I'm moving to West Virginia because I hate city living.
Never lived anywhere that regularly got snow before.
Do I need 4WD for the winter, or is RWD good enough if I get proper snow tires?
Do I need a 4x4 for snow?
I'm moving to West Virginia because I hate city living.
Never lived anywhere that regularly got snow before.
Do I need 4WD for the winter, or is RWD good enough if I get proper snow tires?
how about a ski.
West Virginia doesn't get enough snow to worry about
As a nearby appalachian, I would say mostly this. But I would also say that somweher on the scale from fnacy tires to decent AWD is going to help a lot when the weather sucks. 4x4 not required unless you're plowing snow or really way out in nowhere.
you'll be fine with RWD and decent tires assuming you're not a moronic driver who is going to slam on the brakes and slide into a tree at the first snow fall. Nothing will save you from that fate. Optimally if you had to choose, of course 4WD, AWD, FWD would all be more viable options for places with shot loads of snow but WV doesn't get hit that bad.
Snow tires > 4WD
4WD doesn't help you stop
Both is best
I live in the mediterranean, when I first encountered snow I had 40% worn summer tyres and 333hp to the rear wheels, it was a trip up north.
You should be fine, just don't be moronic.
Steep terrain I'd say AWD or 4wd. 2wd with an lsd and you are ok chaining tires now and then. I don't think it snows enough in WV to sweat it. Just stay home when it does.
>RWD in the snow
better off with front ya cuck. RWD notorious for being bad in the snow
Vvws8
You can't drive if you think fwd is better than rwd
>I will handicap myself with red so I can pretend to be le epik driff rayserrrrz
>You can't drive if you think fwd is better than rwd
FWD btfo RWD in snow. That's a fact
How? Try to drive straight, car pulls you into a ditch. Want to take corner, car wants to go straight. It's stupid and backwards. I drove my rwd boat with no traction control all winter and had the time of my life. When I sat in my mom's car it just pissed me off because the wheels that are meant for turning are spinning
FWD has the advantage of being able to articulate the driven wheels, so you can often get out of trouble spots without needing help or a winch. RWD has a tendency to just dig a hole and get you more stuck. Of course, there's ways to deal with this and there's not really any terrain that *can't* be traversed by a RWD vehicle, but it's not ideal for loose surface like mud, snow, and sand. 4WD combines the best of both, AWD is hit or miss depending on how it's set up.
you can go fast as frick with a fwd on bendy roads in snow, if you start to lose grip just let off the gas then give it more gas when you can, drift(understeer? i always mix those up) that shit and torque-steer your front wheel drift in and out of the turns. with some inertia, you can even drift with your back end.
when your tires get worn, and its harder to maintain control, mash the gas and spin the tires at the same time.
when i had my 1.9 tdi with fwd on snow, i would always, and i mean always drive past fancy cars in the snow, and take the turns at twice or more their speed leaving them far the frick behind. it was hilarious.
but yeah, fwd works in snow too, just get proper snow tires, studded if you can/if its worth it. you might run into a problem if you meet steep hills, but if you keep your speed up and dont let go of the gas, you'll be laughing.
also yeah, dont get too wide tires. when they start to get used up and lose grip, aka wear down, they REALLY lose grip quick.
Also, do what this anon said:
>Just be smart, get yourself into intentional skids (empty parking lot) to learn what to do, so you don't have to do on the job training as you slide between school kids and a semi your first time.
this shit honestly be mandatory. sure, you can explain the theory with lots of fricking words, but you learn quicker doing controlled shit and experience it for yourself.
and if you truly want to go innawoods in winter on snow and ice, get something with 4wd with a hi/lo setting.
with all that being said, i have been driving awd for a while now, still not half as confident in the twisty turns as i was in my little fwd shitbox.
t. snowBlack person
narrow 185/60 tires seemed to work 4me in snow around 8 inches deep
modern cars with wider tires would float on the surface and fail to gain traction
Get a Subaru with some good all seasons.
If you've got lots of land what's stopping you from having 2 cars?
Morgantown west virginia only gets 28 inches of snow per year, likely from 20 or more snow events. An inch of falling snow is likely under a half inch on the road, you should just keep good tires on your vehicle. I live in northern Pa, I80 corridor, more than twice as much annual snow. We mock people with 4 wheel drives, because you might need 4wd 5 times a year tops here, the other 360 days you are just hauling around a literal ton of extra shit, that costs thousands to maintain. Just be smart, get yourself into intentional skids (empty parking lot) to learn what to do, so you don't have to do on the job training as you slide between school kids and a semi your first time.
I-80 bro knows what's up. He might also know about the wind off lake erie and lake effect snow. Wouldn't necessarily want a 4x4 even there because you're fighting crosswinds and usually it's plowed and salted.
Fir snow: RWD normal tyres < FWD normal tyres < 4x4 normal tyres < RWD winter tyres < FWD winter tyres < 4x4 winter tyres <
>fwd better than rwd
This bait again. And you didn't list viscous awd, center diff awd, on demand fawd, esoteric electronic axle couplings ala focus
>This bait again
Not bait, simple physics. Drag a car by the front wheels and it’ll track straight; push it from the back and it can fishtail unless you know what you’re doing. Plus on low-mu surfaces you don’t get weight transfer, so the weight distribution of FWD (more over front axle) works in your favour. This is why old Minis were such giant-killing rally cars
I know, you’ve drunk the “FWD bad” koolaid and you don’t appreciate that’s not a 100% correct position
>Drag a car by the front wheels and it’ll track straight; push it from the back and it can fishtail
If the road isn't perfectly horizontal fwd tries to pull me off the road. In a rwd I just mash the throttle and turn the wheel where I want to go and it will go in that direction, albeit sideways
>Plus on low-mu surfaces you don’t get weight transfer, so the weight distribution of FWD (more over front axle) works in your favour
Not sure about this. I think the weight distribution advantage exists momentarily before the car starts moving, even on low friction surfaces. I may be wrong
>I know, you’ve drunk the “FWD bad” koolaid and you don’t appreciate that’s not a 100% correct position
I daily a fwd in the summer because I'm poor. It doesn't have enough power for driven wheels to matter. I'm aware of the cost advantage, efficiency and room savings.
Valid point. But it only goes so far. Reminds me of the time when I got beached on a foot of snow when I did a handbrake turn in my employers parking lot
get a winter beater with something not-RWD and proper winter tires
you didn't say money is tight so I assume you can swing $5k or $10k for a solid winter beater
your main car will thank you by lasting 2x longer
How republican do you have to be to argue over RWD or FWD
not always, but it depends upon the roads. i had a 88 oldsmbile omega when i lived in colorado, but i was already at elevation, so there were no significant hills to navigate. didn't really have working breaks either, so stopping involved cracking another beer as you slowly slide into a mailbox, or a snow bank or whatever. just kind of creeped real slow most places. i would say 2wd with a locker would be pretty entertaining.
Clearance, a good set of tires and supplies are just as important as 4x4 imo. You're going to want a truck regardless because it's really easy to rip off bumpers and get stuck with a car in the dead of winter after a fresh snow.
I get around in a 2wd truck in rural Canada. Just put a little weight in the rear and carry a shovel and boards in case I do get stuck.
Also put together some supplies as an emergency kit; blanket, gloves, first aid kit, jump start cables, tow strap, knife and lighter. Make sure your spare has air and your jack is all there.
2wd is all fun and games until you accidentally slide into a ditch and need to get yourself out. You're pretty screwed with RWD, FWD and even most slip and pray AWD systems. At least with 4x4 you have a slight chance of crawling out and not spending the night in the middle of nowhere when it's -30. I mean I can get my RWD work trucks and vans unstuck but it takes several minutes of redlining and neutral/reverse bombs to do it. That's fine when it's not my vehicle but I would rather not do that to my personal vehicles.
Thanks for the advice, everyone.
proper snow tires are underrated. so many frickwits thinking AWD or 4WD is mandatory in the snow. But then you pass these kinds of people driving pigfat trucks and suvs in your little fwd/rwd shitbox because you just drove slowly and had great snow tires.