of throttle input I was giving.