Drivetrain choices

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

Advantages of front wheel drive

* Interior space: Since the powertrain is a single unit contained in the engine compartment of the vehicle, there is no need to devote interior space for a driveshaft tunnel or rear differential, increasing the volume available for passengers and cargo.

* Cost: Fewer components overall

* Weight: Fewer components mean lower weight

* Fuel economy: Lower weight means better gasoline mileage

* Improved drivetrain efficiency: the direct connection between engine and transaxle reduce the mass and mechanical inertia of the drivetrain compared to a rear-wheel drive vehicle with a similar engine and transmission, allowing greater fuel economy.

* Assembly efficiency: the powertrain can be often be assembled and installed as a unit, which allows more efficient production.

* Slippery-surface traction: placing the mass of the drivetrain over the driven wheels improves traction on wet, snowy, or icy surfaces.

* Predictable handling characteristics: front-wheel drive cars, with a front weight bias, tend to understeer at the limit, which is commonly believed to be easier for average drivers to correct than terminal oversteer, and less prone to result in fishtailing or a spin.

* Better crosswind stability.

* Tactile feedback via the steering wheel informing driver about if a wheel is slipping.

* Center-point steering geometry can be incorporated in the design to avoid "torque steer" (pull to the left or right under hard acceleration). This is how the powerful Citroen SM front-wheel drive <A class=iAs style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 1px; COLOR: darkgreen; BORDER-BOTTOM: darkgreen 0.07em solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.carforums.net/showthread.php?t=28927#" target=_blank>car</A> avoided torque steer issues.

* Front wheel drive allows the use of left-foot braking as a driving technique.

Disadvantages of front wheel drive

* The center of gravity of the vehicle is typically further forward than a comparable rear-wheel drive layout. In front wheel drive cars, the front axle typically supports around 2/3rd of the weight of the car (quite far off the "ideal" 50/50 weight distribution). This is a contributing factor towards the tendency of front wheel drive cars to understeer.

* Torque steer can be a problem on front wheel drive cars with higher torque engines ( > 210 N

[Acidburn 10]

good read

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Just one problem. . .

AWD and 4WD are NOT the same. Wiht 4WD, all 4 wheels are distributing the power equally, ALWAYS. With AWD, there is always a percentage split between front and rear, with most of the power going to the rear.

[Eldorado 0]

With AWD you cant choose gear ratios. And usually its full time.