They don't realize, until its too late, that AWD does not help you shed that momentum you just gained so easily with AWD. Except a stationary object.
Downsides of AWD
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Originally Posted by WylieCoyote
Growing up, the rule of thumb was that you leave it in 2WD to go do what you need to do, and put it in 4WD when you start having trouble, to get yourself back. In other words, you never go into a deep snow or mud situation with all your capabilities engaged.
When I worked for the feds that was our rule as well. When you were going somewhere you could only use 2 wheel drive, but you could use 4 wheel drive to get back.
Some people can't drive either. A few years ago I was driving on my usual urban shortcut in icy ruts on pavement. Traffic was backed up so the guy ahead of me decided to make a u-turn in the middle of the street. He got himself sideways in the ruts, then with lots of spinning tires couldn't get back out. After watching this for a few minutes I walked over and tapped on the window. Would he like me to drive it out? I got in, put the car in drive and slowly drove out - no spinning, no drama, just careful driving. My rule of thumb is no spinning on snow or ice, lots of spinning in mud.
Growing up, the rule of thumb was that you leave it in 2WD to go do what you need to do, and put it in 4WD when you start having trouble, to get yourself back. In other words, you never go into a deep snow or mud situation with all your capabilities engaged.
When I worked for the feds that was our rule as well. When you were going somewhere you could only use 2 wheel drive, but you could use 4 wheel drive to get back.
Some people can't drive either. A few years ago I was driving on my usual urban shortcut in icy ruts on pavement. Traffic was backed up so the guy ahead of me decided to make a u-turn in the middle of the street. He got himself sideways in the ruts, then with lots of spinning tires couldn't get back out. After watching this for a few minutes I walked over and tapped on the window. Would he like me to drive it out? I got in, put the car in drive and slowly drove out - no spinning, no drama, just careful driving. My rule of thumb is no spinning on snow or ice, lots of spinning in mud.
Originally Posted by WylieCoyote
They don't realize, until its too late, that AWD does not help you shed that momentum you just gained so easily with AWD. Except a stationary object.
Yep! You can't stop physics just because you have 4WD/AWD. NOT....GOING....TO.....HAPPEN
They don't realize, until its too late, that AWD does not help you shed that momentum you just gained so easily with AWD. Except a stationary object.
Yep! You can't stop physics just because you have 4WD/AWD. NOT....GOING....TO.....HAPPEN
I'm not exactly sure wear this was, but I've been in that area quite a few times, mostly in the summer...they're very lucky they're not dead. Winters up there are not kind. In that spot, weather can turn on you like a dime (and most people are aware of that). I once was caught in a snow squall so intense in the Bretton Woods area that was so blinding and intense, that I thought I was going to die. Same for the Kancamangus Highway. But everyone is told about this, we know it can happen...to travel down a road like this guy did?? With his family in a mini van?? Jesus, he's lucky he didn't become the next Netflix "exclusive" film.
Glad these folks got out OK!
There is a similar road near where I ski up in NH and I always see cars using it in the winter...AFAIK there are no houses up there, all I can guess is that some folks camp there illegally in the winter to avoid paying for a hotel when they ski. There is a more extreme road a few miles away that is blocked off by barriers in the winter, don't know why they don't do that with all such roads as long as nobody lives up there and uses a snow cat to get out...
There is a similar road near where I ski up in NH and I always see cars using it in the winter...AFAIK there are no houses up there, all I can guess is that some folks camp there illegally in the winter to avoid paying for a hotel when they ski. There is a more extreme road a few miles away that is blocked off by barriers in the winter, don't know why they don't do that with all such roads as long as nobody lives up there and uses a snow cat to get out...
Originally Posted by littleant
I have a 4wd jeep and a AWD Mountaineer (summer vehicle).
4WD /AWD guarantees you only one thing. In bad snowy weather drive with common sense and you should make it to your destination. You cannot believe the idiots up here doing 60 mph on back roads because (get this) they have fwd cars.
Just yesterday I saw three cars in the ditch at various points on Rt. 95 (Maine/NH). I had my truck in 4wd and I kept it slow and careful (50-55mph). Some people had to drive fast regardless and ended up right in a ditch...saw a BMW, a Subaru, a SAAB. Usually it's the bald tire mini vans I see bombing through that stuff (and skidding off the road endangering everyone in their path).
I have a 4wd jeep and a AWD Mountaineer (summer vehicle).
4WD /AWD guarantees you only one thing. In bad snowy weather drive with common sense and you should make it to your destination. You cannot believe the idiots up here doing 60 mph on back roads because (get this) they have fwd cars.
Just yesterday I saw three cars in the ditch at various points on Rt. 95 (Maine/NH). I had my truck in 4wd and I kept it slow and careful (50-55mph). Some people had to drive fast regardless and ended up right in a ditch...saw a BMW, a Subaru, a SAAB. Usually it's the bald tire mini vans I see bombing through that stuff (and skidding off the road endangering everyone in their path).
Originally Posted by Railrust
I'm not exactly sure wear this was, but I've been in that area quite a few times, mostly in the summer...they're very lucky they're not dead. Winters up there are not kind. In that spot, weather can turn on you like a dime (and most people are aware of that). I once was caught in a snow squall so intense in the Bretton Woods area that was so blinding and intense, that I thought I was going to die. Same for the Kancamangus Highway. But everyone is told about this, we know it can happen...to travel down a road like this guy did?? With his family in a mini van?? Jesus, he's lucky he didn't become the next Netflix "exclusive" film.
Weirdest weather experience I had up in the Whites was a day we were planning to go to Santa's Village up in Jefferson and the weather below the notches was just brutal....freezing rain, fog, just nasty. We decided to give it a shot anyway and Franconia Notch was just horrible, driving sleet and poor visibility. When we got north of the notch, it was around 50F and just drizzling a bit...this is the only time we went to Santa's Village and were actually not freezing, classic inversion scenario. Not many people showed up that day due to the weather further south and we had a great time!
I'm not exactly sure wear this was, but I've been in that area quite a few times, mostly in the summer...they're very lucky they're not dead. Winters up there are not kind. In that spot, weather can turn on you like a dime (and most people are aware of that). I once was caught in a snow squall so intense in the Bretton Woods area that was so blinding and intense, that I thought I was going to die. Same for the Kancamangus Highway. But everyone is told about this, we know it can happen...to travel down a road like this guy did?? With his family in a mini van?? Jesus, he's lucky he didn't become the next Netflix "exclusive" film.
Weirdest weather experience I had up in the Whites was a day we were planning to go to Santa's Village up in Jefferson and the weather below the notches was just brutal....freezing rain, fog, just nasty. We decided to give it a shot anyway and Franconia Notch was just horrible, driving sleet and poor visibility. When we got north of the notch, it was around 50F and just drizzling a bit...this is the only time we went to Santa's Village and were actually not freezing, classic inversion scenario. Not many people showed up that day due to the weather further south and we had a great time!
I was a dirt biker for many years, riding mostly in the woods. Many a time, we'd be on a trail that started as two track, went down to single track, turned into a deer path, then a rabbit run and finally disappeared down an anthill. And there, low and behold, would be a guy on a stone stock street/trail bike with smoothish road oriented tires, mired to the engine cases in mud. They usually started off saying something like "I just got this bike yesterday!" or "I can't believe I got stuck!" Like the story that started this thread, it's really just a thing about inexperience and not knowing the capability of the machine your piloting. Don't blame the machine. It only goes where the pilot tells it to go.
At least he realized it but sucks that he should have done a 500 point turn to not end up in the ditch. Sucks worse that they weren't prepared with emergency equipment.
I agree with most that AWD makes you a hero in the snow (snow storm yesterday where the evening commute was horrible.
My company ride is a '19 Escape AWD and my wife parks the Kia and takes the F150 to Worcester. We just drive in the right lane and watch the morons fly by.
As if my Boston to W.Mass commute isn't bad enough, you have to toss in the wicked smaht drivers during a storm.
I agree with most that AWD makes you a hero in the snow (snow storm yesterday where the evening commute was horrible.
My company ride is a '19 Escape AWD and my wife parks the Kia and takes the F150 to Worcester. We just drive in the right lane and watch the morons fly by.
As if my Boston to W.Mass commute isn't bad enough, you have to toss in the wicked smaht drivers during a storm.
I used to be a fan of just front wheel drive/rwd (simpler/cheaper) but having a proper AWD car (TourX) is quite a luxury. We don't off road it but putting power down in corners, rain, snow, ect is awesome. Snow tires and 2wd gets you around just fine if you don't have the luxury of AWD.
You can still get stuck easily even in a proper 4x4 with locking differentials. Just gotta be careful and reasonably intelligent.
You can still get stuck easily even in a proper 4x4 with locking differentials. Just gotta be careful and reasonably intelligent.
Originally Posted by dareo
You can still get stuck easily even in a proper 4x4 with locking differentials. Just gotta be careful and reasonably intelligent.
Yep, even with a front Detroit locker, rear spool and 38" Mickey Thompson Claws on my Jeep.
We actually do that for fun.
You can still get stuck easily even in a proper 4x4 with locking differentials. Just gotta be careful and reasonably intelligent.
Yep, even with a front Detroit locker, rear spool and 38" Mickey Thompson Claws on my Jeep.
We actually do that for fun.
My wife is stuck at the bottom of our driveway in 2 inches of packed near frozen slush.
That even defeated my new 826 HD Toro snwblower- snapped the two bolts off the impeller fan. It's supposed to be a non-shear pin design.
TORO: "Yes it's not; It is a shear shoulder-bolt design!".
Funny my cheap MTD Yardmachine I bought from Valdemort 27 years ago never let me down.
Car can't do it. AWD = 2WD. 1 front + 1 rear. Both with the least traction.
Blasted open differentials. Hmmm.
That even defeated my new 826 HD Toro snwblower- snapped the two bolts off the impeller fan. It's supposed to be a non-shear pin design.
TORO: "Yes it's not; It is a shear shoulder-bolt design!".
Funny my cheap MTD Yardmachine I bought from Valdemort 27 years ago never let me down.
Car can't do it. AWD = 2WD. 1 front + 1 rear. Both with the least traction.
Blasted open differentials. Hmmm.
Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
My wife is stuck at the bottom of our driveway in 2 inches of packed near frozen slush.
That even defeated my new 826 HD Toro snwblower- snapped the two bolts off the impeller fan. It's supposed to be a non-shear pin design.
TORO: "Yes it's not; It is a shear shoulder-bolt design!".
Funny my cheap MTD Yardmachine I bought from Valdemort 27 years ago never let me down.
Car can't do it. AWD = 2WD. 1 front + 1 rear. Both with the least traction.
Blasted open differentials. Hmmm.
This snow was kinda annoying. It would just pack whenever I would move it. I could see how it'd overcome all seasons pretty easily, especially if any slope was involved.
My wife is stuck at the bottom of our driveway in 2 inches of packed near frozen slush.
That even defeated my new 826 HD Toro snwblower- snapped the two bolts off the impeller fan. It's supposed to be a non-shear pin design.
TORO: "Yes it's not; It is a shear shoulder-bolt design!".
Funny my cheap MTD Yardmachine I bought from Valdemort 27 years ago never let me down.
Car can't do it. AWD = 2WD. 1 front + 1 rear. Both with the least traction.
Blasted open differentials. Hmmm.
This snow was kinda annoying. It would just pack whenever I would move it. I could see how it'd overcome all seasons pretty easily, especially if any slope was involved.
Snow tires.
Last year we had Thanksgiving and Xmas at my aunt's house in Dublin, NH.
They have a very steep driveway with an awesome view of Mt. Monadnock. My daughter stopped in with her '15 Chryco 200, but couldn't make it up the driveway.
I bought her and mounted some dedicated snows and at XMas, she made it up without spinning a tire.
Definitely a believer in the ol' sipe.
Last year we had Thanksgiving and Xmas at my aunt's house in Dublin, NH.
They have a very steep driveway with an awesome view of Mt. Monadnock. My daughter stopped in with her '15 Chryco 200, but couldn't make it up the driveway.
I bought her and mounted some dedicated snows and at XMas, she made it up without spinning a tire.
Definitely a believer in the ol' sipe.
Originally Posted by supton
Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
My wife is stuck at the bottom of our driveway in 2 inches of packed near frozen slush.
That even defeated my new 826 HD Toro snwblower- snapped the two bolts off the impeller fan. It's supposed to be a non-shear pin design.
TORO: "Yes it's not; It is a shear shoulder-bolt design!".
Funny my cheap MTD Yardmachine I bought from Valdemort 27 years ago never let me down.
Car can't do it. AWD = 2WD. 1 front + 1 rear. Both with the least traction.
Blasted open differentials. Hmmm.
This snow was kinda annoying. It would just pack whenever I would move it. I could see how it'd overcome all seasons pretty easily, especially if any slope was involved.
I felt kind of stupid yesterday when I decide to snowblow just before dark even though flakes were still coming down and then it started raining as soon as I was done.
I think it actually worked out in my favor as there was less of a mass of slush this morning since I got rid of most of the volume of snow.
I had to park outside as my daughter is home for break and using my garage bay, I tried like heck to get the stuff off the top of my car and could only get about half the depth...the rest was just a frozen matrix of whatever. I ran errands today and it all came off about 45 minutes into my trip when I braked hard...I thought my wipers were going to be ripped off. I didn't want to drive with stuff on the roof, but I spent nearly half an hour with the defrost going full blast and just couldn't make progress...I'm actually glad it ended up on my hood instead of whomever was behind me. Maybe I need a deicing station like the truck yards are supposed to have but never seem to use....
Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
My wife is stuck at the bottom of our driveway in 2 inches of packed near frozen slush.
That even defeated my new 826 HD Toro snwblower- snapped the two bolts off the impeller fan. It's supposed to be a non-shear pin design.
TORO: "Yes it's not; It is a shear shoulder-bolt design!".
Funny my cheap MTD Yardmachine I bought from Valdemort 27 years ago never let me down.
Car can't do it. AWD = 2WD. 1 front + 1 rear. Both with the least traction.
Blasted open differentials. Hmmm.
This snow was kinda annoying. It would just pack whenever I would move it. I could see how it'd overcome all seasons pretty easily, especially if any slope was involved.
I felt kind of stupid yesterday when I decide to snowblow just before dark even though flakes were still coming down and then it started raining as soon as I was done.
I think it actually worked out in my favor as there was less of a mass of slush this morning since I got rid of most of the volume of snow.
I had to park outside as my daughter is home for break and using my garage bay, I tried like heck to get the stuff off the top of my car and could only get about half the depth...the rest was just a frozen matrix of whatever. I ran errands today and it all came off about 45 minutes into my trip when I braked hard...I thought my wipers were going to be ripped off. I didn't want to drive with stuff on the roof, but I spent nearly half an hour with the defrost going full blast and just couldn't make progress...I'm actually glad it ended up on my hood instead of whomever was behind me. Maybe I need a deicing station like the truck yards are supposed to have but never seem to use....
Originally Posted by supton
This is where I kinda like having part time 4WD. It serves to remind me that traction is lacking--I can flip it into 4WD and be forewarned.
Do you have to stop to change into 4WD?
This is where I kinda like having part time 4WD. It serves to remind me that traction is lacking--I can flip it into 4WD and be forewarned.
Do you have to stop to change into 4WD?
Originally Posted by Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted by supton
This is where I kinda like having part time 4WD. It serves to remind me that traction is lacking--I can flip it into 4WD and be forewarned.
Do you have to stop to change into 4WD?
Almost all part time 4wd vehicles in the past decade are shift on the fly for 4wd, my Tacoma for example (and more than likely exactly like Supton's Tundra) you can switch from 2 high to 4 high up to 62mph. Now, why any soul is doing that at speed in bad weather is beyond me. 4wd low requires you to be stopped and transmission in neutral.
Originally Posted by supton
This is where I kinda like having part time 4WD. It serves to remind me that traction is lacking--I can flip it into 4WD and be forewarned.
Do you have to stop to change into 4WD?
Almost all part time 4wd vehicles in the past decade are shift on the fly for 4wd, my Tacoma for example (and more than likely exactly like Supton's Tundra) you can switch from 2 high to 4 high up to 62mph. Now, why any soul is doing that at speed in bad weather is beyond me. 4wd low requires you to be stopped and transmission in neutral.
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Originally Posted by Delta
Originally Posted by Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted by supton
This is where I kinda like having part time 4WD. It serves to remind me that traction is lacking--I can flip it into 4WD and be forewarned.
Do you have to stop to change into 4WD?
Almost all part time 4wd vehicles in the past decade are shift on the fly for 4wd, my Tacoma for example (and more than likely exactly like Supton's Tundra) you can switch from 2 high to 4 high up to 62mph. Now, why any soul is doing that at speed in bad weather is beyond me. 4wd low requires you to be stopped and transmission in neutral.
Goes back further than that. 1996 Explorer, 1997 Expedition...etc all had shift on the fly 4x4.
Originally Posted by Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted by supton
This is where I kinda like having part time 4WD. It serves to remind me that traction is lacking--I can flip it into 4WD and be forewarned.
Do you have to stop to change into 4WD?
Almost all part time 4wd vehicles in the past decade are shift on the fly for 4wd, my Tacoma for example (and more than likely exactly like Supton's Tundra) you can switch from 2 high to 4 high up to 62mph. Now, why any soul is doing that at speed in bad weather is beyond me. 4wd low requires you to be stopped and transmission in neutral.
Goes back further than that. 1996 Explorer, 1997 Expedition...etc all had shift on the fly 4x4.
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