Front Wheel Drive vs. Rear Wheel Drive

The debate over which driving style reigns supreme - front wheel or rear while drive - has been raging for decades, but may finally be settled thanks to modern vehicles combining the best of both worlds.



Rear wheel drive is likely the most familiar style for most drivers, due to this being the industry standard for the majority of automotive history. The Free Car Stories . By allowing the front wheels to concentrate solely on steering, while the rear wheels deliver the power, acceleration can be improved and torque steering eliminated, giving drivers greater control over their cars.



By contrast, front wheel drive has traditionally been a method of producing lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles, by placing the engine and transaxle in the front of the car and improving weight distribution to aid drivers on slippery roads. bmw k1200s forum. Front wheel drive has been used in many cars since as early as the 1920s, but began to take off in the 1970s and 80s, eventually outpacing rear wheel drive in many cases.



The automotive landscape is changing, however, with more recent developments such as traction control and stability management systems negating the advantages of front wheel drive on icy roads. Now, both driving styles can be equally safe, and can be evaluated more fairly.



While front wheel drive is still the more appealing option for economic motorists looking for lighter and less fuel-hungry cars, their front-heavy build can generate problems of its own - particularly torque steer, which is not an issue for rear wheel drive. Front wheel drive also tends to be less powerful than rear wheel drive, by using the same two wheels to both steer and accelerate.



Due to aforementioned advances in vehicle technology, the issue of front or rear wheel drive is no longer a pressing concern among most motorists, with test drives revealing that the make and model of a car play a much larger part in its performance. However, the fact remains that most cars designed for speed and performance favour rear wheel drive, while front wheel is the leading choice in areas where adverse road conditions are more prevalent.



Whether your car drives using the front or rear wheels may play some part in your safety out on the roads, but overall your safety is more down to the reliability of the type of car you drive, as well as your personal driving technique, which will determine your risk of being involved in accidents and needing windscreen replace and other repairs.