Which Drivetrain is for you?

Have you ever wondered why some cars are front wheel drive, rear wheel drive or all all wheel drive? In this blog posting we will go over the different type of drivetrains, and some of their pros and cons. Let’s begin with two most common drive trains, front vs rear wheel drive. Have you ever been in a situation where you were pushing something really heavy, or maybe you were pulling something very heavy. Ahh, it’s beginning to click now isn’t it? Well that’s what your drivetrain is doing, depending whether you have a front wheel drive that is pulling all that weight behind it, vs a rear wheel drive car that is pushing it. Different road conditions and weather will favour one over the other, there is no clear answer as to which is better, it all depends what you are using it for and where you live (typical weather). The other point worth mentioning is that a front wheel drive car also steers with it’s front tires, so you will find that it’s a little more responsive and predictable where it will go. This also means that there’s a lot more for you to look after in that front end because not only does it pull your car but it also steers it. That being said, a rear wheel drive car is easier to lose on a turn, and often you will see young and unexperienced drivers “lose” their cars by giving the rear wheels too much throttle and basically spinning out of control. Check out this video of an unexperienced Lamborghini driver losing control of their sweet ride —> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pgm8I0B8bY This is what happens when too much power goes to the rear and you lose the front. Some people actually choose a rear wheel drive vehicle because they want that sport feel and be able to slide around corners in controlled environments, but based on the lack of these kinds of places being easy to find, or yet alone affordable to rent out, most people learn the lesson the hard way on the streets. You can lose control of a front wheel drive car too, but it’s much harder. And it doesn’t have to be an exotic super car, just take a look at some the crown vic cabbies in the winter and how they struggle. The winter is definitely easier to drive with a front wheel drive car over a rear wheel drive. That being said, let’s look at all wheel drive cars. A car with a 4 wheel drive drivetrain pretty much gives us the best of both worlds. These drivetrains deliver power to all four wheels and provide pushing and pulling power. No matter what the terrain is or what the weather is like, you will always be better off in an all wheel drive car. There are 2 downsides though. The first is maybe not a downside at all, some could call an advantage and that is that it is much harder to lose control of an all wheel drive vehicle, and thus making it safer. The second is maintenance, it will require a little more TLC and $ to look after an all wheel drive car. It’s obviously a more complicated drive train with more parts, but don’t let that be a factor in your decision. The safety and peace of mind knowing that you won’t get stuck and you can handle all road conditions should be enough to justify it. And if that’s not enough, remember that we are here to help you with all of the other stuff. So whether you are driving a Subaru, Audi, VW, Honda, Toyota or any other all wheel drive car, let the experts at Top Gear be your best alternative to the dealer for London Ontario. We got you covered, and as always, drive safe!