One of the biggest debates in the car world, front wheel drive or rear wheel drive. Both options are great depending on what type of driver you are and what you’re looking for in a car.

Front wheel drive provide power to the front wheels of a car. There are a few advantages to having a front wheel drive car. One of them is pricing. Building a front wheel drive car is relatively cheaper to design and build. There are fewer parts needed and the drivetrain is much easier and cheaper to install into the vehicle. The second advantage is weight. Front wheel drive cars eliminate weight by getting rid of the separate transmission and axle assemblies used in rear wheel drive cars. This also gets your car better fuel mileage. The last advantage is the traction. Front wheel drive cars have better traction than rear wheel drive cars. They have better traction in the snow and rain. With front wheel drive cars, the front wheels pull the vehicle instead of pushing it. With the weight of the engine and transaxle sitting on top of the front drive wheels, it helps the vehicle get grip.

Rear wheel drive provide power to the rear wheels of a car. An advantage of rear wheel drive cars is the simplicity yet ruggedness. Rear wheel drive cars can take a lot of abuse and don’t require expensive repairs. If you were to hit a curb or a pothole, chances are you won’t break anything. If you were to hit something in a front wheel drive car, your chances of breaking something are much higher and the expenses will cost you a pretty penny. The second advantage is balance. Rear wheel drive cars have better balance than front wheel drive cars. Because the balance is better, the handling of the car will be better. Front wheel drive cars have most of the weight of the engine and transaxle over the front wheels. On the other hand, rear wheel drive cars distribute the weight of its drivetrain more evenly from front to rear.

Front wheel drive has a disadvantage, the handling. The handling in front wheel drive cars is not as smooth and strong as rear wheel drive cars. The traction is still very well in the front wheel drive cars, just handling is an issue. The downfall of owning a rear wheel drive car? Traction. Anyone who has owned a rear wheel drive car will tell you that in snowy and rainy conditions, there is limited traction with rear wheel drive cars.