Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Spring 2011 is in full swing
That's pretty catchy, if I do say so myself. With all the students come....CARS! It gets annoyingly busy traffic-wise around here but it's nice to see some cool cars around, particularly some nice E46 BMWs (I'm always on the trailing edge of cool...but I love the E36!).
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Speaking of winter...
From a Facebook post just a few minutes ago (referencing this article 4WD vs. AWD):
It's really just semantics, there are many different kinds of drive systems and traction control systems out there. So there are differences but I don't agree fully with that article.
To me AWD is just a term used in more modern times that means a vehicle that automatically controls power to all 4 wheels without driver intervention.
4WD to me means a vehicle that has selectable drive, so it can be RWD or 4WD, i.e. most off-road oriented vehicles and older vehicles. The article neglects the ability of many vehicles these days to vary the power to each wheel individually, thus sending more power to wheels that slip less.
Having some kind of limited slip differential is a definite advantage and then there's a center differential that can also work in the same way front to back, but it can also all be computer controlled. Traction control systems vary a lot, some use brakes, throttle, and differential control, or a combination of any.
Still, it usually comes down to driver skill and understanding. Just like RWD cars are still just fine if you know what you're doing and have good tires. RWD cars shift weight onto the rear (drive) wheels when accelerating, thus the advantage. If you drive a RWD car like a wimp, it will get stuck. The opposite is true of a FWD car, too much throttle and you're spinning or stuck.
So, just figured I'd repost it here. Even cooler is the ability of computer-controlled AWD systems to shift power during acceleration. More power is shifted to the rear wheels to improve steering response under throttle (less torque on the steering wheels) and improve traction by taking advantage of weight shift.
It's really just semantics, there are many different kinds of drive systems and traction control systems out there. So there are differences but I don't agree fully with that article.
To me AWD is just a term used in more modern times that means a vehicle that automatically controls power to all 4 wheels without driver intervention.
4WD to me means a vehicle that has selectable drive, so it can be RWD or 4WD, i.e. most off-road oriented vehicles and older vehicles. The article neglects the ability of many vehicles these days to vary the power to each wheel individually, thus sending more power to wheels that slip less.
Having some kind of limited slip differential is a definite advantage and then there's a center differential that can also work in the same way front to back, but it can also all be computer controlled. Traction control systems vary a lot, some use brakes, throttle, and differential control, or a combination of any.
Still, it usually comes down to driver skill and understanding. Just like RWD cars are still just fine if you know what you're doing and have good tires. RWD cars shift weight onto the rear (drive) wheels when accelerating, thus the advantage. If you drive a RWD car like a wimp, it will get stuck. The opposite is true of a FWD car, too much throttle and you're spinning or stuck.
So, just figured I'd repost it here. Even cooler is the ability of computer-controlled AWD systems to shift power during acceleration. More power is shifted to the rear wheels to improve steering response under throttle (less torque on the steering wheels) and improve traction by taking advantage of weight shift.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)