The Difference Between All Wheel Drive (AWD) and Four Wheel Drive (4WD)

The terms all wheel drive and four wheel drive has been used interchangeably and a lot of people assume that they are the same thing. While these two systems are very similar in a lot of perspectives such as they both involve the vehicle driving on all four wheels, but however they are not exactly the same thing. There are some differences between AWD and 4WD. The 4WD systems has been around for quite a while and it is certainly not outdated.

Four Wheel Drive (4WD)

The 4WD is used for a lot if off road driving such as driving over boulders, tackling steep hills with loose low traction surface and to some extent driving over somewhat deep amounts of water. There is part time 4WD and full time 4WD. Modern 4WD systems are either full time and automatic or part time and manual. With full time automatic the vehicle automatically shifts between the two wheel drive and four wheel drive mode. With part time manual the driver is required to shift between the two wheel drive and four wheel drive modes manually. With the part time manual system the vehicle should not be driven on dry pavements with the 4WD system on due to the fact that can cause damage to the drivetrain. Aside from the off road enthusiast most people will not use the full potential of the 4WD system.

All Wheel Drive (AWD)

With all wheel drive it provides power to each corner. Depending on the system the AWD can provide maximum traction during acceleration. When the roads are in terrible condition and driving in some off road terrains this system can be helpful. This system can help getting through loose surfaces such as sand, mud and snow. With AWD the system general delivers power to one set of wheel which can be the front or rear. When there is slippage detected the power will is diverted to the other axle in a way to find more traction. Not AWD systems are created equal some focus more on the front wheels while others fit more on the rear. AWD systems are good for conditions where the road are slippery such as roads with snow or ice.

Now we see that while the AWD and 4WD systems are similar in a lot of ways and has been used interchangeably a lot of times, due to the fact that both systems involve the vehicle driving on all four wheel. But however they are quite of few differences between the two systems.

Front Wheel Drive vs. Rear Wheel Drive vs. All Wheel Drive

When buying a vehicle you probably wonder which kind of car you want to get. Before choosing the make and model you might wonder which wheels this car drives on. There are various reasons on why people will choose how there car drives so here will be the pros and cons between front wheel drive, rear wheel drive and all wheel drive.

Front Wheel Drive:

With front wheel drive the advantages will be that you generally have a cheaper car because it is cheaper to design and build a front wheel drive car. This is due to the fact that the drivetrain is cheaper and easier to install as the car rolls down the assembly line. There is less weight on the front wheel drive cars because there is no need to have a separate transmission and axis assemble like they have in the rear wheel drive. Due to the less weight of the cars it will help with the vehicle economy. Front wheel drives have better traction in snow and rain compared to rear wheel drives. The front wheels pull the car rather than the rear wheels push the car, and on top of that the engine and axle is at the front of the vehicle which also results in a better grip.

The cons to front wheel drive is that they are nose-heavy which can make them harder to handle than rear wheel drive. Front wheel drive cars have to do two thing at once which is put power to the ground and steer the car. This is not optimal for high performance car because as the car accelerates the front wheel may jerk left or right. Front wheel drive vehicle are more fragile. The half shaft and constant velocity joints are more susceptible to damage compared to a rugged lump of cast iron found in a rear wheel drive's solid axle. The rear wheel drive axle may outlast the car and may require the occasional service, however the chances that the front wheel drive will need new constant velocity joint or something else during the years is far more likely. 

Rear Wheel Drive:

The pros to rear wheel drive will be that rear wheel drives usually have a solid axle design, so by accidentally hitting a curb or a deep pothole the chances are that you will not break anything compared to the front wheel drives. Hitting a curb or pothole with a front wheel drive will have a lot higher chance of something expensive being damaged. The rear wheel drive vehicles offer better balance this will result in better handling. With front wheel drives the weight of the engine and transaxle is at the front of the car over the front wheels. With rear wheel drive the weight of the drivetrain spreads more even from the front to rear.

The cons of rear wheel drive is that they are the worst performers in bad weather. Even with modern traction control the rear wheel drive will likely have the worst traction in rain or snow.

All Wheel Drive:

All wheel drive vehicles offer the advantages of the rear wheel drive and front wheel drive vehicles while at the same time minimizing their weaknesses. Another big advantage to all wheel drive is that they give better traction in both on dry pavement and bad weather. This is the reason why all wheel drive attract both the performance mind enthusiasts and the people who do not want to get stuck in the snow. All wheel drive vehicles do a good job of balancing and handling driving dynamics. Some all wheel drive systems are based off the rear wheel drive, while others are based of the front wheel drive. The ones based on rear wheel drive have slightly better performance.

The disadvantages of all wheel drive are the fact that there is extra weight that needs to be added to the vehicle. With the same make and model that all wheel drive the vehicle will be several hundred pounds heavier than a vehicle that is not all wheel drive. This will result in high fuel consumption, especially if there is added power to the engine to compensate for the extra weight. Also the vehicle will be more expensive if it is all wheel drive, this is of course the same make and model brand new. The are more components so more things will need to be serviced. As the vehicle gets older it might be more expensive to fix due to the components. 

The Hidden Cost of Luxury Cars

When we see we finally have the budget to buy a luxury we feel that now we can buy the car and enjoy. The majority of the people do look at the asking price up front to determine the value of the vehicle. A lot of people probably haven't looked at the long term maintenance the can come with some of the luxury cars. Some of these cars the oil change can be quite expensive, it is not called an oil change officially, but called an "A service". A lot of luxury cars require premium gas, which mean you will have to pay more at the pumps or cause the car engine damage. For one fill up there might not be a big difference, but overtime that difference will build up. With modern luxury cars that are more computer there are a lot of buttons that a lot of their owner so not know what they do. If there is a part that goes wrong it usually can only be bought from the dealer, which they can charge you a huge amount for. A lot of parts on luxury cars cost more than the parts on normal cars. These things show that owning a luxury car also has its higher cost in the long term. Before buying a luxury car people also need to look at the potential cost of fixing the car before they buy the car.