what is the difference between all wheel drive and 4 wheel drive?

 

awd - all the time 4 wheels pullin
4wd - has a little lever or switch or somthing to change it from 2 wheels pullin to 4 wheels pullin

basically 4wd you can change to simple 2wd, awd, you stay in awd

trent

 

I'll add that 4wd is meant for low traction surfaces, snow/sand/mud/dirt/gravel. You need your tires to slip a little so you don't stress the axles and joints, as they are locked in mechanically.

With AWD, the axles are meant to slip on dry pavement, so you don't have to do anything special. It's the lazy way to have traction.

I'd love an AWD car, but trucks, dammit, should be equipped with a low range transfer case and a manly lever on the floor!

 

Not entirely true, td05. The '03 Runner has Full-time Four Wheel Drive. The difference between Full-time and AWD is that Full-time has the choice between 4H and 4L, while AWD is just all wheels all the time.

[EDIT] made my comment more directed to who I was talking to. it was confusing otherwise.

 

lol, a lever... right on man

 

whats better then on a truck my g/f said she saw the chevy trucks come either in awd or 4x4.

is awd just for the road and not really offroad

 

i think she probably meant REAR wheel drive and 4 wheel drive... but i dunno

 

Correct, AWD is mainly for the different conditions you'll see on the pavement. If you plan on offroading in it, get the 4x4, otherwise it won't really matter.

 

GM trucks do have AWD optional, I just can't imagine wanting it! It's for guys who have trailers and live on dirt roads maybe?


There was a GMC truck that came out last year I think, AWD with a hopped up motor, I forget what the deal was with it. Old man's truck?:pat:

 

AWD is like driving around in 4 High all the time. There is no low range selector, so it is okay for the road and really mild off road~stuff you could probably drive a car on anyway. Besides it gets worse gas mileage than bing in 2 high since there is more friction in the drivetrain to deal with.

 

If you want AWD, get a * Subaru, you * yuppie


Haha J/K

But really AWD is not for offroad.

Edit by Matt: You know better.

 

Technically AWD IS 4x4 (4WD). All Wheel Drive = Full-Time 4WD; they're the same thing, the terms are interchangeable. 4WD can be designed as full-time or part-time, all wheel drive cannot. That's really the only difference.

Read me.

 

Since when do yuppies drive Subarus?

Los Gatos. No swearing, no flaming, no name calling... Do you get it???????

 

Are you talking about the all wheel steering system GM's got? I've never heard about an AWD GM truck.

 

yeah... there is a new all wheel steering set up, like he said, but who would want to drive somthing that f***ed up anyway?! ill stick to my 2 wheel steering thank you

trent

 

Yup. That's just more things to break and more $$ to get it fixed.

 

yeah, your right... why is chevy tryin to put more worthless crap on their trucks anyway? last person i talked to had their truck in the garage half the time... and the other half was towing home his other chevy

then again last person i knew who owned a DODGE RAM, blew his tranny out 6 times... sad thing is his truck only had 13000 miles on it

 

I'll add some comments too, I guess.

AWD is a system that Suburu probably was close to being the first to really perfect. It's mainly controlled electronically by the ECU, utilizing the ABS braking system, clutches, viscous coupling, limited slips, or some combination of them together. Most of these vehicles maintain a larger percentage of power going to front wheels, such as a 70/30 split or even closer to 100/0 on some vehicles. The key is the way it's maintained and monitored. When an AWD vehicle's tires begin to have differences in wheel speed, the computer automatically corrects this by using the antilock braking system to break the spinning wheel, which automatically send power to the opposing side of the vehicle. In addition, from front to rear, the same holds true. As the front wheels begin to spin, the power is transfered automatically to the rear of the vehicle to maintain control. These are very advanced systems, and are most often found in cars, and urban SUV's. The new 4Runner system is basically the same thing, but with the added benefit of having a low range. Thsi is often called Full-Time 4-wheel drive, but that's usually the only difference, the fact of having a low range.

4wd on the other hand is a mechanical system, that can also benefit from limited slips and lockers, as we all know. The key differences being that it can be switched from 2wd to 4wd and 4wd low range. In addition, these are mechanically controlled and has nothing to do with the ECU in most cases. If a tire spins with an open differential both front and rear, you are probably going to get stuck, unless you pump the brakes really hard, hoping that by doing this some of the power going to the spinning wheels will be resent to the opposing side with traction. You've probably all experienced this when off-roading with an open differential equipped truck. If the truck has a limited slip in the front/rear, then mechanically, the axles will provide much more traction, by utilizing clutches or gears. This is better than an open differential, but still mechanically controlled along with the same being for lockers.

A prime example of the difference is driving a 4wd truck on the snow. When you step on the gas, all four wheels will spins, and you'll go forward or slide. If you were on a uphill with one side of the vehicle on dry pavement and the other side on the snow or ice, the truck would just sit there and spin, and you would go nowhere. On the other hand, in an AWD car or truck, in that same situation, the ECU would automatically detect the differences in wheel speed between the right and left side of the vehicle, and use the antilock braking system to brake the right side wheels, which would automatically send power to the opposing side of the vehicle, and the AWD car or truck would move forward, instead of sit there and spin.

Sorry for the long response!

Chris

 

I saw a chevy AWD on the lot. it is the SS model with

463 HP and all leather and all everything. Has big

plastic bumpers. Looked great but I think was just a

pickup to be used as car.

Can't see taking that thing to the mountains.

 

P-o-t-A-t-o-e / P-o-t-AH-t-o-e

AWD & full-time 4WD are basically the same. Full-time 4WD uses viscous coupling, center differentials, ABS & power split the same way AWD does. If you ask Subaru, they will call it AWD & if you ask Toyota or other manufacturers who build trucks, they will generally say full-time 4WD.