If you’re talking 2-3 inches of snow in FLAT city driving, I agree with you, but my CL-S regularly powers through UNPLOWED hilly & curved county roads with several inches of snow on them.

I challenge any G35 or RWD Bimmer driver to make it to my house and up my driveway in these conditions.
No matter what tire they have mounted and how much experience driving they have they will never make it.

Shawn S

 

Not sure what I think about the C&D article. I know front wheel drive is cheaper to build and gives more interior room, I like that aspect. Acura is in a tight space, wanting to deliver more performance in a drivetrain that theoretically at 270mph is near it's limits, or is bested by rear drive. Maybe all wheel drive is the answer. I support Honda in focusing on economy. but the buyers in this price/category gauge a lot by performance and handling.
I think they and the C&D writers are too narrow in their thinking.
I have no problem in my 6 speed CLS.

Was surprised reading that people had to buy 2 sets of tires or stored their cars in the winter. Snow is a rarity in these parts. The city basically shuts down if we get any ice or snow and many people don't even go to work. This is Texas, so snow driving is a foreign concept.
:P

 

How about a G35x

 

While I agree with the article (to some degree), the masses will come to know the 3G TL to be the best yet. But a new Legend flagship (not RL & preferrably V8-RWD/AWD) will solidify Acura's place on the map IMO.

The Acura vs Infiniti comparison is almost unfair as Infiniti has so many products on the market to cater to numerous consumer needs. (i.e.: if you want a G35S but you're concerned about performance in the snow, you can wait for the G35X or purchase the I35 (FWD) being discounted now.)

Peace.

 

Yeah, a lot of what people say is very dated. Like my father always says something like oh front wheel drive is way better than rear, or i like that "jeep" when looking at an escalade. But to be honest, i drove both my TL and my father's benz in the snow last year and my tl on summer tires handled better than his benzo with snow tires. Driven very carefully his new benz was very ass happy.

 

I think the simple fact is that people purchase cars for different reasons. If I lived in warm state or in a city where 2/3 inches of snow was considered to be significant, I might look to a RWD as well. I would not argue that, on dry pavement, there are some inherent handling advantages.

My criteria for purchasing a car was simply different - wanted a fun car that I could use year round. A G35 with snow tires is not that car - especially when you start looking at the combination of 6+ inches of snow, ice, hills and sharp corners. I see a lot of G35s in the summer - very few on the road in the winter. Impossible - not at all; inconvenient - absolutely.

Anyway, the long and the short of it is that there are always trade offs and people will buy according to what is important to them.

 

RWD isn't impossible in the winter...it's just not as good no matter how well you think you can drive or what tires you have on.

 

gilgamesh, maybe your Utah peeps are giving you a hard time about your RWD decision, but I don't see anyone giving you a hard time here. You made the choice to go RWD, you don't have to justify it to us. Living in Utah, I'm sure you have more expirience then most of us when it comes to driving in snow. The average Virginian or North Carolinian does not. I'm from PA and owned a Mustang while in High school. I got stuck a few times, going up hills. Perhaps traction control would have helped, but when you stop at a red light that is going up hill, physics is going against you. I was stationed in Norfolk, VA and there was a lot of transients there that had no expirence driving in bad weather. I have seen so many RWD cars on the side of the road there even one straight roads without a stop sign/light around it. I recall seeing a firebird flipped over on such a road. (outside Little Creek base if anyone know what road that is).

 

Everyone I know with RWD cars garage them in the winter. And as juniorbean said...the people that don't end up in the ditch more often than those with FWD. Now, if we can just get some snow here so I can laugh at those people as I drive by them...and I thought this was Minnesnowta! ...for shame...

 

NO FAIR….
I forgot the 4WD version was coming out.
If they offered that system in the coupe and redesign that 80’s interior, it just MIGHT be my next car.
Unless Acura counters with a 4WD TL Coupe.

Shawn S

 

I said that I admit its not as good, but many people seem to think that it is beyond possibility, when it really is not (except on hilly type terrain, like you said Shawn). We do get lots of snow here, and I do like twisty, hilly canyon roads, but I stay off of them when there is snow on the roads (even did so with the TL, just not worth the risk for a leisure drive) When I do get a house with one of those driveways, I will be able to afford a second car for the winter :P Probably a truck so that I can quit borrowing my 'rents when I go snowmobiling or ATVing. If I had an FWD or AWD as a second car, I would most definitely drive it over an RWD in the snow.

 

Just one question: Percentagewise, how often are you folks in driving circumstances where FWD is more advantageous than RWD??

For me, it's only about 10% max.

 

Well, if you want to put it that way…….
I prefer FWD because I don’t want to get stuck on the side of the road 10% of the time.

How often do you use your brakes? 5% of the time driving?
Do you want to get rid of them because they’re hardly ever used?

See where I’m going with this……..

 

The only time FWD has an advantage under normal driving is in snow.

Nobody wins in ice. Anyone can hydroplane in rain.

So for me... It's during the days when there is snow actually on the streets. Rare here being in the city, so I'd say less than 1% for me.

 

half you guys act as if the city never plows roads....

Around by me the roads are cleared within a hour of snowfall. Most people never have problems unless they are trying to show off in snow.

 

Not true. What about heavy RAIN?
Not very often do you see a FWD car lose the ASS around a sharp corner, but I see RWD “sports cars” do it all the time.
My buddy says his Mustang GT is a real handful to drive in the rain.

And…….. Didn’t a certain someone who has posted in this thread wreck a BMW doing this exact thing?

Shawn S

 

We've only had like two major snow falls this year and I've already come across situations where FWD was useful...and that's living in state capital. When I go visit my family out in rural MN, we're lucky to see plowed roads the same day. When we see real winters (not this slushy crap) I appreciate FWD regularily and for a majority of the winter.

 

yes but i took traction control off when i did it. I never had trouble in heavy rain with it on. I have taken it off during rain and its not that easy to control. I never said cars without traction control are safe in snow, thats why most bmw owners dont drive their 95 M3s in snow.

But lets face it, most cars today that are over 30k have traction control.


Shawn, have you seen the top gear vid where they test drive the M5 over water? They talk about how well the DSC is and how the car is hard to break loose with it on.

 

CITY? What CITY ???
12-hours AFTER the snow stopped one storm last year.
Anyone want to try and come visit me in their Bimmer ???

OH....This is AFTER being plowed.

 

Heavy rain, anyone is prone to biting it. Hydroplaning or whatever the case my be.

It's obvious you're pretty biased toward FWD cars. That's fine, but with today's technology a G35 coupe and a 330Ci move just fine through the snow. A Mustang GT does not have nearly the technology put into it that a G or Bimmer have for traction and stability control.

 

Shawn gets really defensive with this topic. Its cutee

I have seen that pic of his road about 10000 times already whenever there is a fwd vs rwd thread

 

 

Last year I passed one of those 100K plus Mercedes sedans that was stuck on a very slight hill that was iced over with packed snow.
He was right in front of me and I was wondering why he wasn’t going when the light turned green.
I could see his rear tires alternately spinning slowly as the system searched for traction.
The rear finally slid sideways until he lightly bumped the curb.
I started out in second gear and when right around him.
This was a brand new car and definitely had all the latest electronic toys inside.
Traction control still only works with what it has available.
It basically makes up for the people who FLOOR IT and expect to instantly take off or go flying around corners.
It’s not gonna get you through everything.

 

what kind of tires do the benz have? Yea... exactly...

Like i said most owners are too dumb to switch to winter tires.


Oh well im done with this topic for now. All i know if i will NEVER buy a FWD car ever again! :P

 

And FWD cars get stuck too... Your point? FWD cars are not immune to traction issues in adverse weather. They're certainly not as prone as RWD, but I hope you don't think issues don't exist.

As Jesal said, most people don't swap tires on a RWD car. And I'm sure the benz had some nice ol' Michelin Pilots, Pirellis or something sporty.

 

OK, you want to play the tire card.

A guy I work with has a 330 and he said it sucked in the snow.
He lives in a similar area to me where there are more DEER then snow plows.
He saw last year when I swapped the 18” Blingers for the snow tires and asked how they worked.
I told him it was night and day on MY car, but I wasn’t sure for his.
On my recommendation he went out and bought a set of rims and Blizzak’s for the car.
Result: It was better, but still sucked pretty bad.
He now drives an Expedition.

 

For myself, I would say FWD provides an advantage about 30% of the time; even if it was only 10%, that would be more than enough. Can't speak to other cities but Calgary only plows the main roads (a road where a city bus might travel) and getting to that road can be a challenge in itself. Further, if you want to head into the mountains, things get even more interesting.

Done my share of winter driving - much of it in a RWD vehicle -there is no comparison.

 

yea like im gonna care about a guy who doesnt even know what snow tires are.
Hes not creditable.

 

I understand quite well that nothing is invincible.
I saw several SUV’s on their ROOFS last year as proof of THAT.

It just presses my button when someone from California or Florida says that all cars should go to RWD because it’s just fine in the snow and that I don’t know how to drive.
I know that isn’t true and LOVE to share my opinion.

Peace....OUT

 

And I have a friend who has a 330Ci, this will be his third winter with it has said it drives just fine in the snow.

My brother inlaw HAD a 323 (until some bitch ran a red and plowed into him) with all-season tires and said it drove fine in the snow.



I guess it comes down to the driver's perception.

 

 

better question should be WHY do people in the south buy FWD cars.....

 

I think it has to do with how people prioritize safety and control in bad weather. For some, a 3 series is good enough for others, it isn't.

I have a friend who drove a 02 Cobra in the summer and what did he get for his winter car? A crappy early 80's Mustang with bald tires.
...after he totalled it a couple winters ago he bought a 4wd truck. lol

The point is, this rust bucket RWD car with bald tires was good enough in his mind. Just as a 3 series might be good enough for other people. I personally place more priority on control bad weather, therefore I choose a configuration that gives me that edge.

 

That's a good question. If I lived in an area where it was 70 and sunny 24/7, 365 I'd buy only RWD too. Fortunately, I don't live in such a boring climate. SNOW RULEZ!!!!

 

Give me a 330xi and I will

 

Now that's funny. The road in the picture is drivable with FWD. Why Shawn defies someone to drive it with a RWD, you come back with "I'll do it with AWD"...what's wrong with you doing it with RWD? I thought they were just as good in the snow...:P

 

On flat ground in the snow...they are just as good...unless you are driving like an ass...to quote another.

 

I think some of you guys are missing the biggest difference between fwd & rwd in low traction conditions: Predictability. I probably drive in packed snow or ice 10-15 times a year at least. It rains quite a bit here also. I do not and probably never will want a rwd car/truck for my daily driver in the winter. Even with traction control, snow tires, and a automatic you still have no weight over the rear axle. Now if you start adding ballast it will help, but you still have to drive much more cautiously.

If it's your summer/track car get rwd. Absolutely better handling and driving characteristics in the dry over fwd or even most awd's. For those of us who dont want the inconvenience of switching tires twice a year or worrying about spinning out on the on-ramp choose fwd, and accept the slight tq steer and front weight bias, we will choose fwd.

 

All I know is that I got stuck twice on a hill going up to my apartment here in Danbury with my CL. I had to pull the car to the side of the road and wait until it got plowed. And it wasn't even a big hill at all.

Granted, my CL's tires had 25-30,000 miles on them, and with snow tires I would have handled it with ease, but FWD isn't all that in the snow either. If you really worry about snow, get a Subaru or any other AWD/4WD car/truck.

 

With traction control, stability control and plain intelligence, you don't have to worry about spinning out on an on-ramp with RWD... If you are driving in the snow with a RWD car, intelligence means driving REALLY slow, adding ballast to the trunk and using snow tires.

In the rain, I've never ever had an issue with my RWD car. I just drive safely