If you have recently began the hunt for the perfect car that will fit your every driving need, then chances are you may be a little confused about what the differences are between rear wheel drive cars and front wheel drive cars. Rear wheel drive cars are otherwise known as rwd cars and front wheel drive cars are otherwise known as fwd cars. There are differences among them though and this is just a brief introduction of the pros and cons of fwd vs rwd. If you need further information then feel free to peruse the links on the website for more information that is accurate.

photo credit: Bekir Topuz

Cars with a front end drive train were first designed as a way to lighten up the vehicle and to provide more room by changing the location of the engine and transaxle. They were both moved toward the front of the car as a way to increase the room of the cab and increase fuel mileage by lightening the car up. This move provided vehicles that were front wheel drive primarily one more advantage besides the better gas mileage and that is better traction when accelerating. It has also been found that autos with a front wheel drive train get better traction in the snow, so if you live in those cold climate areas and have snow this may be a choice you would want to consider. Cars that were designed with front wheel drive were found to have several cons though including poor handling, especially at higher speeds and if you are out to have a little fun, it is nearly impossible to do a burn out in a front wheel drive auto.

Rear Wheel Drive vs Front Wheel Drive

On the flipside you have your rear wheel drive cars. Cars that are on the rear wheel drive cars list are designed to have the wheel wheels driving the car. There are many advantages to have a vehicle with a rear wheel drive train. Because the rear wheels are the driving force of the car, that means your front wheels will do all of the steering. This promotes a vehicle that is better balance with better acceleration. Also when the drive train is places toward the back of the vehicle it helps to balance out the weight of the engine. By having better weight distribution the handling of the car will be better. Innovations on the rear wheel drive train have also placed traction and stability systems in the cars, which mean that the rear wheel drive train can also promote good traction even in wet conditions. With the addition of these new systems the rear wheel drive auto has just as many good points to consider as the front wheel drive option, if not more.

photo credit: Tai Gray

Is a Rear Wheel Drive Vehicle your best option?

Choosing whether a front wheel drive auto or a rear wheel drive auto is best for you is purely a personal choice. As you can see they both definitely offer advantages to the driver, but they also offer cons as well. If you are new to driving a car then you may actually want to test drive both types of drive trains under different driving conditions to see which one handles the way that you like. You may also benefit from talking with others who have owned both types and ask them which drive train they liked the best and why. Take your time to read car reviews and ratings when choosing the best car for you and the best drive train. It is an investment that you will be driving and you want to make sure that you are pleased with the way that it handles. If you want to continue to explore the differences in between the front wheel drive train and rear wheel drive train, please continue to explore the website links that you find. The more information that you get, the better a decision that you can make.

Making the choice between a front wheel drive car and a rear wheel drive car shouldn’t be that difficult, but it can be if you don’t know the advantages of rear wheel over front wheel drive. Rear wheel drive offer some definite advantages over the front wheel drive cars, it’s that simple. Before going to a rear wheel drive cars list, let’s take a brief look at some differences between RWD and FWD.

Some advantages of rear wheel drive are listed briefly below. You can read in much more detail about the advantages and disadvantages by clicking the links on this page and learn for yourself exactly what it is that make the rear wheel drive car superior to front wheel drive and all wheel drive cars.

The biggest advantage of rear wheel drive has to do with safety. Because the weight of rear wheel drive is more properly balanced and the acceleration comes from behind the car and not in the front they handle better, go faster, and stop better.

Acceleration and handling are two of the most important factors to consider when deciding what car to buy. They can actually mean the difference between life and death. Rear wheel drive car accelerate from the rear which means better take off and better get out of the way if need be.

photo credit: jiazi

List of Rear Wheel Drive Cars

The rear wheel drive car list includes, but is not limited to the following cars: Toyota, Mazda, Dodge Charger, Lexus, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Infiniti, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Jaguar, Lincoln and the list goes on. Perhaps the most difficult part about choosing between RWD cars, FWD cars, and all wheel drive cars is actually knowing the difference between the three. A good piece of information to remember when making the choice between front and rear drive is that most expensive luxury cars have rear wheel drive.

In the past many cars had rear wheel drive axles, but due to things like it’s cheaper to build a front wheel drive car, their easier to put together, and FWD cars get good traction on snow and ice front wheel drive cars have become more popular over the years. Keep in mind, however that today RWD cars have independent suspension and traction control today which makes them perform much better on snow and ice that ever before.

photo credit: jiazi

The rear wheel drive cars list has been created to help make the choice easier. Here you will find all of the information and links that you need in order to make an informed decision about whether a rear wheel drive car is right for you and why. We have made it our goal to provide our readers with all of the necessary information to make an educated decision about the kind of car that they choose to drive. Learn more about your car and your choices. It’s your ride.

The act of deciding between rear wheel drive cars and front wheel drive cars is not nearly as cut and dry as most would want it to be. There are a great many models and manufacturers of both to choose from. Individual models may offer various features unique to that vehicle, however; generally speaking the differences between RWD vehicles and FWD vehicles are not as often considered regardless of whether they should be or not. RWD vs FWD differences lead to changes in performance and maintenance for the specific model and should always be factored in to a buyer’s decision when he or she purchases the vehicle in the first place.

Both types serve the same purpose, to provide propulsion to the vehicle by applying rotational force to either the front or rear set of wheels. There is a third type referred to as all wheel drive vehicles or 4WD cars where power is supplied to both sets simultaneously that attempts (and is more or less successfully) to give the features of both many times suffering only in efficiency. The biggest difference is that people selecting 4WD vehicles are usually looking specifically for those. People selecting either FWD or RWD vehicles don’t often have a specific preference. Many do not even know the difference, and still some people don’t even know there is one.

photo credit: Fabio Aro

About RWD Cars

In general RWD cars came first. The engine supplies power to the transmission which then spins the driveshaft which is connected to the rear axle. This engine is probably the most widely recognized with the engine facing forward and its spark plugs aligned on either side of the block. This configuration does tend to provide more power and faster acceleration but when considering the majority of any vehicles weight is the engine which is usually located in the front; this can lead to traction problems in either wet or loose road conditions. Many sports and performance cars today still come in this setup since the drivers usually want to feel the punch in acceleration given by RWD. Properly treaded tires can alleviate the majority of traction problems and many advances in power distribution have left this a rare issue but make no mistake the first time you try to peel out from a stop in a RWD car when the road is wet and you will likely find yourself spinning in directions the car was never meant to go. This can scare the living daylights out of even the most confidant drivers so unless you are experienced in driving a RWD vehicle you simply may want to be more careful when you put your foot on the gas.

photo credit: jeffwilcox

About FWD Cars

FWD cars (front wheel drive cars)  are a more modern creation and tends to be more common on the road today. The little bit you lose in power and acceleration is almost always made up in traction, stability, and control. For general transportation purposes a FWD vehicle will suit any driver just fine. Modern powerful engines give plenty of oomph to satisfy and modern timing tends to mitigate the acceleration gains. Aside from performance related issues, ease of access to major engine components tends to make the FWD car easier to maintain. The engine in this case is mounted sideways so that power is applied to the axle rather that a driveshaft and in this case the spark plugs end up lined in rows along the front and back of the block. It may be harder to reach those rear spark plugs, but the first time you need a water pump changed there is a obvious benefit to it being located in the side of the engine facing forward.

As you can see general differences between the two is often a matter of personal taste, so there is no real FWD vs RWD that fits everyone. As stated there are many models that use both configurations, in the end it’s up to you to decided between performance and traction. Modern technology has limited the downside of either, but some clear factors make the difference in what the buyer will choose. Most of us have a preference one way or the other already.

If you are seeking out more information on front wheel drive cars and about the different kinds of drive trains that are found on cars, then this is the website for you to be on. On this site you will be able to find out everything that you need to know in order to completely understand the differences between rear wheel drive cars which are also known as rwd cars, front wheel drive cars which are also known as fwd cars, and all wheel drive cars which are more commonly termed awd cars. Armed with such information you will be able to choose the car with the drive train that fits your driving needs.

Compared to Rear Wheel Drive Cars

The first drive train up for discussion is the rear wheel drive cars drive train or otherwise known as rwd cars drive train. Cars with this drive train typically have the engine located at the front of the car and the wheels that drive the vehicle are toward the rear of the vehicle. This drive train is more commonly found on sports cars and smaller trucks and may also be known as two-wheel drive. This lay-out in a vehicle promotes better traction and a better steering radius, but does not provide the best fuel economy since the set up needed for the rear wheel drive train can make a vehicle heavier.

photo credit: d K arjadi

The front wheel drive cars drive train or the fwd drive train is next for discussion. A front wheel drive cars drive train means that the engine only drives the front wheels of the vehicle. This type of drive train is very commonly found in today’s cars and that is because of multiple advantages that it offers such as being lighter in weight which means that it will get better fuel economy and better traction in icy or wet conditions.

photo credit: Earl-Wilkerson

All wheel drive cars

The final drive train to explain is the all wheel drive or the awd drive train. This drive train has the engine governing all four wheels, which means that you have the benefit of four wheel drive at all times without having to change anything. Benefits of awd include great traction on all four wheels at all times, consistent handling under all driving conditions, and easy movement over rough terrain.

This information is just a brief run-down of the multiple benefits that different drive trains can offer you as a driver. Please take the time to explore our website to gain more knowledge and information about what drive train may meet your every driving need.