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Front-wheel drive facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Front-wheel drive, or FWD, is a car setup, where the car's power is at the front wheels. This makes the car safe in wet and snowy conditions, because it has better traction, or grip, to the road. But, FWD can cause uneven weight, which may cause brakes to fail if used for large periods of time.

Images for kids

  • Traction avant

    The historic 1934 Citroën Traction Avant — its model name literally means front-wheel-drive, one of the break-through innovations of the car.

  • Nicholas-Cugnots-Dampfwagen

    Nicholas Cugnot's 1769 steam-powered gun-tractor.

  • Gräf Front 1898

    1898 Gräf car

  • Henry Sutton car

    1899 Sutton Autocar

  • Voiture Latil de 1899, à moteur avant et freins aux quatre roues

    1899 Latil

  • C. 1900 Société Parisienne Victoria front

    1898-1901 Victoria Combination

  • TMW 1428 Lohner-Porsche-Elektromobil

    1900 Lohner-Porsche

  • 1925 Miller 122

    1925 Miller 122 Indianapolis 500 front-wheel-drive racer

  • 1929 Cord

    The 1929 Cord L-29 (Phaeton) was the U.S.' first front-wheel drive production car, as well as the world's first to sport constant-velocity joints.

  • Gelenk-welle

    Constant-velocity joints allow a drive shaft to smoothly transmit power through a variable angle, at constant rotational speed.

  • Automotive diagrams 07 En

    Front-wheel-drive MF layout with engine behind the transmission in the 1930s. Renault widely used this configuration into the 1980s.

  • 18-06-23-Roadrunners Race 61 Finowfurt RRK5245

    In 1932, Adler (German) launched Trumpf Junior, the earliest front-wheel drive car of which 100,000 units were sold, reaching that in 1939.

  • 1965 Austin Mini, Sectioned Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon

    The 1959 Mini with a transverse engine

  • Automotive diagrams 10 En

    Transverse front-wheel-drive FF layout as pioneered in the Mini is today the most common in mass market passenger cars

  • Chassisroulant

    1960's Renault 4 rolling chassis with gearbox ahead of engine

  • Automotive diagrams 08 En

    Front-wheel-drive FF layout as used by Audi and Subaru

  • Fiat 128-Sedan-4dr (1969) Front-view

    Dante Giacosa's designed Fiat 128

  • Chevrolet Cobalt Coupe

    The Chevrolet Cobalt, a front-wheel-drive car made from 2004 to 2010

  • Nissan Motorsports - Nissan GT-R LM Nismo -23 (18860958202)

    Nissan GT-R LM Nismo.

See also

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Front-wheel drive Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.