The best advice I have read about driving in snow if you aren't driving with chains is to treat the pedals like there is an egg under each of them. And if you have trouble getting up a hill, turn around unless you *know* it's a much more gentle slope on the other side. You do *not* want to climb a hill, and then run into somebody because you can't stop when going back down it.

 

AWD makes people believe their vehicle is unstoppable and they have more traction than four tires can provide..

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High quality snow tires.

 

Timely. We're getting our 2nd big storm of the season this weekend.

 

curious, why are people in the very cold states where snow is normal still buy two wheel drives, and worse, cars with 2 wheel drives?

If I was in those states, no way would I drive anything less than awd's preferably 4x4's... just curious...
And Snow tires, it should be the norm, not the exception....

 

I’m in New Hampshire, the 3 dealerships I hit had only AWD crv’s on their lots

 

BBLee - a lot of factors - economics, the kind of driving you are subject to in the winter, how fast the roads/streets get cleared, etc.

As for snow tires, same thing - economics. Can you afford a 2nd set of tires (and wheels if you want to make switch easy)
Snow tires don't do good year round on dry roads.


Another tip not mentioned - don't drive with cruise control on down snowy/icy roads!

 

BBLee - a lot of factors - economics, the kind of driving you are subject to in the winter, how fast the roads/streets get cleared, etc.

As for snow tires, same thing - economics. Can you afford a 2nd set of tires (and wheels if you want to make switch easy)
Snow tires don't do good year round on dry roads.

Another tip not mentioned - don't drive with cruise control on down snowy/icy roads!

agree on economics is sole reason but....

switching tires is easy, i'll just do it myself, for snow tires, its like getting a set early thus your next tire change is much longer since you have two sets. Wheels are cheep.

2wd vs awd... considering maintenance... maybe so.... but insurance costs' doubles and repair bills are even more expensive when in a snow related accident.... just my thoughts.

 

We had ice on the road and my car was sideswiped when the driver couldn't stop fast enough with his "bullet proof" 4WD. The fool actually got out of his SUV and said he couldn't understand why his 4WD system failed.

Nope, you really can't fix stupid.

 

In the last 55 years I have driven about every type of vehicle that is made. Having worked for three different car makers I drove every model with every option they produced. Front engine RWD, (subset....Front engine, rear transmission RWD) Front engine FWD, Front engine AWD, front engine 4WD, Mid engine RWD (terrible in snow!) Rear engine RWD, and so on. I have driven about every type of AWD system produced; full time, part time, on demand, Split torque, electrically switched, viscus clutch, etc. I have driven these vehicle types in all type of weather and road conditions from bone dry, wet, heavy rain, light and heavy snow, a few blizzards, ice, etc. both in the US and the Alps in Winter. And, not that it matters, but I have never crashed any of these vehicles nor gotten stuck in any condition including black ice, etc.

What I have learned over the years:
1) You have to be aware of the road conditions at all times. I will often go slow and apply the brakes at a controlled rate to get a feel for traction conditions. I want to know the limits of my vehicle and its adhesion to the road surface. (The company does not like it when you crash a quarter of a million dollar hand made pre-production vehicle you were entrusted with, especially when you have to use it for a training class the next day).

2) There is no magic system that can prevent you from making stupid mistakes. Yes, the vehicle can do its best but in the end you are were the buck stops. If you are stupid you may win stupid prizes.

3) Speed is your enemy, over confidence is never your friend.

4) Good tires appropriate to the road conditions always help. "All Season" tires will never do as well as dedicated snow tires.

5) Nothing works great on ice. Even 40+ ton army tanks with steel treads will slide off icy roads like they were toys. (Studded snow tires will however do better than non-studded ones).

OH, and when people talk about AWD they always get hung up on snow, as if that were the only condition were AWD mattered. Far from it. Fact is I will not buy an SUV without AWD and it has nothing to do with snow rather it has everything to do with day-to-day driving, wet roads, sand on the road, wet grass, oil slicks and so many other conditions that have nothing to do with snow.
Look up the resale value of a AWD CR-V (or other vehicle) compared to the FWD version. You may well lose money when you buy a FWD and then go to sell it some years later. In many places the used vehicle price for a FWD CR-V is thousands less than a AWD model. Doesn't matter if the person "needs" AWD or not, they will pay much more for it.

You can have your own opinion. You can quote any article you want, it doesn't matter. People feel the way they do and will act on their emotions and feelings, its just human nature. And, believe it or not, AWD is better in "normal" driving. Ask Audi how that "Quattro" did for them.

 

In a perfect world we would all be on a set of dedicated snow tires with AWD in a snowstorm. That said I'd take FWD with 2 Nokians in front over AWD with even the best all season tires. Reason? The priority is braking and steering which are almost entirely the domain of the front tires.

 

A few years ago my Car salesman friend (30 years same Honda dealership - GREAT guy) told me a story...

Our local Audi dealership consistently sells more Audi's than most nationally and the National and International heads of VW/Audi came out to visit the dealership and try to understand why a town of 35,000 sold so many Audis. (I can tell you - they have NO competition the nearest Mercedes/BMW/Acura/Lexus dealership is 2+ hours away and wet have lots of BIG skiing in our area and tons of out of state second homeowners...).

They visited the dealership, then had a retreat at Big Sky Resort where they rented a large home near the ski area...

They drove into their driveway with a new AWD loaner Audi and got stuck in the snow...they had a meeting to make so the next door neighbor loaded them into his CR-V with four studded snow tires and took them where they needed to go.

Tires matter!

 

....or would you say spoons make you fat, or pensils mis-spell words?

 

I always thought beer cans made you fat. ?

 

I have always used premium snow tires on my 2 wheel drive Acura TSX. Never been in an accident, never been stuck in the winter, even with a foot of snow on the local roads and I drive it up to Northern Ontario in the winter. Only issue with that car is that you need to turn off the traction control in the slippery and deep snow as the wheels won’t spin and the car will bog down. Now my wife loved her Nissan X Trail (similar to a CRV and very popular in Europe, Australia) which was given to the kids last summer while I make my mind up on a replacement and the all wheel drive together with snow tires did help her confidence accelerating in deep snow. All wheel drive can be a bit misleading as you don’t realize how little traction you have during acceleration until you hit a corner or the brakes.

 

What????....must be a computer mistake.

 

This is actually quite hilarious.

AWD only has effects on acceleration. Minimal on cornering because it can have negative impacts during bad road conditions.

AWD is inherently more dangerous and that is FACT because people think they can drive faster with AWD and GUESS WHAT, A 2WD VEHICLE STILL HAS 4 WHEEL BRAKES. So your not stopping any faster regardless of awd, 2wd or free wheeling.

There is a reason why awd is not on all vehicles. Because its benefits are not that great. They help some in bad weather conditions THATS IT.

Tires make much more of an important difference than awd ever will.

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Because its benefits are not that great. They help some in bad weather conditions THATS IT

So by your definition AWD has absolutely NO benefit on sand, gravel, dirt, grass, slick or wet roads.. or even on completely dry pavement when 100% acceleration is needed.

:applause:

Perhaps you've never seen a rally car event?

 

This is becoming almost as good as a motor oil thread.

 

And "regular or premium?" fuel.

 

After what I’ve learned here, I’m now thinking of modifying the differential of a front wheel drive car to only power one wheel. That should make it the ultimate safe vehicle for snowy roads.

 

sweet idea, may need to try that.

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For those that think AWD is such a big deal:

AWD isnt, it's the technology for traction control and ABS that exists now that is what makes things better. NOT 4 wheels being driven vs 2. 4 wheels being driven has been around for many, many decades. As with what people call AWD which is nothing more than full time 4wd.

The 1 wheel drive joke truly isnt a joke. 2 wheel drive vehicles are actually not fully 2 wheel drive. that's why when 1 breaks free you get stuck. AWD/4wd if 1 front and 1 rear spin you get stuck.

Those problems are addressed by limited slip, lockers, or use of the ABS system. Traction control and so on is done most commonly via the ABS. When stopping the ABS reduces power applied to the brakes. For traction control it applies the brakes to the wheel that lost traction forcing power to the wheel that's not spinning.

My personal vehicle doesnt have ABS/traction control because I dont care for it. It takes away my control of how my vehicle handles situations.

Last night was a perfect example of tires over AWD vehicles. Mine is Realtime 4wd (gen 2 crv). My second job has me driving around town endlessly making deliveries my entire shift. We dealt with a snow storm of 4"+ of wet slushy crap yesturday/last night.

I was accelerating, braking and cornering better than every other vehicle I saw, most of my driving was in 2wd except mainly inclines or having to come to a stop and then get going again in deeper slushie intersections.

No awd, no traction control, no ABS. All because of driving skill and more importantly, MY TIRES.

I watched 4wds and awds constantly struggle, new and old alike. Even the fanciest AWD systems with new tires were no match for heavy wet snow conditions because highway/all seasons are badly lacking for these conditions. My cooper discoverer AT3 4S could stop, accelerate and so on in 2wd better than new fancy system awd vehicles.

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Those Coopers look like some diggers!

 

their just all terrain tires so all season use. But they have 3 peak (severe winter condition) rating. Extra sipping and tread design/compound that handles snow/ice better than normal all terrain tires.

Road noise isnt bad at all. I'm running a fair bit oversized (3" diameter increase) so mpg takes a bit of a hit but unstoppable so far. And still great for zipping around town or down the highway.

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It always help to engage brain before and during driving. This advice is needed for a lot of people in most road conditions. People seem to think that "driving" is no longer a necessary skill, they can jump in the car and get on their phone and ignore the road, the weather, the traffic.
Lets hope we don't meet these non drivers on our commute.

 

Amen bro, well said. SFB syndrome is rampant.........and then they get behind a steering wheel.:jawdrop:

 

Deriding the value of AWD due to driver incompetence is quite ridiculous.

Perhaps there's value in this if you just love to make ridiculous arguments.

 

hierarchy of traction: (we are talking about normal driving with occasional road hazards like going up to the mountains for vacation and stuff and of course stopping, not talking about overconfident drivers bc they are in awd's either)
4x4 with snow tires*
AWD with snow tires
FWD with snow tires
4x4 without snow tires*
AWD without snow tires
FWD without snow tires

*not for 4x4's that's only engaged when in low speed thus is in 2WD when in normal driving speed.

 

Feel free to move both 4x4 rankings down -- if it's a jacked up pickup without significant weight in the bed.

 

"why are people in the very cold states where snow is normal still buy two wheel drives". I'm sure you are referring to 2 wheel rear drive. Front 2 wheel drive is perfectly adequate to drive in all snow conditions, if you know how to drive. My birthday is in Feb and I've always lived in the North. After 45+ years of winters I have always been fine with Honda front wheel drive. Once I had a 2 x 4 Acura MDX, but it never was necessary to get around. The ONLY time I was "stuck" in the snow was once when I drove over a snowplow pile and my Accord axles were lifted off the road. That required some pushing to get car level again so tires would grip. My advice is to not use bald tires and learn how to drive.

 

i once had a 4x4 4runner and we love to go to big bear and those mountain places when our kids were small, I agree FWD's are adequate but in a few occasions I would put my SUV on 4H or 4L when we get into some unpaved surfaces. I agree, if one is careful I can avoid getting stuck or get into trouble in a FWD or even in a 4x4 but having that option just makes it so easy to get out. I am not talking about off-roading, just off the beaten path. For an additional 1200.00 bucks, imo i'd go for the additional peace of mind and capability. I did my own oil changes to save on maintenance. I am not pushing or judging anyone to get AWD's .... just my thoughts.

 

I haven't had the opportunity to drive in snow yet with my CRV AWD. We're supposed to get snow this weekend. I had front wheel drive Accords for years before I bought the CRV, and they did great in the snow with just the Michelin MXV4 tires that came with the car. I miss the 6 cylinder engine that my 2011 Accord had. I don't know why they don't offer a 6 for the CRV.

 

https://jalopnik.com/looks-like-the-2015-honda-cr-vs-awd-system-doesnt-work-1649969431

Happened to me once last year in my own driveway. Pee-d me off so bad, I was ready to sell it the next day. Felt like it was in neutral.