Engineering Explained: Do You Really Need AWD or Winter Tires? (summer/all-season/winter tires, and FWD/RWD/AWD)

[TJ2023]

Would traction mats be worth it for a 2wd Maverick? I live in southern Michigan and we don't get as much snow as we used to so I can live without the AWD, but I'm thinking they may come in handy.

I wouldn't think you would ever need them, but they aren't too expensive and don't take up too much space. If it gives you peace of mind, go for it. They hybrid fwd is really good in snowy conditions, just make sure you have the right tires. We hit up St. Johns on our way back from up north all the time, Ryans Roadhouse is one of our favorite places!!

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[Dignam]

Had a 2014 Mazda 3, 6spd that was a little go kart you could toss into turns at 30+ mph.

Not necessarily the vehicle you'd expect to excel in the winter but it did! nothing like being able to gentle roll into the throttle in 2nd on a snow covered road.

That's kind of funny, because my aforementioned car was a 2014 Dodge Dart manual (don't make fun of me ). The day I bought it, I test drove that and a 2014 Mazda 3. I regret not going with the Mazda, though the Dart was quite fun to drive.

 

[tom_tucker]

What was the temperature? I believe it if it was cold where the snow is powdered like, most will do fine, plus most subarus's have great ground clearance where 2ft isn't much with the powdered like snow. If it was warmer where the snow is thicker and heavier likely you would get stuck after you come to a stop with the Hybrid Maverick with snow tires, especially with 2ft of heavy snow.

2 feet at 23 degrees, so likely right smack in the middle for H2O content. Plenty of snow to slog through. Mav Hybrid would have been a no-go. Wetter? no-go.

I've passed 1000's of cars in snowstorms from NY to PA with MT + AWD + snows. Not gonna expect that performance level with FWD + snows. I'll have to get in line most likely.

 

[Blkraven66]

When they say things like "Adding weight to the bed of a pickup does NOT increase traction" followed by "It shifts the weight distribution rearward which...wait for it... DOES increase traction"

You just have to roll your eyes. A lot of words to just look like you are speaking a lot of words. I am stubborn and ran a 2WD Ranger here in AR up 1.5 miles of very steep poorly maintained dirt road daily for 17 years.

When snow was down it never was graded, packed down, thawed the top and refroze making it an ice sheet. I put a locker in the rear axle of the Ranger, 300+lbs of weight in the bed, studded tires on it. None of that would save me from having to chain it up to get up the hills sometimes for months at a time.

Finally bought a 4WD Tacoma. I still put weight in it in the winter but have never had any problems getting up the hills on all-season tires. Buying that 4WD was the best investment I've ever made.

Chaining that Ranger halfway up the very steep 800ft long hill on ice after spinning out one dark night while hanging on to it so I didn't slide to the bottom and hoping the truck didn't slide over me while doing it was what sealed the deal for me.

Once you have 4WD/AWD ....you will never go without it again !

 

[Old_Norm]

I live in a hilly, snowy area and carried tire chains last few years and never needed them. A big improvement was Traction Control which changed it from "one wheel spin" to "two wheel drive" and front wheel drive which put the weight bias on the drive wheels.
Okay, AWD is an improvement sometimes but at a cost in money, fuel and weight I'm not willing to pay

Yeah, a lot of it is just a sales job. Plus do we need expensive, complicated machines to take over what we should be doing, like learning how to drive? For instance, anti lock brakes. I learned how to modulate the brakes to stop well in all conditions half a century ago. Now it's "stomp on the brakes and trust the airbags ".

Do we need anti-lock brakes??? Wow.

 

[Maverickman74]

I lived in northern Michigan most of my life. I have had fwd, rwd, and 4x4s. 95% of people will never NEED AWD or 4x4. I never got stuck in my little Escort(FWD), Ranger(RWD) or my Monte Carlo(RWD). I only used 4x4 in my Blazer a couple of times while off-roading. Having the right tires and knowing how to drive in bad conditions is way more important. It amazes me living in the city now how many people around here feel they NEED AWD or 4x4.

Knowing how to drive on snow is the key factor. I have had mostly 2wds, mostly rwd, and a few 4x4 jeeps while I lived in Ohio. I was always out in the snow. Usually rescuing people, just for kicks. Often on bald or near bald 90s tires, I would buy used for $20. Sure your gonna slide around a bit but just keep your momentum pointed in the right direction and you will be fine. You just gotta know what your tires and motor is doing while you are moving. About the only times I would ever get stuck in when conditions change while parked. Then it's just a floor mat, a nudge, and maybe a makeshift shovel and you are free. 9 times out of 10 if you can move the vehicle 6 inches you can sort it out with a lil back and forth.

Where I live now I need 4wd or else my driveway will disintegrate with every climb. But for getting around in the snow all you really need is skill and fas in the tank.

 

[Robert C]

I have been driving in Michigan for 45 years with mostly 1 wheel or 2 wheel drive and have never got stuck in the snow or had a problem.
My latest, a Jeep Wrangler, has 4 wheel drive that you can engage. I have never found it to be necessary other than at the boat launch.
In my Maverick 2 wheel drive is fine.
I guess if you want to go "off roading" or rock climbing you'd want AWD.
"Hey lets take my Maverick, just about the least expensive vehicle you can buy, and take it into the gravel and see what I can break".
It's just not necessary.
Or at least start with something more suited to "off roading".
From what I've seen the only time most people go off roading is for oil changes.
Why wreak your daily driver acting like a 14 year old?

 

[SLINGSHOT]

Once you have 4WD/AWD ....you will never go without it again !

My RAV4 has AWD. My Hybrid Mav has FWD. Another absolute that isn't.
Drive with your brain, not you foot.
My first new car was a 1966 VW Beetle. I lived on a dirt street which was not even city maintained. It was our only car. Drove to work 5 days a week. Never missed a day. We have wet snow in NE Iowa. I put chains on it one time.

 

[MavFord7560]

I lived in northern Michigan most of my life. I have had fwd, rwd, and 4x4s. 95% of people will never NEED AWD or 4x4. I never got stuck in my little Escort(FWD), Ranger(RWD) or my Monte Carlo(RWD). I only used 4x4 in my Blazer a couple of times while off-roading. Having the right tires and knowing how to drive in bad conditions is way more important. It amazes me living in the city now how many people around here feel they NEED AWD or 4x4.

Agree. Especially the last few years in Michigan. There are literally only a handful of days every winter where you might want AWD unless you do a ton of backroad driving. FWD will get you through almost everything. An engineer guy told me that AWD is about “tracking” (does not help stability or stopping) in heavy snow and actually one of the vehicles in snow is a FWD car with thin tires. I do think some high-end AWD non-truck vehicles like an Audi or BMW do have great stability in snow. I defer to experts on winter tires but I am going with the stock Continentals in my new MY2024 XLT Hybrid and see how it goes. My layman two cents. (Can’t resist a brief old school/get off my lawn statement: grew up driving on extremely narrow side streets in Detroit that in bad long winters had tracks like for slot cars and rarely got stuck with RWD and bias ply tires. Those streets were good for shagging cars in the winter though)

 

[dadd75]

I lived in northern Michigan most of my life. I have had fwd, rwd, and 4x4s. 95% of people will never NEED AWD or 4x4. I never got stuck in my little Escort(FWD), Ranger(RWD) or my Monte Carlo(RWD). I only used 4x4 in my Blazer a couple of times while off-roading. Having the right tires and knowing how to drive in bad conditions is way more important. It amazes me living in the city now how many people around here feel they NEED AWD or 4x4.

I worked in Traverse City for 22 years, had to drive 15 miles into town, mostly highway, but driving along East Bay was a white-out, knuckle squeezing trip many mornings going to work. I had a 2.5 mile trek each morning to get to the highway, that 2.5 miles was not plowed, and my FWD Chevy HHR with good snow tires never let me down. Many people who lived there drove FWD vehicles, because they knew how to drive the winter roads.

 

[TJ2023]

I worked in Traverse City for 22 years, had to drive 15 miles into town, mostly highway, but driving along East Bay was a white-out, knuckle squeezing trip many mornings going to work. I had a 2.5 mile trek each morning to get to the highway, that 2.5 miles was not plowed, and my FWD Chevy HHR with good snow tires never let me down. Many people who lived there drove FWD vehicles, because they knew how to drive the winter roads.

Yeah, I was living in Petosky when I had my little 93 fwd Escort and never had any issues.

 

[TJ2023]

Agree. Especially the last few years in Michigan. There are literally only a handful of days every winter where you might want AWD unless you do a ton of backroad driving. FWD will get you through almost everything. An engineer guy told me that AWD is about “tracking” (does not help stability or stopping) in heavy snow and actually one of the vehicles in snow is a FWD car with thin tires. I do think some high-end AWD non-truck vehicles like an Audi or BMW do have great stability in snow. I defer to experts on winter tires but I am going with the stock Continentals in my new MY2024 XLT Hybrid and see how it goes. My layman two cents. (Can’t resist a brief old school/get off my lawn statement: grew up driving on extremely narrow side streets in Detroit that in bad long winters had tracks like for slot cars and rarely got stuck with RWD and bias ply tires. Those streets were good for shagging cars in the winter though)

Yeah AWD and 4x4 will help you if you get stuck, but they don't do crap for you stopping on snow/ice. FWD is great because you have all the weight of the engine over the front tires. Makes it really easy to get going in the snow! I remember back in the 90s going with my uncle to pick up or drop off some of his employees that lived in some sketchy neighborhoods and they NEVER plowed the side streets, it was like driving down old 2 track roads.

 

[stoptothink]

Once you have 4WD/AWD ....you will never go without it again !

My wife had a WRX when we met. We've had 5 cars since, none of them with 4 drive wheels and we live in the Utah mountains.

 

[Mainer500]

Love how Engineering Explained always explains things so well. This is a great summary of summer/all-season/winter tires, and FWD/RWD/AWD.

The reason I ordered the 2022 Maverick XLT with AWD for my wife was, frankly, we're getting older, live in Maine and to get her home as safely as possible. There's 3 different ways to get to our house, all involve hills, from steep, to steeper to steepest. But, she had two different Fiesta's that she loved and rarely had any issues with her FWD light weight vehicle. It was my decision, for her added safety potential, that I went in that direction. Plus, last winter she raved about the control she felt her Maverick gave her and she knows to not get overconfident, but to find that comfortable pace and stay with it. So, basically I agree with both sides of this discussion. Do you actually NEED AWD, not necessarily. But, I want her safe and felt the extra cost, was worth it, if only for my peace of mind, either real or hopeful. Oh, and when I'm coming home in my F-150 I'm in 4WD going up those hills.

 

[raymaines]

My working career was as a city bus driver in a hilly northern environment so I know a little bit about driving in the winter, but I'm retired now and just don't plan to go anywhere if we get too much ice or snow. My hybrid doesn't slide at all while parked in the garage.

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