The Vauxhall 4 Wheel 
Drive System

 

General Info:

The Cavalier Turbo, and its sister the Calibra Turbo, were fitted with Vauxhall's viscous coupled 4WD system in order to maximise grip by sending the 204BHP through all 4 wheels

The standard power distribution in normal driving conditions is around 75:25. That is 75% to the front axle and 25% to the rear but this can vary according to the road conditions upto as much as 100% to the rear.

The ratio of this power transmission to the rear wheels is dependant on the differences in RPM between the front and the rear wheels and is controlled by the viscous coupling in the transfer box.

If the foot-brake is applied when the vehicle is moving at speeds in excess of 16mph (25km/h), the drive to the rear wheels is disengaged via an hydraulically controlled multiple disc clutch within the transfer box. The 4 wheel drive is then re-engaged automatically when the brakes are released. All this is done in a split second with no driver interaction.

 

The 4WD system of the Vauxhall consists of 3 main parts - 

• Transfer Box (1)

• Driveshafts (2)

• Rear Differential (3)

1. The transfer box contains both the Viscous Coupling which is used to determine the percentage of drive split between the back and front wheels and also the Multiple Disc Clutch which is used to disengage the rear wheels during braking at speeds of 16mph+ (25km/h+) 

2. The 3 part driveshaft is used to transmit the power from the transfer box to the front and rear wheels

3. The rear differential contains the final drive train parts for the rear axle. The rear diff is the same as used in the GM Commodore V8 and can easily withstand 400BHP+

 

Please use the links to the left for more information on the Vauxhall 4 Wheel Drive System