Why a fwd car can not have a 50-50 % weight distribution?
In: Engineering
Theoretically you could but really it’s just because all the heavy stuff is in front of the axle and are basically just dragging the rear wheels as it goes along
It is theoretically possible to build a fwd car with a 50/50 weight distribution, but it wouldn’t be that great.
An advantage of fwd is increased cabin space, because all the drivetrain stuff is in the front. If you wanted to put more weight on the rear wheels you’d have to move the whole drivetrain futher back, decreasing cabin space up to a point where a front-engine rwd layout could end up roomier.
And then there’s traction. In fwd cars the front tires have to do both the steering and the accelerating, so you end up needing more grip in the front. A little more weight in the front can actually help with this, which is why even fwd racecars end up a bit front-heavy
To get 50:50 weight distribution in a car, you need to be able to distribute the heavy components front and rear to spread the weight evenly.
So this means with a standard front engine car, to counteract the heavy engine in the front, in a rear drive car, components like the gearbox and differential can be moved towards the rear.
The problem with a front wheel drive car is that all of this stuff stays in the front – as the drive wheels are right next to the engine, you can basically bolt everything together as one unit which is great for manufacturing and installing in the factory, but bad for weight distribution. If you wanted to move some of the weight to the rear? That would make the design more complex than just making a rear wheel drive vehicle in the first place.
Front wheel drive makes great practical sense for everyday family cars – easy manufacturing makes for cheaper and smaller cars which everyone likes, but there is a limit to how far you can push the platform before it becomes impractical.
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