FWD vs AWD. Is it worth it?

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What I gather, for people that live in areas that it snows a lot, AWD is a plus. I live in San Diego County. I might move to Utah in several years, but that is still an iffy. I used to work in the local mtns, and dealt with snow and ice but never had a problem with my vehicles in it probably because I knew how to drive in it.

Thinking about getting rid of my truck and civic and getting a SUV (See other posts about this). AWD is an option. Is it something that should be considered and is it worth it or should I just stick with FWD?
 
AWD means more complications, so don't buy unless you need it. It's another item to maintain if you like that... Something else to buy gear oil for.
 
FWD with snows can perform on par with AWD with all season tires, if not better.

AWD with snows is obviously the best.

None work well on ice, unless your tires are studded...
 
AWD with snows trumps FWD with snows. Trumps 4x4 as well, IMO.

I'd take FWD with snows over AWD without.

Also, given the added complications and just the lack-of durability of many AWD systems, I'd take FWD and throw on some snow tires.

I live in Upstate / Central NY - FWD with snows has never let me down.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
FWD with snows can perform on par with AWD with all season tires, if not better.

AWD with snows is obviously the best.

None work well on ice, unless your tires are studded...


Well, no.
Try a Subaru if you really want to learn just how good AWD can be.
We've had three of them, so I know of where I speak.
 
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Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
FWD with snows can perform on par with AWD with all season tires, if not better.

AWD with snows is obviously the best.

None work well on ice, unless your tires are studded...


Well, no.
Try a Subaru if you really want to learn just how good AWD can be.
We've had three of them, so I know of where I speak.

Without proper tires, what can subaru do to help you stop that other makes can't?
 
Originally Posted By: powayroger


Thinking about getting rid of my truck and civic and getting a SUV (See other posts about this). AWD is an option. Is it something that should be considered and is it worth it or should I just stick with FWD?

Proper winter tires are more important than awd, IMO.

I have rwd with winter tires, and i cant say that i miss awd much.
 
That's a fact. I went right around a Ford F150 4x4 uphill with a Subaru in 8" of snow. Only the Quattro is in the same league.
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
AWD with snows trumps FWD with snows. Trumps 4x4 as well, IMO.

I'd take FWD with snows over AWD without.

Also, given the added complications and just the lack-of durability of many AWD systems, I'd take FWD and throw on some snow tires.

I live in Upstate / Central NY - FWD with snows has never let me down.
.

Same here. My wife's Altima with snows works.
 
Two questions to make this simple:


1. How often are the roads so dangerous that a decent FWD car would get stuck, but not so dangerous that ANY vehicle would be unsafe to drive?

2. If you had to stay home on those days, would that be a disaster?


For most people in the US, the answer to #1 is "almost never," and the answer to #2 is "heck no."

But if the answer to #2 is yes, then by all means, go for AWD. Otherwise... I guess maybe it's a nice bonus, maybe. But most of the time it'll just be dead weight and extra complication.

Remember, AWD doesn't prevent accidents. It keeps you from getting stuck. If you want to be safe in winter, you need winter tires, not AWD.
 
I drive in snow and ice every single year without AWD and without any trouble. All my vehicles are RWD. Never had a problem. I run snow tires on one of the vehicles and always keep cables in the trunk of all of them in case I need them, which is very rare.
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Remember, AWD doesn't prevent accidents.
Your reasoning almost impeccable, but I can 'pecc' at one part of it: AWD lays down torque on the pavement more gingerly on ice/snow, delaying or preventing the onset wheelspin, especially important to avoid the start of skidding while applying power in corners on slick roads.

All modern cars have traction control, which goes a long way. Stability control ESC is now mandated on cars made in the last 5 years or so, helps greatly too.
AWD then becomes something used to get up severe hills mostly. AWD does help to prevent the onset of a skid that ESC might not be able to fully correct for speed though.
So tough call: Best way is slow down, use FWD.
 
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I've driven FWD cars with snows that didn't do that well. What works best is having a more narrow snow tire on a FWD car. I would not buy AWD where you live.
 
Something I realized recently...

Most people have FWD or AWD cars, which they think are better in snow, and they still dread the snow.

My friends and I have RWD cars (some of them pretty tail-happy), and the first thing we want to do when it snows is get out and drive.

Go figure.
 
Is Subaru really better or do they spec better winter type tires for their vehicles with a good AWD system? There's no "magic" other than good ground clearance and a locking differential. A pickup with a locking rear and good tires would be just as good.

One thing the Subaru propaganda videos never do is same tires on the different vehicles. Wonder why that is?

I've driven them all - RWD, FWD, and AWD. My favorite would be AWD but RWD with good snows worked really well too. Least favorite was FWD.
 
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Things bad about AWD:
1. Cost
2. MPG goes down from added drivetrain friction
3. Acceleration goes down from same as 2. above.
4. One more thing to go wrong.
5. One more thing making noise.
6. Added mass we don't want.
 
Originally Posted By: lubricatosaurus

3. Acceleration goes down from same as 2. above.


Not necessarily. I can nail the throttle in an AWD vehicle and it will hook up and go. Do that in FWD or some RWD and you could sit there and spin. I've even done it in the Taurus in the rain. Drop the hammer at a stoplight and it just goes. Do that with a non AWD vehicle and you'll sit there spinning.
 
AWD in snow belt or for off-road may be a good choice, for So Cal weather it isn't needed. But I saw some type of AWD on BMW, MB, Audi, Subaru ... around here, what a waste of a complex engineering for a dry road at or slower than traffic flow.
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Is Subaru really better or do they spec better winter type tires for their vehicles with a good AWD system? There's no "magic" other than good ground clearance and a locking differential. A pickup with a locking rear and good tires would be just as good.

One thing the Subaru propaganda videos never do is same tires on the different vehicles. Wonder why that is?

I've driven them all - RWD, FWD, and AWD. My favorite would be AWD but RWD with good snows worked really well too. Least favorite was FWD.


Subaru's fast acting torque vectoring AWD is very effective at speed. Its for real. Take a look at the physics behind the old Audi Quattro rally race domination in the early 80's for the difference dynamically.
 
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