Driving skill could always the biggest factor in winter driving.

I’ve seen people having trouble piloting 4WD trucks.

RWD is terrible when you have to deal with hills.

I live in the second hilliest city in the country and now I hardly see the number of cars stranded in the snow banks like decades ago.

 

^Exactly what he said. Anything can go forward in the snow, stopping is the biggest issue and 4x4, RWD or FWD doesn't matter then. The biggest issue I see with RWD is fishtailing, and losing traction up hills. In NH there are many instances where you see a RWD car sitting on the side of the hill because it can't push the weight up, compared to a FWD car that is able to pull its weight up (considering most of the weight is over the front wheels).

 

K'mon guys. Don't be blind to the fact that, no matter how good your driving skills are, a FWD is better than a RWD in the snow. This is the case, simply because the weight of the engine is directly above the powered tires, and the car is pulled through corners, instead of pushed. If you turn the wheels and nothing happens, you just simply hit the gas, and the car will get pulled through the corner. A rwd will possibly corkscrew, or it may not turn in the first place. Really, the only skill needed to drive a RWD is to put weight in the back and to drive really slow (which is a good idea NO MATTER WHAT you are driving, as many 4X4 drivers learn after takin' the ditch).

I realize that many of you are letting the inner "redneck" out by bashing FWD, but please give credit where credit is due. RWD is great in a sports car or muscle car. A family sedan is a different story. It needs to be a safe mode of transportation at all times of year. FWD helps to achieve this.

I personally think that it is a great idea to keep the Impala a FWD. A fast, powerful car with a V8, and it can haul the family and plow through snow like nobody's business. How can you go wrong! The husband can get a muscle car and the wife may actually approve of it.

 

MJD K'mon guys. Don't be blind to the fact that, no matter how good your driving skills are, a FWD is better than a RWD in the snow. This is the case, simply because the weight of the engine is directly above the powered tires, and the car is pulled through corners, instead of pushed. If you turn the wheels and nothing happens, you just simply hit the gas, and the car will get pulled through the corner. A rwd will possibly corkscrew, or it may not turn in the first place. Really, the only skill needed to drive a RWD is to put weight in the back and to drive really slow (which is a good idea NO MATTER WHAT you are driving, as many 4X4 drivers learn after takin' the ditch).

I realize that many of you are letting the inner "redneck" out by bashing FWD, but please give credit where credit is due. RWD is great in a sports car or muscle car. A family sedan is a different story. It needs to be a safe mode of transportation at all times of year. FWD helps to achieve this.

I personally think that it is a great idea to keep the Impala a FWD. A fast, powerful car with a V8, and it can haul the family and plow through snow like nobody's business. How can you go wrong! The husband can get a muscle car and the wife may actually approve of it.

I want a bumper sticker made up- "Get in touch with your inner redneck."

I has kinda hoping for an AWD Impala myself. Don't be surprised if that's an option when the RWD platform does show up.

 

What you guys don't mention is that with FWD, you just keep sliding in a straight line in the snow.

 

I live up north, FWD works well in the snow, except when the front wheels start spinning, thats also the steering, so its harder to lose control with a FWD but when you do its alot harder correct

As for Flexfuel-Dave said, trucks are not very good in the snow, 4x4 helps alot but there is almost no weight in the back of a truck (load the box up with sandbags)

but i have always been curious what would happen to a FWD if you piled it into a bank, RWD you just back out but FWD would be a different story?

 

Trust me, if you get a FWD stuck in the snow you need to get pulled out. I learned that one from experience. \

 

The first snow of the season is predicted for tomorrow, so this is timely. On my hill, a short steep one, FWD does not work that well. The main problem I witness is when a minivan is loaded up with the family, much of the weight is on the rear axle, and because of the angle going uphill, the front wheels "unload". stopping forward progress. My RWD BMW, with 50/50 weight distribution does much better. The best 2WD I have ever driven in snow is a VW (a real one, with the engine in back).

As others have mentioned, when the wheels that steer also start spinning, all control is lost. I saw a Ford Escort loose control on the highway, crossing head on (just missing) traffic and hitting the snowbank on the opposite side.

Jim

 

me too. haha my dad's truck could barely get arround to pull me out, he said how the heck did you get stuck that bad..... i said momentum. hahahaha

 

You hit the nail on the head, "There is no substitue for skill."

I hear lots of people say you have to have 4x4 for snow. Then you see the highway patrol in their RWD sedans going and working the SUV slide-off accidents. I guess these SUV drivers haven't figured out that 4x4 might make you go good but it doesn't help you stop any better!

As you say, skill is a major factor in vehicle operation regardless of size or design. Still, the RWD will not go in snow as reliably as AWD, all things being equal.

 

No, the opposite is true. With the steering wheels spinning, there is a force in the direction that the car needs to go, so it actually helps the car steer through the turn.

 

Have you ever driven FWD in the winter? If the wheels lose traction and start spinning, you WILL hit whatever is infront of you.

 

Well I've driven both FWD and RWD drive A LOT in the snow and I will take FWD over RWD any day (unless it's an Escort) and will take AWD (not 4WD) over FWD. I can get around just fine in the RWD but prefer the FWD. All the relevant points have already been covered by others here. But all things being equal the FWD will go better.

No vehicle (except maybe if it has tracks) is 100% for all conditions. Jimandmandy: on a hill in snow the FWD minivan might have problems. But, try that hill in a RWD minivan or sedan and see what happens. I'm sure your BMW goes fine but it can hardly be considered a typical RWD vehicle.

Having a lot of time in two Ford Escorts I'm not surprised jimandmandy saw one sailing across the lanes. I thought they were unstable regardless of road conditions.

I don't think that it matters what configuration vehicle you're driving, you'll hit it just as hard in a RWD, or AWD, or 4WD.

 

Yep, I'm with mistercmk. When traction is broken it does not matter if your wheels are spinning the direction you want to go, or the opposite direction. Or even in reverse. A wheel without traction is an ice skate, nothing more. It's going whatever direction the car is going, and definitely not influencing it's trajectory.

 

If the road is slick and the road is substantially sloped to the right or left, and the drive wheels spin, the heavy front slides downhill immediately. One advantage in the winter with FWD is when you need to turn around, if you back into the turnaround, the drive wheels remain on the pavement and you don't end up stuck. Driving FWD and RWD just takes a totally different driving technique because they react so differently. That's why the State Troopers in Virginia are required to take a 3 day driver retraining course when they are assigned their first FWD patrol car (Impala). They generally like them except for the lack of space and weight limitation to carry all of their required equipment.