Originally Posted By: Traction
Having driven many cars at the limit, whether dirt track racing, karting, autocrossing, or everyday driving, there is a HUGE difference at the limit with a FWD car even with 4 matching tires. A FWD car is extremely difficult to recover from in an over- steer condition, compared to a RWD in which you would usually run the best tires in the rear. It's much more instinctive to counter-steer with a RWD, but with a FWD, all H311 breaks loose.
Which is my point. Very likely Tom drive a FWD car. 100% steering, 100% motive traction and 80% braking - all going on in front. He has rain and some snow. He's cautious, he won't be going fast, so if the rear brakes loose, it'll be slow slide to the side.
As long as he is rolling along, all the needs of mountain country mean best traction in steering, going, and stopping ... That ain't happening on the back.
This is NOT an ex police Crown Vic
I get the skid pad with water flowing across. That's like a lightly flooded roadway. So maybe you should be driving 20 MPH in those conditions. Now, Tom lives in the mountains, so what if we had 6" of mud on the road and a FWD car. Where do you want the most tread now? Or going up a wet muddy road to get to the pavement? Or coming out the driveway at 10 MPH with 6" of new snow?
Skid pads are great demos of surprises on pavement. Other than that, they are kinda useless ... I don't live in a skip pad world. I drive on dirt 40% of the time. He may too. Sheeted water on asphalt is not all that common. But mud may be ...
I dunno, Tom needs to supply more info about how and where he drives ...