Some cars have a feature called All Wheel Drive while others have 4 Wheel Drive, but if most cars have 4 wheels, then wouldn’t all four-wheel drive vehicles also be all-wheel drive? Not exactly.
As a rule of thumb, using 4WD and AWD will roughly double your traction during acceleration. As all-wheel drive does help with control through corners or slushy lane changes. All-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive may seem like the same thing on the surface but when the rubber meets the road, they fill very different roles.
All Wheel Drive
All Wheel Drive is mainly designed for on-road use. You want a daily drive with AWD to help stay on the road during hazardous conditions. The onboard computer measures driving conditions from moment to moment and optimizes power to each wheel to help prevent slips. The other nice thing about AWD is the price. AWD tends to lean a little bit cheaper, lighter, and less complicated than its more heavy-duty counterpart.
4 Wheel Drive
4 Wheel Drive (4WD) is the better choice for all your off-roading needs. Putting your car or truck into 4WD is locking your wheels so that they all are getting equal power at the same time. This is great for climbing over rocks or going through the sand because if one wheel starts to slip the other will continue to spin at the same speed, moving the vehicle along.
Whether you use All-Wheel or 4-Wheel drive you need to make sure you maintain and protect your transmission to keep the wheels turning. Try Hot Shot’s Secrets Shift Restore on your Automatic Transmission or one of our transmission fluids to make sure you hit the road running trouble free.
