"I have an SUV so i am ok in snow" myth

[97tbird]

my work place has about 80% female employees of all kinds of different, ethnicities, financial statuses, edu levels, etc.

One thing I kept hearing from almost all of these female employees when we had a snow/ice week, is "I am so glad I have an SUV i am totally ok and won't have a problem" or "you need to get an SUV for times like this - the sedan is not good enough" or similar.

As i have a habit of noticing what vehicles people drive, I knew that 95% of those SUVs were 2 wheel drive, small-ish "SUV"s with regular tires. why the HECK do these people think that their SUV is better in snow, esp. when it's not even AWD/4WD? How do they get this idea?

I couldn't stand it any longer when I heard one of these girls advising someone else about how she'd be safe due to the smallish (2wd) SUV and having fog lights(!!! - IDK why, there weren't any foggy days recently) so I thought I'd talk to her:


Rough draft of the chat:
Me: so why is your SUV better than her (meaning other girl she was talking to) car (which is a FWD Mazda 6)?
Girl: (looking confused) it is an SUV! they're better in snow!
Me: yeah, but i meant what MAKES it better in snow than a sedan/car?
Girl: IDK! (sounding annoyed) - I never had any problems with it in snow !
Me: I mean it's not 4WD or AWD, I was just wondering why it could be better than a regular Fr. WD car...
Girl: WELL, I don't care - I am glad I have a SUV!

She probably thought I was nuts. I have often seen her drive home after work...she's almost always on the phone, drifting aimlessly, and has ALL the lights, incl. fog lights on every freaking time.

 

[rshunter]

Stupid knows no socio-economic boundaries...

Oh, and it's probably making the rounds that you are the resident a--hole, FWIW.

 

[onion]

I think you're nuts too- just for different reasons.

That isn't a conversation that I'd initiate.

 

[Nick R]

Even my mom knows that her expedition is only better in the snow than my focus BECAUSE it has 4WD. She knows it won't help her stop. The Jeep is even worse, Baja Claws aren't exactly siped for the snow.

 

[Pablo]

Quote:
my work place has about 80% female employees


One word: Lucky

As for the topic: Here on the left coast this attitude applies to most males as well.

 

[97tbird]

Originally Posted By: rshunter
Stupid knows no socio-economic boundaries...

Oh, and it's probably making the rounds that you are the resident a--hole, FWIW.


LOL - Nah, I was very civil and didn't talk to her in a bad way

 

[rshunter]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Originally Posted By: rshunter
Stupid knows no socio-economic boundaries...

Oh, and it's probably making the rounds that you are the resident a--hole, FWIW.


LOL - Nah, I was very civil and didn't talk to her in a bad way

It doesn't make any difference. Trust me.

Questioning a woman's child-rearing skills is safer than questioning her logic, and I wouldn't recommend the former.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Some people just don't understand, and it seems their judgment is blurred by the way SUVs are perceived with all the marketing hype.

Here, people are overly obsessed about their ride height and how they are 'safer' compared to other vehicles. For some stupid reason, they also consider them 'invincible'. Two examples I can give:

1. I was out with a friend, and we were looking for a parking spot in a busy area. Then he goes "Dude, you should have so brought your 'jeep' man, you could have parked on the pavement!". First of all, Jeep is a brand name, and I don't own a Jeep. Secondly, never have I and will I drive my car straight over a curb. Driving over curbs is not what 4WDs are intended for.

2. I went to pick up a friend in my Mercury, and happened to see his mother who goes "Oh my God, you guys are going out in THAT small car? Is it even safe?? Please go out in the Tahoe!" Never knew my 212 inch landyacht was so 'small' and unsafe.

A lot of it boils down to common sense, which I reckon many people lack these days. Seems most 4WD SUV owners do not even know how their 4WD system works or how to operate it. Also, If you look at the way some idiots drive those SUVs, you'd think they're imagining themselves behind the wheel of a Lotus Elise. Is the world getting dumber by the day, or is it just me?

 

[rshunter]

It's not just you...

 

[LoneRanger]

Originally Posted By: rshunter
Stupid knows no socio-economic boundaries...

Oh, and it's probably making the rounds that you are the resident a--hole, FWIW.


And he won't be getting laid at the company Christmas party this year, either! JK :~)

 

[97tbird]

haha - i avoided the company Xmas party - believe me, watching paint dry is a heck of a lot more fun

 

[LoneRanger]

I'd say tires make more difference in snow/ice than front wheel drive vs awd. A fwd car with dedicated winter snow tires... something like General Altimax Artic or Michelin Xice may likely perform better in snow/ice than Buffy's awd SUV wearing factory equipped all seasons. But if Buffy happens to have an awd vehicle that happens to have the mentioned dedicated winter tires, then look out, because she will go in the snow pretty [censored] good. On a side note, the symetrical awd my Forester has, with traction control (simulates limited slip) is great BUT the [censored] all season Bridgestone Dueler tires bring it down to the equivalent of a fwd car with snow tires, when it comes to snow/ice handling. Actually the Bridgestones are horrible on ice.

 

[Errtt]

I don't why it is and I don't understand how every car my wife has had got banged up (most in 2-3 years). Now that she drives a SUV (Escape)it hasn't happened.... yet. Bought her a new 01 Escape and the thing is still intact. She hasn't scrubbed the tire sidewalls off yet from the curbs - go figure.
I was going to trade it in last year on something newer and she said NO!
Don't talk to woman about SUVs.

 

[tomcat27]

alot of people seem to believe that 4WD helps them (stop) on ice. a couple years back I got rear-ended by someone on an icy day. the driver of the other car said (3X) there must be something wrong with my Jeep - it wouldn't stop. Finally, after the 3rd reiteration, I agreed - and suggested that they return to their dealer to fix the 4WD. heh heh heh

 

[rpn453]

You'll probably appreciate the message I got from my ex last January after a big snowfall. She has studded BFG Winter Slaloms in 185/70R14 on her '93 MX-6.

Originally Posted By: ex-gf
I must thank you for ensuring my car and my mentality are winterized. I went to swimming this morning. There had been nary a plow so I was plowing through a lot of snow. On the road entering the Shaw centre there were a couple of vehicles stuck; one was AWD. She had AWD and a higher vehicle than me but I didn't get stuck because of my tires! (We were laughing with/at her because she was telling us she has an appointment to get winter tires next week - huh??!!) - Note: this was late January already - However, after feeling somewhat invincible I did get stuck just approaching my garage and had to shovel a wee bit to proceed. I have to admit it was kind of fun today! The fun officially ends next time I have to run.


Her garage is in a back alley and requires some tight turns to enter, so no surprise she got stuck there. I got her to carry a shovel since I use mine a couple of times a year. She used to hate winter driving, even with the Pathfinder she had previously. She traded it in for the MX-6 many years ago to reduce fuel consumption.

 

[CharlieJ]

Start off be saying you are interesting in buying a SUV and ask her to explain the benefits of driving one in the snow.?

 

[OVERKILL]

We got close to a foot of snow today, and I was out roaring around in 4x4 in the Expedition having a blast.

Saw lots of cars with summer tires failing on hills. Saw a Mazda 6 pile into a telephone pole.

There was one situation that I think I need to mention:

I was coming down a rather long hill. There is a stop light in the middle of the hill, as another street crosses it. The light was red.

I had been following a woman in a Sunfire. I assumed she was running some rather hideous summer tires because she was sliding when she was doing pretty much any braking.... And I wasn't sliding at all.... And I'm not running snows.

Anyways, she seemed VERY aware of the fact that she was driving a vehicle ill-equipped for the weather. She never got above 40Km/h and was driving VERY cautiously. Which is good.

HOWEVER

When we were coming down the hill, even though she was basically crawling, as she was preparing to come to a complete stop... She began to slide....... BADLY. There were three cars stopped in front of her, I was watching her pulse and steer, aiming for the snow bank so she didn't crash into the Camry in front of her. She just missed having to hit either. But I imagine she had to change her pants when she got home.

Now.... I'm coming down the hill behind her. I had no problems stopping at all. The hill wasn't slick. I'm running LTX M/S's, good tires, but as I said earlier... Not snows. So whatever she had on her car must have been utter garbage.

She was obviously a good driver. She was driving according to the conditions. But was driving a vehicle that was not setup for them. A set of snow tires would have made a huge difference for her.

So this begs the question:

What was so important that you'd get in a car that you KNOW is going to behave VERY poorly in the conditions it is about to face. Risk life, limb and at the very least an accident?

I don't know.

But I saw it all over town. Seniors out getting stuck on hills. Young guys trying to "drift" on major roads (I thought I was going to get rear-ended by a BMW at one point from this) with no concern for the lives of the other drivers they are endangering. And people in general, almost as if they were doing it to spite the weather "you can't stop me mother nature. I have to go get smokes!".

Personally, I enjoy driving in the snow. But, I'm driving a 6,000+lb SUV with good tires, 4 wheel drive, and I'm VERY accustomed to driving in snow, having lived in the New Brunswick snow-belt for close to a decade. It isn't an unsafe experience for me. But I've found the idiots I share the road with make it feel unsafe at times, and that bothers me.

And it is people like those that are described in the OP that likely make up a fair chunk of that group.

 

[demarpaint]

As a responsible driver, knowing that driving on snow and ice is always dangerous I would rather be driving a 4 WD vehicle vs, FWD or RWD. Thinking that having a 4x4 or SUV makes you safe is pretty stupid, and those are the people getting dragged out of ditches. The bottom line is good equipment is not going to replace skill, smarts, and common sense.

 

[Quest]

Originally Posted By: Falcon_LS
Some people just don't understand, and it seems their judgment is blurred by the way SUVs are perceived with all the marketing hype.

Here, people are overly obsessed about their ride height and how they are 'safer' compared to other vehicles. For some stupid reason, they also consider them 'invincible'. Two examples I can give:

1. I was out with a friend, and we were looking for a parking spot in a busy area. Then he goes "Dude, you should have so brought your 'jeep' man, you could have parked on the pavement!". First of all, Jeep is a brand name, and I don't own a Jeep. Secondly, never have I and will I drive my car straight over a curb. Driving over curbs is not what 4WDs are intended for.

2. I went to pick up a friend in my Mercury, and happened to see his mother who goes "Oh my God, you guys are going out in THAT small car? Is it even safe?? Please go out in the Tahoe!" Never knew my 212 inch landyacht was so 'small' and unsafe.

A lot of it boils down to common sense, which I reckon many people lack these days. Seems most 4WD SUV owners do not even know how their 4WD system works or how to operate it. Also, If you look at the way some idiots drive those SUVs, you'd think they're imagining themselves behind the wheel of a Lotus Elise. Is the world getting dumber by the day, or is it just me?

Ignorance know no boundaries and I've seen/experienced them all.

Scenario A: I went north to attend college (school was almost 1000kms north of where my parents live and I have to travel there at least 4~6 times every year (summer/Xmas/Thxgiving, or whenever gf wants to, etc.) I've seen far too many AshYouVees (e.g. Foxd Exploder) flipped over while on 4WD mode through black ice on the stretch of North/South bound iced highway, to the point where I'm no longer amused).

Scenario B: I was trained by some ex-winter rallye drivers on how to handle basic 2WD (Nordic/fwd mini or Saab winter driving techniques) so to me, a 2WD on FWD suffice for most of the situations, including those like black iced highways, etc. I could climb inclines that most 2WD or AshYouVee drivers thought they could but usually failed up in the north, and still maintains reasonable traction and control.

Bottomline: over 98% avg joes around this neighbourhood don't even know how to drive properly on dry pavement, letting alone light snow or ice. False sense of security on a big-ashed AshYouVee and 4WD usually lead to more accidents, more flipovers and deaths than anything else, IMHO.

I still drive/own FWD and I luv it. I can still take it on roads where some AshYouVees cannot during snowy/icy situations.

My 2c's worth. Winter driving courses or winter rallye courses have their values IMHO.

Q.

 

[97tbird]

I agree that the marketing of SUVs have a lot to do with it. almost every SUV ad shows the vehicle barreling down a road through mud, snow or rain, and shows how invincible the vehicle is ...