If you don't off-road, but you live in a place that snows..

Yep, inclines are a game changer.

 

My grandma can drive in dry snow on the flat

 

I smell a stealth edit incoming

 

Lol

 

I think it's a good idea to have 4x4, regardless of where you live.

 

My truck did not like actual winter. Got very squirmy on the icy roads & I don't think AT was much help, either. 4x4 in a truck is usually the way to go in the first place. I will probably just put it in the garage for the snowy months and drive the Land Cruiser...

 

I could go on and on with this subject.....I've been a licensed driver since 1973. In that time, I've owned 17 different 4wds. I've also owned cars/trucks that weren't 4wds. But the fact is, there has never been a time since I started driving that I DIDN'T have at least one 4wd. We get a fair amount of snow in this part of Kentucky. Most snow events are 2" or 3" types. We have had a few winters where it gets deep. '94 we had 22" in 2 days. Last winter we had 17" in one day. Back in the late '70's we had a month of snowy weather where we didn't see pavement for weeks on end. And we get ICE. (LOTS of ice) While I don't qualify myself as an expert on the subject, my point is, I've had my fair share of snow driving.

Here's my opinion(s);

The ONLY times (3) I ever ended up in a ditch because of snow....I WAS DRIVING A 4WD (and had a cocky attitude).

The only time I was ever stranded (at work) I was driving a 2WD ('69 Camaro).

4WD will get you in trouble in a HURRY on ice. They'll go like stink, but a 4wd won't STOP any quicker (in general)

Some people couldn't drive (safely) in snow in a freekin' Abrams tank....

Some people can get in their Kia Rio and be virtually unstoppable in snow.

That said, when it snows, I drive my 4wd of the day. It's ALL about driving like you have some sense. And "sense" tells me I'd rather have BOTH axles pulling than one.

 

That's some wisdom Bluegrass, so true.

I was just a tike, but I still remember that blizzard in '78. I remember opening the door one morning and snow was half way up the storm door. It's probably my first real memory of snow.

 

I found the stock tires on these trucks to be too wide for their light weight. So I went taller and more narrow to push down through the snow. LSD and 4x4 does get me to work when others stay home but mostly I count on them to be able to react better/safer/faster to the mistakes made by all the other jackasses out there.

The other thing I do is go for a drive when the fist snow of the winter falls and push the limits of my traction. A little fun tail sliding in a controlled environment has save me more than once when I have hit a patch of black ice at speed and had the rear axle decide it wants to race against the front axle.

 

Yup

First good snow of every year, I go to closed store / mall parking lot after hours and spend a bit sliding around. Test the braking, turning, starting from stop, etc. See where she's at.

 

With all the idiots I just stay home it is not long till the first broken Snow plow shows up to get fixed.

 

A tire manufacturer has a winter driving school in Steamboat Springs, CO. I read an interview with one of their Instructors. They asked him about 4WD, AWD, FWD, and RWD. He said that he would take any vehicle with snow tires over any vehicle without snow tires. He then ranked them AWD, 4WD, FWD, and finally RWD for driving on snow & ice. Tires make all the difference.

With good tires and proper driving technique, any vehicle is OK here in CO if you are not in the mountains. In the mountains, I would use studded snow tires and AWD or 4WD. In the Front Range (Denver, Colorado Springs, etc.), any vehicle with good tires will get you through winter. The roads are plowed very well each winter.

My wife used to drive a Mustang GT and never had a problem, even taking it up into the mountains to the ski resorts. She is from ND and knows how to drive in reduced-traction conditions.

Studded snow tires and AWD or 4WD can make up for less than perfect technique. RWD with poor tires may not get you there even with perfect technique.

A knowledgeable mechanic can do a lot with a Leatherman. Not ideal, but they can still do a lot. A poor mechanic with a full set of Snap-On tools, isn't going to get much done. A knowledgeable mechanic with a full set of Snap-On is going to be able to handle almost anything. The right tools+ the knowledge to use them=best way to go.

Derek V

 

My dad used to love to do a few donuts in the snow. He said he was "practicing" for when he needed to know how to control a slide on the road. It would scare the daylights outta my mom. When I met my wife, it wasn't long after I found out my father-in-law LOVED to do donuts in the snow and scare the daylights out of my mother-in-law. He said he was making sure he could control a slide if he got into one while on the road. So.....Now I do donuts in the snow and scare the daylights out of my wife....I tell her I do it because I'm still a big kid and my dad and her dad did the same thing, so it's OK........Some things never change.

 

I live in Spokane but always use 4x4 in the winter even if the roads are plowed. You never know when you'll run into slick spots

 

Well said.

 

4x4 without question.

 

The compounds and tread designs are awesome, but once they wear, they're not so good as a summer tire. I like to pull my studs after a few winters and cycle them into warmer season use. I'm actually on a 3 set rotation, but I'm just that guy...

 

But you can't keep it in a higher gear when traction is poor.

 

True

but I also didn't say you could

 

You also didn't say I'm about to eat a breakfast burrito, but I am...