4wd vs awd

[Robert Turlington]

Does that mean cars like the LandCruiser are actually considered to be all 
wheel drive?

At 08:28 AM 4/27/01 -0400, Lee M. Levitt wrote:
>Robert Turlington <rturlington at qwest.net> writes:
> >
> > I all ways thought, and please correct me if I'm wrong:
> >
> > 4wd:  Is for off road use only and forces the front
> > wheels to turn at the same speed as the back wheels.  This causes
>excessive wear
> > on tires, drive, and steering components on dry pavement
>
>Almost. Many 4wd systems have this problem, felt when 4wd is engaged and you
>try to take a slow sharp turn, in the form of kickback through the steering
>wheel. On dirt/gravel/mud/snow/etc, the inside front wheel will slip, but on
>pavement it grips too well and you feel it in the steering wheel.
>
>On the other hand, some permanent 4wd systems are designed to be driven both
>on and off road. My Range Rover, for instance, had a viscous center diff
>that kept this from happening. You can take this vehicle (or a Discovery, or
>a LandCruiser, or many other newer vehicles with permanent 4wd systems) from
>the autocross circuit to the highway to the trail without ever adjusting or
>changing anything.
>
>The key is that if you *can* switch in and out of 4wd, you should use it
>offroad and in sloppy weather. If you *can't* switch in and out (like on the
>Range Rover), there's probably a center diff that keeps the kickback from
>happening.
>
>Lee
>'95.5 S6 avant
>'96 A6 quattro avant