(aka motomynd)
James, what a fabulous and informative article (“Old Enough to Understand,” November 26). I had no idea about the history of FWD. After reading your historical account, and having driven a few FWD vehicles, I’m not at all surprised the first attempt at FWD was slow and clumsy and ended in disaster. If only humanity had the wisdom to abandon the sordid concept, then and there, instead of resurrecting it and foisting it on unenlightened and unsuspecting drivers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Not that the original Austin Mini wasn’t cute and charming, and a thrilling and fairly safe car to drive—at golf cart speeds.
Your misadventure in the snow with your Chrysler Fifth Avenue tells us two things: 1) you do have the instincts to cut into the skid, hit the throttle, and power your way out of it, you just needed a bit less throttle and cut; 2) thank goodness you were in a RWD vehicle and had those instincts, because if you had lost control like that in a FWD you would have had no way to save yourself, and all the wonderful articles and columns you have written since then would have gone down that dark river with you. A pity.
About AWD (all wheel drive): No one should confuse modern AWD with aged, manually controlled 4WD (four wheel drive [which you wrote about in comments after Moristotle asked you about it here]). 4WD is a time-proven system that has long enabled rugged outdoors types to get stuck in ever more inaccessible places and that often necessitates winches—and sometimes bulldozers and helicopters—to extricate their vehicles. True 4WD is traditionally found in old Jeeps and pickups and “real” off-road SUVs, such as the leviathan Chevy Blazer from the 1970s and 1980s. Modern AWD is a sleek, seamless design that eliminates the need to wade into freezing water to “lock your lugs” after getting stuck in a river. Sometimes AWD almost works as advertised. Not often, but sometimes.
In its simplest terms, modern AWD is the bastardization of a great idea (RWD) to which designers and engineers, in their brilliance, have added a bad idea (FWD) and thickened the plot by adding a computer to control when the power goes to which wheels when you hit the throttle. I own a Mercedes with AWD and enough horsepower to propel it to 190 mph; the genius of computer-controlled AWD assures I will never earn a speeding ticket in it, because I never quite know where the power—and therefore the car—will go, should I dare stomp the pedal to the floor and test the car’s limits.
Again, James, a wonderful article.
| Copyright © 2022 by Paul Clark |
Motomynd, your comment about 4WD making it possible for the rugged types to get stuck in ever more precarious scenarios requires that I add a tale from my father’s youth. After the war, the family vehicle, a 1941 Buick with the smaller straight-8 and corresponding lower gearing, was relegated to the role of the “kids car.” I often heard stories of Dad’s adventures in “the ’41 Buick.”
ReplyDeleteOne involved a trek up a Jeep road on the east side of the Sierras. I don’t know for certain, but I suspect it was a road near Bishop, California, that was part of a tungsten-mining operation. Using this rutted trail better suited to four legs than to four wheels gets you much closer to destinations like Lake Italy. Having driven up the road as far as he could, he and companion(s) set off on foot.
Later they met up with some other outdoorsy types. One of them asked Dad if he had driven that Buick up the Jeep road. “Yes,” he replied.
“A person'd have to be out of their mind to try that," was the answer back from the man, who was probably considerably older than Dad, still in his twenties.
When Dad and his party returned to the Buick, they encountered a Jeep on the road, not very far past where he had stopped. Dad suspected that the trekkers they had encountered had been somewhat miffed at having been nearly bested by a Buick.
I've searched Moristotle for a picture of that Buick, but have come up empty handed. Morris, does one exist?
James, I feel certain that at least one photo does exist…somewhere. Not in my archives, however.
DeleteJames,
DeleteWhat a fabulous story about the overachieving Buick! Your father was maybe a bit of a risk taker?
As a sidebar to your story: In 1996 a friend and I rebuilt a 1985 Chevy Astro van and in 1997 I drove it 13,000 miles roundtrip from Virginia to Alaska and back. It was RWD -- not FWD or AWD or 4WD -- and many, many, many people said it would never make it. Not only did it make it without incident, I drove it all the way up the Dalton Highway (formerly the North Slope Haul Road) from Fairbanks to Deadhorse in the first year it was open to the public.
Our only close call was on the infamous Top of the World Highway, when I had to take the van off the road to avoid a head on collision with an AWD Subaru wagon that lost control coming out of a blind curve ahead of us. It was still sideways when it slid past us, only inches away. RWD would have prevented that. Ha!
motomynd the anonymous
Moristotle doesn’t know how it happened, but the following anonymous comment was deleted inadvertently:
ReplyDeleteFWD became popular mainly because the factory could build all the complicated, expensive bits (engine, steering, drive train, front suspension) on a separate assembly line, then just bolt the whole package into the car. However, it has some advantages. After I got my first AWD, I got stuck a lot less. Engine over the driving wheels helps traction a lot. Also, it's convenient to not make room for the driveshaft in the cabin.
Minis could be driven a lot faster than golf carts. We used them with great delight for gymkhana racing back in the day. I also broke a lot of speed limits in the twisties of New Zealand with one of those cute little things.
I have always supposed that the critical difference between AWD and 4wd is the presence of a transfer case, affording you a stump-puller first gear. Absolutely necessary on really bad roads.
Anonymous,
DeleteYes, you nailed it: FWD made it easier and therefore cheaper to build cars; it had nothing to do with building a better car. It maxed profit margins for manufacturers. FWD may, or may not, give a car better traction on takeoff – that varies widely under different circumstances -- but it destabilizes a car under heavy maneuvering or hard braking. Would you rather have a more difficult time getting a car underway, or not be table to control or stop it after it is underway? Pick your poison.
Yes, the original Minis could be driven much faster than golf carts: “fairly safe” being the relevant words in my critique. I’ve driven an original Mini that was beautifully restored to stock standards. It had no seat belts – in case you missed that, NO SEAT BELTS -- exposed metal on the dash and “B” pillars (the one right beside your head if you are in the front seat), a steering column made of steel and a steering wheel made of what looked to be Bakelite. You can Google that last bit if you want to know more, but I can assure you that in case of a crash, the only crush zone is in your chest, not in the steering. Thus, my opinion the car was “safeish” only at golf cart speeds. I gingerly drove it around a little trafficked parking lot and told the proud owner I felt safer on my motorcycle, because if I wrecked it, I at least stood a slim chance of hitting something soft when I landed.
I’ve also driven an original Mini that was set up for racing. It had a roll cage, padding in all the right places, and a 5-point racing harness. It was indeed wonderful, and great fun to drive on the track -- until I encountered a certain downhill off-camber corner -- and at that the charming Mini instantly became just another FWD car trying to tip up on three wheels. The original Minis were as iconic as the Model T, but for serious driving I would greatly prefer the Renault R8 that I upgraded with a Gordini “powerpack” engine in my college days.
You are correct, true 4WD has a transfer case, so you know for a fact when power is going to all four wheels, unlike with modern computer-controlled AWD, which apparently has the ability to send power to whatever wheels it wishes, whenever it wishes.
motomynd the anonymous