Well?

Well?

The only person that will know this is surely one thats had the same vehicle in 2wd and 4wd guises and swapped between summer and winter rubber on each... who started off inexperienced and got experienced.

Can I answer this in March after my first winter with 4wd?

Incidentally, why does it say disgusted in little letters after the post? Did you mean discuss?

Driver skill is the bottom line. Everything else is a tool for the driver to use. The skill comes from experience and in demonstrating judgement about what you can or can't do given the set up you're driving. imho :yes:

It depends on the snow. If it's fresh and soft you'll be alright in a FWD car with normaly tyres maybe lower the pressures a bit but if it's compacted smooth snow you've got no hope unless you've using spiked tyres.

Well?

Too many other variables to answer. Type of snow, is it fresh or compacted, is there ice underneath, etc etc. But ultimately it's down to the driver. I managed OK on snow in a rear wheel drive Ford Escort in the 1980's.

Stewart

Yes I was aware of all the other variables, each case is different.

However interesting to see Driver skill is winning and 4 by 4 not got a look in.

"disgusted" c.f. of Tunbridge Wells

cept I's is "Disgusted of D........"

**********************************

being a farmers son of sorts and constantly bemused by the lack of true driving skills possessed by most other road users.

ie

(i) knowing the width of vehicle & being prepared to squeeze through a gap.

(ii) inability/reluctance to reverse, even without a trailer attatched

(iii) routine misuse/abuse of clutches ( & got 226,000miles on mine & counting incl for towing BIG trailers)

(iv) inability to read the road & traffic ahead and take preventive action

(v) complete inability to drive in snow or poor traction conditions without 4WD and a multitude of electronic aids :'( .

aka "the car skidded" ie not the driver lost control & skidded

From someone who whilst in the TA driver who had a Brigader "blenching" as to where I successfuly, without damage, took a Landrover Ambulance

Right: Back to polishing my halo, now wheres my sunglasses?

cheers

M

How about

(vi) complete inability to drive in snow or poor traction conditions WITH 4WD and a multitude of electronic aids.

Edited 21 October, 201015 yr by rwbaldwin

I did not in any way wish to appear to malign X3/X5 drivers

Rwbaldwin

You are however quite correct and despite my comment above......................the marque of car driven is irrelevent

Winter tires is the only one of these options that will actually increase the amount of grip between the tires and the ground - the others are simply more or less effective ways of maximizing the available grip. Even a skilled driver in a 4WD can't change the laws of physics!

> Winter tires is the only one of these options that will actually increase the amount of grip between the tires and the ground

> - the others are simply more or less effective ways of maximizing the available grip. Even a skilled driver in a 4WD can't change the laws of physics!

Well explained!

Having driven all the vehicle options on poll, I totally agree.

Winter tyres are going to maintain grip in situations where others won't have much grip which equals greater safety and piece of mind!

What you need in the snow is a Skoda..............Estelle!

Or an Austin Princess .......... from memory of sleighing down a quite steep mountain road many winters ago.................and being towed ( or not ) back up by a vararity of cars., the Princess ruled.

Though back then she might have been shod on "town & country " tyres the year round.

Edited 21 October, 201015 yr by dieseldogg

I did not in any way wish to appear to malign X3/X5 drivers

why the hell not??

As others have already said.... fitting the appropriate tyres is by far an away THE most important factor in grip and safe driving.  

Evo ran some interesting tests a while back - a rear-wheel drive Jaguar on winter rubber, round a snow-covered test track, managed hugely better lap times than a four-wheel drive Mitsubishi Evo on standard summer tyres.

And there are some good videos on YouTube from a US auto magazine where they tested summer versus winter tyres (non-studded) on an ICE RINK. Identical cars, expert driver, only difference being the tyres. Even on pure sheet ice, the winter tyres enabled the car to negotiate a 90-degree corner (albeit slowly). The summer tyres just had the car sailing straight on...

Never had a problem in my younger days mk5 cortina with a boot full of concrette blocks got any where i needed to go

I saw several 4X4's in walls last winter!!

People think that they can drive anywhere in ice and snow!!

Get some Winter rubber!!

Not wanting to sound a little mad - but in the UK... apart from a splattering of snow (once in a while) we dont get "snow" - unlike parts of Europe, Canada etc.. which get heaps of the stuff so therefore I except the need to snow tyres in these countries.

A good 4x4 system and a sensable driver should cope with most the weather can throw at us in the UK.

In the snow we did get earlier this year - the number of rear wheel drive cars stuck on slopes, ars cin ditches etc.. were far higher than the number of stuck 4x4s. Yes there are a large number of 4x4 drivers who dont have any sense and these are the idiots who generally drive at silly speeds in fog or heavy rain without any lights on or caution. You expect these people to end up in a pile somewhere... and just hope they dont take any sensable drivers with them. [These are also the people who take brand new 60 plate range rover sports round a proper 4x4 course and do £6000's worth of damage.]

I equate Winter / Snow tyres to Off Road tyres - yes they work, but for most of the time theres no point in having them unless you're doing serious off roading - in which case, you'll still take a winch, spades and mats. For the other 51 1/2 weeks of the year, leave them in the garage, shed or save your money for a summer holiday.

As I said, I may be a little mad....

Edited 21 October, 201015 yr by RogN

I think that good winter (m+s) tires are the most important part. Then it come driver skills ,experience and using his/her head.

I drive 2wd for years now and we get plenty of snow here. Never got stuck or had an accident (knock on the wood). Never ever.

And I use the car always when I need it ,no matter whats happening outside ,snowstorm or freezing cold.

I dont drive offroad.

Last winter I drove with a friend to a mountain. It was early evening. Car reported -32c outside. We were going at 60-70kmph. Trip is about 200km.

50km left and transmission froze in 5th gear.lol. Car was Toyota Yaris ts. It was funny experience. Anyway we came safe to hotel ,pushed the car in garage and the day after transmission was normal.

I used to drive also 4x4 in 2008.But noticed no difference in normal driving. It was same as 2wd. Car was this LR freelander 2.

So in my opinion get good winter tires ,relax and use your head while driving. No sudden braking,acceleration,turning and so on.

I also tend to turn off antispinn(Norwegian word ,the system that stops wheels from spinning).

I think that good winter (m+s) tires are the most important part...

For those who don't know, M&S = Mud&Snow.

In most of the US, studded tyres (both plastic and metal) are now banned (because they damage the road).

I've driven AWD cars over there with metal studs, plastic studs and modern M&S tyres. Assuming, you are not driving on sheet ice, M&S tyres are by far the best.

Its snowing here is Oslo right now. Yeahhh! I love snow.

Hopefully it will snow enough so I can test new winter tires tomorrow.

I put Continental conti viking 5 on. 205/55 16.

Because of smaller tire dimensions the car is now around 1cm lower to the ground.

Since my first car, a Corolla K30 back in 1981 to my present Yeti FWD I've always believed it is down to the driver (me) to adapt to the conditions, nothing else.

Driver aids are just that, driver aids.

As for winter tyres, pfft, in my younger days I elected for the cheapest remoulds I could afford.

Hasanyone any experience of these?

http://www.roofbox.co.uk/car-snow-socks/

I equate Winter / Snow tyres to Off Road tyres - yes they work, but for most of the time theres no point in having them unless you're doing serious off roading - in which case, you'll still take a winch, spades and mats.

Winter tyres and off-road tyres are NOT the same.

Winter tyres are designed for slippery and snowy ROADS - meaning a self cleaning thread pattern with lots of sipes, which work kind of like wiperblades. The compound is softer and have additives that makes them grip better in cold weather.

Off-road tyres tend to have a more open and blocky pattern to shovel stuff rearwards and add a tooth function to the softer surfaces. They do not necessarily have the soft compound, and are not good at braking on hardish, cold slippery surfaces, such as winter roads.

And this - when 4-wheel drive doesn't help:

 :-)

I have a set of Dunlop WinterSports that I'll be putting on sometime soon. I'm not doing this because I expect to be driving through deep snow. I'm doing it because, during the past few winters, I have had several scary moments on icy roads when the car didn't have enough grip to make me feel safe. Black ice at junctions when you're driving to work early in the morning is NOT fun.

And given the state of the national finances, there's no guarantee that councils will be able to afford to grit the roads this winter :-)

Edited 22 October, 201015 yr by ginandtonic