Article: Whats better in the snow FWD, RWD, AWD?
#1
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Article: Whats better in the snow FWD, RWD, AWD?
Artcile is a little old but maybe it will give insight to some of you guys who swear off RWD cars. But FWD is better, just needs the right tires.
http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=1
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http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=1
So What's the Bottom Line?
Four-wheel drive helps get cars going. When it comes time to brake or change direction on low-traction surfaces, the extra mass of the driveline becomes more of a detriment. Folks who live in hilly places that get snow may need the climbing capability of four-wheel drive. If it snows a lot in those hilly places, they should probably invest in winter tires, too. Even flat-landers who happen to have steep driveways may wish to consider a four-wheel-driver.
Almost everyone else will most likely be better served by using winter tires. Acceleration takes longer, but in an emergency, the handling behavior and improved lateral grip of two-wheel drive and winter tires -- in the slippery stuff -- are the safer bets.
Winter tires boosted the rwd Benz's acceleration times more than they did the fwd Audi's, but in almost every other test, the inherently front-heavy Audis derived more benefit from the winter rubber than did the more evenly balanced Benzes. This finding certainly suggests that front-drive cars benefit from winter tires as much or more than rear-drivers do.
And finally, unless snow or ice covers your roads many times in a winter, the snow benefits of winter tires may not outweigh their drawbacks on dry pavement.
There, Nevin. And don't ask which came first, the chicken or the egg.
Four-wheel drive helps get cars going. When it comes time to brake or change direction on low-traction surfaces, the extra mass of the driveline becomes more of a detriment. Folks who live in hilly places that get snow may need the climbing capability of four-wheel drive. If it snows a lot in those hilly places, they should probably invest in winter tires, too. Even flat-landers who happen to have steep driveways may wish to consider a four-wheel-driver.
Almost everyone else will most likely be better served by using winter tires. Acceleration takes longer, but in an emergency, the handling behavior and improved lateral grip of two-wheel drive and winter tires -- in the slippery stuff -- are the safer bets.
Winter tires boosted the rwd Benz's acceleration times more than they did the fwd Audi's, but in almost every other test, the inherently front-heavy Audis derived more benefit from the winter rubber than did the more evenly balanced Benzes. This finding certainly suggests that front-drive cars benefit from winter tires as much or more than rear-drivers do.
And finally, unless snow or ice covers your roads many times in a winter, the snow benefits of winter tires may not outweigh their drawbacks on dry pavement.
There, Nevin. And don't ask which came first, the chicken or the egg.
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Originally Posted by darrinb
i'm sure rwd is alright in the snow with the right tires, but driving on snow tires when theres no snow during the winter really sucks, they are loud as shit
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My Dunlop Winter Sport M3s have excellent grip on dry pavement (far better than the TSX' OEM Michelins), are quieter, are fine in the rain, and tear it up in snow or ice. Winter tires need not be noisy and poor performers. Unless you start talking studded, but they aren't legal in most places.
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