How will the hybrid front wheel drive handle in snow ???

[T T]

It's been a long time since we have had just front wheel drive in our family of vehicles . AWD has been with us for some time now . Wife just got a Hyundai Elantra for the gas mileage and it's her first front wheel drive in a while . I ordered my Maverick Hybrid just a bit ago and I am trading a Mustang that I stored during the winter . So I am Just Curious as to how well it may handle snow .

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[gstiglitz]

I plan on putting winter tires on all 4 rims. Have never had any issues.

 

[atomguy245]

It'll handle just fine. 8.3" ground clearance, combined with all season tires. No, you aren't going through a foot of unplowed snow, but would you do that anyway? Unless you have a job where you have to go regardless of road conditions, FWD works just fine. If you are still nervous, get a set of real snow tires on a set of steel rims. Just make sure you get 4 of them.

 

[Meintc]

It's been a long time since we have had just front wheel drive in our family of vehicles . AWD has been with us for some time now . Wife just got a Hyundai Elantra for the gas mileage and it's her first front wheel drive in a while . I ordered my Maverick Hybrid just a bit ago and I am trading a Mustang that I stored during the winter . So I am Just Curious as to how well it may handle snow .

My father makes a face every time I mention the front wheel drive on my Maverick. But I am getting snow tires, and I had a front wheel drive car before and it handled ok. But I live in a city in Northern Michigan, so roads are pretty good. I just have to get out of my subdivision to get to plowed streets. I'm thinking I'll be just fine.

 

[T T]

It'll handle just fine. 8.3" ground clearance, combined with all season tires. No, you aren't going through a foot of unplowed snow, but would you do that anyway? Unless you have a job where you have to go regardless of road conditions, FWD works just fine. If you are still nervous, get a set of real snow tires on a set of steel rims. Just make sure you get 4 of them.

Do you think I will need to toss a bit of weight in the box to help out like the old rear wheel drive trucks used to do ?

 

[atomguy245]

Do you think I will need to toss a bit of weight in the box to help out like the old rear wheel drive trucks used to do ?

No. The hybrid is front wheel drive, so putting weight in the bed will take weight off the front wheels and reduce traction. It'll be fine just the way it is. You just take it easy on the gas and brakes, and don't make sudden sharp turns. Keep that in mind and you can drive around without even triggering the traction control.

 

[dalola]

FWD with winter tires will handle snowy roads better than AWD with all-season tires. Of course, AWD with winter tires is the ultimate combo. Regardless, proper tires make a HUGE difference.

If you do a lot of snow covered road driving, winter tires are well worth the investment. If it's only occasional, you can get by with all-season.

Generally, having more weight over your drive wheels helps with traction, so advantage FWD/AWD there.

 

[stoptothink]

With snow tires, far better than the AWD with all-seasons.

Whether your use case would benefit from AWD or not, get proper snow tires. Tires have been proven countless times to be far more important for capability and safety in the snow than the amount of drive wheels.

 

[Darnon]

No. The hybrid is front wheel drive, so putting weight in the bed will take weight off the front wheels and reduce traction. It'll be fine just the way it is. You just take it easy on the gas and brakes, and don't make sudden sharp turns. Keep that in mind and you can drive around without even triggering the traction control.

A little extra weight in the trunk sometimes can help in FWD vehicles to keep the rear from sliding out when turning/braking. With the Maverick adding weight at the front of the bed should work even better since it's ahead of the rear axle and will load both.

 

[Snax]

A little extra weight in the trunk sometimes can help in FWD vehicles to keep the rear from sliding out when turning/braking. With the Maverick adding weight at the front of the bed should work even better since it's ahead of the rear axle and will load both.

This is the correct answer.

 

[Wx Man]

I live in Maine and agree that the tires and some weight should make a big difference. I am putting 4 studded winter tires on and then adding weight in the front of the bed.

 

[Thoron99]

Live in NC so only get a couple of snows a year, but they tend to be mixed snow/ice so can get slippery.

IRT hybrid in snow, I drove a 2011 Prius for several years when I had a long commute. With all season tires I never had any trouble, even one whopper with snow up to the bumper. The electric motor is great for creeping in snow without applying too much torque and spinning the tires.

Live in a hilly area and one time stopped to see if some guys in a 4x4 Tacoma needed help because they had spun off the road on the big hill. Got some dirty looks but they were alright.

 

[Speds]

What kind of snow tires does everyone that mentions getting them suggest? I'm all for spending extra if it means better quality too.

 

[fbov]

Wife just got a Hyundai Elantra for the gas mileage

My wife did the same 10 years ago, our first FWD in 30 years. First car that never saw snow tires, too, but we always had a car with snows, if needed.

And that may be the best reason to get snows on steelies for one of the vehicles, just in case.

What kind of snow tires does everyone that mentions getting them suggest

I like to look at whatever reviews I can find that compare many brands of tires.
Link to Tire Rack reviews. Use "Change Category" to see other types.
Link to tyrereviews.com most recent snow tire test. Very comprehensive assessments.

These reviews cover brand name tires. There are many other brands that you might find at your local tire distributor, likely at a lower price. You can look for snow tire design features (lugs, sipes, etc.) but the rubber compound is important, if invisible. My Escape's OE tires were great in snow because of the rubber compound. I got lucky.

 

[The64]

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