Drive wheel

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A drive wheel is a wheel in an automotive vehicle that receives power from the powertrain, and provides the final driving force for a vehicle. A two-wheel drive vehicle has two driven wheels, and a four-wheel drive has four.

A steer wheel is one that turns to change the direction of a vehicle. A trailer wheel is one that is neither a drive wheel nor a steer wheel.

[edit] Drive wheel configurations

[edit] Two-wheel drive

For four-wheeled vehicles, this term is used to describe vehicles that are able to power at most two wheels, referred to as either front or rear wheel drive. The term 4x2 is also used, to denote four total wheels with two being driven.

For vehicles that have part-time four wheel drive, the term refers to the mode when 4WD is deactivated and power is applied to only two wheels.

[edit] Four-wheel drive or All-wheel drive

Four-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 ("four by four"), all-wheel drive, and AWD are terms used to describe a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously. While many people associate the term with off-road vehicles, powering all four wheels provides better control on slick ice and is an important part of rally racing on mostly-paved roads.

[edit] Front-wheel drive

Front-wheel drive (or FWD for short) is the most common form of engine/transmission layout used in modern passenger cars, where the engine drives the front wheels. Most front wheel drive vehicles today feature transverse engine mounting, where as in past decades engines were mostly positioned longitudinally instead. Rear-wheel drive was the traditional standard and is still widely used in luxury cars and most sport cars. Four-wheel drive is also sometimes used. See also FF layout.

[edit] Rear-wheel drive

Rear-wheel drive (or RWD for short) was a common engine/transmission layout used in automobiles throughout the 20th century. RWD typically places the engine in the front of the vehicle, but the mid engine and rear engine layouts are also used.

[edit] See also

• Drive sprocket, the powered sprocket on a tracked vehicle

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