RWD? FWD? AWD? What's best in snow, by how much?
- Thread starter Ws6
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4WD
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There’s another technique not mentioned - turn off the radio - focus - and listen
Bottom line is driver skills and at least 2 snow tires. I towed a snowmobile trailer for years (2000 lbs out back) with various RWD vehicles in snowstorms to go play with no issues. Biggest issue was getting away from the flatlanders in the snowstorms.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
BiL had DL’s in a modded K-Blazer … we’d pull a duck boat for 2 miles without the 15” tires turning on that trailer
Hyper defensive driving creates also issues, behind the car.
I see hyper defensive drivers in the mountains all the time, and 3 mile back up behind that is teetering on verge of mass car accident.
I would suggest you don't drive on public roads then. You are jeopardizing the safety of those on the road around you, and if (I pray it never happens), you cause an accident due to malfunctioning brakes you might be in a heap of trouble if a lawyer ever found out.
Your point is understood. Here in VA, we just don't have all of these issues b/c we just don't have much in the way of winter driving. We get a few snows a year. All seasons and some good driving techniques have served me well for a long time. If I lived where you do, I'd have snow tires clearly.
My friends are gonna be there too!
The hyper defensive drivers are the ones driving with the wrong tires in snow conditions.
To people who place driver as the most important element.
Do you think that really good driver would drive with wrong tires?
The first decision to make when driving is whether to drive at all. IMHO
Even in racing (F1) good drivers win with better drivers when it rains and tires decide the outcome.
Krzyś
Do you think that really good driver would drive with wrong tires?
The first decision to make when driving is whether to drive at all. IMHO
Even in racing (F1) good drivers win with better drivers when it rains and tires decide the outcome.
Krzyś
Folks here who live where there is actually a winter and you actually drive on winter tires as do a large portion of folks. I get you. I understand. I get that "this is the only way". And yes, in your case, tires trump it all. Message recieved. If I lived there I would undoubtedly have a set of dedicated winter wheels/tires on the full family fleet.
Same folks. Do you also understand that a large portion of the U.S. is not where you live and that here, we have temps that can be in the 70s this time of year followed by light snow showers and temps in the 30s that may be 1-2" and last a day on the ground? This year I don't think we (Richmond, VA area) will get any snow and it's been mild 40s-50s most of it with one week of cold spell (teens). Here, you don't buy/use winter tires. There is no reason to even if it's the ideal thing for one day all year...you make a compromise b/c it makes practical sense like all the folks here that aren't using dedicated summer performance tires when it's warmer and make that compromise in outright dry grip. You accept your all seasons' shortcomings and focus on the driving skill required to drive on them that day (defensive, slow, large following distances) or as someone mentioned above, you may actually choose not to drive depending on traffic etc. to avoid the disaster it usually is. This is where I am in this convo and have been the 34 years I've driven in the mid-Atlantic region. I've taugh 2/3 children to do the same here without issue. Slow down. Leave a lot of room. Anticipiate what you will do if the person in front slides or the person in back slides toward you at a stop light...tomorrow the snow will be gone and it may be 65 and I better swap out to my summers!
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Colorado can oscillate 70 degrees, especially in spring. You can have 70 degrees, fallowed by 2ft of snow than 70 again.
And yet, I have all 3 vehicles on snows.
I will never understand that calculation.
B/c you have 2 ft of snow...regularly I take it and as I said, I'd be running winter tires for sure where you are. If it was 1" of now that was gone tomorrow one time this year would you bother? Would you really run winter tires where I live for that 1 or maybe 2 light snows that are gone in a day? Like you, I don't understand the calculation of running winters here in Richmond VA and clearly I'm not the only one b/c I don't even think you can buy them in a tire shop here if you wanted them in short order.
Easily identified as the vehicle with the hazards on at 30 mph with tires riding on the black snowless tracks.
You have described everyone on the southern/middle-east coast when we get a snow or ice storm
I've seen on 95 in southern VA on my way home from work...but I'd rather have that then cars spinning out etc. We just don't get enough now for anyone here to know how to deal with it.
Yes I would. I am giving you extreme example.
I would bcs. melting snow during that period turns into ice overnight.
We have more sunny days, far mire than VA, and snow actually melts faster.
Calculation is that you die once. It is not like you have 9 lives, so you don’t want to bother.
What hazards man? They drive and think they are keeping everyone safe.
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RWD with a limited slip is much easier to control vs FWD open diff, and two tires of traction makes acceleration way better. I've never had a FWD car with a limited slip. I'm about to have an AWD car with a rear limited slip, and I'm hoping it's as awesome as I've been imagining. It'll get a front LSD at some point too, and there's nothing better than power at all four wheels.
That is the cool thing about electric cars though, infinitely variable torque at each wheel (with brake application) to perfectly balance wheel spin vs traction without anything nearly so clumsy has traction control lifting your throttle or cutting spark. Acceleration in the snow in a Tesla is perfectly smooth, it's kinda wild.
That is the cool thing about electric cars though, infinitely variable torque at each wheel (with brake application) to perfectly balance wheel spin vs traction without anything nearly so clumsy has traction control lifting your throttle or cutting spark. Acceleration in the snow in a Tesla is perfectly smooth, it's kinda wild.
