Is driving with AWD generally safer than just rear wheel driving?

[jack71]

I confess to knowing very little about cars. I purchased a high end hybid vechile and the rear wheels are driven by the gasoline and the front wheels are the hybrid. 

I wanted to know if, generally speaking, driving the car in AWD is safer for controlling the car. 

 

Recently I was driving the car with normal gasoline mode (not hybrid/electric mode). I proceed to overtake and was driving very fast. It was in a split second that the car

didnt feel right. I dont know if I was losing control but I took my foot off the accelerator and I felt I had control of the car again. It is for this reason I'm wondering if it is safer

to drive the car in AWD. 

 

thanks

[Surelynot]

Only significant difference I have noticed is when driving in snow.......no much of that in Thailand.

[richard_smith237]

In poor conditions AWD or 4WD offers better traction which is more safe. 

 

What happened to the Op? Its possible the torque from the electric motors kicked in as the Op kicked down to accelerate and overtake. Its possible that the Op momentarily lost traction from the front-wheels - he did the right thing by lifting off. 

 

The safety and ’traction’ debate will no doubt ensue with drivers suggesting they can drift and handle a car brilliantly, I’m sure someone will come out with the golden droplets that if you can’t handle a little torque-steer or spin we shouldn’t be driving.. yadda yadda yadda... 

 

To the Op: You gunned it and let off when you noticed the car starting to get out of shape... no issues... Perhaps just don’t kick down so hard next time.

 

[pedro01]

Hard to say.

I used to have a RWD that used to twitch out at the rear if you applied too much gas overtaking but I wouldn't call it out of control.

I have a small FWD that has 215hp to the front and torque steer kicks in if you gun it and that scares me. It can go in a straight line, it can accelerate, just can't do both at the same time.

And I have a sort of AWD - it's RWD but power goes to the front if it feels it's slipping - and to be honest, I can't figure it out, it does stick to the road but I just can't feel it ever give at all. I can't  say and I can't test it - but I feel like there will be a point where it goes from sticking to off-piste.

[Tuvoc]

Permanent 4WD has to be safer, can be an advantage in heavy rain as well or in roadworks.  Is it necessary though ? Probably not for most people but to me it is something worth having. Slightly worse for fuel economy though ?

Our Fortuner is part-time 4WD, i.e. you switch it on only when you really need it. And they caution that you can't use it on a normal dry road, it can damage it, so not all 4WD systems are created equal.  AWD Subarus were a good option in parts of the UK for sure.

Edited March 11, 2021 by Tuvoc

[1FinickyOne]

for me, so far so good..

[1FinickyOne]

On 3/8/2021 at 11:53 AM, Surelynot said:

Only significant difference I have noticed is when driving in snow.......no much of that in Thailand.

but always good to be prepared...

[Mansell]

I think it would have been a good idea to tell us what kind of vehicle you bought. That way people can respond based on actual experience. A Subaru with permanent AWD can be quite different to other vehicles with intermittent AWD.

[hotchilli]

On 3/8/2021 at 11:43 AM, jack71 said:

I confess to knowing very little about cars. I purchased a high end hybid vechile and the rear wheels are driven by the gasoline and the front wheels are the hybrid. 

I wanted to know if, generally speaking, driving the car in AWD is safer for controlling the car. 

 

Recently I was driving the car with normal gasoline mode (not hybrid/electric mode). I proceed to overtake and was driving very fast. It was in a split second that the car

didnt feel right. I dont know if I was losing control but I took my foot off the accelerator and I felt I had control of the car again. It is for this reason I'm wondering if it is safer

to drive the car in AWD. 

 

thanks

If you drive too fast it doesn't matter how many wheels you have, you will lose control.

As for AWD on normal tarmac 2 wheel drive is fine, you're not on grit/dirt/snow/ice where extra traction is required.

Another point to ponder, AWD means you will wear out your tyres faster that 2 wheel drive.

[SomchaiCNX]

Car may be safer but it is the driver that need to be safe. An  AWD, RWD, 4WD in the hands of a typical Thai driver would make no difference. Same goes for some expats who think they can do as the Locals.

[Lacessit]

There are various types of AWD, the one I am used to is a computer-controlled system which distributes drive to the four wheels. Intrinsically, AWD should be safer because there is control over the acceleration of four wheels, not two. On dry roads, not any discernible difference. On wet roads, snow or dirt, should afford much better traction and control.

The OP was fanging it, and the front wheel drive of the electrical component was cut out of the operation. Rear wheel drive is always more twitchy than FWD, that's why he felt he was no longer in control.

Depending even on tyre pressures alone, RWD can give understeer or oversteer at too much speed. Less chance of that with FWD, because the car is being dragged along instead of pushed.

[chilly07]

Driving on snow is a good guide for driving  in slippery conditions. I had an Isuzu  Trooper that in 4wdr mode couldn't get  up a steep icy hill where I lived where's I never had any problem with 2wdr. I deduced that with the same  power delivered to  2wheels the weight of the vehicle was biting down  harder than 4 wheel drive. It's the same principle used in loading sandbags into a 4wdr to give it the bite to get through.

[digger70]

I had a Subaru before coming to Los . It had AWD, Its Magic going around corners and roundabouts .

Very good Grip and steering, but It used slightly more Fuel than a other make car with same specs.

[wombat]

in front wheel drive accelerate out of corners ...in rear wheel drive decelerate out of corners is the only difference i can think of between front and rear wheel drive. i think permanent awd in Thailand is not something i would engage.
Maybe you were going very fast around a corner in awd and the poor dear didn't know which way to go, front or rear... they are like that when new, which gave the twitchy feeling you mention

Edited March 11, 2021 by wombat

[BTB1977]

Very handy in the snow. Other wise just eat up your gas mileage here. 

[elgenon]

On 3/10/2021 at 6:06 PM, 1FinickyOne said:

but always good to be prepared...

Oh no.  Be prepared for the climate change deniers! 555

Anyway, I think there is frost?

[teutonian]

Yes. Rwd is always safer than rwd or fwd

[Seeall]

On 3/8/2021 at 11:43 AM, jack71 said:

I confess to knowing very little about cars. I purchased a high end hybid vechile and the rear wheels are driven by the gasoline and the front wheels are the hybrid. 

I wanted to know if, generally speaking, driving the car in AWD is safer for controlling the car. 

 

Recently I was driving the car with normal gasoline mode (not hybrid/electric mode). I proceed to overtake and was driving very fast. It was in a split second that the car

didnt feel right. I dont know if I was losing control but I took my foot off the accelerator and I felt I had control of the car again. It is for this reason I'm wondering if it is safer

to drive the car in AWD. 

 

thanks

Interesting question and one I feel qualified to answer as an ovner of both a 4WD vigo and an AWD WRX (up for sale BTW, just contact me, its soted in Patong at a resort undercover) 

For a start, unless we push the performace widows we will never know the limits.....  I am an ex sportsbiker..  whenever I get a vehicle I push it so I know the limits..  also running out of gas, we alsways wonder how far it will still go...  but the safety issue  is priority..

I dont know about these new cars..  I suspect they are made as cheeap as posible for profits..  I always disliked front weheel drives...  always liked the rear wheels powering and enjoy the controlled slides at times..

My WRX full time AWD is as all know a rally car..  On my steep mountain it never slips...  never spins unless you floor it.. park on sand, go muddy roads...  the best... even compared to the 4wd vigo in 4wd setting...... it is by far the safest car I ever seen.. was in BKK graveyards and the redident mechs telling me out of 30 smashed cars ther nobody died...  the frames are made stronger for rallies..   but as a normall car it works well.... and the AWD always working.... oil spill, rain, hills, mud,, it just power on...

[KannikaP]

On 3/11/2021 at 1:41 PM, digger70 said:

I had a Subaru before coming to Los . It had AWD, Its Magic going around corners and roundabouts .

Very good Grip and steering, but It used slightly more Fuel than a other make car with same specs.

At what speed do you usually go around roundabouts to need good grip?

[Freeduhdum]

More drive wheels in inclement weather is always a good tool to have in the tool box. On dry not icy roads it's not of much benefit. 

[digger70]

37 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

At what speed do you usually go around roundabouts to need good grip?

Got up to 80 K on a big roundabout in Townsville in Aus, Just to see how good the AWD is.

Magic . I would recommend it over a 2WD or 4WD on a Car.

[sead]

In Snow, mud and heavy rain yes

[Kurtf]

Not in Thailand.

[BTB1977]

AWD give you traction when accelerating forward. When turning and breaking it does nothing. 

[canthai55]

5 hours ago, BTB1977 said:

AWD give you traction when accelerating forward. When turning and breaking it does nothing. 

??? - what about accelerating forward in a turn ? Or backward ?

555

 

[canthai55]

Most all modern AWD systems have a torque sensing centre differential - the one that transfers power to the front and back differentials.

These allow up to 90% of engine power to be transferred to the axle that is not slipping.

Great advantage in the rain - as applicable to Thailand, and snow and mud - as applicable to the rest of the world.

Downside is more weight, more complexity, lower fuel mileage, and higher repair costs during the life of the vehicle

[Mansell]

I’ve had a number of Subarus, the first one switched in and out of AWD. Towed a truck out of a ditch in Mexico using the AWD, should have seen the look on their faces being pulled out by a station wagon.

The guy with the Isuzu either had a crappy system, or didn’t know what he was doing. AWD will always trump 2WD. I last had a Forester and would be driving in serious rain in the canyons of Los Angeles, and twice on the same day I had two BMWs do a 360 spin in front of me, where I was very comfortable with my AWD. You will use somewhat more gas, but the safety offered by the AWD in the really heavy rain we get here more than offsets that. And the person who said you wear out your tires quicker......maybe in the early days of four wheel drive, but not these days with AWD.

You didn’t tell us what kind of vehicle you bought, only it was high end. Maybe you need to read the manual or talk to the dealer. What you described definitely doesn’t sound right. You said it was a hybrid system, but what kind of car?

[bobfish]

Short answer: Yes.

There are not many downsides for AWD if it is independently selectable; fuel and a litle bit of wear.