Is there a difference between normal cars and “4 wheel drives”?
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Most cars are front-wheel drive (“FWD”). The engine is connected to the front wheels, and the rear wheels just spin freely like the wheels on a matchbox car.
There are also rear-wheel drive cars (“RWD”). Similar but opposite – the engine powers the rear wheels, and the front wheels are free-spinning.
Then thee are 4-wheel drive (“4WD” or “4×4”) and all-wheel drive (“AWD”) cars.
4-wheel drive means that all 4 wheels are connected to the engine and they’re connected in such a way that they’re force to spin around the same speed. This is really good for harsh off-road conditions, but takes a lot of wear-and-tear when you drive long distances because wheels should naturally be spinning slightly different speeds when you go around corners etc.
All-wheel drive is like 4-wheel drive but there’s some mechanical and electrical tech that lets the wheels spin at different speeds while still giving as much traction as possible. All-wheel drive is takes most of the advantage of 4-wheel drive and makes it suitable for everyday driving.
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