Difference Between 2, 4 and all wheel drive

The way that cars add power to it’s wheels, defined as its Drivetrain, makes a major difference when you are driving on rough terrain or in crazy weather conditions. Here, the experts at Tow Cars will provide some details about the basic differences between the drivetrains of 2, 4, and all wheel drives.

2 Wheel Drive

This drivetrain comes in either front or rear wheel varieties. The majority of cars sold today are front wheel drives, which allow better traction in slippery rainy conditions – not to mention that these cars usually have more interior space than rear wheel drive cars, without the need for a drive shaft transfer to the rear wheels, the floor of the cabin can be flat. Rear wheel drives provide good traction and weight for vehicles with heavy rear loads like trucks, or performance vehicles meant for high speed.

4 Wheel Drive

These vehicles can apply torque to all 4 of the wheels. This provides great traction, but can cause issues on normal roads. On a normal road, a car’s 4 wheels turn at different speeds to allow for turning distances. Differential gears allow wheels to turn at different weights perfectly on normal roads, but reduce the traction that’s helpful in slippery conditions. 4 Wheel drive cars allow you to automatically or manually lock the ‘center differential’ providing equal amounts of torque to the front and back axles of the wheels – perfect for rough or rainy roads, but not for normal smooth roads. These cars additionally provide low gears with highly multiplied power which allows you to steadily climb up steep conditions or over obstacles – and these vehicles are usually higher up, with more wheel clearance for harsh terrain driving. These vehicles are usually more rugged, but have less efficient gas mileage.

All wheel drive

These cars can provide power to all 4 wheels sometimes ,or all the times. Typically, these cars send power to all 4 wheels automatically when either slippery conditions or quick acceleration is felt. They can vary in torque levels in different wheels, but this functioning is automatically applied for the most part, making it perfect for drivers who only sometimes need extra traction in rain or snow, but don’t really intend on doing any sort of “off-roading.”