How bad are rear wheel drives in snow?

Question

My parents were going to buy me a car as a grad present and got a decent job offer already...i figure i can afford a 25K car....figured shoot for 40 ish.
Anyways, i wanted the 350Z nismo and my parents agreed until they found out it was rear wheel drive and then freaked out. Said it won't move in snow....and will fly off the road in rain. I live in central PA right now. Most northern job offer is D.C. I figure they get snow, but not as much as here.
I know rear wheel isn't the best with snow....but is it that bad with snow / rain.

The dealer would have to special order it too and was trying to convince us to get a car they had on the lot instead and was talking about how horrible the nismo is.

My dad cites that his van is rear wheel drive (1980 chevy) and it won't move in snow as the number one reason...mixed with the dealer saying the car is bad. Not sure if the dealer just exaggerated so we'd buy one of the cars he already had...or if my parents are over reacting

Yeah i'm pretty use to snow driving. I did spin out once when i was 17...was only going about 30....landed in the median and the road was fairly empty.....been super cautious ever since when it comes to snow.

well not super cautious..but stopped driving like a teenager.

Answer 1

They're as good as the driver and the tires.

I learned to drive in Alaska, in winter, in a 1977 Nova with bald tires. The only time I ever had trouble was when I didn't shovel the driveway off winter and accidentally parked too close to the edge of the packed down area.

RWD will move just as well as FWD in snow, particularly if you put weight in the trunk. The problem is that it is more likely to spin if you lose traction in the drive wheels. You can actually use this to your advantage in some situations (1 point turn), but generally you'll want to avoid it.

With good snow tires, and a light touch on the gas, though, the difference between RWD and FWD is minimal. Just be sure you have an intuitive understanding of what to do in a skid (steer into the skid, stay gently on the gas, do NOT slam on the brakes). You don't have time to THINK about this, you have to do it as naturally as breathing. (I did without having to be told, but then I'd ridden bicycles on ice and the principle is the same.)

Also you won't fly off the road in the rain if you get good street tires and don't drive like an idiot. Drive for conditions ALL THE TIME and you'll be fine.

Oh, and your dad's van would move in snow if your dad knew what he was doing.

All this said...are you REALLY sure you can handle this? That's a lot of power to have on tap to go through wheels which will be able to handle very little (honestly, on ice, anything past the first 50 horsepower is pointless for daily driving). You really will need to have a light touch on the gas to drive a car like this in the winter. If you really want this car, spend an extra 1500 bucks and get a winter beater.

Your dealer is a lying sack of ****, too. Go elsewhere, tell him why.

Answer 2

Rear wheel drive cars are not always bad in snow. It depends on weight distribution. Front wheel drive tends to be better because most of the weight is over the drive and turning wheels. A 350z in snow is a tough car to drive. If you are cautious and experienced its drivable, however it is also a very low car especially the nismo and you may run into problems if you get more than a few inches of snow. Get a winter beater for $500 and the 350z.

Answer 3

Really it depends on two things: the weight of the car and how you drive it.

I also live in central PA and drove a rear-wheel Mercury Cougar. It was sort of light i guess, and it did just fine in the snow. I knew that since it was rear wheel driven it would have a tendency to spin out if i gave it too much gas. It was the first vehicle I drove in the snow, and never wrecked. I also had an F150 that was primarily rear wheel as well, and of course it didn't have a problem in the snow either.

I can understand your parents' concern, but i think they are going a little overboard. If you've ever driven in snow, especially so. It'd be different if you've recently moved to PA. But in PA, we're no stranger to snow.

Answer 4

There is no problem with rear-wheel drive. Look at cop cars and taxis, 90% of them are rear-wheel drive, and they don't park them when the snow comes down. Mercedes makes rear drive cars, Pontiac is going back to rear drive as well, because they are good to drive. However, you need the right tyres, and the right balance. Sports-type cars are not as good in snow as sedans, and anybody that has touring tyres on will fly off the road at the first snow-flake. A nice rear drive sedan with proper winter tyres is no problem to drive in snow. A 350Z is a touring car, it is not a good first winter car at all. I have driven Chev and Plymouth sedans, and Ford wagons, all rear drive in the winter, and never had a problem in 42 years. I have front drive now, and the only real difference is, the front drive will get going in snow easier on an uphill grade.

Most people with cars like Mustangs, Camaros, Z-cars, and other rear-drive sports-type cars park them for the winter and drive something more appropriate, like a Buick sedan, a Corolla, something with a little less power (power is useless in snow, and less than useless on ice).

Answer 5

Look at some of the all wheel drive Subaru models. They are great in the snow. Any thing with light weight and with good front / rear weight balance will work fine. What makes most rear wheel drives spin out is that they are light in the back end. Front wheel drive has all the weight over the drive wheels and they pull rather than push.

Answer 6

Instead of the 350Z you could try for the safer WRX, which is AWD (better than RWD or FWD in snow). Most of these cars are open diff or limited slip, so you still only have one or two wheels turning. The best bet is to get a used WRX for as good of a deal as you can find, since those have the best handling.

I never really see snow, and the one time I drove in it, I had max traction tires on my truck. I kept it in 2wd and it was fine, but it's also an SUV (chevy blazer). But probably wouldn't be great with a car, since I had the comfort of knowing I have 4wd.

Answer 7

I live in the UK and always have RWD cars and blimey it rains a lot here.Even writing this iam off out in my car and its raining hard and has been all night.
As said how many people own RWD cars and they dont put them away when it rains or snows.
To be fair you have to be more careful with a powerful engine in the snow and rain when starting off and cornering but the same carefulness as with a FWD.
At the end of the day enjoy the car and if the weathers that bad i wouldnt take any car out.
As for the Subaru great cars but Subaru vs buying a 350z sorry z in a Superior class.

Answer 8

The RWD is not bad in the rain. But if the car is RWD with possi-traction then it can be VERY bad in the rain. I grew up on RWD and never had any problem in the rain. Then one day I drove my friend's Trans Am in the rain. I was all over the road. It scared the crap out of me. Remember I grew up on RWD so it was the possi-traction not the RWD. I suspect that it might have improved since then.

But on dry road there no fun like RWD.
====
As for the snow, RWD isn't that much better or worse than FWD in my opinion. I drive a Civic but I also now drive Audi AWD. There's no substitute for AWD in the snow.

Good Luck and drive safe.

Answer 9

Although it is true that front wheel drive have better traction, I don't think you can't hardly compare it to a van, how you drive is most important, wheather in front wheel drive or rear i certainly don't recomend that you drive in snow and ice. As far as rain is concerned drive slower with good tires you'll be fine. With that said don't get the Z, Check out acura 3.2L TL coupe, real nice. I have 350Z its ok just ok.

Answer 10

Thousands of people drove rear wheel drive cars for over fifty years, how do you think they did it? They learned to drive in the snow, which is what you have to do with front wheel drive cars also! It helps if you are a careful, ;and smart driver!