Driving in the Snow

[KnightofNi]

remember 4wd awd is not magic it only pushes your screw up point to a faster speed so that when you finally do screw up you are now going faster and you possibly can kill more peoplle.  congratulations 

but seriously, 4wd does not help in these conditions.

1. when you are braking does not help you stop any faster
2. when you are coasting and not on the gas, 4wd does nothing at this point.  i think this is where most people screw up, they don't realize that fif you are turning and not on the gas you are no different than a rear wd car at that point.

4wd only helps you Not get stuck, meaning when you start from a stop you may not get as stuck or stuck as someone else and when you have momentum it may help you not get stuck in teh first place since you have 2 extra tires with a pushing motion.  but that is about it.

ice is ice, regular rubber on ice no matter how much 4wd you have isn't helping worth a damn once you lose traction and are skidding.

if you have the automatic selector for 4wd then it comes in handy when you have gotten in over you head and are starting to lose the back end. 
slides in 4wd cars are so much more controlable than fwd cars, but the fwd cars are more fun.
i feel like a doofus playing in a rwd car because i keep spinning out 
one day i'll get good enough to hold a slide in a rwd car at the same speed i can in a fwd.

[mookieo2]

A Prius has no reason to be out in the snow either.

[KnightofNi]

A Prius has no reason to be out in the snow either.

i wanted to smack the shit out of someone driving one yesterday
it's snowing. snow is accumulating on the road, they jump out in front of me close enough for me to put on the brakes pretty hard and proceed to go very slow.
you should really rethink having a drivers license if you are getting yelled at for going too slow by the guy on a motorcycle.

[cyrus buelton]

slides in 4wd cars are so much more controlable than fwd cars, but the fwd cars are more fun.

Totally agreed on this one.

You can correct an issue much easier with AWD/4WD then with a front wheel.

I just love driving my front wheel jetta because it has a nice E-Brake which is clutch for sliding into parking lots of just general drifting around 90 degree corners.

[Popeye the Sailor]

I can't for the life of me drive properly in the snow here 

[acalles]

Totally agreed on this one.

You can correct an issue much easier with AWD/4WD then with a front wheel.

I just love driving my front wheel jetta because it has a nice E-Brake which is clutch for sliding into parking lots of just general drifting around 90 degree corners.

you think thats fun..

I run snow tires up front and summer tires out back on my beater winter car (97 passat wagon vr6)

I don't need no hand brake to initiate a slide, go wide into the corner, steer in lightly, let off the gas while steering in heavyer, then feather gas and drift around, sliding out too much give a bit more gas, to little turn in more 

I get around fine with out the snow tires, but getting up my driveway is IMPOSSIBLE with out them.

I don't drive my AWD car in the snow, not because of my driving, but because other people suck and I don't want it getting t-boned by a prius with low resistance tires and failing brakes 

[cyrus buelton]

you think thats fun..

I run snow tires up front and summer tires out back on my beater winter car (97 passat wagon vr6)

I don't need no hand brake to initiate a slide, go wide into the corner, steer in lightly, let off the gas while steering in heavyer, then feather gas and drift around, sliding out too much give a bit more gas, to little turn in more 

I get around fine with out the snow tires, but getting up my driveway is IMPOSSIBLE with out them.

I don't drive my AWD car in the snow, not because of my driving, but because other people suck and I don't want it getting t-boned by a prius with low resistance tires and failing brakes 

Wow, that does sound like a shit ton of fun!!!!!!!

My brother has an Audi A4, which of course is all wheel drive.

For some odd reason, he has to run snow tires on it. He doesn't have low profile rims or anything for the summer seasons, just basic stock A4 rims and standard tires.

But I guess it does absolutely shit in the snow. So he bought some cheap Audi stock rims off ebay and some snow tires.

still doesn't make sense to me.

[Triple J]

Wow, that does sound like a shit ton of fun!!!!!!!

My brother has an Audi A4, which of course is all wheel drive.

For some odd reason, he has to run snow tires on it. He doesn't have low profile rims or anything for the summer seasons, just basic stock A4 rims and standard tires.

But I guess it does absolutely shit in the snow. So he bought some cheap Audi stock rims off ebay and some snow tires.

still doesn't make sense to me.

What doesn't makes sense? Quality street tires suck in the snow. They pack full of ice and essentialy turn into slicks...all while the cold makes them hard. Good snow tires clear the tread as you drive (well, better than normal tires), and are made of a compound that works better on ice.

[KnightofNi]

diablo stradas work pretty well in the snow

[cyrus buelton]

What doesn't makes sense? Quality street tires suck in the snow. They pack full of ice and essentialy turn into slicks...all while the cold makes them hard. Good snow tires clear the tread as you drive (well, better than normal tires), and are made of a compound that works better on ice.

He has typical street tires, the tread is really no different then my Jetta's.

It is really kind of weird.

and my brother is no moron when it comes to vehicles. He knows his shit.

[Randimus Maximus]

If I didn't have a company car, the car I owned would have a second set of wheels shod with either Bridgestone Blizzaks or Michelin Pilot Alpins for the winter, regardless of it's drive configuration.  It completely changes the dynamics of the vehicle. 

I've even had the opportunity to drive a Blizzak shod car around the Pepsi Center (on the ice) during the inaugural Gran Prix of Denver years ago.  We even lined up an identical car with all-weather tires and I had a field day with them! 

If you ever get a chance to attend the Bridgestone Winter Driving School in Steamboat, I highly recommend it.  Not only did I learn a lot about driving in adverse conditions, it is hella fun!  http://www.winterdrive.com/

[sno_duc]

Living in Soldotna Alaska, I drive on snow covered roads half the year.
The key is tires. AWD, FWD, RWD doesn't matter as much as what kind of rubber you're running.
On my modded VW TDI I run 225-17's in the summer and studded 185-15's in the winter. (wider is not better in the snow)
The wifes 335xi is shod with Blizzak's in the winter and the oem tires in the summer.
One really fun Alaskan weather phenomenon happened last winter....3 weeks of -20 to -40 then it warmed up to the mid 30's and rained. Which turned everything into a sheet of ice with a layer of water on it. You could definitely tell who was running real snow tires vs all seasons.

[TiNi]

people who drive too slow in the snow are morons
and the people who drive too fast are maniacs

[Speedbag]

....the car I owned would have a second set of wheels shod with either Bridgestone Blizzaks or Michelin Pilot Alpins for the winter, regardless of it's drive configuration.  It completely changes the dynamics of the vehicle. 

+1

Night and day difference.

[akmnstr]

Living in Soldotna Alaska, I drive on snow covered roads half the year.
The key is tires. AWD, FWD, RWD doesn't matter as much as what kind of rubber you're running.
On my modded VW TDI I run 225-17's in the summer and studded 185-15's in the winter. (wider is not better in the snow)
The wifes 335xi is shod with Blizzak's in the winter and the oem tires in the summer.
One really fun Alaskan weather phenomenon happened last winter....3 weeks of -20 to -40 then it warmed up to the mid 30's and rained. Which turned everything into a sheet of ice with a layer of water on it. You could definitely tell who was running real snow tires vs all seasons.

Amen sno_duc!!!  When I lived in AK all my cages had 2 complete sets of tires and wheels.  Although it wasn't eco friendly, I did run with studded snows.  A friend of mine tried Blizzak's and swore they were as good as studded snows.  With the 4wd I was able to have good traction for starting and cornering and the studs made stopping almost as easy as on dry roads.  What I really learned was to drive more defensively.  When a light turned green good snow drivers would wait until everyone was done sliding through the intersection.  At the first snow of the year we all had to relearn our skills and 6 months later most drivers were experts (a noteable few never learned).  Temperature had a huge affect on traction.  At 0 or less traction was good at 32 or higher the snow was max slick.  One's driving had to change as the temps changed.