Todd NesnickOne of the persistent stereotypes that dominate the minds of drivers of all generations: “Four-wheel drive is cool”. Automakers are willing to support this passion by offering a wide range of “4×4 SUVs” and “4×4 crossovers”. If you want to give up your old car. and buy a new one, including an all-wheel drive car, this article is for you. We are a JunkCarsUs company and we buy junk cars in Augusta, GA, and other American cities.
What is four-wheel drive?
Four-wheel drive is a transmission design in which the power of the motor is transmitted to the front and rear axles. All wheels are responsible for steering the car. The transfer case distributes power from the gearbox to the wheels. The recent trend is to replace the classic four-wheel drive with electronic assistants that distribute traction at their discretion. The constant connection of all wheels with the motor becomes less frequent, giving way to cheaper compromise solutions.
How all-wheel drive works and its types
A permanent/full-time all-wheel drive. In this drive, two axles are directly connected to the transfer case. This is exactly what happened with the old SUVs of the last century, driving exclusively in the mud. Their wheels turned at the same speed even when some of them were spinning and others were hooked on a hard surface. In such cars, the transmission quickly failed on an asphalt road, so the so-called center differential was added to the transfer case.
It doses power between the axles, allowing them to rotate at different speeds. When a wheel gets stuck in the mud and begins to spin, it loses traction, causing the machine to endlessly grind on the spot. To solve this problem, experts have developed a mechanism for locking the cross-axle differential for the same speed of rotation of the wheels. With it, the car retains driving traction even when it gets into a batch. Among other types:
- Part-time all-wheel drive. This is a kind of transitional stage with one transfer case and two pipes for both axles without locking and differential. In this version of the transmission, you can turn off the traction on the second axle. So, on a hard surface, the car is mono drive, and in heavy mud, it becomes the simplest SUV.
The part-time all-wheel drive remained in the arsenal of rare specimens of full-fledged SUVs. During normal operation, the car is no different from a passenger car, but it consumes more fuel due to the mass of the entire structure, and in the mud, it is deprived of any technical and electronic assistants. You can switch between drive modes only after a complete stop, and it is also important not to forget to turn off the second axle on the pavement, otherwise, it will quickly fail.
- The most popular type of all-wheel drive transmission is through a clutch, the principle of which resembles a conventional gear with clinging blades. The car connects the rear axle if the power of one is not enough. The more the car slips, the more power is transferred to the connected wheels.
Technically, couplings may differ, but the principle is the same. Among the advantages of this design are the relative lightness and low cost. The disadvantages include a short time of operation of the clutch. After 10 to 20 minutes (for all modern crossovers in different ways) of active driving in the mud, it overheats and turns off. The car warns you about overheating and offers to wait with all-wheel drive. In other cases, moderate use of such a “quasi-all-wheel drive” is enough.
Advantages of all-wheel drive
The obvious advantage that influenced the decision to add traction to all wheels a century ago and the main distinguishing feature is good flotation. Thanks to the all-wheel drive system, SUVs get the super ability to lay routes where they were not. Crossovers add confidence to their owners, unlike single-wheel drive cars.
All-wheel drive is well suited not only for off-road driving but in various emergency situations. For example, on a slippery road or in a sharp turn. Traction on all wheels clings to the surface of the car more tightly, it is easier to control.
Another quality indirectly associated with all-wheel drive is high ground clearance. Four-wheel drive vehicles are usually higher above the ground (about 20 cm is standard, which most passenger cars do not have). This is enough not to cling to curbs with a bumper, to drive along a deep rut and climb hillocks.
Cons of all-wheel drive
Any four-wheel drive implies the presence of additional parts in the design. The transfer case, power take-off shaft, clutch, and other components increase the total weight of the machine. For this reason, fuel consumption increases and dynamics decrease. Try to compare models with different types of drive, one motor, and a gearbox. The all-wheel drive option will have a lower top speed and worse acceleration. For this reason, some manufacturers put only a manual transmission on their all-wheel-drive models, which somehow compensates for the loss of power.
Four-wheel drive, as we said, adds parts, which means it increases the cost of production. All-wheel drive vehicles cost more than their mono-wheel drive counterparts. Together with increased consumption, maintenance becomes significantly more expensive. The same applies to repairs, which not everyone can afford.
Believing in the power of all-wheel drive it is easy one day to fly off the road. Many people perceive it as a remedy for all the troubles on the road, but they forget that the main character in the car is the driver, and not the electronic assistance systems and transmission capabilities. These features are only an addition. Therefore, all the advantages of all-wheel drive vehicles are revealed with driving experience, even on a forest track, even on ice in the yard.
Summary
All-wheel drive features are like an addition to a car that, among other characteristics, will have increased cross-country ability. Even if it is not needed, you will know that there is an opportunity. Several times during the winter it is more pleasant to drive through a part of the road littered with snow or get somewhere on a broken primer with all-wheel drive. If you decide to sell your old car and buy a new one with all-wheel drive, Junk CarsUs will make your dream come true. You can easily and quickly sell your car at an attractive price, even if it is quite old or in need of an enormous overhaul.