What is the Difference Between Drivetrain and Powertrain?

Powertrain and Drivetrain

You might not know off the top of your head what the benefits are of comparing a drivetrain vs. powertrain however when you know the differences between the two, it will give you the upper hand when automobile buying, going to the technician, or when Alex Trebek asks you a Jeopardy question concerning automobile elements that make cars move.

In short, powertrains and drivetrains basically do the same thing. They produce kinetic energy to make your car or truck 'go'. Now, chances are that you have never truly thought about how crucial these moving parts are. They're the unsung heroes that get you from point A to point B and they each work in their own distinct method.

What are the Drivetrain Parts?

Often times the terms 'drivetrain' and 'powertrain' are utilized interchangeably but, contrary to popular belief, they are not the same. So exactly what is the distinction between powertrain elements and drivetrain components? The most significant difference is the way power is generated and distributed to the car.

A drivetrain is not actually a solitary part of your car - it's a group of drivetrain parts that work together with the engine to move the wheels and various parts of the vehicle to propel it into motion. These components usually include the transmission, differential, driveshaft, axles, CV joints, and the wheels.

How Does A Drivetrain Work?

This is the order of how power is generated and provided by a drivetrain:

• The engine will produce energy to power a flywheel
• That flywheel works with the transmission to control the quantity of power distributed to various other components of the drivetrain
• The driveshaft rotates to produce power to a differential
• After that the differential delivers power from all those driveshaft elements and boom ... your wheels are moving

What's in A Powertrain?

If you understood the drivetrain basics, the powertrain basics ought to be an easy concept to grasp, due to the fact that there is just one specifying factor that sets them apart. That factor is the engine. In a powertrain, the engine belongs of the many moving elements. If you remember from the paragraph above, the drivetrain collaborates with the engine.

The powertrain includes every moving part that is important to the car's success. Its single function is converting kinetic energy into propulsion movement. If one of these parts fail your car might experience some unusual rattling, or shaking.