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Hey everyone! I have a question. I have a Trail Blazer. I have the option of using AWD or 4WD - whats the difference? And in which circumstance would I use them?
Hey everyone! I have a question. I have a Trail Blazer. I have the option of using AWD or 4WD - whats the difference? And in which circumstance would I use them?
As I understand it:
AWD: the individual wheels CAN rotate at different speeds (hydrostatic drive, not gear-driven), therefore better for icey road conditions at normal highway speeds, but good off-road as well. Coming around corners, the outside tires will rotate slightly faster than the inside tires, yet still have the same driving torgue applied to them. Very good handling characteristics and no speed restrictions in the owners manual.
4WD: normally (there were a few exceptions) all four wheels rotate at the same speed, regardless of whether you are on a straightaway, or a sharp corner....because they are gear driven. This is why you need identical tires on all 4 wheels. Best for slow, off road, conditions, although I've known some who use it at highway speeds as well. (but, IMO, this is hard on the drivetrain and tires) Some owners manuals state not to exceed a certain speed while in 4WD mode...
AWD means All Wheel Drive as opposed to 4WD which is Four Wheel Drive. The biggest difference between the two is how power is applied between the front and rear axles. In 4WD, power is equally divided front to rear at all times, usually by the use of gears or chains. With AWD, power is supplied in proportions through a differential, such as 40% to the front and 60% to the rear, but can change as determined by driving conditions or as determined by the computer in the vehicle (at least with some systems - like those with traction control). Most of these systems that I'm aware of use a viscous fluid to couple the front and rear axles, allowing some slippage between front and rear, which is needed on pavement due to the small differences in distance traveled between the front and rear wheels. With your vehicle, changing from AWD to 4WD locks the center differential, creating a 50/50 split between front and rear. AWD provides for better on pavement handling, since 4WD will eventually bind up, causing the vehicle to come to a standstill. This happens because the front and rear of vehicles don't travel exactly the same distance when you turn corners. In general, AWD will work nearly as well as 4WD in bad weather or bad road conditions, at least on the road. Off road, many people prefer 4WD because both front and rear continue to turn after one or the other has lost traction. Most 4WD systems also come with a "low range" selection that provides much lower gearing for climbing steep hills.
We've had BOTH types of vehicles here for over 20+ years, and....IMO...AWD is the way to go for icey and snowy ROAD conditions, at normal highway speeds (45-65 mph), because 4WD might break traction due to wheels not being allowed to turn at slightly different RPM's around corners, etc. In the same scenario, AWD will always have torque applied to all 4 wheels, even if 2 of them are rotating at a little slower, or faster, rpm. You can tell the difference just by feeling the handling characteristics on the road...test drive a 4WD, then a AWD, on icey roads and see for yourself...the AWD is GREAT!
4WD is better for off-road conditions, at slow speeds, like fording streams, climbing very steep hills, running through deep mud, etc. Generally, a vehicle with 4WD will have very low gearing available (you can move along at a crawl) whereas an AWD vehicle will generally not. This is not to say an AWD vehicle is "no good" off-road, it's just that a 4WD is better. Driving at speed on a highway with 4WD engaged is hard on the drivetrain, and will cause much faster wear. Driving at speed on a highway with AWD causes NO abnormal wear at all...in fact, with many AWD vehicles you can't dis-engage the AWD...it's on all the time...
Both AWD, and 4WD, beat a 2WD in any situation. Wanna get stuck? Buy a
2WD vehicle...
Bud
Seward, ALASKA (yep...you guessed it: LOTS of snow and ice here...!)
So to sum it up, an AWD is good for extra traction on-road whereas a 4WD is better for traction off road.......?
Yep...you got it! If I were shopping for a vehicle to just use for transportation to work, shopping, family use, etc, then I'd get an AWD. If I wanted to get one for off-road use, then a 4WD is better. Something else to think about: in GENERAL, most 4WD vehicles have MORE ground clearance than the average AWD vehicle...much more suitable for off-road use than a AWD. I have an AWD SUV now, but the ground clearance is only something like 8". Even with good traction, an AWD can get high-centered in off-roading. This summer I'm going to get a good, used, 4WD small truck for my off-road fun...
Either AWD or 4WD beats 2WD, hands down...
Don't be totally mislead about "ground clearance" issues.
A same diameter wheel on an AWD vehicle gives the same ground clearance as on a 4x4.
The only way a 4x4 has "more" ground clearance is to have bigger diameter wheels that raise the axles up higher than the AWD vehicle. And the difference may be trivial ... my Subaru Outback wagon runs 15" diameter wheels, while my Dodge 2500 Diesel 4x4 runs 16" Wheels. That works out to much less than an inch clearance gained with the respective tires, and the Subie will go everywhere the truck will in snow conditions.
On icey roads, it's not a contest ... The Subie AWD goes more places, faster & with safety than the 4x4 truck ever will. It's why our local rural mail carriers use Subie wagons in far greater numbers than any 4x4 based vehicle.
The 4x4 has the advantage only in trail conditions off-road. Even then, many of the winning long distance off-road racing rally vehicles are AWD, not 4x4's. I've spent enough white-knuckle rides in the right front seat of a CJ series Jeep on icy paved roads/streets at low speeds to know that they're no match for almost any AWD car platform on the road today.
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