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Hey, Jack.
Welcome back track.
Hey, Jake.
How are you?
So each one of these cars behind you has a different superpower.
Each one has a different drivetrain.
Drivetrain?
What's that?
So a drivetrain is how you get the power
from the engine to the wheels.
Oh.
So what are the differences between these superpowers?
We have a car here that's front-wheel drive, one
with a rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive,
and a four-by-four four-wheel drive system.
The first one is front-wheel drive,
and that's kind of the most common one.
And that's the best blend of fuel economy and traction.
Jake says it gets better fuel economy because it's lighter
since it doesn't need a drive shaft and other components
to power the rear wheels.
And it gets better traction because the engine weight
is over the drive wheels.
Jake, out of all these cars, I got my eye on this blue one.
Well, you've got some great taste.
That's definitely the sportiest one.
But each one of these superpowers--
they have a different advantage.
The four-by-four?
You can actually take that up a rock hill
and go off-roading with it.
Before we do that, why don't we take you in the blue one
where we can take it around the skid pad.
Oh, yeah.
A skid pad is a big circle of track like this one here.
It's used to evaluate how well the car can grip while turning.
Now most cars are front-wheel drive, and that works great.
But if you really want something performance-oriented,
well, rear-wheel drive is where it's at.
So what exactly is rear-wheel drive?
That means all the power's going to the rear wheels,
while the front wheels are going to steer
the car in the direction you want to go.
And what you're gonna notice is, well, when I go on the corner
and I give a little gas--
[SCREECHING]
Whoa.
Oh!
Woo.
So what's happening is power to the rear wheels
is helping us accelerate and gives me
more control in the corners, which
makes the car handle better in tight turns like this.
But since this drive train pushes the car
rather than pulls it, it can be harder
to maneuver in slippery conditions.
Well, what do you think?
Not bad, Jake.
I really like the handling of this car.
Well, there's certainly a reason why more sports cars and race
cars are rear-wheel drive because they
have an advantage when it comes to accelerating and handling.
But that's not going to be a top priority for everyday driving.
We also have an all-wheel drive vehicle.
Now, this is real common in SUVs and can send power
each individual wheel.
This is great for getting your car
moving on a slick surface like snow or ice.
But one mistake people make is they think that all will drive
also means you're gonna have superior handling and stopping
capabilities in those slippery situations, which is not
the case.
For that, a good set of winter tires is your best bet.
Next up, four-wheel drive.
Four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive sounds a lot like,
but here's what the difference is.
I could actually take this into this low range gear,
and that's gonna enable me to go down this really steep hill
or go up the hills.
You can't do that with all-wheel drive.
You can't do that with most luxury cars or SUVs.
2H is two-wheel drive--
what most cars have.
It works for most normal driving.
4H is four-wheel drive, high gear with maximum traction
for snow and dirt.
4L is four-wheel drive, low gear for going
up and down steep hills.
You know, it's all about having the right tool for the job.
So I actually have my foot off the brake pedal.
So this is the car doing it automatically?
This is the car in the low range holding my speed
so I can go down here safely.
Like if you almost had the brake on.
It's almost like that, but it's making
sure not locking up the tires, I'm not locking up the brakes.
It's really designed for this.
This is what four-wheel drive is.
Four-wheel drive with a long range gearing.
With the low range.
And I'm actually in gear 1.
You ready?
Yeah, let's do it.
So take me through what the car is doing.
So the car is trying to put the power down
and using all four wheels to try to pull this truck up
this hill, and it's doing a pretty good job of it.
You cannot do this with most little SUVs.
The rear-wheel drive won't work on this.
Absolutely not.
And you got to know what you're doing.
Don't try this at home for sure.
Wow.
That was fun, Jake.
So after hearing about all these different drivetrains,
which superpower would you choose?
Well, the rear-wheel drive is awesome,
but I don't go on a racetrack quite often.
I like the four-wheel drive too, but I don't up
rock hills very often either.
Most people don't.
Jake says since front-wheel drive is fuel efficient
and handles well in bad weather, it's the best choice for me.
That's why we test these things to try
to give that information so that consumers
can make the right choices.
Since we're here and we've got a rock hill,
you want to try driving it?
Jake, you read my mind.
OK, I'm going up the mountain.
Sow and steady is the way to do this.
Let that four-wheel drive system and that low range gearing
do it's stuff.
I can feel the power.
Do you feel it?
Yeah.
Do you feel it You found some grip.
Whoa.
Come on, you can do it.
You got it.
There we go.
Nice job.
Oh, yeah.
Thanks for the ride, Jake!
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