Front Wheel Drive

Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Front Wheel Drive shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Front Wheel Drive offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Front Wheel Drive at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Front Wheel Drive? Wrong! If the Front Wheel Drive is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Front Wheel Drive then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Front Wheel Drive? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Front Wheel Drive and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Front Wheel Drive wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Front Wheel Drive then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Front Wheel Drive site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Front Wheel Drive, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Front Wheel Drive, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

Front-wheel drive is a form of Internal combustion engine/transmission (mechanics) layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles.

History - 1900 Gräf & Stift built a voiturette with a one-cylinder De Dion-Bouton engine fitted in front of the vehicle, powering the front axle sometime between 1895 and 1898, according to various sources. It was thus arguably the world's first front-wheel drive automobile, but it never saw mass production, with only one copy ever made.

1900 - 1920 Experiments with front-wheel drive cars date to the early days of the automobile. Following the Spanish-American War, J. Walter Christie of the United States of America was working on designs for a front-wheel drive car, which he promoted and demonstrated by racing at various speedways in the US, and even competed in the Vanderbilt Cup and the French Grand Prix. In 1912 he began manufacturing a line of wheeled fire engine tractors which used his front-wheel drive system, but due to lack of sales this venture failed.

1920 - 1930 The first successful application of front-wheel drive was the Miller 122 racecar designed in 1924 by Harry Arminius Miller of Menomonie, Wisconsin. However, the idea languished outside of the motor racing arena as no major auto manufacturer attempted the same for production automobiles. Market experiments in the United States were left to small endeavors such as the Ruxton (automobile) (200 cars in 1929), and the Cord Automobile#Cord L-29 of 1929. Neither automobile maker was particularly successful on the open market. Alvis Cars of the United Kingdom also introduced a front-wheel drive model in 1928, but it was not a success either.

1930 - 1945 The first successful consumer application came in 1931 with the DKW F1 from Germany, and in 1934 with the Citroën Traction Avant cars by Citroën of France. Birmingham Small Arms Company three-wheelers of the United Kingdom were also popular front-wheel drive automobiles, and the Cord Automobile#Cord model 810 of the United States managed a bit better in the late 1930s than its predecessor one decade earlier. These vehicles featured a layout that places the engine behind the transmission, running "backwards," (save for the Cord, which drove the transmission from the front of the engine). The basic front-wheel drive layout provides sharp turning, and better weight distribution creates "positive handling characteristics" due to its low polar inertia and relatively favourable weight distribution. (The heaviest component is near the centre of the car, making the main component of its moment of inertia relatively low). Another result of this design is a lengthened chassis.

1945 - 1960 Front-wheel drive was further popularized by the 1948 Citroën 2CV, where the lightweight aluminium flat twin engine was mounted ahead of the front wheels, and 1955 Citroën DS, featuring the MF layout layout. Panhard of France, DKW of Germany and Saab (automobile) of Sweden offered exclusively front-wheel drive cars.

In 1954, Alfa-Romeo had experimented with its first front-wheel drive compact car named "33" (not related or referred to sports car similarily named "33"). It had the same transverse-mounted, forward-motor layout as the modern front-wheel drive automobiles. It even resembled the smaller version of its popular Guilia. However, due to the financial difficulties in post-war Italy, the 33 never saw the production. Had Alfa-Romeo succeed in producing 33, it would precede Mini as the first "modern" front-wheel drive compact car.

1960 - 1975 The transversely mounted engine combined with front-wheel drive was popularized by the 1959 Mini; there the transmission was built into the sump of the engine, and drive was transferred to it via a set of primary gears. The same transmission concept was also used by Peugeot and Renault on their jointly-developed small car engine of the 1970s where the 4-cylinder block was canted over to reduce the overall height of the engine with the transmission underneath. The tendency of this layout to generate unwanted transmission "whine" has seen it fall out of favour.

The 1965 Triumph 1300 was designed around a longitudinal engine with the transmission underneath. Audi has also used a longitudinally mounted engine overhung over the front wheels since the 1970s. Audi is one of the few manufacturers which still uses this particular configuration. It allows the use of equal-length half shafts and the easy addition of all-wheel drive, but has the disadvantage that it makes it difficult to achieve 50/50 weight distribution (although they remedy this in four-wheel drive models by mounting the gearbox at the rear of the transaxle.)

Also in the 1970s and 1980s, the Douvrin engines used in the larger Renaults (20, 21, 25 and 30) used this longitudinal "forward" layout. The first generation Saab 900, launched in 1978, also used a longitudinal engine with a transmission underneath with helical gears. The 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado was the first U.S. front-wheel drive car since the Cord Automobile#Cord model 810. It used a longitudinal engine placement for its V8, coupled with an unusual "split" transmission, which turned the engine power 180 degrees. Power then went to a differential mounted to the transmission case, from which half-shafts took it to the wheels. The driveline was set fairly at centre-point of the wheels for better weight distribution, though this raised the engine, requiring lowered intake systems.

1975 - 1990 The Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard drove a mass changeover of cars in the US to front-wheel drive. The change began in 1978, with the introduction of the first American-built transverse-engined cars, the Plymouth Horizon and Dodge Omni (based on the European designed Simca Horizon), followed by the 1980 Chevrolet Citation and numerous other vehicles. By reducing drivetrain weight and space needs, vehicles could be made smaller and more efficient without sacrificing acceleration. Some suggest that the introduction of the modern Volkswagen Golf in 1975, from a traditional U.S. competitor, served as a wake-up call for the "Big Three" (which already produced front-wheel drive vehicles in their operations outside North America). Front-wheel drive became the norm for mid-sized cars starting with the 1982 Chevrolet Celebrity, 1983 Dodge 600, 1985 Nissan Maxima, and the 1986 Ford Taurus. By the mid-1980s, most formerly rear-wheel drive Japanese models were front-wheel drive, and by the mid-1990s, most American brands only sold a handful of rear-wheel drive models.

1990 - today There were relatively few rear-wheel drive cars marketed in North America by the early 1990s; Chrysler's car line-up was entirely front-wheel drive by 1990. GM followed suit in 1996 where its B-body line was phased out, where its sports cars (Camaro, Firebird, Corvette) were the only RWDs marketed; by the early 2000s, the Vette was the only RWD until the introduction of the Sigma platform.

The vast majority of front-wheel drive vehicles today use a Transverse engine with "end-on" mounted transmission, driving the front wheels via driveshafts linked via Constant-velocity joint. This configuration was made popular by the 1967 Simca 1100, and the 1969 Fiat 128. The 1959 Mini, while a pioneering transverse front-wheel drive vehicle, used a substantially different arrangement with the transmission in the sump.

American auto manufacturers are now shifting larger models (such as the Chrysler 300 and most of the Cadillac lineup) back to rear-wheel drive.

Records

The Cadillac Eldorado, with front-wheel drive introduced in 1967, holds the record for the largest engine in a front-wheel drive production vehicle, at 8.2 L (500 in³), starting with the 1970 model, lasting until the 1976 model year.
In acceleration, the Dodge SRT-4 holds the world record for the quickest production Turbo front-wheel drive production vehicle. Dodge
A turbocharged Citroën SM broke the land speed record for its class at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in 1987, going 202 mph (325 km/h), a record for a front-wheel drive vehicle. Infoweb

Advantages of front-wheel drive

Interior space: Since the powertrain is a single unit contained in the engine compartment of the vehicle, there is no need to devote interior space for a driveshaft tunnel or rear differential, increasing the volume available for passengers and cargo. Inside Line: What Wheel Drive?
Cost: Fewer components overall.
Weight: Fewer components mean lower weight.
Improved fuel efficiency due to less weight.
Improved drivetrain efficiency: the direct connection between engine and transaxle reduce the mass and mechanical inertia of the drivetrain compared to a rear-wheel drive vehicle with a similar engine and transmission, allowing greater fuel economy.
Assembly efficiency: the powertrain can often be assembled and installed as a unit, which allows more efficient production.
Placing the mass of the drivetrain over the driven wheels moves the centre of gravity farther forward than a comparable rear-wheel drive layout, improving traction (engineering) and directional stability on wet, snowy, or icy surfaces. "What's It Like To Drive", describes a test between two Dodge Daytonas, one FWD and one RWD
Predictable handling characteristics: front-wheel drive cars, with a front weight bias, tend to understeer at the limit, which according to for instance SAAB engineer Gunnar Larsson is easier since it makes instinct correct in avoiding terminal oversteer, and less prone to result in fishtailing or a spin. The Hidden Virtues of Front Wheel Drive
The driver can control the movement of the car even while skidding by steering, throttling and pulling the hand brake (given that the hand brake operates the rear wheels as in most cases, with early Saabs being an exception). Modern Racer: Front-Wheel-Drive Oversteer
According to a sales brochure for the 1989 Lotus Elan, the ride and handling engineers at Lotus Cars found that "for a given vehicle weight, power and tire size, a front wheel drive car was always faster over a given section of road." Lotus Elan M100 Sales Manual However, this may only apply for cars with moderate power-to-weight ratio. According to road test with two Dodge Daytonas, one FWD and one RWD, the road layout is also important for what configuration is the fastest.
It is easier to correct Lift-off oversteer.

Disadvantages of front-wheel drive

Torque steer is the tendency for some high power front-wheel drive cars to pull to the left or right under hard acceleration. It is a result of the offset between the point about which the wheel steers (which falls at a point which is aligned with the points at which the wheel is connected to the steering mechanisms) and the centroid of its contact patch. The tractive force acts through the centroid of the contact patch, and the offset of the steering point means that a turning moment about the axis of steering is generated. In an ideal situation, the left and right wheels would generate equal and opposite moments, cancelling each other out, however in reality this is less likely to happen. Torque steer can be addressed by using a longitudinal layout, equal length drive shafts, half shafts, a multilink suspension or centre-point steering geometry.
Lack of weight shifting will limit the acceleration of a front-wheel drive vehicle. In a vehicle, the weight shifts back during acceleration, giving more traction to the rear wheels. This is one of the main reasons why nearly all racing cars are all- or rear-wheel drive. However, since front-wheel drive cars have the weight of the engine over the driving wheels, the problem only applies in extreme conditions.
In some towing situations, front-wheel drive cars can be at a traction disadvantage since there will be less weight on the driving wheels. Because of this, the weight that the vehicle is rated to safely tow is likely to be less than that of a rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive vehicle of the same size and power.
Traction can be reduced while attempting to climb a slope in slippery conditions such as snow or ice covered roadways.
Due to geometry and packaging constraints, the CV joints (constant-velocity joints) attached to the wheel hub have a tendency to wear out much earlier than the universal joints typically used in their rear-wheel drive counterparts (although rear-wheel drive vehicles with independent rear suspension also employ CV joints and half-shafts). The significantly shorter drive axles on a front-wheel drive car causes the joint to flex through a much wider degree of motion, compounded by additional stress and angles of steering, while the CV joints of a rear wheel drive car regularly see angles and wear of less than half that of front wheel drive vehicles.
The driveshafts may limit the amount by which the front wheels can turn, thus it may increase the turning circle of a front-wheel drive car compared to a rear-wheel drive one with the same wheelbase.
Due to the combined stress of steering and power, the front tires have a tendency to wear more quickly when compared with rear-wheel drive vehicles.

See also

Rear-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive

References Front-wheel drive is a form of Internal combustion engine/transmission (mechanics) layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles.

History - 1900 Gräf & Stift built a voiturette with a one-cylinder De Dion-Bouton engine fitted in front of the vehicle, powering the front axle sometime between 1895 and 1898, according to various sources. It was thus arguably the world's first front-wheel drive automobile, but it never saw mass production, with only one copy ever made.

1900 - 1920 Experiments with front-wheel drive cars date to the early days of the automobile. Following the Spanish-American War, J. Walter Christie of the United States of America was working on designs for a front-wheel drive car, which he promoted and demonstrated by racing at various speedways in the US, and even competed in the Vanderbilt Cup and the French Grand Prix. In 1912 he began manufacturing a line of wheeled fire engine tractors which used his front-wheel drive system, but due to lack of sales this venture failed.

1920 - 1930 The first successful application of front-wheel drive was the Miller 122 racecar designed in 1924 by Harry Arminius Miller of Menomonie, Wisconsin. However, the idea languished outside of the motor racing arena as no major auto manufacturer attempted the same for production automobiles. Market experiments in the United States were left to small endeavors such as the Ruxton (automobile) (200 cars in 1929), and the Cord Automobile#Cord L-29 of 1929. Neither automobile maker was particularly successful on the open market. Alvis Cars of the United Kingdom also introduced a front-wheel drive model in 1928, but it was not a success either.

1930 - 1945 The first successful consumer application came in 1931 with the DKW F1 from Germany, and in 1934 with the Citroën Traction Avant cars by Citroën of France. Birmingham Small Arms Company three-wheelers of the United Kingdom were also popular front-wheel drive automobiles, and the Cord Automobile#Cord model 810 of the United States managed a bit better in the late 1930s than its predecessor one decade earlier. These vehicles featured a layout that places the engine behind the transmission, running "backwards," (save for the Cord, which drove the transmission from the front of the engine). The basic front-wheel drive layout provides sharp turning, and better weight distribution creates "positive handling characteristics" due to its low polar inertia and relatively favourable weight distribution. (The heaviest component is near the centre of the car, making the main component of its moment of inertia relatively low). Another result of this design is a lengthened chassis.

1945 - 1960 Front-wheel drive was further popularized by the 1948 Citroën 2CV, where the lightweight aluminium flat twin engine was mounted ahead of the front wheels, and 1955 Citroën DS, featuring the MF layout layout. Panhard of France, DKW of Germany and Saab (automobile) of Sweden offered exclusively front-wheel drive cars.

In 1954, Alfa-Romeo had experimented with its first front-wheel drive compact car named "33" (not related or referred to sports car similarily named "33"). It had the same transverse-mounted, forward-motor layout as the modern front-wheel drive automobiles. It even resembled the smaller version of its popular Guilia. However, due to the financial difficulties in post-war Italy, the 33 never saw the production. Had Alfa-Romeo succeed in producing 33, it would precede Mini as the first "modern" front-wheel drive compact car.

1960 - 1975 The transversely mounted engine combined with front-wheel drive was popularized by the 1959 Mini; there the transmission was built into the sump of the engine, and drive was transferred to it via a set of primary gears. The same transmission concept was also used by Peugeot and Renault on their jointly-developed small car engine of the 1970s where the 4-cylinder block was canted over to reduce the overall height of the engine with the transmission underneath. The tendency of this layout to generate unwanted transmission "whine" has seen it fall out of favour.

The 1965 Triumph 1300 was designed around a longitudinal engine with the transmission underneath. Audi has also used a longitudinally mounted engine overhung over the front wheels since the 1970s. Audi is one of the few manufacturers which still uses this particular configuration. It allows the use of equal-length half shafts and the easy addition of all-wheel drive, but has the disadvantage that it makes it difficult to achieve 50/50 weight distribution (although they remedy this in four-wheel drive models by mounting the gearbox at the rear of the transaxle.)

Also in the 1970s and 1980s, the Douvrin engines used in the larger Renaults (20, 21, 25 and 30) used this longitudinal "forward" layout. The first generation Saab 900, launched in 1978, also used a longitudinal engine with a transmission underneath with helical gears. The 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado was the first U.S. front-wheel drive car since the Cord Automobile#Cord model 810. It used a longitudinal engine placement for its V8, coupled with an unusual "split" transmission, which turned the engine power 180 degrees. Power then went to a differential mounted to the transmission case, from which half-shafts took it to the wheels. The driveline was set fairly at centre-point of the wheels for better weight distribution, though this raised the engine, requiring lowered intake systems.

1975 - 1990 The Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard drove a mass changeover of cars in the US to front-wheel drive. The change began in 1978, with the introduction of the first American-built transverse-engined cars, the Plymouth Horizon and Dodge Omni (based on the European designed Simca Horizon), followed by the 1980 Chevrolet Citation and numerous other vehicles. By reducing drivetrain weight and space needs, vehicles could be made smaller and more efficient without sacrificing acceleration. Some suggest that the introduction of the modern Volkswagen Golf in 1975, from a traditional U.S. competitor, served as a wake-up call for the "Big Three" (which already produced front-wheel drive vehicles in their operations outside North America). Front-wheel drive became the norm for mid-sized cars starting with the 1982 Chevrolet Celebrity, 1983 Dodge 600, 1985 Nissan Maxima, and the 1986 Ford Taurus. By the mid-1980s, most formerly rear-wheel drive Japanese models were front-wheel drive, and by the mid-1990s, most American brands only sold a handful of rear-wheel drive models.

1990 - today There were relatively few rear-wheel drive cars marketed in North America by the early 1990s; Chrysler's car line-up was entirely front-wheel drive by 1990. GM followed suit in 1996 where its B-body line was phased out, where its sports cars (Camaro, Firebird, Corvette) were the only RWDs marketed; by the early 2000s, the Vette was the only RWD until the introduction of the Sigma platform.

The vast majority of front-wheel drive vehicles today use a Transverse engine with "end-on" mounted transmission, driving the front wheels via driveshafts linked via Constant-velocity joint. This configuration was made popular by the 1967 Simca 1100, and the 1969 Fiat 128. The 1959 Mini, while a pioneering transverse front-wheel drive vehicle, used a substantially different arrangement with the transmission in the sump.

American auto manufacturers are now shifting larger models (such as the Chrysler 300 and most of the Cadillac lineup) back to rear-wheel drive.

Records

The Cadillac Eldorado, with front-wheel drive introduced in 1967, holds the record for the largest engine in a front-wheel drive production vehicle, at 8.2 L (500 in³), starting with the 1970 model, lasting until the 1976 model year.
In acceleration, the Dodge SRT-4 holds the world record for the quickest production Turbo front-wheel drive production vehicle. Dodge
A turbocharged Citroën SM broke the land speed record for its class at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in 1987, going 202 mph (325 km/h), a record for a front-wheel drive vehicle. Infoweb

Advantages of front-wheel drive

Interior space: Since the powertrain is a single unit contained in the engine compartment of the vehicle, there is no need to devote interior space for a driveshaft tunnel or rear differential, increasing the volume available for passengers and cargo. Inside Line: What Wheel Drive?
Cost: Fewer components overall.
Weight: Fewer components mean lower weight.
Improved fuel efficiency due to less weight.
Improved drivetrain efficiency: the direct connection between engine and transaxle reduce the mass and mechanical inertia of the drivetrain compared to a rear-wheel drive vehicle with a similar engine and transmission, allowing greater fuel economy.
Assembly efficiency: the powertrain can often be assembled and installed as a unit, which allows more efficient production.
Placing the mass of the drivetrain over the driven wheels moves the centre of gravity farther forward than a comparable rear-wheel drive layout, improving traction (engineering) and directional stability on wet, snowy, or icy surfaces. "What's It Like To Drive", describes a test between two Dodge Daytonas, one FWD and one RWD
Predictable handling characteristics: front-wheel drive cars, with a front weight bias, tend to understeer at the limit, which according to for instance SAAB engineer Gunnar Larsson is easier since it makes instinct correct in avoiding terminal oversteer, and less prone to result in fishtailing or a spin. The Hidden Virtues of Front Wheel Drive
The driver can control the movement of the car even while skidding by steering, throttling and pulling the hand brake (given that the hand brake operates the rear wheels as in most cases, with early Saabs being an exception). Modern Racer: Front-Wheel-Drive Oversteer
According to a sales brochure for the 1989 Lotus Elan, the ride and handling engineers at Lotus Cars found that "for a given vehicle weight, power and tire size, a front wheel drive car was always faster over a given section of road." Lotus Elan M100 Sales Manual However, this may only apply for cars with moderate power-to-weight ratio. According to road test with two Dodge Daytonas, one FWD and one RWD, the road layout is also important for what configuration is the fastest.
It is easier to correct Lift-off oversteer.

Disadvantages of front-wheel drive

Torque steer is the tendency for some high power front-wheel drive cars to pull to the left or right under hard acceleration. It is a result of the offset between the point about which the wheel steers (which falls at a point which is aligned with the points at which the wheel is connected to the steering mechanisms) and the centroid of its contact patch. The tractive force acts through the centroid of the contact patch, and the offset of the steering point means that a turning moment about the axis of steering is generated. In an ideal situation, the left and right wheels would generate equal and opposite moments, cancelling each other out, however in reality this is less likely to happen. Torque steer can be addressed by using a longitudinal layout, equal length drive shafts, half shafts, a multilink suspension or centre-point steering geometry.
Lack of weight shifting will limit the acceleration of a front-wheel drive vehicle. In a vehicle, the weight shifts back during acceleration, giving more traction to the rear wheels. This is one of the main reasons why nearly all racing cars are all- or rear-wheel drive. However, since front-wheel drive cars have the weight of the engine over the driving wheels, the problem only applies in extreme conditions.
In some towing situations, front-wheel drive cars can be at a traction disadvantage since there will be less weight on the driving wheels. Because of this, the weight that the vehicle is rated to safely tow is likely to be less than that of a rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive vehicle of the same size and power.
Traction can be reduced while attempting to climb a slope in slippery conditions such as snow or ice covered roadways.
Due to geometry and packaging constraints, the CV joints (constant-velocity joints) attached to the wheel hub have a tendency to wear out much earlier than the universal joints typically used in their rear-wheel drive counterparts (although rear-wheel drive vehicles with independent rear suspension also employ CV joints and half-shafts). The significantly shorter drive axles on a front-wheel drive car causes the joint to flex through a much wider degree of motion, compounded by additional stress and angles of steering, while the CV joints of a rear wheel drive car regularly see angles and wear of less than half that of front wheel drive vehicles.
The driveshafts may limit the amount by which the front wheels can turn, thus it may increase the turning circle of a front-wheel drive car compared to a rear-wheel drive one with the same wheelbase.
Due to the combined stress of steering and power, the front tires have a tendency to wear more quickly when compared with rear-wheel drive vehicles.