Around given that the 1920's, front wheel drive didn't catch on with American consumers until the gas crisis within the 1970's. As Americans struggled against high fuel costs, automakers began to seek new methods to increase fuel efficiency. The most effective way obviously was to decrease the size (and thus the weight) of most autos. As Detroit aimed to make cars smaller, they required a far more effective layout that would yield much more interior room in a smaller package. 

Front wheel drive was the remedy. By placing the engine and transaxle in the front, there's no huge transmission housing or driveshaft tunnel running by way of the passenger compartment. Additionally, engines have been positioned transversely to minimize the size of the engine bay. And there was a different advantage at the same time. With 60% of its weight at the front, 40% at the back, fwd holds an advantage in slippery conditions including ice or snow as a lot more weight is more than the drive wheels decreasing slip in the course of acceleration. But most of the benefits finish there. 

As most of the weight in up front, a fwd car isn't too balanced for that reason it does not manage very also. Also, as autos continue to develop into a lot more effective, front wheel drive becomes more of a liability. Torque steer (when the steering wheel pulls to one side in the course of acceleration) can be a significant concern with several front wheel drive cars that exceed 250hp. As such, we've observed a resurgence in the popularity of rear wheel drive in a lot more effective automobiles. 

Rear Wheel Drive

Prior to the fuel crises inside the 1970's, rear wheel drive was king. Just about each and every automobile, from economy to luxury, came with rear wheel drive. The shift from rear wheel drive to front took about a decade. Because the mid eighties, just about just about every economy automobile, family sedan, minivan and also a lot of sport coupes came with front wheel drive. Luxury marks for example BMW and Mercedes-Benz continued on with rear wheel drive but Cadillac ultimately moved every single automobile to front wheel drive. As soon as once again, occasions have changed. 

More than the last few years we've noticed more and more vehicles (re) introduce rear wheel drive. Why? Properly, it simple. As cars grow to be much more effective it can be tough to have 1 set of wheels performing the steering along with the accelerating. By having the front wheels do the steering, along with the rear wheels driving the car, you get a better-balanced car. This eliminates torque steer and improves acceleration. Rear wheel drive offers better weight distribution (much closer to 50/50 than fwd), which in turn provides far more predictable handling. Finally, using the advent of traction control and stability management systems, the front wheel drive advantage in slippery conditions has been considerably reduced.