I've no experience driving a pickup truck in snow but have heard that they provide terrible traction unless 4-WD is engaged. Assuming that there are from 1" to 4" of snow, and assuming that all other things are equal, e.g., tire tread, would you use a compact car with front wheel drive, or a pickup with 4 WD engaged?? Thanks.
Nonsense. IMHO. Rumors might be true for some nose-heavy Detroit big-iron; my recollections confirm them. OTOH, Nissan p/u-s I've owned are very sure-footed. Well balanced. About 600,000 miles total use.
Various types of 4WD drive out there. Some pretty crude.
J
All rear wheel drive vehicles are terrible in snow. pickups are particularly bad because they don't have much weight over the drive wheels. But put it in 4wd and everything changes; ought to be much better than front wheel drive cars. And truck tires tend to have coarser tread than cars, which should help also.
Yep, mostly due to the fact that there is no weight over the rear wheels. Around here (Saskatchewan) people put sandbags in the truck bed to help with this.
That's really not that much snow (I've driven my compact car in 6" of snow multiple times this winter).
The 4wd would have an edge on starting, but its ability to stop is no better than a 2wd.
Chris
Be careful.
You drive whatcha got. Either you can drive in snow or you can't. A rear wheel drive is the most challenging, but a few pounds in the rear evens things out a bit. I recommend play sand in bags. Limited slip differential is a real plus, a 4 wheel drive without it is nearly even with a 2 wheel drive with it. Anti-lock brakes are a plus, but if you can modulate your braking, you can get by without it. The very most important thing is tires. Deep self cleaning tread will do more than all the driver assists in the world.
I've driven everything you could ever think of in the snow and the absolute best was a Jeep Grand Cherokee with full time 4wd and a new set of Wrangler AT/S tires. A pickup truck isn't balanced as well as an SUV.
But, to answer your question, I'd take the 4wd truck over the little front wheel drive car.
I like what Eric in North TX says: You either can or you can't. I used to drive tow trucks for a living and I can't remember how many times I'd get called to a car stuck in the snow, show up, and just drive it out of the hole it was in. If that didn't work, 5 minutes with a shovel and it'd come right out. I'd charge $75 without even pulling out a winch cable.
Of course, I get to drive a Corvette home tonight in 4" of snow so if this is my last post to this newsgroup then you can discount what I just said.
-rev
The one with REAL snow - winter tyres on it.
You never drove a Corvair, a Sunbeam Imp or an original VW Beetle.
Actually many rear wheel drive front engine cars did very well. I remember one winter my car was in the shop after a Greyhound bus hit it and I had to rent. I had a Pinto (got stuck with half and inch of snow) and a Toyota that did quite will with six or more inches of snow.
Today's trucks are all over the place with the why they handle in snow. Some are good and some terrible.
I hear what you're saying, but sometimes you just "can't." I have to confess to having driven a Porsche 944 with summer tires in the snow a few times, and it helps to know your limitations. The car is excellently balanced, but if you can't move, it doesn't matter.
Since the girlie has been driving the car lately, I have invested in snow tires. I don't feel the need to inflict my stupidity on others :)
nate
The Reverend Natural Light wrote:
Four inches ? That's nothing. A pickup truck with good tires can handle that easily. In my opinion spending the extra money on
4WD is a waste of money if all you are concerned with is 4".As far as your question. Neither front wheel drive or 4WD is needed for four inches of snow. Bump the scenario up to eight inches and the
4WD easily outperforms the front wheel drive.One factor that is often ignored is the weight of the vehicle. If you are going to get stuck, and this will happen, it is best to get stuck with a light vehicle. Many times I have pushed myself out of a situation whereas this wouldn't be possible with a heavier vehicle.
Worst to best:
1.Anything with bald tires 2.Pickup (empty) 3.Rear drive front engine car 4.Front drive 5.Rear engine rear drive 6.4WD
No, I missed all of those! I regret missing the Imp though.
Beetles were great in the snow, but if they were over a couple years old, you had to drive with your head out the window to see, since the tubes that fed the minimal heat to the windshield rotted out rapidly. Once the pan started rotting as well, you could count on getting wet driving through puddles.
aem sends...
"Jack" wrote
Jack,
I've owned 4wd's since 1975, I think I'm on my 8th one. IMHO, 4 wd is over-rated for the average person. I worked construction for a long time, 4 wd was almost a must, if you wanted to get close to the job site, plus you pretty much needed a p/u to haul tools/ladders.
I plow snow for ODOT, in the Northeast. I'm always on expressways. I believe most accidents and roll-overs I see or have to radio in are SUV's or a 4 wd of kind. I don't have any statistics, nor do I know where to find them. But, I truly believe most people with a 4wd believe they're driving a tank. A 4 wd is great for starting out in the snow, they can be an asset going around curves, the thing is with a 4 wd, you have to use the accelerator to pull the vehicle through the curve. Most people hit the brakes on curves, which a 4 wd doesn't stop any better than a 2 wd.
No matter what you drive, always drive for the conditions. Too many people think just because there is a 65 (or ?) mph limit in areas, that you can and should drive it.
Don't become a statistic.
Spoken like a man from the flatlands.
Although I manage with a RWD.
Bob
I always heard that, but after 180,000 miles and 16 years, I still had my original heater boxes and not problems. I had replaced a few mufflers however and the floor was rotting through in the back. I live in Ohio where snow and salt are standard fare.
Only if you never learned to drive. I've driven 2wd trucks in plenty of snow and can go better in them than a front wheel drive any day.
We got five or six inches of new snow here in SW Ohio tonight. My '87 F150 did fine in it. No one seems to mention transmissions as a factor in traction. Mine is a 4 speed. Open differential. Consequently, using the engine to brake and staying in the highest gear possible make stopping and starting a breeze compared to most FWD automatics I've driven. Deep lug tires help too. But it's really all about two things.
1) Driving skill. 2) Knowing the capabilities of your vehicle and staying within it's limits.
Nonsense. Some clever marketing folks came up with that in the hope of selling front-wheel drive cars, and it worked -- a gullible public accepted it as true.
pickups are
This is true. If you throw a lot of inclines into the equation then you are much better off with a 4wd.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.