I know how rear wheel drives work, but how do front wheel drives work? I‘ve heard that front wheel drive vehicles are better in the snow too, but is that true?What is the difference mechanically?
Handling, front wheel drives tend to under steer rear wheel over steer. You put the power down at different parts of turns/corners. RW pushes, Front W pulls, both have their fans but there is some universal agreement on which is better for different types of motor sport and for economy you will probably always be more fuel efficient not having to drag around a rear wheel drive power train/differential etc. 4 wheel drive will always be better off road/in snow/rallies since they figured out how to make 4 wheel drive steering work well but it will use more juice too
Front wheel drives are better in the snow because your more pulling the vehicle rather than pushing. Because it's turning your front wheels. Rear wheel drive vehicles are mostly sporty cars because you get a certain, or better accelerationin the sports car. Example I own a 1995 Chevrolet Camaro (Rear Wheel Drive) and in the winter I put snow tires on and sand bags in the trunk so there is more weight in the back for more traction on the back wheels with all the power.
The truth is - it depends. Front wheel drives are considered better in the snow, but mostly due to the comparison to open-differential rear wheel drive vehicles, and because most rear wheel drive cars today are performance-oriented. The advantage comes with the understanding that front wheel drive vehicles drive the steered wheels, which means a driver can utilize the power transmission to the steered wheels to prevent/reduce a skid - something a rear wheel driver cannot. The engine is also located over the driven wheels, improving traction somewhat. However, traction is lost to the front wheels in hard launches, due to the weight transfer to the rear wheels, which is why a rear wheel drive vehicle has an advantage on the drag strip. The front wheel drive system consists of shafts connected to cv joints, which allow the front wheels to be steered and powered at the same time. A rear wheel drive consists of an output shaft driving a prop shaft that is connected to the rear differential via u-joints (as opposed to cv joints). Traditionally, the front wheel drive engine is mounted traverse (facing the wheels) while a rear wheel drive is mounted longitudinally. Hope this helps a little!
