Research journal - Reading

report
Subject: Temas Selectos de Ingeniería Automotriz
Group: 8IA2”
Report: No. 3 Active Rear Steering

Name: Ignacio Herrera Bravo L. Main objective: explain how "active rear steering" works, and know the
different assisted directions that exist.
Date and time: 12/03/2018
Area: Classroom

Introduction
The active rear steering is a technology that turns the rear wheels of a car, providing greater
agility of the car at low speeds and also provides stability at high speed.
How does it work
At low speeds, this technology provides a tight turning radius and very good maneuverability
by turning the rear wheels in the opposite direction to the front wheels.
As a result, this gives a quick response in the corners and easily converts into reduced parking
spaces.
At higher speeds, the active rear steering rotates the rear wheels in the same direction as the
front wheels, providing a smooth lane change and overall stability.

Development

Benefits
Audi A8 Dynamic all-wheel steering
By including this technology in the car, it helps to enter or exit a narrow place and improves
stability when changing lanes at highway speeds.
When turning in a parking spot, the rear wheels turn up to five degrees in the opposite
direction to the front wheels to help reduce the turning radius.
The Audi A8 has a turning circle comparable to that of a smaller vehicle.
Another benefit of this system is when changing lanes, when changing lanes at highway
speeds, the rear wheels turn up to two degrees in the same direction as the front wheels to
help improve directional stability and passenger comfort.
 Figure 1 Audi A8 All Wheel Steering
FWD
FWD (Front Wheel Driver) means that the engine power is delivered to the front wheels of
your vehicle.
With FWD, the front wheels move the car and the rear wheels do not receive any power by
themselves.
The advantages of a vehicle with front-wheel drive are that they generally obtain a better fuel
consumption and emit few polluting gases. Since the weight of the engine is located on the
drive wheels, a vehicle with front-wheel drive can maintain better traction in the snow.
However, performance enthusiasts have claimed that FWD vehicles are less fun to drive.

Figure 2 Components of FWD systems

RWD
RWD (Rear Wheel Drive) means that the engine power is delivered to the rear wheels and
also push the car.
The front wheels do not receive any power and are free to maneuver the vehicle. Because
the weight of a RWD vehicle is distributed more evenly compared to a FWD vehicle, in
short, it creates a better weight balance. This is the reason why most sports cars, such as the
Corvette and the Camaro, are RWD and are more exciting to drive. The disadvantage of a
RWD vehicle is that they do not work well in adverse weather conditions, such as rain or
snow, as they are more likely to lose control of the car on slippery roads.

Figure 3 Components of RWD systems

4WD
The 4WD (Four Wheel Drive) system delivers the power of the engine to the 4 wheels all
the time that the 4X4 is activated and has the option to operate in a RWD format to save
fuel. The biggest advantage of a 4WD vehicle is that it provides the versatility and power to
face any terrain or weather condition. The disadvantage of a 4WD vehicle is that it operates
on the RWD system most of the time and has less traction than a car with AWD.
 Figure 4 Components of 4WD system
AWD
As the name implies, all-wheel drive systems drive the front and rear wheels all the time.
But in practice, there are actually two types of drivetrains that are called AWD.
One drives all wheels continuously, and some manufacturers refer to this as full-time
AWD.
The second, often called automatic AWD, operates most of the time in two-wheel drive
mode, with the power delivered at all four corners only when additional traction control is
needed.

Figure 5 Components of AWD system

Vocabulary:
Rear: The back part of something, especially a building or vehicle.

Steering: guide or control the movement of (a vehicle, vessel, or aircraft), for example by
turning a wheel or operating a rudder.

Conclusion:

This technology greatly helps the driving of a car, makes it easier to perform different
maneuvers and even reduces polluting gases.
This technology personally, I did not know it very well, but with this report I knew better
how each system and its components serve