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2WD v 4WD in snow


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With an impending move to Denver this winter, I am starting to look at my current ride and whether or not I need to change it. Living in Houston, I drive a 2WD (RWD) Tahoe. From what I can tell, a big ass rwd SUV is basically the worst configuration possible for snowy conditions even with winter tires. I love my Tahoe but would prefer to trade it in here in Houston before I go if I have to get rid of it.

I have very little (i.e. none) experience driving in snow, living in the south all my life. 

So denizens of surly who are experts in snow driving - am I better off keeping the Tahoe and throwing some sandbags in the trunk with winter tires, or am I asking for trouble and I need to bite the bullet and buy something at least FWD if not 4WD?

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4 hours ago, 936horn said:

With an impending move to Denver this winter, I am starting to look at my current ride and whether or not I need to change it. Living in Houston, I drive a 2WD (RWD) Tahoe. From what I can tell, a big ass rwd SUV is basically the worst configuration possible for snowy conditions even with winter tires. I love my Tahoe but would prefer to trade it in here in Houston before I go if I have to get rid of it.

I have very little (i.e. none) experience driving in snow, living in the south all my life. 

So denizens of surly who are experts in snow driving - am I better off keeping the Tahoe and throwing some sandbags in the trunk with winter tires, or am I asking for trouble and I need to bite the bullet and buy something at least FWD if not 4WD?

Get rid of the Tahoe before you come up here.  They're worthless up here.

 

Get a car or SUV with AWD and dedicated snow tires and you're good to go.  If you want a full size SUV with 4WD, just put on Michelin LTX M/S2 tires and they work damn near as good as snows.

Edited by Chewbacca
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4wd by itself isn't a panacea.  Tires by themselves aren't a solution.

It's the combination of having 4wd, good (deep lug) snow tires (perhaps studs) and knowing when to stay the fuck off the roads.

If you have little to no skill driving in icy conditions be cautious - gain experience over time to become familiar with how the adverse road conditions affect the vehicle and build confidence.  In the meantime, having good snow tires is mandated by law (usually) and 4wd helps on top of that.

The cultural norm in areas with heavy winter weather is to have a second set of wheels/tires for winter - it's a necessary safety investment.  Additionally, if you cannot/will not invest in a 4wd - fwd behaves significantly better on ice that rwd.

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I'd never go back to anything that lacks AWD or 4WD.  We had sedans and 2WD pick ups as a kid and those fucking things were always getting stuck in snow drifts, but the old man was cheap and known to ram snow drifts at upwards of 30-40MPH to bust through.  

I have a Ford Escape and Honda Pilot.  Snow tires are the biggest thing you can do for yourself.  My Honda has better tires than the Ford, and you can really feel the difference.  I was in Colorado last winter with the Ford, and in a major traffic jam on 70 heading into Silverthorne in a snow storm.  Due to the slope of the road, and the less than stellar tire grip, I actually started sliding across my lane towards the barricade while stopped, but was able to arrest the slide and join the long line of folks riding the rumble strip down hill.

AWD/4WD doesn't make you bullet proof.  It just improves your traction and ability to churn through snow.  If you slam on the brakes in snow, icy conditions, you're still fucked.

You 100% should dump that Tahoe.  I can't think of anything more useless in snowy climates than SUVs without 4WD/AWD.

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10 hours ago, RPM said:

Make all the fun about Subaru you want. There's a ton of Outbacks in Colorado, especially in the mountains. Great AWD without being huge and decent gas mileage. Plus they're cheap.

Agree on the quality and suitability for mountains.  But they're like mopeds and fat chicks.

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4 hours ago, housious said:

Keep selling yourself on one, I'll sit here and laugh

Laugh all you want.  Best bad weather car I've ever driven (including several 4WD SUVs) was my wife's Outback.  AWD, as much clearance as your average SUV and a low center of gravity thanks to the boxer engine design.  That thing was a tank.

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18 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

Laugh all you want.  Best bad weather car I've ever driven (including several 4WD SUVs) was my wife's Outback.  AWD, as much clearance as your average SUV and a low center of gravity thanks to the boxer engine design.  That thing was a tank.

I love mine.  Got the 3.6 L six cylinder.  Charges up grades like a champ (even with the roof box).  

Repeating my comment from the other site (or maybe here) . . . If I wanted to impress others on the highway, I'd drive with my dick out the window.

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My Impreza's been great despite the neglect. Just wish it had more ground clearance for snow drifts and some of the rougher roads I gotta drive down to get to a favorite fishing spot.

Around here, half the cars on the road immediately after a snowstorm are Subarus. Also, those Crosstreks look mighty handsome. Aren't they merely jacked-up Imprezas?

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17 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

My Impreza's been great despite the neglect. Just wish it had more ground clearance for snow drifts and some of the rougher roads I gotta drive down to get to a favorite fishing spot.

Around here, half the cars on the road immediately after a snowstorm are Subarus. Also, those Crosstreks look mighty handsome. Aren't they merely jacked-up Imprezas?

Yes, Crosstreks are Outbackified Imprezas.  Not bad looking little cars.

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On 10/9/2019 at 1:26 PM, deadshank said:

You’ll have lesbians all over you. 

Only in the South; they are driven by every demographic in snow country.

OP- While learning to drive in snow; cut your speed in half, triple your stopping distance, and make sure you're at 10mph or less when turning a corner. 4WD gets you moving but doesn't have much, if any, influence on physics when turning a corner and none at all for stopping.

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90% tires, 10% drivetrain configuration.

 

awd is great if you need to drive UP an icy, snowy slope.  or if you have issues fishtailing it during acceleration.  meaning youre starting from 0mph.

the REAL problem and the real danger is not being able to stop, or not being able to turn on the move.  and that comes down to tires. 

 

SUV is good because it has clearance.  throw some appropriate tires on it.  sandbag the rear if thats not enough. 

 

if you drive in the metropolitan area, absolutely no problem, especially since snow doesnt really stick in denver.  even if you drive out west on 70 it gets tons of traffic so stuff gets compacted down. 

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21 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

90% tires, 10% drivetrain configuration.

 

awd is great if you need to drive UP an icy, snowy slope.  or if you have issues fishtailing it during acceleration.  meaning youre starting from 0mph.

the REAL problem and the real danger is not being able to stop, or not being able to turn on the move.  and that comes down to tires. 

 

SUV is good because it has clearance.  throw some appropriate tires on it.  sandbag the rear if thats not enough. 

 

if you drive in the metropolitan area, absolutely no problem, especially since snow doesnt really stick in denver.  even if you drive out west on 70 it gets tons of traffic so stuff gets compacted down. 

Lulz.  Snow doesn't stick in Denver and I-70 in the mountains is compacted down so it's not bad?  I'm guessing you used to live here based on your username, but this is terrible information.

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52 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

Lulz.  Snow doesn't stick in Denver and I-70 in the mountains is compacted down so it's not bad?  I'm guessing you used to live here based on your username, but this is terrible information.

Denver winter climate are mild, and dry/arid.  That's not opinion, that's its climate classification.  It has a shitload of sunshine in the winter months.  That's statistics from years of data.

If you want to see real wintry climates with ice, slush, and piles of snow, there's a million places I can show you that's a bigger challenge to drive

 

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5 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

Denver winter climate are mild, and dry/arid.  That's not opinion, that's its climate classification.  It has a shitload of sunshine in the winter months.  That's statistics from years of data.

If you want to see real wintry climates with ice, slush, and piles of snow, there's a million places I can show you that's a bigger challenge to drive

 

Yeah, I have lived in Denver for over 40 years.  I know what the climate is.  But there are several days per year where the roads are shit.  Unless you can hunker down and not leave the house on those days, that's what you're preparing for on the roads, even if it only happens 3-5 times per year.  Same goes for the mountains.  If you're going to partake in the winter outdoor activities that Colorado offers, you need to be prepared to deal with the worst conditions on the roads even though most of the time the roads will be dry.

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56 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

Yeah, I have lived in Denver for over 40 years.  I know what the climate is.  But there are several days per year where the roads are shit.  Unless you can hunker down and not leave the house on those days, that's what you're preparing for on the roads, even if it only happens 3-5 times per year.  Same goes for the mountains.  If you're going to partake in the winter outdoor activities that Colorado offers, you need to be prepared to deal with the worst conditions on the roads even though most of the time the roads will be dry.

Austin snowed when I was on campus at UT.  I wouldn't buy/equip a car based on conditions that apply to 5 days a year but YMMV.

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2 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

Austin snowed when I was on campus at UT.  I wouldn't buy/equip a car based on conditions that apply to 5 days a year but YMMV.

Then stay the fuck off I-70 in the winter.  It's stupid fucks who aren't prepared for the weather that fuck up traffic for everyone.

 

And we get snow a lot more than 5 times a year in Denver.  It snowed here yesterday and was slick as shit until it warmed up a bit.  5 or so times a year is when it's really bad out.

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  • 5 weeks later...

This topic always makes me nervous as we travel up there to ski once a year. I've got five kids in the car and want to be safe but never need 4wd down here ever. I bought new michelin ltx m/s (which aren't technically snow tires but get good reviews in snow). I haven't had any issues yet as the weather has been fine anytime we've gone. I did buy some z-coils to put on the tires if needed. What should is Texans do for the one trip a year? Dedicated snow tires? 4Wd? Chains?

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