What is the difference between a front wheel drive and a rear wheel drive car?

The biggest difference between front-wheel drive vehicles and rear-wheel drive vehicles is that the driving mode is different: the front wheel drive is driven by the engine and drags the whole vehicle, while the rear drive is driven by the engine and the rear wheels are pushed by the whole vehicle. Front-wheel drive vehicles are cheap, fuel-efficient, economical and practical; But it is easy to produce understeer, so that the driver always has to bend the head to push the head, to put it bluntly, the weight distribution of the front-wheel drive car is basically in front of the cornering is obviously top-heavy, not suitable for intense handling actions, but daily driving is no problem The cost of the rear-wheel drive car is slightly more expensive, but the control is flexible, the torque is large, but it has the characteristics of oversteering, and even the reverse wheel to correct the vehicle attitude in serious cases, otherwise it will be out of control Rear-wheel drive cars are generally only used in SUVs, sports cars, and high-end cars due to the comprehensive consideration of driving mode and cost The weight distribution between the front and rear is much more reasonable than that of the front-wheel drive car.

In terms of car driving stability, the front wheel drive is better. However, the front-wheel drive makes the automobile transmission system concentrated near the cab, and the noise generated by its power transmission, coupled with the combined effect of the movement frequency of the suspension system, causes the working environment pollution and physical injury to the driver, so the interior cost of the cab is high. Because the front-wheel drive concentrates the transmission system of the car, the transmission shaft and rear drive device are omitted, so that the cost of the whole vehicle is reduced.

In terms of power performance, the rear drive can indeed obtain a larger driving force. However, the transmission shaft and drive axle are added, which increases the weight of the whole vehicle and increases the cost. Generally speaking, fast, lightweight, and comfortable passenger cars use front-wheel drive.

Passenger cars and trucks need a lot of drive in order to pull more passengers and goods, sacrificing speed in favor of rear drive.

It is easy to burn tires when the front-wheel drive car starts, because the center of gravity of the car moves backward when it starts, the pressure on the rear wheels increases, and the pressure on the front wheels decreases, which is equivalent to saying that when the vehicle starts, the pressure on the front wheels is less than the pressure when it stops, so the friction of the front wheels will decrease when accelerating sharply, which will cause skidding, especially in rainy days. When the rear-wheel drive car starts, the center of gravity moves backwards, and the pressure on the rear axle increases, so the friction between the rear wheel and the ground increases, and then it is not easy to skid, and the feeling of driving is that the front-wheel drive car rarely has a particularly strong sense of pulling when accelerating rapidly, because the limit is not high, and the rear-wheel drive car can have a relatively strong sense of pulling, and the power before is almost all acted on the wheels, and the power lost by skidding is relatively small.

The front-wheel drive car is not easy to slide sideways when skidding, the front-wheel drive car is leading, even if it is caused by insufficient friction and the ground skidding, it is only idling in situ, slightly closing the throttle or passing the slippery ground will return to the form state, and the rear-wheel drive car if the wheels and the ground slip, it will slide to the side, if it is easy to collide and accidents on the narrow road, so the road surface of friends in the north will be icy and the front-wheel drive car with rain and snow will have stronger adaptability.

The front wheel drive is driven by the front wheels, and the rear wheel drive is driven by the rear wheels, and the rear wheel drive is easy to slip, but the horsepower is more and the handling is better.

The front-wheel drive car has a simple structure, small power loss, and occupies a small space in the car, so it is widely used in low-end models, but there are some special ones such as Audi A6, and medium and large cars are also front-wheel-drive. However, the other two competing models of BBA, Mercedes-Benz E and BMW 5 Series, are rear-wheel drive, which is also related to the design of the car factory; On the other hand, rear-wheel drive vehicles need to arrange the drive shaft in the middle of the vehicle, and the entire power system is based on the entire body, which requires the body to have higher strength to cope with the torque brought by the vehicle drive, so it needs to have a higher cost in the body production.

Front-wheel drive car, the driving wheels are on the first two wheels of the car, and the rear-wheel drive car is on the rear two wheels! The power point is different, like one dragging and the other pushing. The rear-wheel drive car has one more driveshaft than the front-wheel drive car!

Generally, the rear drive is more comfortable than the front wheel drive! Some high-end cars are rear-wheel drive, or four-wheel drive! But in rainy and snowy weather, the rear drive is easy to slip!

Front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive cars are two different ways of driving structures. The difference is that front-wheel drive vehicles refer to the drive mode in which the power of the engine is directly transmitted to the front wheels to drive the vehicle forward.

Rear-wheel drive vehicles refer to a form of drive in which the power of the engine is transmitted to the rear wheels through the propeller shaft, thereby propelling the vehicle forward.

Because the front wheels of the front-wheel drive car are responsible for acceleration, main braking, and steering functions, and the rear wheels only need to be responsible for following, the front-wheel drive car is particularly worn out on the front wheels, and the wear of the rear wheels is still average, and it is not good to change the tires. Rear-wheel drive vehicles have a relatively uniform wear and tear due to the distribution of the drive function to the rear wheels, and the tire replacement interval is relatively similar.

The difference between the front and rear drive of the car is pulling and pushing, and the simple summary is that the front wheel drive has a low cost and is suitable for low-cost cars, and the high cost of rear drive is suitable for ** performance cars (except for vans).

For example, a front-wheel drive car is like someone pulling you in front, a rear-wheel drive car is like someone pushing you from behind, and a four-wheel drive car is like someone pulling you in front and someone pushing you behind.

When a person crawls on the ground, the front drive is equal to the hand to climb forward, the rear drive is equal to the foot to squat and crawl forward, and the four drive is equal to the foot and hand to climb forward together, what kind of force is the greatest can be imagined!

The arrangement of the engines is different.

The difference between front-wheel drive vehicles and rear-wheel drive vehicles: 1. The layout of the engine is different, the front-wheel drive car mostly uses a transverse engine, and the front-rear-wheel drive car mostly uses a longitudinal engine. 2. The structure is different, the front axle of the front-wheel drive car is the steering drive axle, the front axle of the front-wheel drive car is the steering axle, and the rear wheel is the drive axle.

3. The handling is different, the front-wheel drive car has poor handling, and the rear-wheel drive car has good handling.

The uphill ability of the rear-wheel drive car is better than that of the front-wheel drive car, when the start accelerates uphill, due to the existence of inertial force, it will appear obvious "recoil", the center of gravity is lower, the rear-wheel drive car can just use the greater adhesion, and the power is better when climbing, and the center of gravity of the front-wheel drive car is in front, which is more likely to skid, resulting in uphill weakness.

1. The driving experience is different

In daily driving, sensitive car owners will feel that the front wheel drive car is "pulling" the front two wheels. The rear-wheel drive car is "pushed" by the two wheels in the back.

When accelerating, rear-wheel drive cars get better grip and better handling because the car's center of gravity shifts from front to rear, while front-wheel drive cars have slightly less precise steering. When making sharp turns, the front-wheel drive car is overpowered, and the phenomenon of "understeer" occurs, that is, the front of the car is pushed outward.

2. Spatial differences:

In the case of the same wheelbase, because the rear-wheel drive car uses a longitudinal engine, it often occupies the interior space, while the front-wheel drive car is mostly a transverse engine, and the position is relatively forward, and the interior space will be larger. The rear wheel drive car is affected by the body structure, and the rear floor will be raised high, which affects the riding experience of the middle passengers in the rear row.

3. Differences in appearance:

The main difference is in the visuals on the side. Front-wheel drive models generally have a longer front overhang. Front-mounted rear-wheel drive models have relatively short front overhangs and a slender nose.

4. Cost of use:

In terms of maintenance, there is little difference between front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive vehicles. In terms of fuel consumption, the influence of the drive form and vehicle weight, engine displacement, and gearbox are smaller.

Front-wheel drive refers to the way in which the engine (engine) is placed in front of the vehicle, driving the front wheels, and the front wheels drive the whole car.

Rear-wheel drive refers to the way in which the entire car is driven by the rear wheels.

Front-wheel drive: low cost and high efficiency: the first consideration is the cost when manufacturers design and produce cars, and the front-wheel drive is lower than the rear-wheel drive cost compared to the rear-wheel drive.

Front-wheel drive vehicles do not need a propeller shaft, a rear drive shaft and a rear gearbox, the transmission system is different from the rear-wheel drive, the transmission and differential are assembled in a single shell, the components are few and concentrated, and due to the direct power transmission, the reduction of the return to the loss is less, and the operation efficiency is higher.

Front-wheel drive vehicles have fewer and simpler mechanical components than rear-wheel drive vehicles, so they can reduce weight considerably, and because the weight of the engine and axle are loaded on the front wheels as the driving wheels, it helps to increase the traction of the vehicle, which is very advantageous on smooth roads.

Rear-wheel drive vehicles: good handling, the rear wheels are responsible for driving, so that the front wheels can focus on steering, so the vehicle is more agile when steering; At the same time, because some components are moved from the front to the rear of the vehicle, the front and rear weight ratio of the whole vehicle can be close to or reach the perfect ratio of 50:50, which greatly improves the balance and stability of the vehicle, so the handling is more excellent, which is why most sports cars use rear-wheel drive.

Disadvantages of rear-wheel drive cars:

1. High cost and inconvenient space utilization: rear-wheel drive vehicles have many parts, complex assembly, and relatively high production costs.

Due to the increase of the propeller shaft, it needs to occupy a certain amount of body space, which affects the layout and distribution of the interior space, but with the improvement of the rear wheel independent suspension system, the space of the rear-wheel drive car may have a lot of room for improvement;

2. Insufficient traction and oversteering: Although some parts are moved to the rear, the weight acting on the driving wheel (rear wheel) is still relatively light compared to the front drive, and the characteristic of traction is that the greater the force acting on the force point (the contact point between the driving wheel and the ground), the more stable the traction effect, so the lack of traction has always been a problem for rear-wheel drive vehicles.

When the rear-wheel drive car is cornering, due to the deceleration of the center of gravity moving forward, the grip of the rear wheels is reduced, which can easily lead to oversteer, that is, the so-called "tail flicking".

3. The power loss is larger: because the power generated by the engine needs to pass through the transmission shaft to be transmitted to the drive wheel, the loss of power is bound to be greater than that of the front-wheel drive car, and the general use performance is that the rear-wheel drive car is more waste oil than the front-wheel drive car.

The biggest difference between front-wheel drive vehicles and rear-wheel drive vehicles is the difference in driving methods

Front-wheel drive vehicles are cheap, fuel-efficient, economical and practical; But it is easy to produce understeer, so that the driver always has to bend the head to push the head, to put it bluntly, the weight distribution of the front-wheel drive car is basically in front of the cornering is obviously top-heavy, not suitable for intense control actions, but daily driving is no problem.

The cost of the rear-wheel drive car is a little more expensive, but the handling is flexible, the torque is large, but it has the characteristics of oversteering When it is serious, it is even necessary to correct the attitude of the vehicle with the reverse wheel, otherwise it will be out of control Rear-wheel drive cars are generally only used in SUVs, sports cars, and high-end cars The weight distribution between the front and rear is much more reasonable than that of front-wheel drive cars.

Advantages and disadvantages of RWD Rear-wheel drive:

The engine of the front-wheel drive car is just above the front wheels, and there is no need for a transmission shaft, rear drive shaft and rear gearbox transmission system, the transmission and differential are assembled in a single shell, and the components are few and concentrated, so the cab is more spacious, in addition, because the power acts directly on the front wheels, reducing the loss of power, so the efficiency is higher and the fuel economy is correspondingly higher.

However, due to the fact that the drive system is mainly concentrated in the front, the car as a whole is top-heavy, and the phenomenon that the rear wheels lose grip is prone to occur, and because the front wheels undertake the work of steering and driving at the same time, there will be the problem of understeer, especially when cornering at high speed.

Rear-wheel drive models, because they are rear-wheel drive, the front wheels only need to focus on the work of steering, so the steering is more agile, the handling is better, and the rear wheels can provide better grip when the vehicle's center of gravity is shifted backward such as starting and going uphill.

But because the engine power is driven by the transmission shaft to the rear axle to drive the rear wheel to rotate, the action distance is longer, so it will inevitably bring a part of the power loss, so it will be more fuel-intensive, and at the same time, when it is on the road, it is pushed up by the rear wheel, and there will be some damage to the front wheel.

The front-wheel drive car is cheap, fuel-efficient, economical and practical, but it is easy to produce understeer, so that the driver always has to bend the head inside, to put it bluntly, the weight distribution of the front-wheel drive car is basically in front. Obviously top-heavy when cornering, not suitable for intense maneuvers, but daily driving is no problem.

The cost of the rear-wheel drive car is slightly more expensive, but the handling is flexible and the torque is large, but it has the characteristics of oversteering. Rear-wheel drive vehicles are generally only used in SUVs, sports cars, and high-end sedans due to the comprehensive consideration of driving mode and cost, and the weight distribution between the front and rear is much more reasonable than that of front-wheel drive cars.

Overview: Cars were rear-wheel drive at the earliest, and trucks are still rear-drive, which does not represent advanced and advanced. In the 80s, sedans moved from rear-wheel drive to front-wheel drive, which was a big step forward. Why didn't the cars of the past use front-wheel drive?

The biggest advantage of front-wheel drive cars is that the chassis is lowered, which increases the space and makes it easy to arrange. The second advantage is the improved comfort.

When encountering an obstacle, such as a brick, a small stone, a pipe, the front drive wheel is easy to cross, the rear wheel is easy to drag over, without deceleration, the rear drive car, the front wheel has no driving force, it will play a "brake" effect, the instantaneous speed reduction, the stability of the car speed is destroyed, and the person who sits in the car will "lean forward and close".

In addition, it also saves raw materials, saves drive shafts, etc., which saves costs and can make the car cheaper. There is a more important reason: the driving wheels must be heavy on the load-bearing axle, and the car is mainly the engine and other metal lumps, so in general, the front axle is the main load-bearing bridge, unless there is an extra-large fat man sitting in the back seat, and the luggage compartment is used to pull the iron block.

Load-bearing axles should be driven axles, and the reason for this goes without saying. So why didn't the cars of the past use front-wheel drive? There are two main reasons for design and manufacturing.

Front-wheel drive car, must be transverse engine, the engine should be placed vertically, and then the power goes around to the front, like the transfer case of a jeep, there are many difficulties, and the cost of materials, the cost will inevitably rise.

To transverse engines, the engine must be designed to be compact, and this compact engine is difficult to design and arrange without computer-aided design. Even if it's designed, it doesn't make much sense. Because of the low level of manufacturing and the high failure rate in the past, a car had to be repaired constantly, just like today's trucks.

It is unthinkable that a compact engine is very difficult to repair, and it is unthinkable to remove a lot or even all things to touch the parts to be repaired, so before the manufacturing level is improved, the engine compartment needs space for repairs, and it is impossible to make it so compact and stuffed.

After the progress of science and technology, computer-aided design makes it easy to arrange compactly, and at the same time, the manufacturing level has also been improved, the engine can be trouble-free for a long time, and the new car does not need to be repaired for several years, and the durability is guaranteed, which makes it possible to have a front-wheel drive.