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rv:awd [2022/02/02 01:37] princess_fluffypants |
rv:awd [2022/03/22 19:47] princess_fluffypants [4WD vs AWD] |
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===== What AWD is good for ===== | ===== What AWD is good for ===== | ||
- | Daily driving and helping to accelerate on short sections of slippery, flat surfaces. Think of moderately plowed snowy streets, or pavement covered in wet leaves, or well graded gravel roads with short sections of loose surface. The sort of conditions that you might reasonably expect | + | Daily driving and helping to accelerate on short sections of slippery, flat surfaces. Think of moderately plowed snowy streets, or pavement covered in wet leaves, or well graded gravel roads with short sections of loose surface. The sort of conditions that you might reasonably expect daily driving in most situations. |
- | It's also good for drivers who have limited mechanical interest don't want to worry about how it works. AWD is pretty forgiving, while mistakes in application of a 4WD system will lead to immediate and catastrophic failures (And not failures like "a warning light came on", but failures like " | + | It's also good for drivers who have limited mechanical interest don't want to worry about how it works. AWD is pretty forgiving, while mistakes in application of a 4WD system will lead to immediate and catastrophic failures (And not failures like "a warning light came on", but failures like " |
===== What AWD is NOT good for ===== | ===== What AWD is NOT good for ===== | ||
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A 4-wheel-drive system mechanically locks the front and rear axles together, and the left and right wheels together if engaged with differential locks. | A 4-wheel-drive system mechanically locks the front and rear axles together, and the left and right wheels together if engaged with differential locks. | ||
- | AWD systems such as used on the Transit and the Sprinter don't have mechanical locks between the axles and wheels. Instead they use computerized controls to detect when a wheel is spinning and doesn' | + | AWD systems such as used on the Transit and the Sprinter don't have mechanical locks between the axles and wheels. Instead they use limited slip differentials and computerized controls to detect when a wheel is spinning and doesn' |
The result is that while 4WD vehicles seem to glide smoothly through lose terrain and up hills, AWD vans tend to " | The result is that while 4WD vehicles seem to glide smoothly through lose terrain and up hills, AWD vans tend to " |