What are the Differences Between Front Wheel Drive and Rear Wheel Drive?

There are many points to consider when buying a new car. One of these points is where the drive system of the car is located. Cars are usually either front wheel drive or rear wheel drive. Apart from these, there are also 4×4 vehicles in which both the front and the rear have the propulsion power.

Our topic today is how there are differences between front wheel drive cars and rear wheel drive cars. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these two systems? Let’s take a closer look at the differences between these two transmissions, which have important effects in many areas from repair costs to fuel consumption.

How do front wheel drive cars work?

Front-wheel drive, which we see in most of the cars that come out as price-performance today, offers some disadvantages as well as many advantages. In front wheel drive cars, the power produced by the engine is transferred to the differential via the gearbox. The power from the differential is also transferred to the axles, ensuring the movement of the wheels. In other words, the power of the engine is transferred to the front wheels, which are right next to them, very quickly and compactly.

In front-wheel drive vehicles, the balance point is also located at the front.

In front-wheel drive vehicles, almost all the important parts are located at the front. In such vehicles, unlike rear-wheel drive engines, the engine is placed horizontally, while other important parts are gathered in the front, so the weight of the vehicle is gathered forward. This is an important issue that affects the driving experience.

What are the advantages of front wheel drive vehicles?

• By not having to transmit power to the rear wheels, front-wheel drive cars save a significant amount of design and material revenue. This makes front-wheel drive vehicles cheaper.
• Although the power is concentrated at the front, it is lighter in overall weight due to fewer parts. This allows the vehicle to be much more efficient in terms of fuel economy.
• They are more successful than rear-wheel drive cars, especially in snowy and rainy weather. Since the weight balance of the vehicle is in the same place, the wheels to which the power is transferred press the ground much more firmly, and this allows the vehicle to hold the road on snowy grounds.

What are the disadvantages of front wheel drive vehicles?

• They cannot achieve the success they have achieved on snowy and rainy ground on dry ground. Especially at high speeds, there may be dangers such as slipping and skidding. For this reason, vehicles that reach high speeds are usually produced with rear wheel drive.
• Since the load will suddenly get on the rear during the first take-off, it may be difficult for the vehicle to hold the road, that is, to maneuver. This may cause the wheel of the vehicle to spin and have difficulty returning to the desired location.
• We said that front wheel drive cars are cheaper because they have fewer parts. Although they have fewer parts, even small impacts can cause big problems because all the parts are in a whole. In other words, while damaging a part of the car, the part connected to it is also more likely to be damaged.
• One side of the axle system leading to the wheels of front wheel drive cars is shorter due to the location of the engine and transmission. This can cause a loss of steering feel, especially when maneuvering into a short ground.
• Since both power transmission, braking and steering systems are on the front wheels in front wheel drive cars, these wheels can be extremely difficult. In rear-wheel drive cars, this situation is transferred to the 4 wheels in a much more balanced way.

How do rear wheel drive cars work?

The most important feature of rear-wheel drive cars is that they are much more balanced than front-wheel drive. Rear-wheel drive cars, which transfer the power from the vertically placed engine to the rear wheel instead of the front wheels, do this thanks to the shaft. The shaft is the part responsible for taking the power from the transmission to the rear of the vehicle. The power transmitted by the shaft is transferred to the differential and axles, enabling the rear wheels to turn.

In rear-wheel drive cars, the balance point is more evenly distributed.

Contrary to front-wheel drive cars, rear-wheel drive cars, which have a much more balanced design, provide an advantage over front-wheel drive cars in many respects thanks to this balance structure. Unlike front-wheel drive cars, rear-wheel drive cars, which balance the weight of the engine and transmission in the front with the shaft, differential and axles at the rear, are generally used in vehicles that can reach high speeds thanks to these structures.

What are the advantages of rear wheel drive cars?

• In rear-wheel drive cars, part replacement is much easier, as the system is not in the front as a whole. Failure of one part does not easily damage other parts because it is not compact like a front wheel drive vehicle. In other words, when there is a malfunction, only that malfunction can be repaired and the problem can be resolved. In front wheel drive vehicles, a problem in the differential can also damage the transmission.
• Unlike front-wheel drive vehicles, the balance point is evenly distributed. This makes it easier to absorb the impacts that will occur from things such as problematic roads and minor accidents.
• It is much easier to take turns at high speeds. Since the car transmits power from the rear, it gives confidence by holding onto the road more as you press the gas when you enter the corner.
• Because the rear wheels are responsible for propulsion, less work falls on the front wheels. In this way, more flexibility is provided when turning to the front wheels.
• Since the weight balance of rear-wheel drive cars is equal, they can reach higher speeds without any skidding.

What are the disadvantages of rear wheel drive cars?

• Since there are more parts in rear-wheel drive cars, they are generally preferred in upper segment cars. This means that rear-wheel drive cars often sell for higher prices.
• In general, rear wheel drive cars consume more fuel than front wheel drive cars.
• Rear-wheel drive cars can be a bit slow on initial acceleration, as they transmit power through the shaft, unlike front-wheel drive cars.
• Since the weight balance is evenly distributed, the road holding becomes weak compared to front-wheel drive vehicles, especially in rainy and snowy weather. Especially in snowy weather, it is necessary to use rear-wheel drive vehicles much more carefully.

Then let’s fix it. Which one should you prefer? Do you pull from the front or push from the back?

We have seen the advantages and disadvantages of the drive system of the car according to its location. First of all, we see that the rear-wheel drive car is more advantageous at many points. If you don’t live in a place with a lot of rain and snow, a rear-wheel drive seems like a logical choice. At this point, the main thing to pay attention to is the weather and road conditions of the place where you live.

Today we talked about the advantages and disadvantages of cars with front or rear wheel drive. If you want more content like this, you can write to us in the comments section.