Tom_with_a_Truck

Rear wheel drive with good snow tires can be a LOT of fun in the winter. I spent a few winters in my younger years driving things like the Maverick, Pinto, and Olds Cutlass in snow. Donuts, powerslides, drifting, all fun. Until somebody loses a fender.

TheGeek

But not always better for control.

2015rubyFX4

we talking fun and control OR which is better to navigate the winter? Again, 4 wheels driving is always better then 2 wheels driving. Ya want fun? Put a 4wd in 2wd.

dalola

Based on the conditions shown in your photo, tires are king. Any vehicle with dedicated quality winter tires will handle better than a similar vehicle with all season tires. Gets a little dicier when you start comparing vehicle types, tires, conditions, terrain, etc... lots and lots of variables.

But based SOLEY on your picture, in THOSE conditions, I would take the bimmer with the winter tires over the F150 with all-season's.

funnyman06

This is simply not true

STYLEZ24

Trucks are just about the worst possible vehicle in snow. With all seasons? come on.

1. Rear wheel drive
2. Light in the rear
3. High center of gravity
4. Add all season tires to this mix?

I'll take any car with snows vs a truck any day. Anyone who says different is either uneducated, or oblivious.


The best vehicle in the snow would be a car with AWD, not too much power, Great Snow Tires, ABS, Traction control system like Audi has on the Quattro, and a driver who knows what he/she is doing.

Tom_with_a_Truck

One of the jobs I had when I lived in Cleveland had me driving a Chevy pickup truck. It was 2WD, but had posi-traction and snow tires. Now this was quite a while ago, so snow tires then looked suspiciously like all terrain tires of today. Anyway, in the winter, I'd get a load of snow dumped in the bed. That thing had phenomenal traction, and I would regularly stage stoplight duels with front wheel drive vehicles in the snow and just walk away from them. Two things that made the difference - tires, and getting some weight in the back. Now, against a 4WD, I probably didn't stand a chance in most cases, but it was very good at getting moving in the snow.

Stopping and steering were not as good because I actually had too much weight in the back, which caused it to be a little light in front in comparison. While I didn't whack anything, it was a little squirrelly at times.

STYLEZ24

You forgot stopping and turning...


Oh..**** ya you have to do those things too...

11screw50

Well, it isn't worse.

Yesterday on my way home, the right lane on the highway was not too bad, had maybe an inch of hardpack, the passing lane had 3" of drifted snow across the whole lane, maybe a little more on the left side and spots with 5-6" where there were no trees. I would say either would be fine in the right lane. In the left lane however, 2wd, even with snow tires, good luck keeping it going in a line...with 4wd, it claws right back to where you want to be with a slight adjustment...RWD doesn't do that.

I've had the back end kick out while in 2wd on a road that should have been just wet (but at 35F and rain in the winter, you never know...and it turns out there was black ice in that dip), that doesn't happen in 4wd in the same conditions.

Or heck, just changing lanes there is a huge difference between rwd and 4wd when there is a line of snow between the lanes.

I think the other part of the equation people havent discussed is the biggest factor...the driver. Yes, there are guys who think they are great and overdrive the conditions. There are also guys who are scared ****less and drive far slower than necessary. Both cause problems. And I will admit, there have been times where I've been both of those guys. Most of the time though, I try to be somewhere in the middle, a little slower than I think I could safely go.)

Oh look, its snowing again. Guess it will be another interesting drive home tonight.

Bwahaha. That's 2wd with all terrains road conditions...unless you're from the south and have never seen snow...

I'll take 4wd for turning unless it's hardpack or ice (where dedicated snow tires have an advantage) but on loose, still snowing but hasnt seen a plow in half an hour snow, 4wd is gonna pull you around the corner (unless you consider the *** end passing the front to be 'turning', 2wd is much better at that) because even with snow tires, the snow under the tire is gonna move around.

Stopping is a function of mass and tires, 4WD isn't better but it isnt worse either.

butcher73

I'll take any truck with snows any day of the week... what about a mustang gt350? Is that good in the snow?

Put snow tires on the truck and call it a day, not worth the discussion of a sedan w/ snows vs truck w/out snows vs mustang w/ performance tires, etc... you won't have any issues in the truck w/ snows.