Why do I bother?

[mechtech2]

The salesman confused AWD with ABS.
I live in snowy Chicago, and can get around with normal FWD or RWD cars very well.
No doubtat all AWD is better sometimes, but like you mentioned, 5-10 days a year is not worth it to me.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
The salesman confused AWD with ABS.
I live in snowy Chicago, and can get around with normal FWD or RWD cars very well.
No doubtat all AWD is better sometimes, but like you mentioned, 5-10 days a year is not worth it to me.


You are probably right, he confused ABS with AWD. Let's hope that is the case, lol.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Originally Posted By: refaller
BTW, she got the IS because it is cuter and the other car made her look like a mother- which she is. Not understanding women is a different topic though.


My female coworker got the IS250 because of the cute factor and now she is [censored] about the premium gas prices and drives her husband's corolla as mach as she can. Hard to please.


I think the IS250 is a nice looking car, but with 205hp requiring premium gas is very dumb. Heck, my Cadillac CTS has 304hp yet calls for regular 87 gas.

 

[refaller]

He definitely meant AWD. I pointed out that once you are off the go pedal the drive system is not relevant. He said that AWD will help keep your rear end from spinning and FWD will have that propensity. I think the look on my face must've irritated him cause he insisted it was true and that he would never let his wife drive a FWD car. I would never argue that AWD will help you go and if your alternative is RWD then I would be prone to AWD. Our alternative car was the ES350 which is FWD, bigger, gets better gas mileage and by her own admission, drove nicer. Looks won the day with her and the salesman was an idiot. He even said that soon all cars will be AWD. I debated getting into CAFE, but decided definitely against that conversation.

ref

 

[bepperb]

Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
Originally Posted By: bepperb
The low profile tires on an IS250 will have a lot less snow traction than your CRV.


I don't think that's correct.

Profile helps with ground clearance, not traction.

If you took the same exact model snow tire, say Blizzak WS-70, and stayed with the same width and same wheel diameter, changing only the profile, and kept it on the same vehicle, I highly doubt actual traction is going to increase due to the higher diameter sidewall.

BC.


Well, you might want to read through this if you find it interesting:

ftp://203.199.213.36/i.%20Department%20W...article_002.pdf

But the quick takeaway is that snow traction is affected by profile with the optimum being a surprising (to me) 70% at least in this test.

But honestly the IS has a 40 aspect ratio tires. To think that would do good in snow is absurd. I'd be terrified of potholes to say nothing of the traction.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: bepperb
Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
Originally Posted By: bepperb
The low profile tires on an IS250 will have a lot less snow traction than your CRV.


I don't think that's correct.

Profile helps with ground clearance, not traction.

If you took the same exact model snow tire, say Blizzak WS-70, and stayed with the same width and same wheel diameter, changing only the profile, and kept it on the same vehicle, I highly doubt actual traction is going to increase due to the higher diameter sidewall.

BC.


Well, you might want to read through this if you find it interesting:

ftp://203.199.213.36/i.%20Department%20W...article_002.pdf

But the quick takeaway is that snow traction is affected by profile with the optimum being a surprising (to me) 70% at least in this test.

But honestly the IS has a 40 aspect ratio tires. To think that would do good in snow is absurd. I'd be terrified of potholes to say nothing of the traction.

Good article! I'd love to have access to articles like these on all sorts of automotive topics. I'm glad my hunch is backed up by real science!

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: bepperb
Well, you might want to read through this if you find it interesting:

ftp://203.199.213.36/i.%20Department%20W...article_002.pdf

But the quick takeaway is that snow traction is affected by profile with the optimum being a surprising (to me) 70% at least in this test.

But honestly the IS has a 40 aspect ratio tires. To think that would do good in snow is absurd. I'd be terrified of potholes to say nothing of the traction.


"Aspect ratio" in that article refers to the ratio of longitudinal tread to tread width in contact with the road, not sidewall height. Basically, it says that a narrower tire of the same tire diameter performs better on snow, according to their computer model. Sidewall height does not appear to be included as a factor in their model, and I see no mention of it in the article.

My buddies are running 235/45R18 Hakka7s and Gislaved NF5s on their S4s. Trust me, they have plenty of traction!

 

[rjundi]

The penalty on modern AWD cars is only about 1MPG unlike the past. So that is not a large issue.

An ES350 is more old man looking vehicle and the IS is definitely a sharper/less boring car that would appeal to a woman. If she is happy best choice.

 

[rslifkin]

^ Plus, it's FWD and probably far more boring to drive, being nothing more than a dressed up Camry.

 

[bretfraz]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
AWD can do anything the salesman wants as long as it makes his commission bigger.

Most salespeople don't know that much about cars and probably aren't even really car guys. Some are, but overall the job is more about how you talk to customers than what you know about cars. Unfortunately many consumers don't know any better.


100% true.

Of all the top gun salespeople I know, none are what I consider a car enthusiast. They are World Class at building rapport, connecting with the customer, and quickly developing a personal relationship with people they don't really know.

My enthusiasm for cars rarely translates to a bigger paycheck. Car sales just doesn't work that way.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: rpn453
My buddies are running 235/45R18 Hakka7s and Gislaved NF5s on their S4s. Trust me, they have plenty of traction!


Oops. Should be 245/40R18!

 

[rcy]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
The salesman confused AWD with ABS.
I live in snowy Chicago, and can get around with normal FWD or RWD cars very well.
No doubtat all AWD is better sometimes, but like you mentioned, 5-10 days a year is not worth it to me.


Even then, ABS does not help one "stop better" as the salesman said. It only helps a driver maintain steering ability on slick surfaces.

 

[StarInspector]

She got the right ride.. but as to thewoman thing, yes we are mothers but no we dont want to be labled as a mom by our car.. I prefer to drive the 911 Porshe than the chevy malibu. JS

 

[refaller]

That's funny. I guess I don't worry too much about labels. My CRV was listed as a top [censored] car and I roll around in it a lot

ref