3 ms·
Traction (mechanical grip) is always distributed among four tires according to physics of center of mass, velocity and angle of travel - AWD does not change tha
by snuxoll 6y ago
Traction (mechanical grip) is always distributed among four tires according to physics of center of mass, velocity and angle of travel - AWD does not change that. That said, AWD will let you put power down earlier into a corner because the extra drive wheels will help you change your angular momentum without sending you straight into a slide - but you also put extra lateral load onto your tires doing this so it's best to continue to drive like you just have RWD.
- Gibbon1 6y agoYou're treating lateral forces and traction forces as independent variables.
- snuxoll 6y agoAbsolutely not, you can’t change direction without grip - angular momentum and weight are what cause lateral loads, after all. The thing is, AWD makes it easier to get going by letting you put engine torque through all four tires. The same set of tires has the same mechanical grip regardless of how many wheels are driven, so if a FWD car would spin taking a corner at X speed due to lateral load so will your AWD car (and the AWD will have an easier time doing it).
- Gibbon1 6y agoAgain: You're treating lateral forces and traction forces as independent variables.