you know
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train?
By Paul A . Eisenstein
Do you know your drive train?
Today’s new car buyers are faced with
a perplexing array of options that often
confuse rather than clarify the search for
the right vehicle.
Nowhere is that more apparent than
when it comes to drivetrains.
Until the early 1980s, almost every car
sold in America came in rear-wheel-
drive configuration. The engine was up
front and the driving wheels were in
back.
However, front-wheel-drive is noth­
ing new: the 1929 Cord L-29 featured
front-wheel-drive. But until recently,
such systems were most common on
quirky imports like Sweden’s Saab and
France’s Citroen.
Yet front-wheel-drive does have a
number of potential advantages. For one
thing, it's easier to package in a small car.
By eliminating the driveshaft that con­
nects the rear driving wheels to the
engine and its hump, which runs
through the middle of the car, a manu­
facturer can offer more interior space in
an otherwise downsized vehicle.
This setup became quite appealing in
the wake of the 1979 energy crisis, when
manufacturers started downsizing their
fleets to smaller, more fuel efficient vehi­
cles. And since the front wheels pulled
rather than pushed, front-wheel-drive
vehicles tended to handle better on snow
and ice.
Then four-wheel-drive, which had
been reserved for trucks used by con­
struction crews, farmers and outdoors
men, became popular. The use of four-
wheel-drive in SUVs, personal use pick-
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commonplace.
The advantage of four-wheel-drive is
that all four wheels are getting power
simultaneously and that improves the
grip vou get on the road, whether you’re
driving down the freeway, through a
snowstorm, or on a rutted backwoods
trail.
There are a variety of four-wheel-
drive systems. The most basic type oper­
ate part-time and should normally not
be engaged on dry pavement. You man­
ually switch to four-wheel-drive when
surface conditions get slippery.
Other four-wheel-drive systems, com­
monly known as all-wheel-drive, operate
full-time and use a variety of technical
methods to measure road conditions.
On a dry road, most power may be
channeled to the front wheels. But if
road conditions deteriorate, some of the
power is diverted to the rear wheels, if
they're getting better grip.
We’ll skip the detailed technical dif­
ferences between all-wheel-drive and
four-wheel-drive, suffice it to say that
most all-wheel-drive systems also oper­
ate full-time, quietly redirecting power to
the wheels that can use it the best at any
particular moment.
Like four-wheel-drive, all-wheel-drive
systems tend to add weight and com­
plexity to a vehicle, and that's likely to
translate into a modest reduction in fuel
economy and an increase in mainte­
nance costs.
Now that we’ve got the basics out of
the way, which drive system is best for
you?
From the early '80s until recently, the
consensus favored front-wheel-drive.
But more than a few experts are now
rethinking their recommendations,
especially when it comes to luxury and
performance vehicles.
Front-wheel-drive has trouble han­
dling lots of power. Stomp on the accel­
erator and your car may veer to one side
or the other, a phenomenon known as
torque steer. That’s why most sports cars
and import luxury vehicles use rear-
wheel-drive layouts.
Better tires and electronic control sys­
tems, such
as
Mercedes-Benz’s
Electronic Stability Program, have
resulted in a dramatic improvement in
the wav rear-wheel-drive vehicles handle
slippery pavement. That’s why some
front-wheel-drive manufacturers, like
Cadillac, are switching back to rear-
wheel-drive.
If you live in serious snow country,
you're a prime candidate for a four-
wheel drive or all-wheel-drive vehicle.
And this technology is becoming
increasingly common on passenger cars,
as well as light trucks.
It's essential to understand that no
drive system is an automotive panacea.
Go into a comer too fast and nothing
will keep you from losing control. When
you’re on a slushy or icy road, even four-
wheel drive will be hard-pressed to pre­
vent a skid.
That's all too apparent in places like
Chicago and Detroit, where many dri­
vers mistakenly believe the "sport" in
"sport-ute” means their vehicles should
handle like sports cars even in the worst
weather.
Mix that attitude with inclement
weather and SUVs are the first vehicles
that end up on the side of the road.
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