Is snow a consideration when choosing a car?
Discussion
Given the mild weather we've had this year (2011/2012), I have forgotten how annoying it was watching FWD/AWD cars drive around reasonably happily when it was icy and snowing in 2010 whereas my BMW and other RWD cars were struggling to make it up even the slightest incline and being abandoned all over the place. At the time I vowed to never buy a RWD car again...... the one thing I would hate, even more than breaking down, is to leave my car stranded in snow on a road where other people can hit it and to walk home.
However most of us would agree the RWD fun factor is incredible for the time when it doesn't snow (90%+ of the year). So do people still buy a car with consideration for potential bad weather? That is, given a choice of two cars which are very similar in terms of price would you choose FWD over RWD for the only reason of being able to drive better in icy/snowy weather?
However most of us would agree the RWD fun factor is incredible for the time when it doesn't snow (90%+ of the year). So do people still buy a car with consideration for potential bad weather? That is, given a choice of two cars which are very similar in terms of price would you choose FWD over RWD for the only reason of being able to drive better in icy/snowy weather?
davepoth said:
It really doesn't make a great deal of difference which wheels are driven unless the snow is properly deep - it's the tyres and the driver that count.
If the engine is in the front and its RWD then I thought the reason they were poor in snow is because of the lack of weight over the driving wheels? I've never put winter tyres on my car but I have put some bags of salt in the boot and lowered the tyre pressure which helped but it still wasn't that great. Do the tyres really make that much of a difference?davepoth said:
It really doesn't make a great deal of difference which wheels are driven unless the snow is properly deep - it's the tyres and the driver that count.
Thats not entirely true. FWD gives you the option of turning the driven wheels which helps in deep snow, especially at a very low speed i.e; if you are stuck..MTR
depends where in the country you are, and how urgently you'd need your car. I live on the south coast, where the roads are affected by snow maybe 3 days a year at a push (so 1% of the time). I walk/cycle to work anyway, so the necessity of my car is 0. as a result, I couldn't give two hoots about snow when choosing a car.
Last winter I went out in my mx5, top down, and had a hoot going everywhere, sideways, at 5mph. best. drive. ever
Last winter I went out in my mx5, top down, and had a hoot going everywhere, sideways, at 5mph. best. drive. ever
)Depends really, doesn't it.
My sister lives in deepest darkest rural northern Scotland. It's a mile down a track to the road, six miles to the shop, 20 miles to work. Her and her husband have a VW polo each! But with winter tyres and leaving a car at the trail head and walking the track they manage, but have been snowed in for weeks in the last few years. I keep saying they should get a 4x4 between them because it's so remote and it really is an issue for them
Down south? Unless you have very special circumstances I think you'd be a bit mad to make snow performance a primary buying feature. I've just bought an Impreza on Goodyear Eagle F1's. I'm under no illusions that it would perform almost as badly as any other car in snow.
And yes ,tyres are the primary factor. I'd rather have any drive train offered on 4 winter tyres than any 4x4 on normal or summer tyres. Sipes and compounds FTW! If I decide that the Impreza is a keeper I'll be procureing some winter tyres for next year ,it's not just about snow, but cold temperatures, leaves, water and all the other features of the British winter.
My sister lives in deepest darkest rural northern Scotland. It's a mile down a track to the road, six miles to the shop, 20 miles to work. Her and her husband have a VW polo each! But with winter tyres and leaving a car at the trail head and walking the track they manage, but have been snowed in for weeks in the last few years. I keep saying they should get a 4x4 between them because it's so remote and it really is an issue for them
Down south? Unless you have very special circumstances I think you'd be a bit mad to make snow performance a primary buying feature. I've just bought an Impreza on Goodyear Eagle F1's. I'm under no illusions that it would perform almost as badly as any other car in snow.
And yes ,tyres are the primary factor. I'd rather have any drive train offered on 4 winter tyres than any 4x4 on normal or summer tyres. Sipes and compounds FTW! If I decide that the Impreza is a keeper I'll be procureing some winter tyres for next year ,it's not just about snow, but cold temperatures, leaves, water and all the other features of the British winter.
mollytherocker said:
davepoth said:
It really doesn't make a great deal of difference which wheels are driven unless the snow is properly deep - it's the tyres and the driver that count.
Thats not entirely true. FWD gives you the option of turning the driven wheels which helps in deep snow, especially at a very low speed i.e; if you are stuck..MTR
versus said:
If the engine is in the front and its RWD then I thought the reason they were poor in snow is because of the lack of weight over the driving wheels? I've never put winter tyres on my car but I have put some bags of salt in the boot and lowered the tyre pressure which helped but it still wasn't that great. Do the tyres really make that much of a difference?
No, there is always "some" weight over the rear wheels, probably for most RWD stuff around these days it won't be far off the amount of weight over the front wheels in an original Mini, so not insubstantial. A lot of it is down to the tread pattern and the width of the tyres. The formulation of the rubber in a winter tyre means that it remains flexible at lower temperatures which aids grip. The tread blocks are also designed to move around a lot more which also helps grip but makes the tyre noisier.
On snow or ice, a narrower tyre is often better than a wide one because it concentrates the weight on a smaller area, increasing traction.
But above all the most important thing is modified driving attitudes. Very gentle inputs are vital to avoid losing traction, and it's always harder to get traction back once it's been lost.
versus said:
Given the mild weather we've had this year (2011/2012), I have forgotten how annoying it was watching FWD/AWD cars drive around reasonably happily when it was icy and snowing in 2010 whereas my BMW and other RWD cars were struggling to make it up even the slightest incline and being abandoned all over the place. At the time I vowed to never buy a RWD car again...... the one thing I would hate, even more than breaking down, is to leave my car stranded in snow on a road where other people can hit it and to walk home.
However most of us would agree the RWD fun factor is incredible for the time when it doesn't snow (90%+ of the year). So do people still buy a car with consideration for potential bad weather? That is, given a choice of two cars which are very similar in terms of price would you choose FWD over RWD for the only reason of being able to drive better in icy/snowy weather?
Are you for real?However most of us would agree the RWD fun factor is incredible for the time when it doesn't snow (90%+ of the year). So do people still buy a car with consideration for potential bad weather? That is, given a choice of two cars which are very similar in terms of price would you choose FWD over RWD for the only reason of being able to drive better in icy/snowy weather?
Winter tyres. There's a reason they are a legal requirement during the winter months in most of Europe.
Buy the BMW and 2 sets of snow socks. Or splash out on proper winter tyres. You'll be fine, as said above, so long as the snow's not too deep to move through.
BMWs are especially poor because the traction control stops you spinning the wheels to look for grip when all else has failed.... hasn't stopped me buying one
BMWs are especially poor because the traction control stops you spinning the wheels to look for grip when all else has failed.... hasn't stopped me buying one
I had a FWD Honda Accord when the major snow hit last winter. I've never spent so much time with a spade in my life. In preperation for this year, I bought a 3 series with the lower sport suspention :-0
If it leaves me stranded, a phone call to the gf to pick me up in her Rav 4 is all I need. I'd not give up RWD for the sake of a few days bad weather a year
If it leaves me stranded, a phone call to the gf to pick me up in her Rav 4 is all I need. I'd not give up RWD for the sake of a few days bad weather a year
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