Best Cars for Snowy Weather

Maintenance/Repairs
21

As far as vehicles go, the best ones are those that maximize the amount of weight on the driving wheels. The worst will be a rear-wheel-drive that is nose heavy. A two-wheel-drive pickup truck is the best example. A rear-wheel-drive vehicle with an even weight distribution will be significantly better. Front-wheel-drive is better yet because typically 60% of the weight is carried by the front wheels. (Old, rear-engine, VW beetles and Chevy Corvairs also did well because 60% of their weight was on the rear wheels.) Best of all are all-wheel-drive vehicles because 100% of their weight rests on driving wheels.

There are summer tires, winter tires and all-season tires. Summer tires are hopeless in even a fraction of an inch of snow. Winter tires such as Bridgestone Blizzaks are the best for driving in snow. All-season tires are a compromise, better than summer tires but still significantly inferior to winter tires.

When the snow gets really deep, you need lots of ground clearance. Once you become “high centered”, everything else is irrelevant.

Unless you have to drive frequently in several inches of snow, your Corolla should be adequate. However, you will almost certainly need something better than all-season tires. (I have seen too many front-wheel-drive vehicles with all-season tires spinning their wheels helplessly in a couple of inches of snow on a gentle slope.) The best bet would be an extra set of wheels with good winter tires. Switch to the winter tires at the beginning of winter and go back to the all season tires in the spring.

The next step up is a small, all-wheel-drive vehicle. Examples are Subaru sedans and wagons, Subaru Forester, Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4. (For several years, my winter beater was a Toyota Tercel wagon that could be switched from front-wheel-drive to all-wheel-drive with a lever on the center console. Unfortunately, that model has been out of production for so long that you are unlikely to find one in decent condition.) With all-wheel-drive, you may be able to get away with all-season tires. However, if you have steep hills to climb, you should still get the extra set of wheels and winter tires.

The ultimate is a full size, all-wheel-drive pickup or SUV because of the increased ground clearance. If you need the extra clearance, you also need winter tires.

The down side of all-wheel-drive and/or full size vehicles is that they burn more fuel than your Corolla.

Finally, no matter what your level of preparation, it can simply get too deep for you. When it does, stay home! You won’t get to your destination anyway and you will be better off at home than stuck in the middle of the road part way up a hill.

22

At last…some one else that realizes the falacy of FWD being superior to RWD in slippery weather.
It is not a fallacy. FWD is superior to RWD in slippery conditions, as the majority of the weight of the car is over the driven wheels. This is totally independent of driver ability and experience. That some drivers prefer rear wheel drive has no impact on the physics of the discussion. Preference is opinion. The ability of a given car to maintain traction for any given driver is determined by the amount of tire patch that is touching the road. That is determined entirely by the width and tread depth of the tires and the amount of weight over them. FWD cars put the weight of the engine and transmission over the driven tires, giving them superior traction.
Race cars need ultimate handling…not FWD.
Race cars need ultimate handling on dry roads. So they have wide tires with little or no tread (slicks) to give maximum traction on dry pavement, and the car is designed to put as much downforce over the driven tires as possible through areodynamic effects and weight distribution. If race cars had to race on snow, they would have narrower tires with deep treads and there is a very good chance that they would be FWD if they couldn’t find a way to get the majority of the weight of the vehicle over the rear tires. (Because a car racing on snow would be unlikely to attain the kinds of speeds that cars racing on dry pavement do, the aerodynamic effects that create downforce over the rear tires at speed would be largely ineffective.)
In experienced hands RWD/AWD is always better…FWD is better than RWD in one situation…backing up and out of a steep drivew
As somebody who has been driving in winter conditions for the past 25 years, with both FWD and RWD vehicles, I can assure you that FWD is far superior in slippery conditions. The only thing RWD is better for in snow is doing doughnuts – i.e., losing traction on purpose. The joker who claims he likes RWD in snow because he can get the rear tires to break loose is going to get into serious trouble someday if that’s really what he’s doing. When your rear tires break loose, they are (temporarily, one hopes) out of driver control until they regain traction.

Russ

23

Tire studs are not legal in Wisconsin; they wore out the pavement in the Milwaukee area. Ordinary tires are what I use with no problem. Please have no doubts, front wheel drive is much better in snow than rear wheel drive. I drove rear wheel drive cars for many years until front drive became common. Rear wheel drive is superior until winter arrives, then the reverse is true. Rear wheel drive cars do reasonably well with snow tires, however.

24

As much as I dislike driving FWD cars on dry pavement (very funky handling at the limits), I have to agree that they are superior to RWD in low traction conditions, AWD and 4WD are better still.

The notable exception was my old VW bug with skinny tires and most of the weight over the rear drive wheels, it was pretty decent in slippery conditions.

25

It’s sad that people only read what they want to…please read that…driver experience, weight distribution and auto prep is more important than FWD vs AWD…what ever happened to reading comprehension. So bald tires on a FWD car are better than a a well balance RWD with studded snows…gees…
And again, drive up a slipper hill in FWD with a load in the back (people). I’ve driven everything on a mountain private winter road in Maine…FWD never makes it. RWD compact truck with studded snows and 300 lbs in the back is an animal. It’s driver experience and vehicle preparation…

26

You can try to twist it any way you want… the facts remain the same. FWD is superior to RWD in snow, all else being equal, including driver skill and experience.

Your arguments amount to making things unequal in an attempt to support your point. You theorize about bald tires on a FWD vehicle vs. studs on RWD. Well, duh… of course the RWD vehicle in that scenario would be superior. You theorize about an experienced driver in RWD vs. an inexperienced driver in FWD. Again, duh. You theorize about a vehicle set up with the majority of its weight over the rear wheels due to cargo. For the third time… duh.

For cars of equal curb weight and with similar tires, FWD is superior to RWD in snow. For any given driver, including those experienced with driving in snow, FWD is superior to RWD. It doesn’t matter how experienced you are – you will get better traction with FWD than RWD, because that is a matter of physics and not skill. (This doesn’t mean an experienced driver in RWD couldn’t do better in snow than an inexperienced driver with FWD. But that’s an unequal comparison, and misses the point.)

The physics of the question cannot be argued with. Front wheel drive cars are better than rear wheel drive cars in snow for the general case. You can imagine or invent situations for which exceptions apply, but the exceptions are not the rule.

Russ

27

That’s because your rear wheel drive cars were improperly prepared…weight distribution, snows etc. The problem with FWD is…60% over the fronts when NOT loaded and not climbing hills…that’s why the FWD PU from the VW Rabbit never made it. Traction in snow is about preparation, experience, weight distribution…not FWD vs RWD. A well prepared RWD is superior in high load situations than a FWD…I guess most people never drive FWD with a load (people) in the back… or up steep inclines, or towing a trailor or…I always prepare my cars for unexpected demands, as I would hope most do. FWD has a very limited margin of error and small performance window.

28

Very well said…

29

As I explained previously, I have 25 years experience driving in snow and ice conditions, with both FWD and RWD vehicles. That includes loaded and unloaded vehicles, with people in the back and without, passenger cars and pickup trucks. I have used chains and studs, snowtires and all season, etc.

All else equal, FWD is superior to RWD in snow. Period.

30

It never is equal…sounds like a challenge…period

31

I understand our difference in point of view, and I appreciate it. When I lived in “suburbia” FWD was a mode of transportation in snow, and I survived. From experience (40+) years of driving…now on a mountainous road the learning curve of what works and what doesn’t was greatly accelerated. Your “general” use is diff. from mine. I always encounter hills, I generally carry loads in the back (people). These are not invented situations. Maine is hilly, FWD does not work…RWD works better…“the physics of the question cannot be argued with”…but then, all my RWD vehicles were prepared for winter. When I lived in suburbia my prepared RWD Toyota was always preferred over my prepared FWD Accord, even by my wife, in snow.
Bottom line…drive what you want, just prepare…

32

I agree with the comments that say to keep the car you have now. Having lived in MN for most of 30 years, I have found that it is the way you drive that is most important in inclement weather. Slow down and give yourself PLENTY of clearance from the car in front of you. What I have seen is that people who “think” their vehicle is made for bad weather driving (SUV’s and trucks) are the ones who most often end up in the ditch or worse. I drive 100 miles round trip from the cities to rural MN for my job and I would say 90% of the cars I passed last winter that were in the ditches were SUV’s and trucks…not to mention the minivan that ended up going over the grass median on the highway and plowed straight into a semi. That was over a two hour drive for me to get home because of the weather and the accident and it was horrible to see when I finally passed the accident (of course the man did not survive…nor did the semi driver I think).
But if you drive slow and give yourself plenty of time to react to other cars you should be fine.
I do have to say I love ABS-sometimes the trickiest areas are trying to pull away from a stop sign/light…slippery and you can tend to slide. Go out and practice in a parking lot (empty) :slight_smile: when the first real snow hits. Winter tires are a great idea, but I’ve always used all-season and they have done fine…but with this long commute I may be looking into a good set of winter tires as well-better to be as safe as possible with that long of a drive.

33

All this talk about FWD, RWD and AWD in the snow made me ask what professional race drivers use in the snow. And the answer is not FWD, ever, as suggested by somebody in the above mess. Rally cars in the snow are most sucessful with AWD, and the linked video below shows a porshe RWD carrera running the ring in the snow.

Of course, practice, common sense, snow tires, and and back up bag of kitty litter in the trunk over the axle will make as much of a differance as your choice between a AWD, FWD or RWD car.

If you are really concerned, you can drive all sorts of cars in winter driving classes offered by manufacturers, tire companies, and concerned/profitable entrepreneurs. Lambo in the snow, there is a class for that(with rental lambo), BMW in the snow, class for that, michellin in the snow, class for that.

Or just buy a WRX, snow tires, and a day of lessons, and go from there.

34

I did not say FWD was superior to AWD. I said “all else being equal” (i.e., if you’re not purposefully inventing specialized situations for which exceptions apply), FWD is superior to RWD in snow because the weight of the engine and transmission over the driven tires will give superior traction.

All wheel drive is the best option for going in snow. Front wheel drive is next, and rear wheel drive is the worst. Take note of the original poster’s question comparing typical passenger cars to one another, and realize that he falls into the “general case” scenario.

Finally, remember that a good set of four snow tires on his existing FWD car is a great solution, since they will allow him to stop and turn in slippery conditions – something that AWD doesn’t do. All wheel drive vehicles are often the ones that end up in ditches and snow banks because they are great for getting moving in snow but offer no advantage for stopping or turning. An AWD car with 4 good snow tires is the best choice possible, but FWD with 4 good snows is only a tiny step below that.

Russ

35

No science, just personal experience with these SUV’s and 4x4’s and FWD vehicles in the snow ( 35+winters driving in Canada and New England):
Subaru Forester AWD - ***** The best I’ve ever driven in the winter. (easily handling every Nor’easter so far. Was the only vehicle able to get out of the driveway after a 2ft snow storm. I can’t begin to count the number of cars I’ve driven around while they are stuck getting up hills.)
Toyota Tacoma 4x4 - *** A tad uneasy on ice - it gets where it’s going, but it’s a scary ride.
GMC Jimmy (smaller one) 4x4 - * In the ditch; 360’s; not able to get up hills. A summer vehicle!!
Nissan FWD - *** decent - good climbing snowy hills.
Toyota Corolla RWD - ** OK with snow tires, exciting without.