AWD with standard tires vs. FWD with snow tires?

[KrisZ]

Pretty interesting and probably to some, an eye opening test.
Of course the best combo would be AWD with snows, but that's hardly the thinking that most drivers have.

 

[Donald]

Well there is AWD, then 4WD then 4WD with part time. I run M/S on my Jeep and while the compound is an all season (I think) the tread is aggressive.

The test showed what they wanted to show.

In 4WD PT, my Jeep can go through most any snow unless the bumper starts to push the snow and maybe lift the vehicle.

FWD drive cars are lower to the ground and the best winter tire for a FWD vehicle maybe a different tire size making the cost for snows a little higher.

 

[bowlofturtle]

eh.. pretty much what a good amount of us car guys know already. Its just there are more people in the general public that dont know. Heck i know some people that dont know there are all-season, winter and summer times. They just thought there is one type of tire.


I'll admit i'm one of those fools with AWD and all-seasons.

 

[stranger706]

Originally Posted By: bowlofturtle
I'll admit i'm one of those fools with AWD and all-seasons.


When I was young and dumb I put summer tires on my AWD Audi A4 and drove around Little Rock, Arkansas in the snow. Growing up along the gulf coast, I didn't know any better. The car seemed to go just fine...turning and stopping was another story. Fortunately I received enlightenment from my coworkers before anything bad happened.

 

[RamFan]

Originally Posted By: bowlofturtle


I'll admit i'm one of those fools with AWD and all-seasons.


I've got the OE Toyos on the Mazda and it runs great in the snow. Ice is another story. At the end of the day, the driver is what matters most. A good driver with a FWD wrapped in snows will run laps around a bad driver in an AWD wrapped with snows.

 

[BHopkins]

There are a lot of variables that could change these results.

Not all snow tires are created equal. Not all all season tires are created equal. Not all AWD systems are created equal. There are all season tires out there that would out perform many snow tires. And there are AWD systems out there that will manage power better than others.

Generally, the results of the video are true. But one can't go out and buy any old snow tire brand, put them on a FWD and expect it to outperform any AWD. Very misleading video for the uninformed. As expected for the experienced in winter driving.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: stranger706
Originally Posted By: bowlofturtle
I'll admit i'm one of those fools with AWD and all-seasons.


When I was young and dumb I put summer tires on my AWD Audi A4 and drove around Little Rock, Arkansas in the snow. Growing up along the gulf coast, I didn't know any better. The car seemed to go just fine...turning and stopping was another story. Fortunately I received enlightenment from my coworkers before anything bad happened.


Snow in the Gulf Coast?

 

[Pablo]

Well. Duh. Tires are huge.

Some car nuts on NASIOC, MIATA and other sites studied how much difference lowering by various methods improved handling. Surprise, no difference - in fact no improvement. Yet TIRES make a HUGE difference.

Anecdotal - drove the WRX off the lot in brand new summer tires on a rainy day, slimed with some preservative. SCARY. AWD? No help. Now I have my winter tires on. AWD? LIKE GLUE BABY!

 

[jimbrewer]

This isn't a matter of common knowledge. I'm a newbie from the sunbelt. I just assumed that AWD was the be all and end all. I also assumed that "all-season" means that its just as good as an old-fashioned snow tire, kinda like multi-grade oil is good for both winter and summer, right?

In my defense, the last time I lived in a snowy climate, the snow tires we had back then were nothing like the snow tires we have now. Nothing.

 

[Danno]

Originally Posted By: BHopkins
There are all season tires out there that would out perform many snow tires.


Really? Examples would be nice.

 

[A_Harman]

Snow tires all the time, baby. No matter what you're driving, dedicated snow tires will make it perform better on snow and ice. All-season tires are a compromise all year round. They give up grip in the dry and are nearly worthless in the snow. Snows are a wise investment. The first time you panic-stop 5-feet short of a car ahead of you, they will have paid for themselves.

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: Danno
Originally Posted By: BHopkins
There are all season tires out there that would out perform many snow tires.


Really? Examples would be nice.


Yes, I'm wondering about that myself.

 

[Nebroch]

Ultimate winter/snow tyre will be a disaster in summer conditions, no doubt about that. It's just way too soft and won't hold on tarmac, just runs very hot and melts away quickly.

What comes to that test, it seems they didn't even used a "real" winter tyre. I dont recognize tyre model, but it seems to be mild central European winter tyre. If you use nordic winter tyre (WS70, Xi3, R2, etc.) the difference will be even greater.

 

[demarpaint]

I'm not surprised with the outcome, and I'm pretty sure the people doing testing weren't either. Tires matter. Now match both vehicles with the same tires and AWD will blow FWD out of the water.

 

[spasm3]

We don't get as much snow and ice here as up north, but i'm on call for the hospital. I keep 2 studded snow tires on steel wheels that i mount on the front on the ciera when needed. I can brake so much better and turn, I prefer to drive it over my 4X4 avalanche as it does brake and stop better.(Less expense if i wreck it also).

 

[Finz]

Well, sure. But it's all about stopping. I live in a very hilly area and, as the narrator mentioned, going up the hill is one thing... Coming down the hill? Now that's the great equalizer.

I like the way he said it: No Wheel Drive

 

[whip]

I've said for years that AWD in snow is overrated. It helps you go, but not much else.

 

[UG_Passat]

Originally Posted By: A_Harman
Originally Posted By: Danno
Originally Posted By: BHopkins
There are all season tires out there that would out perform many snow tires.


Really? Examples would be nice.


Yes, I'm wondering about that myself.


I betcha someone mention the legendary Continental ExtemeContact DWS

 

[Ken2]

Quote:
I keep 2 studded snow tires on steel wheels that i mount on the front on the ciera when needed. I can brake so much better and turn,
Be very wary of the day when you're turning on a slick surface, the fronts grip and the rears don't. You'll pinwheel around those studded tires on the front. My wife's dingbat cousin had exactly that happen, but she learned the wrong lesson...she won't have a FWD car at all any more.

I just returned from a ski trip at Red Mountain, B.C., where I drove on some snow base mountain roads and snow over slick packed snow. I have a Kia that is FWD and automatic-when-needed 4WD with four Hankook Winter i*cept Evo tires. I tried to slip them, and they stuck on everything I give them. The whole west is short of snow while the rest of the country is hammered. In the west a skier probably needs to go to Revelstoke to get decent snow. A big high has been sitting over the West Coast, forcing the jet stream up to the Arctic where it swoops down over the mid west and the rest of the U.S. California is getting worried about a serious drought.

3 Month Climate Outlook:
EC = Equal Chance of above average or below average precip
A = Above average chance of precip
B = Below average chance of precip

 

[spasm3]

yes i am very gradual, i try to brake when i'm straight. I've run this set up on a few cars for about 20 years.