[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by hollandog

If was amusing to see deep pocket guys driving performance AWD cars that came with summer tires and wonder why they aren't moving in the snow. cough, GTR, S5...etc

Go figure eh, it's just crazy logic, even if you never had to turn or stop, it just makes no sense.

[AGONXF30]

Originally Posted by Araemo

You don't wheel spin in the rain when you gun it in 1st/2nd with TCS off(or in TRACTION mode), or you just drive slower in the rain?

My previous cars got me through all sorts of snow despite not being AWD, but I noticed a definite difference in the ability of my AWD car in the snow, and I am comparing good snow tires to good snow tires. Admittedly very different curb weights, which probably had an effect, but not as much of one as you'd think, as the higher curb weight car also has noticeably larger/wider tires.

My tires just have that good of grip. I barely spin gunning it in sport+.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by Altima

If anyone lives where it looks even remotely like that, they should be thinking about a new place to live, not a new car.

Eh, it's not so bad.

I've been living in the same city for 20+ years now, we get at least 20+ days like these (or worse) every year (photo taken after dropping off my kids at school, on my way to work).

[Araemo]

Originally Posted by AGONXF30

My tires just have that good of grip. I barely spin gunning it in sport+.

In heavy rain?

[NitroLX]

was looking at the first few post.. so idk if this has been answered.. but i live in NY so we get snow here.. im looking at a RWD 428.. thoughts?

Stay away or it will be fine with some nice snow tires.. always had AWD this would be the first RWD car if i get it..

[Araemo]

Originally Posted by NitroLX

was looking at the first few post.. so idk if this has been answered.. but i live in NY so we get snow here.. im looking at a RWD 428.. thoughts?

Stay away or it will be fine with some nice snow tires.. always had AWD this would be the first RWD car if i get it..

Snow tires are amazing. RWD with snows is good enough. AWD with snows is better.

[donkey]

Originally Posted by NitroLX

was looking at the first few post.. so idk if this has been answered.. but i live in NY so we get snow here.. im looking at a RWD 428.. thoughts?

Stay away or it will be fine with some nice snow tires.. always had AWD this would be the first RWD car if i get it..

I would just look at the number of days in a year that it snows in your area, and then out of those, the number of days that you absolutely HAVE to drive, and then decide if it's worth it based on that.

I try to avoid driving in the snow even with AWD or snow tires because even if you're fine that doesn't mean everyone else is.

Where I'm at it snows maybe 5 days a year... and I never have to drive on those days so RWD is a no-brainer.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by NitroLX

was looking at the first few post.. so idk if this has been answered.. but i live in NY so we get snow here.. im looking at a RWD 428.. thoughts?

Stay away or it will be fine with some nice snow tires.. always had AWD this would be the first RWD car if i get it..

Yes, it has been answered, but depends who you ask, the answers differ.
You should go back read the whole thread, it's entertaining, and you will learn a thing or two maybe. Some give advice based on personal experience some, just give advice based on car commercials ("have snow must buy AWD" type of thing) without having actually tried both drivetrains on snow with winter tires.

Long story short, my advice, based on personal experience is that you should be just fine with RWD and good winter tires, nothing to worry about.
AWD with winter tires is of course even better but NOT with all season tires.

[NitroLX]

Originally Posted by Bbb34

Yes, it has been answered, but depends who you ask, the answers differ.
You should go back read the whole thread, it's entertaining, and you will learn a thing or two maybe. Some give advice based on personal experience some, just give advice based on car commercials ("have snow must buy AWD" type of thing) without having actually tried both drivetrains on snow with winter tires.

Long story short, my advice, based on personal experience is that you should be just fine with RWD and good winter tires, nothing to worry about.
AWD with winter tires is of course even better but NOT with all season tires.

welll for the past 12 years.. i have driven AWD with all seasons.. this would be my first RWD with good snow tires.. and people say that is better then awd with all season.. idk what is true or not.. but i think i want to try RWD for once.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by NitroLX

welll for the past 12 years.. i have driven AWD with all seasons.. this would be my first RWD with good snow tires.. and people say that is better then awd with all season.. idk what is true or not.. but i think i want to try RWD for once.

Tires are the key, no doubt about that.

AWD with winter tires is stunning good in snow.
AWD with all seasons is something you can get away with, depends how much snow you have in your area.

Take some time to read through the thread, lots of good advice given, everything now would be just repeating what's been said already.

[ouengineer]

I already have an extremely high powered rwd car (and one that doesn't have any stupid nannies to turn off when you want to fishtail all across the road either). It was a ton of fun in my youth.

Now I want a different driving experience. I want traction. All the time and in all conditions. I've also always wanted an STi. AWD was the requirement when I went looking for a car, and I love it. I can apply throttle in corners where I couldn't before and there's always traction at low speeds in even extremely wet conditions. I've finally got my luxury STi.

[Araemo]

Originally Posted by ouengineer

I already have an extremely high powered rwd car (and one that doesn't have any stupid nannies to turn off when you want to fishtail all across the road either). It was a ton of fun in my youth.

Now I want a different driving experience. I want traction. All the time and in all conditions. I've also always wanted an STi. AWD was the requirement when I went looking for a car, and I love it. I can apply throttle in corners where I couldn't before and there's always traction at low speeds in even extremely wet conditions. I've finally got my luxury STi.

Yeah, I would probably have gotten an WRX/STi instead of my previous car if it hadn't been so.. disappointing inside. Sounds like we had similar buying requirements/priorities.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by AGONXF30

To each their own. But I have a AWD, a FWD, and RWD cars and my RWD gets me everywhere. I don't even wheel spin in the rain. Most of you just need better tires.

Or you need more power

[BMW11]

back when I had a 1969 Chevy Nova 350 I used Snow Tires in the Rear. Most people back then in 1960's only used snows in rear only for rear wheel drive... Now rear wheel drive vehicles put Snows on both back and front... why? what is the reason? was this discussed in the thread?

[NiskyOB]

Originally Posted by NitroLX

was looking at the first few post.. so idk if this has been answered.. but i live in NY so we get snow here.. im looking at a RWD 428.. thoughts?

Stay away or it will be fine with some nice snow tires.. always had AWD this would be the first RWD car if i get it..

I'm in upstate NY and currently drive a 440i GC RWD. I run winter tires from about Dec 1 to April 1. With modern snow removal in most areas it's rarely a problem - you just need to use common sense driving. I've had Xdrive with winter tires and there's no doubt it's better in deep snow, especially going up hills, but now that's it's warm I'm so glad I went RWD this time. Save the $2K.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by BMW11

back when I had a 1969 Chevy Nova 350 I used Snow Tires in the Rear. Most people back then in 1960's only used snows in rear only for rear wheel drive... Now rear wheel drive vehicles put Snows on both back and front... why? what is the reason? was this discussed in the thread?

No ABS or power or electric steering back then, either, or stability, traction...etc.

Quite simple actually.
Steering grip, braking, lateral grip are all enhanced with good winter tires on front wheels.
In fact, I always put less worn pair of winter tires on front wheels and know many that believe that's the right thing to do. Think about it, you can have all the grip in the world on your rear wheels, if you can't turn, it's good for nothing.

I think back in the day it was more cost saving measure, than safest and "right/proper" thing to do.

[NitroLX]

Originally Posted by NiskyOB

I'm in upstate NY and currently drive a 440i GC RWD. I run winter tires from about Dec 1 to April 1. With modern snow removal in most areas it's rarely a problem - you just need to use common sense driving. I've had Xdrive with winter tires and there's no doubt it's better in deep snow, especially going up hills, but now that's it's warm I'm so glad I went RWD this time. Save the $2K.

haha yea, if it snows i wont drive usually.. its after they plow so idk what im worried about.

[Blubaron79]

Originally Posted by AGONXF30

My tires just have that good of grip. I barely spin gunning it in sport+.

Until you end up on YouTube

[Araemo]

Originally Posted by Bbb34

No ABS or power or electric steering back then, either, or stability, traction...etc.

Quite simple actually.
Steering grip, braking, lateral grip are all enhanced with good winter tires on front wheels.
In fact, I always put less worn pair of winter tires on front wheels and know many that believe that's the right thing to do. Think about it, you can have all the grip in the world on your rear wheels, if you can't turn, it's good for nothing.

I think back in the day it was more cost saving measure, than safest and "right/proper" thing to do.

Not quite correct. I know what you mean about steering, but the reason you want snows on the rear in all cars is understeer vs oversteer. Understeer is more predictable for the average driver, and results in the car merely not turning. Oversteer is much more difficult for the average driver to predict, and once it happens, the car still goes 'straight', but it spins at the same time. Which one is safer, sliding forward into oncoming traffic with the big crumple zone between you, or spinning so you hit oncoming traffic sideways with minimal crumple zones beside you? It's the same reason OEMs tend to engineer in a small amount of understeer, even on very 'neutral' cars like the F30. And that's why they always said if you only buy two snows, put them on the back, even in FWD vehicles.

4 snows is better, and rotate them so they don't become unevenly worn front/back. The snows I used this year wore twice as fast on the rear, but there's enough left if I swap them front/rear next year, they'll both be down to about 4/32nds at the end of the winter, and it'll be time for another set for the year after.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by Araemo

Not quite correct. I know what you mean about steering, but the reason you want snows on the rear in all cars is understeer vs oversteer.

I agree with you on wear, rears of course, wear so much faster for me too.

Also not sure if I explained what I meant very well, I didn't mean that if you go with two only, you should put winter tires on you front wheels, I just always put my "better pair" on front wheels.

At the end of the last winter, my rears were completely gone, and we had few snow days still left. Because I was aware of the state they were in, I was driving ultra cautiously and as a result didn't have any issues with oversteer and rear end moving on me all that much. However I feel that if my front tires were in that same state, it wouldn't be nearly as easy to manage. It's nearly impossible to make that initial turn in (and keep lateral grip), something I witnessed playing around with my summer tires in the snow (legal disclaimer - deserted roads/parking lot, first snow fall, years ago, just for the sake of experiencing it).

But you are correct, it's just different way of loosing it (and managing), front continuing where it was pointing before Vs. rear end wrapping around you. My logic is just that due to turn in and breaking, slightly better pair should always go on the front.

Never really tried with only two winter tires, no matter what car and drivetrain I had.

[BMW11]

still dont understand why they didn't put snow tires on the fronts of the 1960's cars as the rubber on the rear snows was softer for cold weather and the fronts no-one put snows on the fronts and the rubber was not engineered for cold temps my 1969 nova would of be like a tank in the snow if i thought to put snows on front also but nobody did that, that I knew. its like the engineers and tire manufactures FORGOT to Push the Public to use snow tires on alll 4 wheels it was a mistake they forgot to try to sell 4 tires to people when they should of been selling 4