Ford Taurus 2012 - All-wheel Drive (AWD)

14
May 2011
esourcebook.dealerconnection.com
RE&T: 2012 Source Book
Taurus
Taurus
Performance/Handling
2012
Chassis cont’d
All-wheel Drive (AWD)
• StandardonSHOandavailableonSELandLimited,
AWD is seamless to the driver and provides
performance and safety benefits
• Continuouslymonitorsvehiclespeed,throttleinput,
steering angle and wheelslip to seamlessly deliver
torque to the appropriate wheel(s)
• Helpseliminatetorquesteerandhelpsbalancethe
vehicle when cornering
• Inacurve,thefrontwheelssteerthevehicleto
maintain direction as well as propel the vehicle forward
• AWDsystemsendspowertotherearwheels,allowing
the rear wheels to help propel the vehicle
• AWDhelpsimproveoverallhandlingbyallowingthe
front tires to apply more available traction to steer
the vehicle
• AWDworkstogetherwithtractioncontrolto
distribute up to 100 percent of the available torque to
the wheel(s) with the most traction
• Systemoperatesasfront-wheeldriveduringnormal
driving, to help reduce fuel consumption
ENGINEERING INSIGHT
AWD Performance
• All-wheeldriveuseselectromagneticactivationof
an internal clutch pack
• Itengageswhensensorsdetectwheelslipinthe
front wheels, and often acts preemptively to
prevent slip from happening in the first place
• Whenactivated,thesystemusesforcefroman
electromagnet to push clutch plates together
• Driveshafttorqueistransmittedthroughtheunit
to the rear wheels, taking power from the front
wheels and sending it to the rear wheels
• Systemcanreactwithinmillisecondstodistribute
up to 100 percent of the available torque to the
rear wheels
• CheckouttheTaurussectionofeSourceBook for
an AWD animation
Normal Driving Performance and Handling
AWD Operation