Tips and Tricks AWD fans should Know

Winter is the time when we literally put on pedestal our all-wheel drive cars, giving us solid and reliable performance during the cold and icy months. Only quick glance at the manufacturer’s production numbers is enough to confirm today’s growing demand for the all-wheel drive vehicles. But are there any drawbacks in driving an AWD car? Is there anything we should be cautious of?
Are they more expensive to maintain?We recently sat down with the company’s co-founder Tony Barber to talk about the benefits of AWD cars, and came up with 10 buying tips he had for potential buyers who are considering making the switch to 4 wheel driving.

1.‘You’re only as good as your tires’

Purchasing the right tires from the car tire shops is essential for your safety and performance of your car, especially if you’re exposed to considerable amounts of winter weather. As Tony argues, ‘All-wheel drive can be worse than a rear-wheel drive car in the snow with improper tires.’ So the right thing to do is to purchase ‘Winter tires for winter months … and a [set of] summer tire[s] in the summer months’ in addition to an extra set of wheels. Even thought you’ll spend more to buy extra rims and tires, at least you won’t have to take all of the summer tires off the four wheels, mount and balance the winter tires, and then doing everything all over again in spring.

When you’re properly prepared, all you need to do is leave your winter set of pre-mounted tired stay in the garage during the warmer days and when you feel that the road is yet again slippery and icy, then swap the summer set-up with the winter appropriate one.

2. No stopping us !

A complaint that the ‘Turn in Concepts’ guys often receive is in regards to the way their Subaru stops in snow. The thing is that the AWD systems are developed to achieve better acceleration in snowy whether from a stop, and not to give you better turns or stops.

As Peter states ‘… most people relate AWD to automatically [being] great in the snow, while not much mention is made about wet or dry [handling]’ that most AWD system experience.

3. Off-roading or highway cruising?

When it comes to buying an AWD vehicle( big suvs, small suvs, awd sedan or 4x4 sports car), it’s really all about how you plan to use it to decide whether you need to invest in one at all. You have to be sure that there are enough expensive awd luxury cars at the dealerships, actually in this case the tough mission will be to find a cheap awd car! If off-roading is on the list, then scratch the FWD-based car and opt for a car with limited slip differentials. If, however, you plan to drive mainly on the highway then an AWD system won’t really make much difference.

4. Different strokes

There is a huge disparity in the way the AWD are created depending on the brand. For example, BMW favors a rear-wheel drive bias for a higher performance feel, while most of the Honda and Mazda systems are FWD biased. Conversely, Subaru and Porsche choose a symmetrical system, designed from scratch as an AWD, something that the other automakers approach in a different way and use FWD/RWD drivetrain configurations to adapt them as AWD systems.
As Peter adds, ‘This [type of design] leads to fewer parts, simpler maintenance, and a more reliable system.’

5. Proportions are key

The second point comes with a warning, ‘If tires are the wrong circumference, wear will occur on the differential units causing premature failure. This can be felt usually by a clunking sound from the drivetrain or by strange driving dynamics.’

In reality, we rarely consider the rolling circumference of our commuter cars, which in the case of the AWD needs to have the same rolling circumference. The problem is that the AWD performance vehicles often come out of production with larger rear wheels to insure their improved traction and handling. So you really have to pay close attention to your wheels and comply with the recommended tire size recommendations on a factory wheel. If you feel that your tires are wrongly sized, have a look at your owner’s manual or check the number given on the driver side door jam.