[AviationVortex]

I have a Mitsubishi Galant GLX 2.0L which was first registered in 2000... I'm almost certain it's not FWD because I do tend to get quite a lot of smoke from the rear wheels when I take off with a wheelspin launch... here's a link to a pic of my car:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/show...6#post36873136

Read post #55

So I was wondering... does anyone else know?

I did read that getting under your car you can determine if the power is transmitted to the rear wheels or not.. and even looking at the positioning of the engine under the bonnet... but I'm not too sure I understand either of those concepts enough to apply them :/

Thanks!

[Maccees]

How much is the insurance on that at 17 haha?!

It will be rwd if you get smoke and spin from the back wheels. A few simple ways of checking (although some cars may be different) are looking at the engine. If the belts are at the front, then it will be rwd, if the belts are on the side then it will be fwd. Although Saab like to put their engines in backwards so like I said, not always right.

Also, if you look under the back of the car and the wheel axles are connected to a 'metal block' in the middle (the differential) then it will be rwd.

[JO53PHS]

I'm pretty sure it's front wheel drive. See here.

Are you sure the smoke is coming from the tyres? With this amount of power it's unlikely that the wheels will be spinning long enough to generate any noticeable smoke.

[gbduo]

They did do a 4WD version of the Galant...

[Arron17]

Pretty sure it's a FWD. You should have got the 2.5l V6 version

I also second the question, how did you get insured on that at 17

I'm 20 and the insurance quote I get for it on moneysupermarket is about £3500

[AviationVortex]

Thanks guys, and yes... I do have a suspicion that it is a 4WD... I'm going to have to do a quick bonnet check or look to see if there's a differential at the rear!

As for the insurance... I don't know what it's called but it's a lot like traders insurance... but I can drive any of my dad's cars and his companies cars!

Also another note, I happened to open up my old broken up RC car and there happens to be a neat little mechanism inside it.. if I took a picture would one of you be able to identify it? Looks a lot like a differential... but not too sure what it is... (trying to teach myself a bit about how cars work haha)

[gbduo]

Yep, is probably a diff...

But yeh post it up and I can tell you. I have two RC cars, a Schumacher Menace and Schumacher XTR 3e

[AviationVortex]

(Original post by gbduo)
Yep, is probably a diff...

But yeh post it up and I can tell you. I have two RC cars, a Schumacher Menace and Schumacher XTR 3e

Cheers, personally I've never bought any before.. I just happened to have this from my younger days.. looking to buy some petrol RC cars over the summer though!


Here are the pics, let me know if you want a better shot:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1751322/IMG_1335.JPG

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1751322/IMG_1336.JPG

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1751322/IMG_1337.JPG

[Arron17]

I doubt it's 4WD the only 4WD version they did was the VR-4 and that was a 2.5l v6 twin turbo...

[gbduo]

Yeh it is a gearbox and simple locked diff

[AviationVortex]

(Original post by gbduo)
Yeh it is a gearbox and simple locked diff

Thanks!


How is this a gearbox? and what's a "simple locked" diff ?

[gbduo]

(Original post by AviationVortex)
Thanks!


How is this a gearbox? and what's a "simple locked" diff ?

Well I think the main black wheel is the gear, which is connected to the layshaft which connects through to the differential wheel, which is the geared wheel with the angled gears, the funky looking gears.

It is a locked diff because you cannot make any changes to how much power goes to each side, i.e. in a limited slip differential, you can manually set the amount of slip the diff allows on each wheel on that axle, i.e. how easy it is to keep the car in a straight line or how well it corners.

A diff allows one wheel to turn faster than the other when going round a corner (through the angle on the gear wheel in this case). A limited slip allows you to control going from a locked diff which is where both wheels receive the same amount of power no matter what to an open diff whereby one wheel can be locked and the other will receive all the power. A limited slip is a half way house where you can dial in how much slip you want normally, plus tune the acceleration and deceleration to improve stability and handling.

It is very very complicated engineering!

[Noble.]

I thought on all cars which had 4WD/RWD you had a "terminal" just behind the front seats in front of the middle back seat?

[AviationVortex]

(Original post by gbduo)
Well I think the main black wheel is the gear, which is connected to the layshaft which connects through to the differential wheel, which is the geared wheel with the angled gears, the funky looking gears.

It is a locked diff because you cannot make any changes to how much power goes to each side, i.e. in a limited slip differential, you can manually set the amount of slip the diff allows on each wheel on that axle, i.e. how easy it is to keep the car in a straight line or how well it corners.

A diff allows one wheel to turn faster than the other when going round a corner (through the angle on the gear wheel in this case). A limited slip allows you to control going from a locked diff which is where both wheels receive the same amount of power no matter what to an open diff whereby one wheel can be locked and the other will receive all the power. A limited slip is a half way house where you can dial in how much slip you want normally, plus tune the acceleration and deceleration to improve stability and handling.

It is very very complicated engineering!

Thanks but I happened to know that already! the problem here is.. if I turn one side of this mechanism the other side spins in reverse! What else could this be then?

[AviationVortex]

(Original post by Noble.)
I thought on all cars which had 4WD/RWD you had a "terminal" just behind the front seats in front of the middle back seat?

Interesting...

[Noble.]

(Original post by AviationVortex)
Interesting...

http://www.motorbeam.com/wp-content/...Rear_Seats.jpg

You see how the central part of the floor is lifted in the middle? I thought all RWD cars required this to house the mechanics which drive the rear wheels.

[gbduo]

(Original post by AviationVortex)
Thanks but I happened to know that already! the problem here is.. if I turn one side of this mechanism the other side spins in reverse! What else could this be then?

That is normal

[gbduo]

(Original post by Noble.)
http://www.motorbeam.com/wp-content/...Rear_Seats.jpg

You see how the central part of the floor is lifted in the middle? I thought all RWD cars required this to house the mechanics which drive the rear wheels.

Yeh, its called the tunnel, lol!

[Noble.]

(Original post by gbduo)
Yeh, its called the tunnel, lol!

Ok. You don't get that on non-RWD cars right?

[Arron17]

(Original post by Noble.)
Ok. You don't get that on non-RWD cars right?

It can be put into the floor plan to make the interior look like it flows from front to back (As the front it going to be raised for the gear stick) but it isn't necessary.