Front Wheel Drive - FWD - Explained
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- Опубликовано: 6 дек 2011
- How does front wheel drive (FWD) work in a car? I explain how a front wheel drive car puts its power on the ground, and its advantages and disadvantages over rear wheel drive.
NOTE: There should be CV joints at each tire, I oversimplified the diagram in this video.
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Thank you! People have been exceptionally nice tonight! Glad you enjoy the videos my friend!
God I love how old this video is
you have come a long way in 5 years. good job!
Try 9!
try 10 guys!
11 now!
Try 12 years!
in a course of two days I've gone from not knowing anything, to having a deep understanding of how my car works! thanks!
I've gone from understanding nothing, to understanding less
This has been requested quite a bit. I have already made videos on both, I just need to do some minor editing and get to the junkyard to show some actual examples. But within the coming weeks, they will be up!
9 years later and you are a huge help. I literally had no idea how it worked and you made it super easy to understand
Love seeing how your channel has always been 100% quality, you deserve your place at the top
You have come a long way in 8 years!!!
As I mentioned in the description, there should be CV joints near each tire. This allows for the axles to move when the tires rotate.
@Aexotica Great call, what I failed to include was the joints at each wheel. There are more universal joints at each tire, I just over-simplified it with this image. With a universal joint at the tire, it can turn with the axle rods changing angle.
one of the best car channels on youtube, hands down!
@m00d79 It won't differ anything other than the direction of torque steer, which I will hopefully get into in a future video. Torque and acceleration will be the same. The lengths of the arms going to the wheels will be swapped, with the shorter arm going to the wheel closest to the transmission.
i don't know how i ended up here but this was very informative. thanks
Thanks for watching!
ofcourse! Once, the rubber covering under my front bumper had come loose but still attached to both ends of the bumper. The mid section was hanging down. Until i got my mechanic to cut it, I taped it around the metal piece where you have the CV joints on. It was a Civic so I'm thinking it should spun the tape and broke it off?
I always like the rickety low budget style videos before people get budgets and go "fancy".
Lol, agree. I'm used to the newer stuff on this channel, but damn this 9 year old video definitely goes to show how much has changed since then, and it's good to see the comparison between the now and then
very cool to see how well you are doing man! keep up the good work. i appreciate the help from all of your videos. seeing how old this is makes me stoked
Very welcome, glad to hear it!
See my video "Car steering - Rack and Pinion" should help answer your question. Cheers!
I like how mellow you were in your older videos. Nothing against your newer ones, I'm just a mellow fellow and appreciate the same.
Your videos are fantastic! I have just started with my Universities Formula Student team in the UK and the videos are helping me and other new teammates so much! Many thanks
@Degr8n8 FWD cars can have differentials, yes. But I'm not sure about the torque steer, something I'm still working on figuring out. But one thing is the differing arm lengths (driving shafts) have a major impact.
@PolishJoe1000 As for the oversteer, I've had my one experience as well. Took an off-ramp too fast in the rain, let off the gas and lightly pressed the brake pedal, and was rolling backwards after a little over compensation. The area was pretty open though so no damage to my car, thankfully.
@PolishJoe1000 You're welcome, glad you like the videos! I wish I had your luck with the oil and coolant. Did you buy your car new? I bought mine as the third owner, with 84k back in 2007. I've had to replace the radiator (though 10 years isn't bad for a radiator) and many seals as it leaked quite bad. Doesn't leak too much now, but still have to top it off every 1000 miles or so. Transmission is impeccable, and I wish other cars had such good steering feel.
@KillerZero259 No, power is not necessary equal between the two, and unequal shaft lengths is a big reason for torque steer (the consequence of unequal torque). Many newer fwd cars address this problem with equal length shafts. As far as the gears, I just threw them in there fairly thoughtlessly. Mainly just wanted to show the layout.
There are many ways of turning vertical motion into horizontal motion. I'm not sure of how specifically it's done (probably numerous ways) but any sort of pivoting lever would basically work.
You know, I know most of the driving advantages/disadvantages of fwd from spending far too much time learning about cars in general, but I could never quite grasp the actual mechanical side of it. I knew the engine was mounted transversely, and that somewhere in there was a transfer case and then axles which drive the wheels, but for some reason it only now makes sense how it all works together. Thanks a ton!
Can you tell me some benifits of fwd?
I surely will eventually, differentials are a topic I have avoided for a while, but will need to get into sometime.
Its 2021 and your channel is the best. I just found this video but, found this channel while watching Veloster N DCT videos
Thanks for the great video. You have 2.6 million followers nine years after this video was published. Good job.
you have come a long way since this video. Awesome
Finally, searching and searching, I found what I was looking for, how are the CVs linked to the engine.
Amazing that I found this in a video from 10 years ago, something that one from 2 weeks ago doesn't have
My man you have come a long way
@MChief6596 It's just as easy. At the front of the transmission there will be two gears with 45 degree angles, transferring the the angle of rotation 90 degrees (the same direction of your tires).
Great work Bro Being a mechanical engineering student these videos help a lot
I'm attempting to put a front engine Honda Civic drive train into a rear engine Smart Fortwo and your video helped me understand what I was doing wrong!
What I was doing was trying to mate the Honda Engine to the Smart Transaxle. Instead, what I need to do is cut the axles and use the Honda Engine/Transmission and just modify the rear axle and frame!
I also need to make up a list of what parts came from what car, because I know two seconds after I'm done building this something's going to break and I'm not going to remember where I sourced the parts!
good simple explanation and simplified drawing, thanks!
Many FWD vehicles have open diffs, so just one wheel will typically spin (though it's possible for both). And yes, an LSD can help so both tires rotate together.
What?? Lsd?? I tried some of that stuff while operating a vehicle one time and hit an armadillo crossing the road cause I thought I was just seeing a visual reenactment of that scene of RANGO 🦎 by my brain. The armadillo was real I found out as he really splattered. In my defense of why I would have thought that the armadillo was an illusion; I HAVE NEVER ONCE SEEN AN ARMADILLO IN MY STATE EVER!!!!!!
How would this prevent the tires from spinning? Seems it would only create more losses and a further complicated drivetrain.
Absolutely live these old purely informative videos
Great job...I learned a lot from your tutorial....thanks...
11 years ago? That’s some dedication man!
your all presentation about all mechanisms is very nice i can see your all presentation
I have experienced this first hand haha. I simply braked and brought my vehicle to a stop. I guess the logic in accelerating would be that it sends weight to the back, but once the tires are slipping that may not help.
Great explanation, This guy has potential ! 😎
I googled this because I’ve never really thought how a FWD car works and by looking at that diagram I had the right idea in my head 😅
That's a great question! I really don't know, but I would assume the engine would be mirrored in the case of FWD vehicles, and probably left untouched for RWD vehicles.
Thanks!
Daamnnn came a long way brotha , 💯 💪 🙏 🙌
What's your reasoning (aside from the drivetrain loss point)?
Woah, you've come a long way!
Ha I still remember these vids years ago, you’ve come a long way lol
@PolishJoe1000 Yeah, I don't see why it's mandatory for all vehicles to include it. I think on/off switches should be there for everything, not just traction control. Though ABS is extremely useful, and if I were to attempt to race I'd be scared without it.
cool, didn't know FwD setup, I could tell you everything about my fox, FR. so simple and full of fun
Wow great, this was very educational. I like your enthusiasm for the subject. I hope that you may help build our future anti-gravitic crafts.
your videos are great totally subscribed and u helped me make my own car from scrap! thanks:)
It just increases how quickly the brakes cool down. The downside is there is less surface area for braking. But the purpose is to reduce brake fade by increasing cooling.
@HawaiiJackJr It certainly is an Integra. Love it; have had it for 4 years now. And yeah that's what they say, InsideLine says it's "the best-handling front-drive chassis ever."
Shouldn't you reply under whoever you're talking to's comment? Maybe old youtube didn't have that option
@@standupyak RUclips changed the way comment sections are saved on their servers a few years ago. They were too lazy to write code to convert reply chains from the older system, so now the replies on old videos just float around willy nilly.
nice. very helpful. i was thinking of how a front wheel drive car worked. this really helped me.
Somewhat, but since the boxer is a flat engine, the crankshaft will be perpendicular to the final drive shafts, so there will still have to be a 90 degree switch like in front engine RWD cars. It can be done with more direct gearing though.
fwd also has a disadvantage in extreme situations, Understeer! when unexpectedly there is something on the road, and you are going fast, the front wheels have to pull the whole car to the side. i have experienced heavy understeer in fwd compared to rwd cars. btw your vids are very informational !!! keep up the work!
@xe1A1ex The majority of cars understeer. There are many factors involved, but basically if the engine is up front (and the majority of the weight) the car will understeer if you take a corner too fast and hit the brakes. Now, this isn't the same as loss of traction because you put your foot down on the gas. Then it's simply where the driving wheels are. Up front - you go straight. Back tires - you turn around.
all i can say is ive owned both fwd and rwd and hes spot on with his pros and cons, my 07 impala was never meant for a 5.3 liter v8 so things like driveshaft, water pump, had to replace i forgot what these 2 bolts are called but its 1 per side and are longer than the factory ones and help align the front tires the correct way so you dont wear them out even faster. those are my main 3 cons i got
My friend just got an 05 odyssey with a trailer hitch and the transmission has 1 problem when he shifts into reverse and it hesitates 1 second or so before engaging. I changed 3 1/2qts of fluid without much change in shifting. I know solenoids are problematic any comments like a transaxle problem? Very simple explanation to follow. Great job 👍
Thx for you ever very informative videos :-) - Everything's so clear now :-)
Excellent topic. thanks Engineer!
@EngineeringExplained I was the second owner. It had approximately 47,000 miles. I'm sorry to hear you had to replace the radiator and some seals. I did have to replace the rear control arm bushings as well as the motor that releases the rear hatch. Also, I think my first gear synchros were pretty worn, but I never had to replace the clutch or flywheel. Yes, the steering feel was exemplary!
FWD vehicles do not have bind like 4WD systems because typically FWD drivetrains have an open differential, which allows for differing speeds between the drive tires. Locking differential, if used in 4WD, will have binding if driven on pavement (or other surfaces with high friction).
Your damn right about the tire wear lol. Haven’t replaced my rear tires in so long because they still have good tread on it. Ive had to replace my front tires once a year
Well if it has to turn the wheels it's simply addressing the issue, but not getting rid of the problem. The driver may not notice it but it would still have it's effect on the dynamics of the vehicle. The tires would have more load than otherwise.
If it were a solid axle, yes, but the differential allows for the speeds to differ.
It seems you would just have to add one more mechanical system that translates longitudinal motion into lateral motion.
Thank you we have needed these writeups for like 20 years and finally merp merp we have advanced enough to get them. Great !!!
Tanks
Yes.
Basically. What car are you referencing that has this setup?
this was very helpful thank you
You are one smart person with a lot of common sense, EngineeringExplained. I work as a technician repairing people's vehicles and see a lot of abused daily drivers with damaged engine and drive line components from exceeding the limitation of the engineering the vehicle was designed for. Racing or abusing your daily driver is not a good idea. Just yesterday the tow truck brought in an 06 Mazda speed6 2.3L turbo with a rod hanging out of the block and the starter in pieces. Boohoo
Cool. Thanks for the response, you've earned a sub!
wow big difference you did a great job
This was pretty informative
@EngineeringExplained Glad to hear there was no damage! How do you feel about electronic nannies like stability control, traction control, brake assist, etc.? There are times when I want some wheel spin, primarily in snow when I'm pulling out in front of traffic, instead of having the stability control cut engine power and slam the brakes, bringing me to a halt. I wish those systems were fully defeatable.
I didn't expect much, but damn I learned alot, kudos
Then it can use a pinion and ring gear much like a RWD car does, and change the longitudinal rotation into a lateral rotation.
Braking will not be affected (at least not much, if any) by drivetrain. Perhaps AWD would carry slightly more inertia, but FWD vs RWD should be about the same. The reason you're feeling a difference in brakes is probably the cars themselves. Mustangs are marketed as sports cars, so they have nice brakes/tires. What are you comparing to? Chances are they have worse tires/are heavier/etc..
Haha, 2 door, and yes, the dipstick can be a pain. Especially if it's dark (at all), then you can't see the small cylinder which holds it.
Essentially, yes.
great, great; a hello from brazil
@EngineeringExplained ahhh ok. thanks for the explaination!!
Dude i love you, my brother kept trying to call you on BS so we took a test thing, and i got 96/100 He only got 89/100!
No, a differential does not translate to increased grip. The tires will slip only if their frictional limit is overcome.
So yes, the car will lean back in RWD, but this is a good thing for RWD because the weight is transferring to the powered wheels, opposite of what is happening in a FWD scenario, where weight is taken away from the powered wheels.
9 years later... this video still better explained
Honestly U R awsome fantastic .. keep going !!
I work as an application engineer for a lift truck company.
i was wondering how you can turn and drive the wheels at the same time, thank you!
Yo. Great video.
The problem with FWD is not only uneven tire wear but also unwanted tire wear (e.g. saw teeth) at the rear axle on newer cars with multi-link rear axles. I have seen this a lot on newer Audi and Volkswagen FWD cars which have pretty good rear axles, sometimes even with XDS which do not cause much tire rub in the curves anymore. If you drive them without load (no backseat passengers, no luggage in the trunk) and oftentimes just straight on on the motorway, the rear axle remains a slightly positive camber which causes enormous saw teeth on the inner side of the rear tires just after 5000-8000 miles. You maybe wanna do a separate video on how saw teeth arise?
Please Explain Longitudinal FWDs
thanks very much for that awesome explanation ..
i have a question ,,, in some FWD cars the engine is on the right side and the transmission is on the left ,, is there a difference between this and when the engine is on the left side ? i mean a difference for the torque and acceleration ?
I have a video on LSD, watch that one. The only difference with a FWD vehicle is that the transmission will typically be geared directly to the differential/diff housing, rather than using a drive shaft and pinion.
2022, You’re the goat 🔝
You really grew from the old videos lol. Do you get sponsors now?
Wow 10 years!! This holds up well