AWD not as safe as it seems?

[NewyorkKopter]

Hey, so recently i got into an accident and now im abit more safety oriented

i've been looking into AWD vs RWD and what I'm finding is that:
Althoguh AWD drive cars are harder to spin, once you lose control in an AWD car, you're done.

With RWD however, you can still catch it

Is this true?

If yes, can someone explain to me like how and why you can't regain control of an AWD car if you lose control?

It makes sense that you can catch a RWD car if the tail slides
Likewise, it makes sense that once you lose grip in a FWD car you're done because there's like nothing pushing it from the back

But AWD has all four wheels turning at the same time
So why would it be harder to regain control??

[shorod]

I'm not sure about the comment that once you spin in an AWD car you cannot regain control. Maybe the comment was oriented towards 4WD where all four wheels are basically locked together and spinning at the same rate, but AWD there can still be torque split between the wheels. Although my dad used to tell me that if the tail slides out on RWD, you generally need to let off the throttle to get it under control. With 4WD he claimed you could power through and rely on the front wheels to pull the vehicle out of the slide, assuming the front wheels still had some traction. With typical AWD the center VCU will start to push more power to the wheels that are not spinning as fast and help regain control along the same concept that my dad was claiming.

Assuming we're talking the same vehicle in either an AWD or RWD variety, another aspect that needs to be considered is how much worse the conditions need to be be to get in to a spin in the first place with an AWD vehicle versus a RWD vehicle. Sure, if you're on a sheet of ice, the AWD vehicle will spin about as quickly as a RWD car, but in that case, neither vehicle is going to recover.

Finally, if you're talking a modern car with stability control, there's an even higher delta between when the AWD car will lose control versus a RWD variant.

-Rod

[NewyorkKopter]

ohh thanksss

so if there is no active torque split(the kind that automatically adjusts the split between the front and rear axles in the event of loss of grip in the front or rear tires ), then would an AWD car be almost impossible to regain control?

im talking about the same vehicle either in AWD or RWD, and on regular road pavement (like local streets, highways, etc.)

Originally Posted by shorod

Finally, if you're talking a modern car with stability control, there's an even higher delta between when the AWD car will lose control versus a RWD variant.

by "higher delta", do you mean that there's an even bigger difference in when a modern AWD car and its RWD counterpart with stability will lose control?

[maxwedge]

Stability control on almost all newer awd vehicles is the answer to your issues, also, some awd are in fwd drive till slippage is detected, and some vehicles have a full time torque split ft to rear, depends on the design/model. Good tires for winter driving are another issue as oe tires are not designed for deeper snow and ice.

[shorod]

Originally Posted by NewyorkKopter

so if there is no active torque split(the kind that automatically adjusts the split between the front and rear axles in the event of loss of grip in the front or rear tires ), then would an AWD car be almost impossible to regain control?

I still don't know that I would say it would be nearly impossible to regain control, I'm just saying there is a difference between AWD and 4WD, and many people use "AWD" as all-encompassing. Due to the lack of a VCU, a 4WD vehicle in a spin or slide MAY be more difficult to get back under control than an AWD car. But that still depends on the road conditions that caused the vehicle to lose control in the first place. On solid ice or deep standing water, it doesn't matter what the driveline system consists of, you're not likely to regain control. There's no one configuration that will be the best in all situations.

Originally Posted by NewyorkKopter

by "higher delta", do you mean that there's an even bigger difference in when a modern AWD car and its RWD counterpart with stability will lose control?

Yes, when the stability control has the ability to reduce and increase power to all four wheels independently, it will have a much greater chance of keeping the driver out of trouble than if it can only manage the torque to two of the wheels.

-Rod

[oldblu65]

One possible answer to your question is some people become overconfident with AWD and do risky things thinking the AWD system will make up for their driving ability deficiencies ? Just my !

[NewyorkKopter]

hmmmmm tru tru
alrighty thanks guys for all your input!

[GlowingPumpkin]

Having driven all in snow/ice/mud, I'd say AWD cars aren't any harder to regain control than others.

I've found a car w/ AWD is more predictable (usually) during a slide versus FWD/RWD.