Unfortunately, the National Weather Service does not plow the back roads. I did go into work one day several years ago when it was one of the rare times that the university closed because of the snow. My wife had to be there, so I went in as well. I had some business to attend as I was chairing my college promotion committee and we were doing reviews. To clarify the issue, I called the associate dean whom I have known for years. He is a country boy as well and had made it in with his 4 wheel drive. At any rate, he asked me what I was doing at work with the university closed. I told him that the institution may be closed for most students, but students in computer science demanded that we have classes. The associate dean then replied, “Well, I’m going to teach my next class of natural resources classes and we are going to have class outdoors in the snow”. I then responded, “I know you and your students don’t have sense enough to get in out of the rain, but I thought you were smart enough to come in out of the snow”.
Now, I am pretty good with a snow shovel. I lived in a place where our drive was about 250 feet long and I shoveled it out several times when the snow was 10" deep. I’ll bet even at 71 I could still do it. However, the snow blower was a great invention and I’m not about to go back to the snow shovel. I’ve driven all kinds of 2 wheel drive vehicles, both front and rear wheel drive through all kinds of conditions to get where I needed or wanted to go. However, the 4 wheel drive makes the travel easier and more secure than a 2 wheel drive just as the snow blower makes clearing the driveway easier and quicker than the show shovel.
As far as 2 wheel drive vehicles are concerned, I think weight distribution makes more difference that which wheels are powered. One of the best snow cars I owned was a 1947 Pontiac. This Pontiac had the flat head 6 instead of the longer flathead straight 8 and the engine was right back against the firewall with a shroud around the fan to pull the air through the radiator. This reduced the weight on the front wheels. I also had two 6 ply 6.50 x 16" truck tires that had been recapped with a snow tread. I could get up slippery or snow covered hills that the more modern vehicles of the 1950s and early 1960s couldn’t negotiate. With its good traction and higher ground clearance I bet it would put many of today’s front wheel drive vehicles to shame in winter driving conditions. The 1990 Ford Aerostar extended minivan I once owned with its rear wheel drive was just as capable if not more so on snow and ice as my present 2011 Toyota Sienna.
I’ve driven many rwd and fwd and 4wd vehicles. 4wd is by far the best…not even a contest.
Very few rwd vehicles come close to a good fwd vehicle in snow. Weight distribution is ONE factor. The hill I grew up on…very few vehicles could make it up that hill when snowing. 4wd pickups (there weren’t too many SUV’s in the 60’s)…and a VW bug could make it. That was it.
The amount of snow is ONE day to me doesn’t justify getting 4wd…It’s the constant snow over a many many days. Even here in NH…4wd isn’t NEEDED. Nice to have…but not needed.
With that said I do have a 4wd (toyota 4runner). But it’s for the days we go skiiing where many times the roads aren’t plowed. And some remote camping I do during the summer. Some of those dirt roads uphill can be a treacherous. I could always go skiing when it’s NOT snowing …and don’t go to my favorite camping area with my sons. But I probably use my 4wd 20-30 times a year.