FWD AWD

[Kevin81]

So...the AWD only kicks in when the front wheels lose traction? Does that mean that at higher speeds, we suffer less drivetrains loss, than, say, an Audi or Subaru?

 

[High on Ethanol]

Unfortunately no. They start out with less loss due to a far better drive train layout. The SHO retains most of its loss from the design flaws.

 

[High on Ethanol]

I believe audi is around 20 to 23% on the newer Gen, I think the Subaru is around 15-20%, for comparison most 4wd trucks are around 18-22%

 

[Kevin81]

So what decides the torque splitting, front to rear? Mechanical diffs, or electronics?

 

[High on Ethanol]

Sho uses clutch pack on rear diff with 90 degree power take off from trans to rear. Subaru uses clutch pack on center diff. Audi is 100% mechanical on all non haldex cars.

 

[rubydist]

Subaru actually has 3 different systems depending on the application. Some are constant torque split and the others are not.