AWD vs FWD

[Rye Miles #13621]

Recent snow here, we got anywhere from 3 -6", but farther east there was 8-10" and even more. I noticed no difference at all in my AWD Encore than the last one I had with only FWD.

 

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/advice/awd-vs-fwd

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Judicious use of the gas pedal, attention to the road conditions, traffic ahead with careful, non-abrupt steering keeps me from the ditch.

That an an AWD Forester. 

[Blackwater 53393]

Never had an AWD vehicle.  I’ve only ever had two FWD vehicles and the Enclave I drive now is one of the two.

 

There have been a couple of 4X4 trucks over the years, but I never used the feature in snow or ice.  When I was a kid we used a 4X4 to plow snow.

 

I have driven thousands of miles in snow and ice as well as flood conditions and using my head and my training and experience have kept me out of ditches and accidents so far.

 

I worked for a Jeep dealership a couple of decades ago in an area where big hills and small mountains were prevalent.  The folks that bought the Limiteds, Wagoneers, and CJs because they lived at those higher elevations were the worst at staying up on the roads in bad weather.  Most of them couldn’t be convinced that just because their Jeep would GO better in the snow, it didn’t mean that it would STOP or steer any better!

 

I made a lot of extra money pulling them out of ditches and repairing collision damage.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

My Sweetheart has an AWD Outback.  My Mini Countryman is also AWD.  Both are intelligent AWD systems.  Only engaging the "other" wheels when things get "slippy."  Lived a lot of years in Colorado and Pennsylvania.   Can't believe the number of people who believe those TV commercials for 4x4 and AWD.  Sooooo many SUVs upside down in the ditches and medians.

[Alpo]

And another example of "damn, I'm old".

 

I read the title of this as ALL-WHEEL DRIVE VERSUS FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE.

 

They have apparently changed the abbreviations on me.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

My Toyota Corolla is FWD and goes nowhere if the right front wheel is in snow.

[Cypress Sun]

29 minutes ago, Alpo said:

And another example of "damn, I'm old".

 

I read the title of this as ALL-WHEEL DRIVE VERSUS FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE.

 

They have apparently changed the abbreviations on me.

 

I thought the same thing when I read the title and thought "what's the difference". Then I read a couple of replies.

[Warden Callaway]

Our Ford Edge is AWD. Seems very stable. I tried it on packed snow. Not hard. I couldn't tell it slipped an inch. 

[Eyesa Horg]

We had a Honda CRV for a while, with AWD, the rear tires had to slip a bit to get the front engage! Although the car went everywhere we needed to go in the mountains here, the having to housegoose it a bit to get 4WD was sometimes unnerving! Running Hakapelieta snows will make a FWD feel like four wheel drive. Pricey, but wicked good snow tires, especially if you add their 5 sided studs.

Edited December 4, 2024 by Eyesa Horg
Fricken otto

[Choctaw Jack]

I drove a Hummer H3 AWD for nearly 20 years.

Best off road vehicle I've ever owned. 

I've owned lots of 4wd and front wheel drives through the years but that Hummer just went, regardless of weather or road conditions.

My grandson talked me out of it as his first vehicle.

It's still going strong with over 205 thousand miles.

Choctaw

[Pat Riot]

There is a difference in All Wheel Drive and Four Wheel Drive (AWD & FWD) I was going to explain it but decided to use someone else. 

In a nut shell - from Car Max:

All-wheel drive (AWD) automatically distributes power to all four wheels for better traction on various surfaces, making it ideal for everyday driving and light off-roading. In contrast, four-wheel drive (4WD) is designed for more rugged conditions, providing power to all wheels simultaneously and is typically found in trucks and larger SUVs for off-road use.

 

In my experience front wheel drive is much better in snow than rear wheel drive in a two wheel drive vehicle for people that aren’t used to actually driving in snow. 
 

Also, many people I have encountered all over the U.S. think having All or 4 wheel drive means they can drive like they’re in ideal conditions. 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

I drive a Jeep CJ7 and a Subaru Outback.

Best of both worlds.....

[Rye Miles #13621]

13 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

There is a difference in All Wheel Drive and Four Wheel Drive (AWD & FWD) I was going to explain it but decided to use someone else. 

In a nut shell - from Car Max:

All-wheel drive (AWD) automatically distributes power to all four wheels for better traction on various surfaces, making it ideal for everyday driving and light off-roading. In contrast, four-wheel drive (4WD) is designed for more rugged conditions, providing power to all wheels simultaneously and is typically found in trucks and larger SUVs for off-road use.

 

In my experience front wheel drive is much better in snow than rear wheel drive in a two wheel drive vehicle for people that aren’t used to actually driving in snow. 
 

Also, many people I have encountered all over the U.S. think having All or 4 wheel drive means they can drive like they’re in ideal conditions. 

I know all that, I was talking about just the difference between FWD and AWD. The article claims AWD is not necessarily better than FWD. Interesting

 

[sassnetguy50]

28 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I know all that, I was talking about just the difference between FWD and AWD. The article claims AWD is not necessarily better than FWD. Interesting

 

FWD does have advantages in a concrete jungle.  With offices in DC, NYC, NJ, they don't know what AWD was designed for.  Further proven by saying AWD history was SUVs and Subaru, with no mention of Audi.  

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Out the Dealership Door, you don't get real, honest to goodness Four Wheel Drive.  You get two wheel drive at alternating corners.  Unless you have locking differentials, you don't get Four Wheel Drive.  The car makers LIE to us.  A dedicated built Four Wheel Drive with lockers is just as fast sideways on snow/ice as it is straight ahead.

[Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129]

It is often an issue of Tires,  get better tires. Get better Traction. 

I have all wheel drive Chevy Trax, small SUV. My traction improved 300% when I ditched the factory Tires... 

By the way if you run the fuel to low, all wheel drive cut's out, to conserve fuel... Just a Heads up...

 

Jabez Cowboy

[Pat Riot]

It used to be FWD meant four wheel drive. Now it means Front Wheel Drive. Now the term for four wheel drive is 4WD.  
 

 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

2 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I know all that, I was talking about just the difference between FWD and AWD. The article claims AWD is not necessarily better than FWD. Interesting

 

Does FWD mean, Four Wheel Drive or Front Wheel Drive? 

[Stump Water]

2 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

All-wheel drive (AWD) automatically distributes power to all four wheels for better traction on various surfaces, making it ideal for everyday driving and light off-roading. In contrast, four-wheel drive (4WD) is designed for more rugged conditions, providing power to all wheels simultaneously and is typically found in trucks and larger SUVs for off-road use.

 

I've seen plenty of AWD vehicles stuck on the beach (Outer Banks) and/or with drive train components smoking because they thought they had 4WD.

[Rye Miles #13621]

25 minutes ago, Stump Water said:

 

I've seen plenty of AWD vehicles stuck on the beach (Outer Banks) and/or with drive train components smoking because they thought they had 4WD.

Yep!! 

[Rye Miles #13621]

48 minutes ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

Does FWD mean, Four Wheel Drive or Front Wheel Drive? 

FWD is front wheel drive. 4WD is four wheel drive, 

[sassnetguy50]

2 hours ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

Out the Dealership Door, you don't get real, honest to goodness Four Wheel Drive.  You get two wheel drive at alternating corners.  Unless you have locking differentials, you don't get Four Wheel Drive.  The car makers LIE to us.  A dedicated built Four Wheel Drive with lockers is just as fast sideways on snow/ice as it is straight ahead.

Yes, open front and rear on the Sierra.  They started calling their traction control system a limited slip differential, it applies brake pressure to the slipping tire, forcing the power through the open differential to the other tire.  Does it get better fuel economy and tire life than my locker did? Yes. Was the G80 better on the farm? Absolutely.

[watab kid]

i had a jeep that was all wheel drive it wore tures out more quickly than all of the 4wd units ive driven and drive now , but my wife liked it when i passed it over to her 

[sassnetguy50]

@watab kid was it a Grand Cherokee Trackhawk?  A friend had one, she got 27,000 miles on a set of tires.

[watab kid]

iy was a grand cherokee laredo - 1997 , thats about what i got , i drove a lot of miles back then and i was buying new tires every fall , , luckily when the wife got it she didnt drive all that much she got three years on a set , it drove great in the snow but was tough on tires 

 

ive driven GMC Youkons since and had great luck with those , just moved to a chev suburban and so far i like it , we shall see how it does on tires this year 

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

I'm on my second Toyota Sienna AWD minivan. Both have been the best ice and snow cars I've ever had. And I'm in the mountains Nordic skiing etc. 

 

Great traction to drive and stop in the worst conditions: thin water on pure ice. Drives like it was bare asphalt.

[sassnetguy50]

@Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 what model tires are you using?

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

12 hours ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

Judicious use of the gas pedal, attention to the road conditions, traffic ahead with careful, non-abrupt steering keeps me from the ditch.

That an an AWD Forester. 

My daughter has a Forester and an old Bronco that she bough when she graduated from college.  Her husband drives a  Ford 4WD Flex pickup.

 

They live in N. Carolina and didn't get much wind form the last Hurricane, but they got LOTS of water.  The driveway was partially washed away, the road down the hill lost a bridge, and they had to get out to get supplies.

 

The Ford Flex was too wide to get past the washed out section of driveway.

 

The Forester only has about five inches of ground clearance and couldn't get off the property.

 

That old 1987 "Bronco Billy" was up to the task and even towed the bridge back up to help make the road passable.

[Pat Riot]

2 hours ago, Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 said:

I'm on my second Toyota Sienna AWD minivan. Both have been the best ice and snow cars I've ever had. And I'm in the mountains Nordic skiing etc. 

 

Great traction to drive and stop in the worst conditions: thin water on pure ice. Drives like it was bare asphalt.

 

1 hour ago, sassnetguy50 said:

@Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 what model tires are you using?

And what tires were on that Toyota in those icy snowy conditions. 
 

I believe tires and the knowledge of how to drive in snow and ice conditions play as big a part as the vehicle drive train. Perhaps bigger, in some cases. 
Without the right tires, even the best drive train is useless in muddy, snowy or icy conditions.