4x4s in the winter...

[Deluded]

Why do people seem to make such a fuss about a 4x4 being a necessity throughout the winter?

I bought one a few months ago (well it's a Honda CRV so not a "true" 4x4 but still 4 wheel drive when you actually need it), not because the winter was looming but because I have 2 dogs and a child and need the space a 4x4 offers. It was either the CRV or an estate. The CRV came up at a good price so I went with it.

Now, today has been the first day of snow around here. Roads have been utter chaos. The CRV had brand new tyres a few weeks ago so are in as good a condition as they are going to get.

I had no problem with traction. None whatsoever really. Progress was easy where others where wheel spinning. Understandably, this is an advantage as I've less likely to get stranded halfway up a slippery hill etc. However, my reason for making this thread is that I still couldn't stop.

Brand new tyres, big heavy 4x4 but when coming to a stop, the ABS still went haywire with wheels locking etc. Stopping, being quite a major part of driving, is no better than say, a Fiat Punto, so why does everyone make such a fuss? Still just as likely to plow into the person in front who has found some traction and managed to stop.

Just seems silly all the fuss people make.

[anonymous-user]

Deluded said:

I had no problem with traction. None whatsoever really. Progress was easy where others where wheel spinning.

[Deluded]

Nyphur said:

progress is great but no good if you can't stop when you get to an obstacle.

[thinfourth2]

Deluded said:

Why do people seem to make such a fuss about a 4x4 being a necessity throughout the winter?

As they are ill informed or thick

[PIGINAWIG]

No ones making a fuss fella. Embrace the traction.

[TheHeretic]

Deluded said:

progress is great but no good if you can't stop when you get to an obstacle.

If you can't stop when you get to an obstacle then you are driving too fast.

[anonymous-user]

Deluded said:

Nyphur said:

progress is great but no good if you can't stop when you get to an obstacle.

And in what way would you expect 4 wheels supplying power to the road, to be more effective than 2 wheels supplying power to the road, when trying to stop?

[sunbeam alpine]

If you buy the right 4x4, you can put a fk-off big bullbar on it, which helps with stopping under certain conditions!

Ours have winch bumpers which seem to work quite well.

[jbi]

don't confuse a 4x4's capabilities with the person behind the wheels abilities

[matthias73]

Woman at work assured me she would be fine in the snow because she has a "four by four"

I wonder if she will do what the silly tart up the road did, and park into a lampost. Just because it has four wheel drive doesn't mean it has any more stopping power than a normal car... :\

Winter tyres for the win!

[Jimmyarm]

If you are locking the wheels then you where going too fast

Eta or braking to hard

I had a ropey old disco last winter and using the low range meant you could almost not use the brakes.

[TheHeretic]

Well, a 4x4 can engine brake with 4 wheels, rather than 2, so they can slow themselves down slower in that regard.

[EK993]

I can see this thread descending into another winter tyre debate.....

[CambsBill]

4 x no grip = no grip.

And tyres still matter - OP doesn't say what sort of tyres they are other than they're new, could be road bias for all we know.

[whoami]

Nyphur said:

Deluded said:

Nyphur said:

progress is great but no good if you can't stop when you get to an obstacle.

And in what way would you expect 4 wheels supplying power to the road, to be more effective than 2 wheels supplying power to the road, when trying to stop?

Which was surely what he was saying?

[paddyhasneeds]

I always thought the whole point of a 4x4 is that you have 4 wheel drive to get you out of trouble by providing traction and grip, but when it comes to stopping the laws of physics still apply only with 2 tons instead of 1.5 or whatever a regular car may weigh?

Guess I'll find out when we eventually have some snow around here.

[TheHeretic]

Not all 4x4's are heavier.

[thinfourth2]

TheHeretic said:

Not all 4x4's are heavier.

Mine are

[TheHeretic]

thinfourth2 said:

Mine are

That's because you are fat, and sat in it.

[Alicatt1]

jbi said:

don't confuse a 4x4's capabilities with the person behind the wheels abilities

Driving my little Escort through a blizzard and having no option but to continue, looking through the passenger side window to see where the wall at the side of the road was going, after 15 miles of that I broke into sunshine 1 mile from home. I seen a Toyota pickup truck going fast towards me, still the road was straight and it was just passing my house, first it went left then right then left again and finaly went right with a half tuck and roll and ended upside down in the field behind the house. When I helped extract the driver and passenger the driver said "But it was a 4x4, I thought they could handle a bit of snow" Aye laddy but not at 50mph on a corner, it was his first time in a 4x4, he had just borrowed it from his father in law.