Wednesday, October 1, 2014

FWD vs RWD - Introduction

When we talk about the vehicle's performance, for most people the first thing appear in mind is the engine, such as horsepower, power or displacement. However in this blog will talk it from another side- the driving method which is the basic structure for a vehicle.

History
The world's first car was invented in 1989 by Kari Friedrich Benz who is the founder of Mercedes Benz. Till today it already has more than 130 years history. The first car developed form a simple coach which was equipped with a small engine and steering system, even without break system. 
Just two decades later, the vehicle welcomed the explosion development time, during which area the Audi, Dodge and Chrysler were built. The vehicles' market pressure became more heave, so many talent engineers focused on how to develop the vehicle's performance. After twenty years development, most cars already leave the engine in front of the driver. But, the confusion is coming- chose which driving method; front wheel drive or rear wheel drive.

Structure
With the development of the vehicle industry, there are two types driving models are widely accepted by people- Front wheel drive (FWD) & Rear wheel drive (RWD). The four wheel drive or all-wheel drive is a kind of special condition for two types above. Here are two pictures show the basic structure of FWD and RWD.

Rear Wheel Drive (RWD)
Front Wheel Drive (FWD)
It’s easy to understand. FWD means the front wheels drive the car, meanwhile RWD means the rear wheels provide the force to push the car. 

Compare
So let us back to the confusion. Someone maybe said the rear wheel drive is much better than front wheel drive, because of BMW and Mercedes Benz are all using rear wheel drive. But form the professional point, that dose not make sense. I will compare these two methods' advantages and disadvantages from some parts below, which will provide a more objective view.

This case will compare both types by below parts.
1.       Price
2.       Control
3.       Safety
4.       Starting Characteristic
5.       Climbing Characteristic

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