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92 HOW IT WORKS, CHAPTER 4 ____________ |
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DRIVE WHEEL
Remember burning out (laying rubber, smoking the tires, digging out) on the asphalt in high school? Unless you had a real powerhouse, you typically saw one heavy black tire mark and almost nothing on the other side. Now carry this drive wheel concept a little further. If only one tire was moving the tire-smoker, why didn't it go in a circle? Rowing a boat is a perfect analogy. Power only one oar and you will move in a circle. That would have to be the case if differentials had a preferred drive wheel. And don't confuse things if you know about the J stroke technique for paddling a canoe! The vehicle would go in a circle if there were only one drive wheel! There is no such thing as a drive wheel. That makes about as much sense as a one-ended rope. It just can't be!
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When
you're good 'n stuck in 4WD, seeing only one tire spin on each axle is
what led to the misconception that these are the drive wheels! They are
spinning, so they have to be the drive wheels, right?