all wheel drive or front wheel drive?

after u vote read this
http://autos.msn.com/advice/standardart.aspx?contentid=4021835&src=vdg&brand=volvo

i always thought awd was superior then fwr and rwd, maybe not according to this. what u guys think?

i like awd cuz it is awesome how the car sticks to the ground on hard turns like in an audi a4.


btw, what the hell is the difference between all wheel and 4 wheel drive?

all wheel drive works all the time on any kind of surface whether if its on the road or off road. in most cars, u can't shut awd off.

four wheel drive however, works when u need it where theres low traction. for example climbing hills, driving off road or on snow.

hope this helps to give a better understanding of the two :)

RWD is the best. AWD is heavy and uses too much HP, even the Skyline is really RWD, only using the front wheels when it needs more traction. FWD obviously is inferior to RWD, in terms of 1/4 mile times.

Tran_nsx
I think you got them confused, A "4 wheel drive", 4x4 or other names with 4 in them, run on vehicles like the toyota landcruiser, pickup trucks, and some suv's. This is a passive system, and they run all the wheels all the time (Unless they have a 2wd switcher like some Tahoe's do), witch is why they usually get less gas mileage than their 2wd counterparts; more moving parts = more friction.
Conversely an AWD system, is otherwise described as an Active system and negotiates power around the wheels on demand (either all 4 independantly or just F-B), usually they stay in FWD mode and the rear wheels kick in when needed, but there are exceptions.

I hope you dont take it personally, but I have an AWD and a 4 wheel drive car, and I know how they work. The AWD is a Crv, and the 4 wheel drive is a Landcruiser. I must say the Crv is really only a 2wd car becuase of the crappy open differential design, Id have payed a K or 2 more for a decent system; But then again, its not meant for the hardcore off roader, it is built on a car frame afterall.

P.S. I voted for Awd, even though rwd cars are fun, there no fun in the snow, and in kansas we get enough to matter. I know there are plenty of people who run rwd cars in the snow, But Id rather have an AWD car, even if it is heaver, a fwd car just cant put down the power (ceterus paribus).

Buzz1167
Jon N

its cool buzz, i never own an awd, or 4wd so i can't speak from experience. i got this link to explain it better, maybe im missing something, tell me what u think? now when i think of awd the wrx comes to mind, and when it comes to 4wd, i think of the big trucks and suvs'.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/four-wheel-drive.htm
oh yeah speaking of voting, guess i forgot to. hhmmm thats a hard decision since i've only owned fwd :screwy:. after reading some articles on which is better im going to have to lean toward rwd. from what i've read rwd aren't just better on strips but they are also better on turns. i would love to find a link to that article but have no clue how to find it, not to mention this was like 7 months ago.

I have AWD, and ive drove FWD. You cant go back to FWD aftter driving awd. To the people who say it loses hp..yea it does..but with awd you get an amazing launch which would beat the car with FWD with the same amount of hp in the 1/4 mile.

FWD is the worst - too much for the front tires to do.

1. mid-engine RWD
2. rear-engine RWD
3. front-engine RWD
4. mid-engine AWD
5. rear-engine AWD
6. front engine AWD
7. front engine FWD

When set-up correctly they all should be pretty even, but the RWD will always have the advantage unless rally racing, then an adjustable AWD system would be good.

FWD almost ALWAYS has bad under-steer which is "safer" than over-steer on the street, but under-steer is usually slower than o-steer on the track.

Just look @ the top level race cars (F1, WRC, NHRA, etc.) those people use the BEST set-ups possible - 10% might be FWD.

The best thing about a built RWD cars on slicks is that wheelie's are possible! Tell me that ain't cool, cars doin' wheelies!