4wd or winter tyres, which is better?

[300bhp/ton]

Ok, bit of a click-bait title.


I'm a strong believer in the right tyres for the job. So if you live somewhere and drive at times when winter tyres would be sensible, then I'm all for it, regardless of how many driven wheels your vehicle has.

What I can't get over however is, the claims people make about 4wd's being useless in the snow. Such as can't stop and can't corner. And the blatant ignorance that a 2wd car on winter tyres is the ultimate answer.

Here is a little vid from last Dec with some nicely snowy roads. Neither vehicle is equipped with winter tyres (although the tyres are in my opinion still suitable for the task at hand).

Plenty of other 4wd's about in the footage too and lots of stranded, stuck or abandoned 2wd cars. Not sure were all the winter tyre advocates were on this day. They must have either been at home or stuck somewhere as I didn't really see any out and about. I also didn't really see any stuck, crashed or abandoned 4wd's either, well apart from one BMW...

https://youtu.be/V8tNckpZSWE





The point here is not to say if one is better than they other. Just that 4wd can and does give an immense advantage in such conditions, that you may feel happy enough that you can remain mobile in such conditions. Obviously not all 4wd's are equal and summer performance tyres on an AWD saloon/coupe are going to be quite different to off road tyres on a 4x4.

However if winter mobility concerns you, maybe running a 4wd is an option you might want to consider.

[Pericoloso]

This was done to death just a week ago.

Here.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

different title but same premise .

Edited by Pericoloso on Wednesday 7th November 13:24

[Roger Irrelevant]

Oh god.

[underwhelmist]

42 minutes of the view through a windscreen at speeds of up to 25mph. It’s like an Andy Warhol film.

[Scootersp]

Defender type 4wd's usually have at least mud type tyres, so may not have snipes at such but do give better grip in snow than a regular type of tyre most 4wd's (volvo's, BMW's Audi's etc etc)

For me pecking order is

4wd and winter tyres (different diff's and 4wd types will give some capability range within this group)
2wd with Winter tyres
4wd with non winter tyres
2wd (fwd) with non winter tyres
2wd (rwd) with non winter tyres

Exactly where a Defender etc with those big tread tyres you can drive through a muddy field with sits I don't know but probably between top and second spot?

[SonicShadow]

It really is quite simple in those conditions.

From worst performing to best:
2WD with summers -> AWD with summers -> 2WD with winters -> AWD with winters.

Will the 2WD with winters get stuck? Highly unlikely unless they venture off the road.

[theboss]

Personally I like 4wd with winters at which point you’re only limited by depth / vertical clearance. I can manage just fine with the M5 on winters though, once the farm track I live down has been ploughed with a tractor (at which point the local roads usually have been too).

[InitialDave]

[Dan-P]

Definitely winter tyres if it's a choice of one or the other. As you see from the OP's video 4wd on it's own is fine for dawdling about on fairly flat roads, but try stopping on inappropriate tyres when you're descending a 1:4 or 1:3 hill and then say there's no difference.

[Pica-Pica]

SonicShadow said:

It really is quite simple in those conditions.

From worst performing to best:
2WD with summers -> AWD with summers -> 2WD with winters -> AWD with winters.

Will the 2WD with winters get stuck? Highly unlikely unless they venture off the road.

You missed out a pair of decent walking boots.

[jagnet]

[Cold]

Depends. Winter isn't all about snow and ice.

[RicksAlfas]

300bhp/ton said:

... about 4wd's being useless in the snow ...

The first question is why go through all this again?


After that, I think you need to differentiate between a Defender style 4x4 off road truck with knobbly tyres and diff locks and an all wheel drive version of a conventional two wheel drive car on summer road tyres. Whenever you talk about 4wd you are thinking of a mud plugging beast and comparing it to a two wheel drive saloon car which is not a very vaild comparison.

Would (say) an Audi A4 on summer tyres be any better in the snow with two wheel drive or four wheel drive?
I would imagine the four wheel drive version will get going better, but I don't imagine it will stop or steer any better.
If you fitted winter tyres to the two wheel drive version I believe it will be better at going, stopping and braking than the four wheel drive on summer tyres.

(Which is what I said in the other thread before Eric started going on about airline meals ).

[tobinen]

Make it stop. Please

[Tom_Spotley_When]

I used to have a BMW M135i. I drove it in all weather in the tyres it came on. Including snow. I didn't die and I didn't crash and the world still turns. If I had it last year, during the 3 days of bad weather, I probably wouldn't have gone to work on those days. My boss, whilst irritated, would have understood.

I now have a VW Touareg. It has some tyres on it. I think they're Michelin, I'm not sure. I drove it in all weathers last year. Including snow at christmas and the Beast from the East. I didn't die, the car didn't burst into flames and no-one died. When the weather was really bad in March, I spent 2 hours getting to work and 2 hours getting home. 12 hours commuting in 3 days My boss was thrilled. I wasn't.

Before the BMW I had a Jaguar XJ8. It did countless journeys in all weathers between Edinburgh and Manchester on some tyres. I didn't die.

Before the Jaguar, I had an MX-5. When it snowed, I drove home from work sideways. When it snowed some more, I worked from home

Would I buy winter tyres? Yes, if I had a grand to spare on them. It'd be a nice luxury. Can I cope without them? Yes. Will I buy them in future? Maybe.

Is there a definitive answer about what's better? No, because different people have different requirements and better, in this instance, is a completely subjective concept.

Can we finally put this to bed? I really hope so.

[DoubleD]

jagnet said:

Ha ha ha

[MDMA .]

Tom_Spotley_When said:

I used to have a BMW M135i. I drove it in all weather in the tyres it came on. Including snow. I didn't die and I didn't crash and the world still turns. If I had it last year, during the 3 days of bad weather, I probably wouldn't have gone to work on those days. My boss, whilst irritated, would have understood.

I now have a VW Touareg. It has some tyres on it. I think they're Michelin, I'm not sure. I drove it in all weathers last year. Including snow at christmas and the Beast from the East. I didn't die, the car didn't burst into flames and no-one died. When the weather was really bad in March, I spent 2 hours getting to work and 2 hours getting home. 12 hours commuting in 3 days My boss was thrilled. I wasn't.

Before the BMW I had a Jaguar XJ8. It did countless journeys in all weathers between Edinburgh and Manchester on some tyres. I didn't die.

Before the Jaguar, I had an MX-5. When it snowed, I drove home from work sideways. When it snowed some more, I worked from home

Would I buy winter tyres? Yes, if I had a grand to spare on them. It'd be a nice luxury. Can I cope without them? Yes. Will I buy them in future? Maybe.

Is there a definitive answer about what's better? No, because different people have different requirements and better, in this instance, is a completely subjective concept.

Can we finally put this to bed? I really hope so.

You never mentioned if you died or not in the MX5.

[cologne2792]

The last time I drove my elderly Ford Ranger in snow it was on Bridgestone Highway Tyres and it behaved as if it were on dry tarmac. The 4wd can't normally be used on road as like many of it's siblings it has no centre diff. It did have 500 kg in the bed though.

[Mandalore]

Pericoloso said:

This was done to death just a week ago.

Here.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

different title but same premise .

Edited by Pericoloso on Wednesday 7th November 13:24

Different premise originally, but turned into a discussion about winter tyres were necessary on 2wd cars.

[Register1]

underwhelmist said:

42 minutes of the view through a windscreen at speeds of up to 25mph. It’s like an Andy Warhol film.

I managed about 2 minutes 😒