4 Wheel Drive vs All Wheel Drive

You may have heard about the 4 wheel drive vs all wheel drive debacle. Some people consider the all wheel drive to be better, others not so much. You will always have to deal with some debate in this regard. But the reality is that only one of these options can suit your needs.

4 wheel drive has its roots in the 4×4 world, as you can imagine. These are great because they have a second gearbox right under them. This is a transfer case and the idea is that some of the power from this will go to the front wheels. The power is also controller by a dedicated level. Here you can get both low or even normal gear ratios.

The idea here is that you want to get the most traction, and this is why the 4 wheel drive does make a lot of sense when you are dealing with a pressuring situation. You can also find this technology in the passenger cars, in this case it’s called all wheel drive.

But the difference here is that AWD is all about tuning the technology for the streets. The focus here is on having a better performance in the case of tight corners. While AWD is suitable for cornering and high speeds, 4WD is focused on the lower speeds. This way you get to climb and go through the tough snow without having a ton of effort put into this.

Despite all of that, these two technologies are widely used out there. But they are in the minority if you compare these with things like RWD or FWD. The reason is simple, you have a much better focus with those, when in the case of 4WD you specifically tune this for special situations. It’s the general appeal of this technology that makes it stand out in those situations.

Why don’t you have this in the case of every car? You have complexity, a lower fuel economy, weight and cost are definitely a problem. Not every car has the ability to carry AWD or support this type of weight. There are specific situations when this makes sense, and that’s certainly something to take into account here.

Plus, most 4WD and AWD units are customized for the manufacturer. While you can get some generalized information from the internet, the reality is that only the manufacturer knows how he handled the specifics, and that’s really important to take into consideration.

As you can see, both technologies are very important. While there are some differences here and there, it’s safe to say that the customization options are really good and the value on its own is extremely interesting. It’s important to figure out where you will use your car before you choose options like these. But yes, it will surely be worth it, and that’s the thing that you need to be focused on the most. If you need more than the FWD or the RWD, this is certainly something that you want to keep in mind!