Drive wheel

This article is about motor vehicle applications. For driving wheels on steam locomotives, see Driving wheel.

The rear driven wheels of a racing car throwing gravel
Differentials and drive shafts deliver torque to the front and rear wheels of a four-wheel drive truck

A drive wheel is a wheel of a motor vehicle that transmits force, transforming torque into tractive force from the tires to the road, causing the vehicle to move. The powertrain delivers enough torque to the wheel to overcome stationary forces, resulting in the vehicle moving forwards or backwards.[1][2]

A two-wheel drive vehicle has two driven wheels, typically both at the front or back, while a four-wheel drive has four.

A steering wheel is a wheel that turns to change the direction of a vehicle. A trailer wheel is one that is neither a drive wheel, nor a steer wheel. Front-wheel drive vehicles typically have the rear wheels as trailer wheels.

  1. ^ "Driving wheel". thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 13 July 2013. any wheel of a vehicle that transforms torque into a tractive force.
  2. ^ Russ, Carey. "Driving Wheels: Introduction and Rear-Wheel Drive". The Auto Channel. Retrieved 13 July 2013.