Did the Dodge Stealth have all wheel steering?
The answer is nuanced: all-wheel steering was not standard on every Stealth, but the high-performance Stealth RT Twin Turbo variant used Mitsubishi’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SHAWD), which includes rear-wheel steering as part of the system. Other Stealth models did not include this feature.
Understanding SHAWD and the Stealth
All-wheel steering refers to the rear wheels turning in addition to the front wheels to aid handling and stability. The Dodge Stealth shared its platform with the Mitsubishi 3000GT and offered a system branded as Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SHAWD). SHAWD combines AWD with torque vectoring and, on many applications, some form of rear-wheel steering to improve handling and cornering grip.
What is SHAWD?
SHAWD stands for Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. It is Mitsubishi’s branding for an advanced AWD arrangement that can distribute torque between the front and rear axles and vary power delivery to individual wheels. In the Stealth/3000GT lineup, SHAWD contributed to enhanced handling through electronic control of torque distribution and, on the higher-performance variants, rear-wheel steering as part of the package.
Which Stealth models offered the feature?
Not every Stealth variant used SHAWD. The feature was associated with the top-tier, high-performance variant in the Dodge lineup.
- Dodge Stealth RT Twin Turbo (VR-4) — SHAWD-equipped, providing all-wheel drive with torque vectoring and rear-wheel steering as part of the system.
- Other Stealth variants — did not include SHAWD; they used the standard drivetrain configurations available for their trim.
In practice, the Stealth that included SHAWD offered enhanced cornering and stability via torque vectoring and rear-wheel steering, while the non-SHWD variants did not provide these enhancements.
Performance and maintenance implications
Owners of the SHAWD-equipped Stealth could expect improved handling at the limit, particularly in aggressive cornering, but the system added complexity and maintenance considerations compared with non-SHAWD models. Servicing such an AWD and torque-vectoring setup often required dealer knowledge and parts that are rarer today.
Historical context for enthusiasts
The SHAWD concept debuted on the Mitsubishi 3000GT/Stealth family in the early to mid-1990s as part of a broader push toward advanced all-wheel-drive handling. Availability varied by model year and market, with the most capable SHAWD-equipped versions being the focus of enthusiast interest.
Summary
In short: the Dodge Stealth did not universally feature all-wheel steering. The rear-wheel steering aspect was part of Mitsubishi’s SHAWD package and was offered on the high-performance Stealth RT Twin Turbo (VR-4) variant. Other, less powerful Stealth models did not include SHAWD. For collectors and enthusiasts, the SHAWD-equipped Stealth represents the rare combination of all-wheel drive with advanced handling enhancements.
