I have a 2007 Chevy Impala SS. It has front wheel drive. We live on a suburban road which has curves and steep inclines. Driving in heavy snow is not too much fun unless you have a 4 wheel drive. My husband, who has the carbon footprint of bigfoot, wants to get a Trailblazer. I want snow tires! Will a good snow tire give us adequate traction? as good as a four wheel drive suv?
If it is a viable option, what kind of tire do you recommend?
Thanks Guys!
Blizzack WS-50 or WS-60 or REvo, Michelin X-Ice, Nokian Hakka, Nokian RSI are all good choices. I would recommend looking at www.tirerack.com for a wheel/rims combo that comes shipped mounted/balanced. The reason is you have large rims on your car 17" or 18" that are quite expensive to buy winter tires for. You can likely downsize your wheels to 15" or 16" bringing down the cost of tires enough to make the rim purchase viable. You also keep your pretty rims nice from winter muck and salt.
Your car equipped with any of the above winter tires will likely be better than an SUV equipped with all-seasons except in the deepest of snow where you run out of clearance. It definitely will be much more stable and give you superior stopping ability.
You will be AMAZED at the traction for going and for cornering once you get winter tires. And, perhaps even more important, your stopping distance on snow and ice will be dramatically reduced. Just remember to exercise caution, even after mounting your winter tires. I strongly recommend the Michelin X-Ice tire for its incredible snow and ice traction PLUS its great dry road handling (something lacking in most winter tires) and its decent tread life, which is also usually lacking in the competition’s winter tires.
Also–check your Owner’s Manual to see if you can start driving in second gear. Many Ford products have this feature, as do Honda and Subaru, and it is a very good way to reduce wheel spin on a very slippery surface. I don’t think that GM has this feature, but it is worth checking.
A good snow tire will make a huge difference. But it won’t put a smile on Bigfoot’s face. That may require the Trailblazer.
Thank you CarTalk Friends! I appreciate your sound advice!
Safe driving to you all!
Just remind your husband that 4WD is good for getting you out of the ditch you slid into, but it is no better than FWD in avoiding going into it to begin with. Winter (as snow tires are called now) tyres are better than 4WD at avoiding that ditch to begin with and will help out out if you insist on going there.
The snow tyres will stop you faster than 4WD. They will keep you on the road better than 4WD. Go for the winter tyres. Keep that carbon foot print reasonable.
Just remind your husband that 4WD is good for getting you out of the ditch you slid into, but it is no better than FWD in avoiding going into it to begin with
Oh yes it is…4wd has FAR BETTER traction in snow then fwd…I’ll take a 4wd with decent all-season truck tires over a fwd system with 4 of the best snow tires you can buy any time there’s snow on the ground.
I agree that 4WD is best for getting out of a ditch, but AWD is definitely the best way to get going, and to stay going in your intended direction during bad winter road conditions. However, even with AWD, traction control and vehicle stability control, I still use a set of Michelin X-Ice tires in the winter. As has been said, the cost of winter tires, in effect, provides some additional “insurance” for the driver.
Four high-quality winter tires will make a HUGE difference in your Impala’s behavior in snow. I’m assuming they plow your suburban road, so unless you plan to drive off-road, or through a foot of unplowed snow, you should be fine with winter tires. Get FOUR, not two. You want equal traction at both ends of the car to minimize the possibility of a spin.
4wd has FAR BETTER traction in snow then fwd.
No, Mike, you’re dead wrong. As has been pointed out many times before, AWD or 4WD will be more likely to get you OUT of the ditch. BUT, driving all four wheels will do nothing to keep you from sliding sideways into the ditch in the first place. Look around you… it’s mostly 4WDs off the road because their drivers are idiots who think the laws of physics are suspended for them because they’ve got a hulking big SUV. Power to a wheel isn’t going to keep it from breaking loose on a slick curve (in fact, it might even increase the chances).
You haven’t a clue…
Those idiots who have 4wd systems who are in the ditch are there because they were driving way too fast…They think because they have 4wd they can drive as fast as they want.
In a fwd car there is NOTHING controlling the rear of the vehicle. 4wd is controlling both the front and the back. You have FAR BETTER control of your vehicle in 4wd then in a fwd vehicle.
Why do you think Plow trucks are 4wd??? Try plowing a 10" snow storm in 2wd…First off they I don’t know of ANY vehicle that will even have a tow option for a fwd vehicle.
I suggest you actually DRIVE a 4wd vehicle before you make those stupid comments.
I have this nice little hill in Upstate NY…I’d LOVE to see you try to make it up 1/10th the way up the hill in ANY fwd vehicle or rwd vehicle during one of the 20 or 30 10" snow storms they get a year…NO WAY…NO HOW…
Many large plow trucks are dumps that are only RWD.
On the converse try a FWD vehicle equipped with the best winter tires(Blizzacks, Michelin X-ice) in the snow and you’ll be surprised at the control and stopping power.
I compromise and use winter rated all-season tires (Nokian WR’s) on a Subaru (excellent AWD) and have no issue in anything.
Many large plow trucks are dumps that are only RWD.
That’s because of the shear weight…SEVERAL TONS. Most of our roads are cleared by contractors driving 4wd pickups.
On the converse try a FWD vehicle equipped with the best winter tires(Blizzacks, Michelin X-ice) in the snow and you’ll be surprised at the control and stopping power.
NEVER SAID that FWD isn’t good…I did say that 4WD IS BETTER. There’s no question that 4wd is FAR better in snow then the BEST FWD using the BEST snow tires.
I compromise and use winter rated all-season tires (Nokian WR’s) on a Subaru (excellent AWD) and have no issue in anything.
And I’d probably have bought a vehicle like that if I didn’t need the class III towing capacity to tow my trailer for camping.
I agree with Mike. I have 4x4, fwd and rwd. By far, the 4x4 offers superior performance in snow and not just getting going but in traveling on snow. That is why people tend to overdrive them. They forget there’s limitations. One example I can give is with wheel spin. The extra drivetrain load tends to balance out and produce far fewer (if any) instances of wheel spin when you hit an icy or slippery spot. The tendancy for end swapping is reduced. I’ll choose my 4x4 in snow over any of my other choices.
Easy there, Tiger.
But you are correct. Four- or all-wheel-drive provides better traction in snow than either FWD or RWD (traction control or limited slip differentials notwithstanding). To the naysayers, I am referring only to the ability to attain and maintain forward motion, not stopping ability. Cornering ability may be slightly improved also if used judiciously.
I agree, 4WD will get you moving at times when nether RWD or FWD will. Once you are up to speed it makes little difference, but sometimes having 4 wheels pulling (instead of 2, or just 1) is what you really need to get moving, especially on hills.
Okay article on merit of winter tires vs all-seasons vs AWD vs FWD:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/winter-driving-405-winter-driving-safety-winter-tires/
In my opinion, AWD and 4WD are not necessary for most drivers. I’ve read the other posters in this thread about how they can climb hills over unplowed roads with their 4WD or whatever, but is that what you really need or want to do? No. Most people just want to get to work or the grocery store and they are going to wait until the road is plowed.
FWD with good snow tires is plenty for the average person if they are using reasonable caution and not trying to prove their manhood somehow.
Is AWD or 4WD better? Sure, but only for conditions that most people won’t drive in anyway.
I agree, FWD is a decent compromise most of the time, if you want to own one vehicle that is “OK” for everything. Personally, I would rather have multiple vehicles. I would rather have RWD (sucks in the snow) than FWD (sucks in dry conditions) for daily use; and a 4WD (sucks for everything except deep snow) for the rare occasions when it’s needed. Honestly, I could really do without the 4WD, but my wife likes to have it around.