FWD vs AWD in Snow?

[Phil37]

As others have said FWD on Winter tires is much better than AWD on all season tires. Of course the best combination would be AWD on Winter tires. That said I got by on fwd cars and Winter tires living in central Maine for years. Just invest in some good Winter tires and you'll be fine with fwd.

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[Phil37]

I've used General Altimax Arctic for the last 8 years and they're incredible in the snow. Ran them on a Kia Soul downsized to 215/70R15 and it would power through snow up to a foot deep (not bad for a car riding 6 inches over the pavement). You'll sacrifice about 3-5 mpg while using them, but they're essential in the northland. It had to be damned embarrassing for all of those 4 and all wheel drives that couldn't keep up with the hamster . Winter tires on a fwd will outperform any awd sporting AS tires.

I used the General Altimax Arctic 12 studded tires on my fwd Golf Sportwagen for 3 winters in Maine. Excellent tires!

 

[Darnon]

Antilock brakes just keep the wheels from locking up. They don't improve the traction of the tires themselves. A bit of weight in the rear end of a FWD car helps keep the tires gripping so the ass end doesn't spin around slowing down, turning, or if they catch a patch of ice.

 

[derfolo]

I can tell you from personal experience, people on this thread are correct: FWD with snow tires are great for snow. I have a very steep driveway in Minnesota, in the winter, the only way my Mazda 6 (or any front wheel drive car) can get to the top is with snow tires. However, my wife has an AWD Volvo XC40, and she was able to climb that driveway every single time WITHOUT snow tires. I am sick of having two sets of wheels that I change out every 6 months, so I opted for AWD just for this reason. (So sad that there was no AWD/Hybrid option!)

 

[leap3535]

I think I'll stick with my FWD and get some awesome snow tires. According to google Rochester is one of the snowiest cities in the US (I don't understand it but sure) but they plow pretty good so I think I will survive! And if it's terrible I guess I'll buy a newer model year with AWD in the future lol

 

[Deleted member 1483]

All I can tell you is I am firmly confident in my fwd hybrid maverick at handling Pennsylvania winters. My Escape with AWD is overkill, it barely perceptibly slides around while other people are spinning tires stuck in place.

Buy good tires. It is probably the top thing you can do.

 

[Texchappy]

AWD>FWD>RWD in snow.

I sure some one will reply with I had x car that was fwd or rwd and drove in 3 feet of snow up a mountain.

My stepdad did drive a ‘62 Morris Mini Cooper up Cheyenne Mountain to work everyday and said he never got stuck. I had a RWD Lexus IS350 when I lived in Kansas and it was horrible in the snow. My MINI Cooper S was much better on the same commute. The difference between the Lexus and the MINI was much bigger than from the MINI to my wife’s AWD Acura MDX in the snow.

I went through some of the same thinking but went with the hybrid. The Mpg was much more important than AWD in my final math, especially since we don’t get that much snow in the Texas South Plains.

 

[fbov]

Rochester is one of the snowiest cities in the US (I don't understand it but sure)

We average 8'/year, but it comes 1"/day. Very few big snow storms hit us, but we see a lot of freeze/thaw cycles, and we're subject to locally high accumulations in "lake effect squalls" that look like this. I'm standing in a recessed doorway of a large building; the dark spots are just close; lake effect snowflakes are huge.

That said, I drove RWD Volvos on snows until 2013, when I went to the FWD C-Max on snows, and now AWD Escape. I used to prowl the parking lot in the Volvo on days like the one you see above, to help push people who where stuck in their parking spot. Only time I got stuck, I parked on top of snow and it sank.

The AWD Escape's snow performance for braking and cornering was a pleasant surprise on OEM Bridgestones. It's then also not a great surprise that I'll have to replace the OEM tires in a little over 30K miles. Rather than a second set of wheels, as before, I plan to get one of the 3PMS all-season tires, the Michelin CrossClimate2. I find their snow handling very similar to snow tires in the kind of conditions we get here.

 

[velvetsMT]

Unfortunately not legal everywhere. Only for low speed situations.

Where can you not use chains? They are required sometimes. If you need chains though you are probably not going 70mph

 

[ColoradoShooter]

You’ll never regret having AWD when it snows or the roads turn into black ice and you can’t gain forward momentum while stopped at an intersection. As I gain wisdom the older I get, I err on the “play it safe” side and spend extra for confidence and security.

 

[neosolidus]

You’ll never regret having AWD when it snows or the roads turn into black ice and you can’t gain forward momentum while stopped at an intersection. As I gain wisdom the older I get, I err on the “play it safe” side and spend extra for confidence and security.

Well said!

I have forgotten how many times after a snowfall at many lights with even a hint of an incline you will find a FWD spinning tires stuck ruining everyone's day, I don't want to be that guy.....

Anyone who lives in a place that snows and choose not to buy AWD does so out of the inability to afford it or they are a masochist because for the life of me I just can't understand why they would choose to complicate their life.

So I guess my final thought is if you can afford it get AWD if not deal with FWD the best you can.

 

[Rkbrumbelow]

My stepdad did drive a ‘62 Morris Mini Cooper up Cheyenne Mountain to work everyday and said he never got stuck. I had a RWD Lexus IS350 when I lived in Kansas and it was horrible in the snow. My MINI Cooper S was much better on the same commute. The difference between the Lexus and the MINI was much bigger than from the MINI to my wife’s AWD Acura MDX in the snow.

I went through some of the same thinking but went with the hybrid. The Mpg was much more important than AWD in my final math, especially since we don’t get that much snow in the Texas South Plains.

I thought the Red Raiders excelled at curling… that’s what the guys at TU say.

 

[oljackfrost]

Where can you not use chains? They are required sometimes. If you need chains though you are probably not going 70mph

I stand corrected. I misspoke, did some research and it is studded tires that are not permitted in many locations. Lived near Sierra Nevada mountains and know that chains are often required on mountain roads. Everyone I knew that used them would complain about what a pain they were.

 

[CASD57]

AWD.....fine
FWD.....with snow tires like blizzacks
RWD..... snow tires and weight in the back like sand bags...cider blocks etc. 200-300lbs
but first off learn how to drive in snow...ie.., fishtailing let off the throttle
FWD likes to power through corners(it helps it dig in)
Ice......all bets are off....stay home unless you have studded snow tires and drive slow.
also.....keep distance from the car in front...anticipate traffic lights it’s not much fun sliding through a red light..
slow take offs....slow stops. Anticipate everything you can run into...

 

[Davis]

Anyone who lives in a place that snows and choose not to buy AWD does so out of the inability to afford it or they are a masochist because for the life of me I just can't understand why they would choose to complicate their life.

If AWD was available in a hybrid I would get it. I have no desire to own a 2.0 eco.

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