Thinking about a new car....

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Originally Posted By: Spartuss
PineMountain,

Go test drive a Infiniti G37x. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.


G37 is a nice car, still don't see the point of wasting money on the x, when a set of snow tires is still necessary and a couple sand bags costs way less than an AWD system.
 
Originally Posted By: mstrjon32
and a couple sand bags costs way less than an AWD system.

The bags aren't as convenient though. If you ever get a chance to drive an AWD car with proper winter attire in snow, you might change your mind.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: mstrjon32
and a couple sand bags costs way less than an AWD system.

The bags aren't as convenient though. If you ever get a chance to drive an AWD car with proper winter attire in snow, you might change your mind.


I've driven an Audi A4 Quattro in the snow and wasn't impressed. I've also driven the G35x, but not in the snow. In my experience, the only place AWD really makes sense is rallycross.

I'm more impressed by the QuadraDrive 4WD system used in some Chrysler products (particularly Jeep), but again, it's mostly a novelty. At the end of the day, it's not really any better than a regular part-time 4WD with shift-on-the-fly.
 
It had Continental ContiSportContact (?, or was it ContiTouringContact) all-season tires. I'm sure it would have done better with proper winter tires. I guess my point is that it drove much like I'd expect an FWD car with all-seasons to handle in the snow. FWIW, I didn't have a problem getting started in 1st gear, whereas I may have had to feather the clutch a bit more if it weren't AWD.

AWD does allow you to power out of a corner more aggressively with better control in the summer, and it does allow you to start moving a bit faster and more easily in slippery conditions. I just don't know what value it provides beyond easier starting for winter driving. I still think that a proper set of tires is far more useful.
 
Originally Posted By: mstrjon32
It had Continental ContiSportContact (?, or was it ContiTouringContact) all-season tires.

If they were ContiSportContacts, then they were summer tires.

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I still think that a proper set of tires is far more useful.

I would take a FWD car with proper winter tires over AWD car with summer tires, too. But I would prefer AWD with winter tires above all. We get plenty of snow here... I miss my A4q...
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AWD has a decisive advantage over RWD and FWD in 2 circumstances: standing starts in heavy snow, and climbing hills.

It will also have better traction at the exit of a corner. IMO: Exit traction is only important in street driving to the extent that it gets you through a corner safely. That goal can be served just as well or better by having less weight and better weight distribution. AWD is the heaviest configuration with the second-worst weight distribution (after FWD), so cornering is not a slam-dunk for AWD.

All else equal, braking will be marginally worse with AWD because of the extra weight and suboptimal weight distribution.
 
Originally Posted By: PineMountain
I should also add that putting dedicated winter tires on the Civic also has a price- such as noticeably degraded handling and braking in good conditions- which, to be realistic, occur at a much greater frequency and duration than the bad. Tire/wheel swapping at the onset of ice/snow is impractical. The awd approach is more universal...


You might look into performance snows. I've got Dunlop Sport 3Ds on my BMW 525i, and they are quite stable and have ample grip in the dry, but still do very well in the snow. Certainly they can't compare to summer tires for ultimate dry road capability, but they are a far cry from the squirmy feel of traditional snows on dry pavement.
 
AWD is a nice luxury to have. A good set of tires will go a long way to assist in braking and traction, something a bad set of tires, paired with an AWD won't help with.

I have a '04 G35 RWD that runs on Blizzak WS-50, a dedicated snow tire in the winter and performs wonderfully in the slush and much better than a G35x AWD would on all seasons tires.
 
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Out here in Iowa, during a snow emergency, there are "no tow" conditions -- vehicles that go off the road may not be towed because the tow trucks themselves would add a new safety hazard.

So the day after a snow emergency, it's possible to drive along Interstate 80 and see 10 or more cars PER MILE, either in the ditch or in the median, some of them just stuck, some on their sides, some that have obviously rolled a few times. That would be several hundred of them during a 50-mile drive.

A surprisingly large percentage of these vehicles are 4WD or AWD vehicles.

Many people think they need AWD, but don't. IMO, the one folks who really need AWD either live above 5000 feet altitude or in an area with lake-effect snow.

AWD cars are heavier, mechanically more complex, consume more fuel, wear out tires faster, and simply cost more to own. I don't plan to drive off-road, so I wouldn't be interested in any AWD vehicle.
 
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