subject: Why Four Wheel Drive Cars are Safe Off Road [print this page] Why Four Wheel Drive Cars are Safe Off Road
It's not hard to believe that Ferdinand Porsche had something to do with inventing the 4WD car. Porsche is credited with inventing the first 4WD vehicle in 1900 for an Austrian truck manufacturer. Some records show the year was 1899, but regardless of the year the first 4WD vehicle had electric hub motors on each wheel and the engine powered a generator for the energy supply. Porsche's ingenious 4WD design was used by NASA seventy years later to power the wheels of the first lunar landing vehicle.
The first mechanical 4WD vehicle was built by the Dutch company Jacobus Spyker in 1902. It had a transfer case and drive shaft so it is considered the first 4WD car. The world's first automaker Daimler Benz started producing 4WD cars in 1903, and the first United States 4WD vehicle was built in 1911 by the Four Wheel Drive auto company (FWD). FWD designed vehicles for the military during the First World War.
Although the first 4WD cars were geared toward truck and military use, a technological transformation process has taken place over the years. Today, four wheel drive cars are designed to look like their 2WD siblings, but they act like their 4WD truck cousins. The advantages of driving a 4WD vehicle start in the wheels, which are the focal point in these new road and off road warriors, but there are other features that compliment the performance of the four wheels. Most 4WD cars provide excellent service without a lot of high cost maintenance.
Driving a 4WD car has a number of great advantages. Regardless of the road conditions a four wheel drive car will avoid wheel slip which is an important feature in off road performance. Mud and ice are no match for the traction action of a 4WD drive car. Control in unusual conditions is another advantage that most drivers ignore until they need it. A 4WD car handles like a dream when the roads get rough and the trail becomes a rock infested nightmare. Lift kits are available to improve performance when off road traveling is a daily necessity or when traveling in the outback becomes a monthly family outing.
Another important advantage is the towing ability of a 4WD car. The unsuspecting who venture out in the nether-world in 2WD vehicles often have to be towed back to civilisation, and that can be an expensive lesson unless they are fortunate enough to have a four wheel drive car companion that can tow them back to safety. The towing ability of a 4WD also comes in handy when boats, trailers, and other possessions have to be moved from one point to another.
The safety features incorporated in 4WD cars make them reliable off road mates. The anti-lock braking system, performance suspension systems, interior safety features, larger rims and exterior lights all contribute to off road car safety.
Enjoy Off Road Fun In A 4WD Car that Thinks It's a 4WD Truck
Some folks can't put their thoughts around driving a 4WD truck because of its size and the cumbersome handling issues, but those same folks have no problem driving a 4WD car that offers better control, easy maneuverability, lower maintenance and repair costs, and all the safety features of 2WD drive cars. Take a trip to Mannum Caravan Park, Barossa Caravan Park, Lake Albert Caravan Park, or Nutt Bush Retreat Caravan Park and enjoy all the thrills of a 4WD truck in a 4WD car. The world around Australia is filled with magnificent natural wonders. They patiently wait to be experienced by adventuresome mates who jump off the ledge of 2WD limitations, and enter the free falling, but safe world of 4WD car excitement.
