Is AWD really that necessary if you live in a place that snows during the winter?

Question

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsS5P91DvyilGTVr3gvPmP3sy6IX?qid=20070412232322AASiBUG

In my other question, i was thinking about getting a used car with AWD and an answerer said that AWD is not recommended and FWD is better....is that true?

you can answer that other question if you'd like.

but doesnt AWD help prevent you from sliding? i remember my friend telling me that he went skiing in his Toyota Camry (i think it was FWD only) and he slid off the road and went into a tree...

Answer 1

Wow. Ok here is the thing you have to think about. First how much and how often does it snow. Second do the roads get plowed. AWD gives you better traction and stability in all kinds of weather. How many years have you driven? how have you lived with out it so far? For years people just had 2wd then came 4wd and now awd. AWD uses more gas, costs more to fix, costs more to buy. What you should be more concerened with is the car itself. I personally like cars with all wheel drive if I am Up north. The Audi quatro is nice, the subaru is nice as is the Awd Ford 500 and Mercury Milan. If you told me where you are I could better advise you because I would know the percentage of the days in the winter the roads are snow covered. I mean really what are the percentage of days in the average year that the roads are snow covered. I mean if your thinking about getting a awd or 4wd vehicle and the roads are only covered 10% of the year or less I would not bother with the extra expence. I drive a fwd car and unless its a blizzard out I get through fine. I mean they do usually plow the roads sooner or later. So you might have to say put till they do. Or you be like some of our high end clients in NY are , they have 4 cars one for each season. If your in NY and you see a gold Lexus SUV with matching ski rack going towards New Hampshire and vermont. Wave hi. Its one of my 4 car clients. It will drive him nuts. The real issue here is what you need the car do so 90% of the time. and getting the best bang for your buck. Can the car your looking that do what you need it to do? Is it comfortable, its the gas mileage decent? Does it crash well? Is it cheep to maintain? This is what you need to ask yourself. Well I rambled on enough on this issue.

Answer 2

An emphatic "NO!" Front wheel drive is a compromise. It maximizes the interior space of a car, keeps the external size down, and allows a lighter overall construction which saves gas. But the tradeoff is that it FEELS stable when you drive past the point where the back wheels have traction and are just being dragged along. So if you pass that point (which you never notice) and take your foot off the gas, the front wheels try to slow the car and the back end (with no traction left) slides out and you start to spin. Putting chains on the front tires helps you go, but it makes the stopping problem even worse. The soution is to put chains or even good snow tires on the back, but who does that? I drive front wheel drive cars simply because they get good mileage. If the weather turns bad, I know how to handle it. But it was always irresponsible for the manufacturers to claim that they were "good" in the snow. I've advised people who came back and said, "You were right!" FWD isn't bad, but you have to know its limitations.

Answer 3

Okay, to say FWD is better than AWD for traction is just stupid. Having power to all four wheels will definitely help move you in snow. Now, some AWD systems are complicated and can lead to extra cost for repairs.

Is AWD necessary? No. Is it helpful? Yes.

AWD will help prevent you from getting stuck. But for the most part 2WD is just fine.

Answer 4

Massachusetts manhattan Connecticut new Jersey Michigan Illinois Indiana Ohio Pennsylvania Maryland Iowa Wisconsin Minnesota Colorado maximum of Utah maximum of Idaho the better elevations in New Mexico and Arizona

Answer 5

false awd drive is much better think about it just your front wheels with power or all 4 ? why can a 4x4 go where a 2wd cant ? if you have awd in the snow you dont have to have chains .. in the snow a front wheel drive car does ? you tell me

Answer 6

I would choose 4 wheel drive. Orf a set of chains for the other car.

Answer 7

front wheel drive is great in winter. It's great for recovering from slides and such...probably the best next to 4wd

-Rob

Answer 8

absolutely mann... 4wd is the fastest on ice.. studs is one thing..

full-time 4WD is the best..!!