Automotive Drivetrain
Understanding FWD, RWD & AWD
FWD (front wheel drive) means that the power from the engine is delivered to the front wheels of your vehicle. With FWD, the front wheels are pulling the car and The rear wheels don’t receive any power on their own. The pros of a FWD vehicle are that they typically gets better fuel economy and emits less carbon dioxide. Since the weight of the engine is located over the driving wheels, a FWD vehicle can maintain better traction in the snow. However, performance enthusiasts have claimed FWD vehicles are less fun to drive. Also drifting with FWD cars can be quiet challenging and requires some level of expertise. Below is the drivetrain design of a FWD car.
RWD means that the power from the engine is delivered to the rear wheels and the rear wheels push the car forward. The front wheels do not receive any power and are free to manoeuvre the vehicle. Due to the weight of a RWD vehicle being more evenly spread than a FWD vehicle, creates a better balance of weight. This is why most sports cars such as the Corvette, Bugatti and Camaro are RWD and are more exciting to drive. The disadvantage of a RWD vehicle are that they do not perform well in poor weather conditions such as rain or snow because they are more prone to loss of traction on slick roads, car enthusiast prefer RWD cars simply because it is more easier to drift with and perform stunts. Below is the drivetrain of a RWD car.
All-wheel drive: A drivetrain that employs a front, rear and center differential to provide power to all four wheels of a vehicle.
As the name implies, all-wheel-drive systems power both the front and rear wheels all the time. But in practice, there are actually two types of drivetrains that are called AWD. One does, in fact, drive all the wheels continuously, and some manufacturers refer to this as full-time AWD. The second, often called part-time AWD or automatic AWD, operates most of the time in two-wheel-drive mode, with power delivered to all four corners only when additional traction control is needed. This type of drive train is mostly found on off-road, pickup trucks and SUV’s.
Regardless on your choice of driveline remember it is always important to have a good set of snow tires in the winter. Below is the drivetrain of AWD.
