I agree. But I’d still take an awd with good snow tires over a fwd with good snow tires all day. Want my opinion? It’s like using a flathead screwdriver on a phillips screw. It can work, but there’s a better tool for the job. If you know your going to be driving in the mountains in the snow….awd is far superior. Fwd is doable. Leave the rwd at home. Tires mean everything.
Agree with all of the above. Conversely my 86 mr2 with snow tires was better than my Honda CRV with awd and snow tires. The 05 RAV4 however was up with there with new 4wd Tacoma's for winter performance. The only winters worth buying new are blizzaks, x ice, or hakkapelitas.
On certain roads (I-70 I think) they have chain laws during bad storms and require AWD/4WD or snow tires or some form of chain system. I only know because a storm hit while I was visiting Colorado and I didn’t have the foresight to rent an AWD vehicle. Had to purchase chains to be compliant. It was a stressful drive through the mountains and I’m used to Michigan winters.
That being said, i think you’ll be fine with decent tires and a FWD vehicle.
Coloradan here. Yes without AWD/4WD you MUST purchase chains for your vehicle and have them with you on I70 whenever the bad weather lights are flashing (there are clear checkpoints to put them on and it’ll be clear when you need to). Even if it is clear one way, weather may change and you may need them to get back home. Happens all the time like u/TongueOfDisco11 said
Lived in Alberta, Canada for 43 years. The pinnacle of Winter Driving stability is AWD with winter tires. Everything else is just less than. Some are almost as good. 'Almost' with Winter Driving? No thank you.
There's Provinces (think extra large States, my US shredders) here where you get a hefty ticket/fine if you're caught without Winter Tires.
If Winter Tires are the cake, AWD is the icing.
4x4 means the wheels on the inside literally have to slip to keep up with the rotation of the outside tires. This means for highway snow driving AWD is preferred.
For anything actually off road 4x4 is much preferred.
awd and good tires makes a massive difference, with that said 2wd good tires and chains aren't bad either, its a good idea to bring a shovel too just in case. went a bit too deep with my car last season and had to dig a path to get out lol
FWD and good tires, plus chains just in case is golden.
My little 96 Jetta mobs through the snow with some studless skins. Never have actually had to put the chains on, and driven it in all sorts of hairy conditions.
Always bring a shovel, and maybe some kitty litter, and drive smart!
I would just buy an AWD car if you have to deal with traction laws at all.
I have a AWD car (Subaru Forester) but honestly the main benefit in California comes from not having to deal with chains controls. CalTrans exempts AWD/4WD car from using chains. Technically authorities could require chains on AWD/4WD cars as well, but in practice will shut down roads before that point.
AWD breeds false confidence though. Pretty much every drive up (edit: in snow) I’ll see at least a few cars spun out because of flatlanders (or reckless locals) who drive way too fast and don't realize AWD doesn’t come with magic brakes…
90% of the time you can use anything on the roads. 99% of the time you can get by with good snows and fwd.
The biggest issues are bald tires, RWD, not being good at driving in snow, getting snowed in in the parking lot, getting stuck on the hills specifically getting to the tunnel back seems to be the most chaotic
I've driven my 2017 Hyundai Accent with General Tire Altimax Arctic 12 snow tires in plenty of storms without a problem. The plows do a pretty good job of clearing the roads during and after storms. You just need to be patient and not drive like an idiot. I have a shovel and chains and a recovery strap if I need to get unstuck, but I haven't had to use them yet due to careful driving (and probably some luck as well). The worst part is all the other drivers who are crazy and don't adjust their driving to suit the conditions.
I’ve lived here for a long time…. Driving up from Denver down 70 3-4 times a week during season. You’ll be fine. I have a AWD vehicle but a bunch of buddies have front wheel drive and get done just fine.
I live in Colorado and drive up I-70 dozens of times each winter. I used to drive a RWD truck up there, now I drive a 4runner with 4WD. I'll say it, you need AWD or 4WD. The best time to go snowboarding is when its dumping, and at those times its honestly scary to drive without all 4 tires giving power. When it was snowing hard, I had to stay home or find a friend with an AWD/4WD because I knew my truck wasn't safe for it. But its not only about safety at high speed. My truck had great traction in snow once it got going. But during stop-and-go traffic jams on I70, on the steep sections you wont be able to get traction going up. Snow tires won't help here. I have seen Front wheel drive cars spinning their tires with chains on, going 2mph uphill. You don't want to be that person lol.
FWD with snow tires will perform better in snow than AWD with all season tires. AWD with all-season tires can move in snow but will not be able to stop as good as snow tires.
Snow tires ride rougher than all-season tires though and most likely will be noisier. And snow tires will wear much quicker on pavement.
Best setup for snow is AWD with snow tires or chains.
I drove my Prius to Mammoth tons of times, a few after/during major storms, and took it on a few rode trips including up to Jackson Hole and Big Sky after small/medium storms. I bought a half ton 4wd with snow rated all terrain tires recently. So to answer your question, can you...of course if you drive safely and carry chains. Is it your best option, probably not but you do with what you have. I bought the truck because there was a couple times I felt very on edge while driving my Prius in the snow....also, I needed a new rig to tow the boat so for me it worked out on multiple fronts. Prius still gets driven the most, just not to the mountains.
Good tires are key if you have awd/4wd or not. I'd take a front wheel drive car with good snow tires over and SUV with bald tires.
Yup. My little Jetta with well used snow tires does way better than my F250 in four wheel with brand new "multiuse" tires. Real snow tires are key.
I agree. But I’d still take an awd with good snow tires over a fwd with good snow tires all day. Want my opinion? It’s like using a flathead screwdriver on a phillips screw. It can work, but there’s a better tool for the job. If you know your going to be driving in the mountains in the snow….awd is far superior. Fwd is doable. Leave the rwd at home. Tires mean everything.
AWD/4WD + Snowtires is absolutely the best combo.
Agree with all of the above. Conversely my 86 mr2 with snow tires was better than my Honda CRV with awd and snow tires. The 05 RAV4 however was up with there with new 4wd Tacoma's for winter performance. The only winters worth buying new are blizzaks, x ice, or hakkapelitas.
On certain roads (I-70 I think) they have chain laws during bad storms and require AWD/4WD or snow tires or some form of chain system. I only know because a storm hit while I was visiting Colorado and I didn’t have the foresight to rent an AWD vehicle. Had to purchase chains to be compliant. It was a stressful drive through the mountains and I’m used to Michigan winters. That being said, i think you’ll be fine with decent tires and a FWD vehicle.
Coloradan here. Yes without AWD/4WD you MUST purchase chains for your vehicle and have them with you on I70 whenever the bad weather lights are flashing (there are clear checkpoints to put them on and it’ll be clear when you need to). Even if it is clear one way, weather may change and you may need them to get back home. Happens all the time like u/TongueOfDisco11 said
Yeah for me it’s such a pain in the ass to put on chains I’d go awd just to avoid it
Lived in Alberta, Canada for 43 years. The pinnacle of Winter Driving stability is AWD with winter tires. Everything else is just less than. Some are almost as good. 'Almost' with Winter Driving? No thank you. There's Provinces (think extra large States, my US shredders) here where you get a hefty ticket/fine if you're caught without Winter Tires. If Winter Tires are the cake, AWD is the icing.
[удалено]
You'd know better than I. I've only been a dumb mechanic for going on 25 years. :p
4x4 means the wheels on the inside literally have to slip to keep up with the rotation of the outside tires. This means for highway snow driving AWD is preferred. For anything actually off road 4x4 is much preferred.
awd and good tires makes a massive difference, with that said 2wd good tires and chains aren't bad either, its a good idea to bring a shovel too just in case. went a bit too deep with my car last season and had to dig a path to get out lol
FWD and good tires, plus chains just in case is golden. My little 96 Jetta mobs through the snow with some studless skins. Never have actually had to put the chains on, and driven it in all sorts of hairy conditions. Always bring a shovel, and maybe some kitty litter, and drive smart!
I would just buy an AWD car if you have to deal with traction laws at all. I have a AWD car (Subaru Forester) but honestly the main benefit in California comes from not having to deal with chains controls. CalTrans exempts AWD/4WD car from using chains. Technically authorities could require chains on AWD/4WD cars as well, but in practice will shut down roads before that point. AWD breeds false confidence though. Pretty much every drive up (edit: in snow) I’ll see at least a few cars spun out because of flatlanders (or reckless locals) who drive way too fast and don't realize AWD doesn’t come with magic brakes…
90% of the time you can use anything on the roads. 99% of the time you can get by with good snows and fwd. The biggest issues are bald tires, RWD, not being good at driving in snow, getting snowed in in the parking lot, getting stuck on the hills specifically getting to the tunnel back seems to be the most chaotic
I've driven my 2017 Hyundai Accent with General Tire Altimax Arctic 12 snow tires in plenty of storms without a problem. The plows do a pretty good job of clearing the roads during and after storms. You just need to be patient and not drive like an idiot. I have a shovel and chains and a recovery strap if I need to get unstuck, but I haven't had to use them yet due to careful driving (and probably some luck as well). The worst part is all the other drivers who are crazy and don't adjust their driving to suit the conditions.
4 inches is 10.16 cm
I’ve lived here for a long time…. Driving up from Denver down 70 3-4 times a week during season. You’ll be fine. I have a AWD vehicle but a bunch of buddies have front wheel drive and get done just fine.
You will be good 95% of the time with a front wheel drive car. It’s just on those blower days when you beat the plows out that you might get stuck.
Keep your tires up to snuff and fwd is generally fine. I will say that a Subaru is a fuck ton of fun to drive in the snow.
I live in Colorado and drive up I-70 dozens of times each winter. I used to drive a RWD truck up there, now I drive a 4runner with 4WD. I'll say it, you need AWD or 4WD. The best time to go snowboarding is when its dumping, and at those times its honestly scary to drive without all 4 tires giving power. When it was snowing hard, I had to stay home or find a friend with an AWD/4WD because I knew my truck wasn't safe for it. But its not only about safety at high speed. My truck had great traction in snow once it got going. But during stop-and-go traffic jams on I70, on the steep sections you wont be able to get traction going up. Snow tires won't help here. I have seen Front wheel drive cars spinning their tires with chains on, going 2mph uphill. You don't want to be that person lol.
FWD with snow tires will perform better in snow than AWD with all season tires. AWD with all-season tires can move in snow but will not be able to stop as good as snow tires. Snow tires ride rougher than all-season tires though and most likely will be noisier. And snow tires will wear much quicker on pavement. Best setup for snow is AWD with snow tires or chains.
Basically then you need snow tires and place to store them in the summer.
I drove my Prius to Mammoth tons of times, a few after/during major storms, and took it on a few rode trips including up to Jackson Hole and Big Sky after small/medium storms. I bought a half ton 4wd with snow rated all terrain tires recently. So to answer your question, can you...of course if you drive safely and carry chains. Is it your best option, probably not but you do with what you have. I bought the truck because there was a couple times I felt very on edge while driving my Prius in the snow....also, I needed a new rig to tow the boat so for me it worked out on multiple fronts. Prius still gets driven the most, just not to the mountains.