Switch for my AWD

[jb21585]

Has anyone made a switch to turn awd on and off, if so please reply. I may have thought of a way to do it but i need some support.

[Beav]

Any particular reason for doing so? You sure you want to risk tranny damage? (AWD not designed to be driven in FWD, the fuse is a service feature, not a driver option.)

[Electrophil]

Beav is right. I wouldn't be messing with that fuse unless you need to troubleshoot.

[jb21585]

the reason is for more power when i need it and for better fuel economy. I figure i could wire the switch in by rerouting the wire going out from the fuse to the switch.

[n00b on demand]

Not a good idea. Your going to ruin the tranny. I wouldn't do it if i was you. If gas mileage is really that much of prob then sell the car. The car is probbaly much better to drive with AWD anyway.

[Rotorflyr]

You won't really get more power or better gas mileage by doing that. If your looking to improve acceleration on the low end go with an ECU Tune stage1 chip which will also allow you to run regular gas, while not necessarily improving mileage, will be cheaper to fill the tank.

[n00b on demand]

Originally Posted by Rotorflyr

You won't really get more power or better gas mileage by doing that. If your looking to improve acceleration on the low end go with an ECU Tune stage1 chip which will also allow you to run regular gas, while not necessarily improving mileage, will be cheaper to fill the tank.

yea getting the chip is actually a good idea. I think the price is around 210ish?

[Rotorflyr]

$219 + shipping

ECUtune

[UberRoo]

Why do people think that running with the all wheel drive disabled will save fuel? Whether the rear wheels are engaged or not, all the parts still have to turn. Is there any explanation, no matter how contrived, for how this could possibly save fuel?

[oab_au]

Originally Posted by UberRoo

Why do people think that running with the all wheel drive disabled will save fuel? Whether the rear wheels are engaged or not, all the parts still have to turn. Is there any explanation, no matter how contrived, for how this could possibly save fuel?

Yes UberRoo, we have seen this put up as a way of saving gas before.
It does not matter which way you drive the back wheels, they still have to be driven by the motor.
Either through the clutch, drive line, rear diff to the wheels. Or through the front wheels, through the road, to the back wheels, to the diff, drive line, to the back of the clutch.
The motor still has to do it.

Harvey.

[Beav]

It may come from those that don't understand the difference between AWD and the 4WD trucks of years gone by. The trucks with 4WD were biased to drive the front wheels slightly faster (e.g. a front axle ratio of 4.09 and rear axle ratio of 4.11) in order for the front wheels to pull the vehicle in the direction they were steered when in really sloppy stuff. The downside was the binding up encountered when driving on solid surfaces which would use more fuel/power to overcome, not to mention driveline damage. Plus, many of them had some form of axle or hub disconnects that would allow the rest of the powertrain sit idle and not suck up power by being forced to revolve by road force.

[svx_commuter]

Beav, I always learn new information from you. I had no idea that is how the old 4WD vechicles were made. I thought the ratio was the same front and back. Now I know why people used to burn up the drivetrain or tires if they drove in 4WD on dry pavement.

I have heard that driving in the FWD mode for long periods of time can cause the transfer solenoid to gum up and freeze. Then you no longer have AWD when the SVX put back into AWD.

I think disconnecting the RWD does save gas but only if you drive mostly on roads with lots of turns. That’s the only time the front end of the transfer clutches wants to run at different speed than the back end of the transfer clutches. The power consumption is dependent on the transfer pressure level and the tightness of the turn.

[Roo]

Originally Posted by jb21585

Has anyone made a switch to turn awd on and off, if so please reply. I may have thought of a way to do it but i need some support.

I'd be happy to trade you my FWD SVX for an AWD SVX.

Better gas mileage ALL the time...

[Beav]

The only time there is any power difference between front and rear is when there is a lack of traction at one end. It doesn't make much difference what the duty cycle is. Look at it this way - the solenoid on/off time is measured in milliseconds, how much difference in mpg will it make if the front receives power a few more ms than the rear? Whichever end is getting the ponies is going to have to push/pull the other end around.

Personally I think most of the discussion re: torque split is ... well, I'll just stop here. I think a better expense of energy would be to put together a driver's school weekend, at a discounted rate, for the members. That would yield far more positive results.

[WGJ]

Yeah what a great idea.
WGJ