Is 4WD/AWD a neccesity on your ski vehicle?

[ski220]

I am agonizing over what to replace my current ski vehicle with. My last 6 have been 3 Subarus, a Audi 4004 Quattro, a Jeep Cherokee (not Grand) and now a Volvo station wagon. All 4WD except the Volvo, which is AWD.

Prior to those cars I always had 2WD (rear) vehicles and never really had a problem in the snow. Even when I lived in Colorado. I would just put the beefiest snow tires on. Worked better then FWD with all season radials.

So. Is anybody running 2WD or are all the hard corer skiers sporting 4WD/AWD?

 

[RootDKJ]

Here's the rundown of my last few cars...

2003 Toyota Rav4 4WD - great in the snow
2005 Chevy Colorado - Inline 5 cylinder engine, no weight. Death trap in the snow.
2006 Chevy Malibu V6 - FWD, never had any problems
2008 Ford Escape Hybrid - AWD. Like a tank in the snow.

 

[mondeo]

Yes:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests..._lancer_evo_vs_2009_subaru_wrx_sti/index.html

 

[Terry]

2002 Honda Accord FWD with decent snow tires, never had a problem going where we wanted to go.

 

[snoseek]

Never had a problem with fwd. I take my car to the mountains just about every time it snows. Snow tires help a lot.


I would guess about 80 percent of the cars in the I-70 crash derby are SUV's or Suburu, yes Suburu.

 

[riverc0il]

No. Snow tires are more important than AWD or 4WD. Of course, both snows and AWD trump all... but it is completely unnecessary. Maybe one or two days an entire winter I think "that would have been a little easier with AWD in addition to snows" but I have never found myself overly inconvenienced due to the lack of AWD so I say it is not a high priority on what is important in a vehicle.

 

[hammer]

Personally...yes. Not for travel to the mountains, but for handling long Boston-area commutes in snowy weather.

In general...no. Agree that tires are as much, if not more important, than whether a car can drive all 4 wheels.

In addition, not all AWD systems are the same. Some part-time systems don't react all that quickly to shift power to the other wheels and aren't that much better than FWD.

 

[andyzee]

I'd go with 4 wheel, but good tires are a must as well. I have a 4runner and oem tires were crap in snow and rain. Purchase some nice all terrain tires and made all the difference.

 

[andrec10]

Our Ski vehicles have been 4wd and then AWD since 1996, starting with a Toyota 4-runner with snows. My wife works for a hospital, so not getting to work is not an option. Right now its a Subie Tribeca with Michelin snows, What a mtn goat! So basically for us it is a neccessity!

 

[jarrodski]

being able to drive when no one else can is a very important factor when i purchase a vehical. i find myself driving at wierd hours (3am, 4am, 12am) and in anything other than my van or sub-y i feel as though i'd never make it to where i go...

that said... its pretty annoying driving friends and family all over the place because they can't get to work, home from work, to a dying pony... pretty much anywhere that isnt to a ski area.

 

[Geoff]

I think the answer is: "It depends".

If you tend to stay in places with good plowing, a FWD car with very good snow tires is just fine. At most, you have to shovel the snow bank a little to get out of your parking spot in the morning. In that once per season epic dump, you have to spend an extra five minutes digging out. Two winters ago, I drove my VW GTI to Killington every weekend. I never had a problem. The plowing at my condo is very good. They come within 2 or 3 feet of my bumper and I'm always plowed by 7:30. I have Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60's. On plowed, snow-covered roads, the GTI has way better road manners than my AWD Mountaineer. I rarely hit roads with enough unplowed slop that ground clearance is an issue. The only time I have an issue is in 6" of wet slop where the GTI wants to float on top where the heavier Mountaineer will plow right through.

If you often stay at places with crappy plowing or if you have a nasty hill to cope with, it's a different decision. If I drove the Roxbury Gap road to Sugarbush every weekend, it would be a no-brainer. An AWD car costs more to buy. An AWD car gets worse fuel economy. Over the long haul, an AWD car is likely to be somewhat more expensive to maintain since there are more moving parts.

The length of your commute and other non-skiing driving also influences the decision. If you're commuting 100 miles per day, the extra fuel burn really adds up. If you don't have much of a commute and you don't have big summer drives, it's easier to justify having an AWD car since you'll own it for a lot of years.

I think it also depends on your snow driving skills. AWD and good snow tires buys you a lot of margin. In northern New England, lots of locals drive around all year in older FWD Detroit metal with dubious all season tires. They have the driving skills to get around just fine. A flatlander with the same car will be all over the place.

 

[jarrodski]

Never had a problem with fwd. I take my car to the mountains just about every time it snows. Snow tires help a lot.


I would guess about 80 percent of the cars in the I-70 crash derby are SUV's or Suburu, yes Suburu.

if you drive like an ass it wouldnt matter what you're in...

i noticed a lot of Explorers off the road on RT 91... south bound just north of brattleboro... pretty much everytime it snows.

the best is when you get passed by them and claim it... i like the honk and wave move while the wife is screaming and kicking and the husbands still trying to drive it out.... of a 4 foot bank... awesome

 

[Geoff]

if you drive like an ass it wouldnt matter what you're in...

i noticed a lot of Explorers off the road on RT 91... south bound just north of brattleboro... pretty much everytime it snows.

The stock tires on an Exploder suck. It's a really heavy car. Braking distances and cornering are a big problem in snow and frightening on black ice. If you ever approach a corner too fast or have to do emergency braking, you're screwed. I have studded Nokians on my Mountaineer.

 

[Glenn]

We've got an Audi and a Grand Cherokee. Both have significantly different drivelines. To make a long story short, the Jeep has a more traditional 4wheel drive system with open diffs. The Audi has auto locking diffs/limited slip and traction control. It's a lot harder to get the Audi to spin...or wag the rear end out. What I like about the Jeep is the ground clearance. I've come home after work and our street as been plowed and we have a nice "winrow" at the end of the driveway. I can just burly through that with the Jeep. With the Audi, I get some interesting scraping going on uder there.

A lot comes down to how the roads are cared for and how well traveled they are. In VT, we're a bit off the beaten path. So 4wheel drive and the extra ground clearance make a big difference when things get really snowy.

 

[BackLoafRiver]

Past three seasons, I have been in my Mazda 3 with all-seasons and had no issues. (knock on wood) I drive from Augusta to Kingfield all backroad (rt 27) and it gets plowed moderately well.

I have been going back and forth as to whether or not to trade in the 3 for an Outback. (not only for traction but for storage)

Gonna try one more season with my current ride and throw some beefy snow tires on it to see what happens.

 

[severine]

You don't need it.. but it's nice to have.

My prior ski vehicle was, laughably, a VW Cabrio. Hell, I couldn't even put the skis on top at the time! :lol: It worked well enough in snow in getting us to the mountains, even up to VT from CT... but it sure is easier with the Blazer even when the tires were semi-bald last winter.

 

[hammer]

There's a real deja vu to this discussion...must be a glitch in the Matrix...

 

[WWF-VT]

Our two ski vehicles are both AWD an Audi Wagon and Subaru Outback. We commute to the Mad River Valley most every weekend during the winter. Last year the Audi had Dunlop Winter tires and the Subaru stock Bridgestone all season tires. Our road is a pretty steep hill with a 50-50 chance of being plowed. Biggest difference between the two cars is the tires. All season tires on the Subaru suck compared to winter tires on the Audi. This year will be putting winter tires on the Subaru too. Bottom line is that AWD / 4WD or FWD are all better off with proper snow tires if you are going to spend time in ski country.

 

[drjeff]

Yup. I'm out driving in a storm 98% of the time on my way to/from the mountain. It has to be real ugly for me not to make the drive. Plus, the road I live on at home first makes a steep 150 foot climb and then a steep, winding 350 foot descent between the main connecting road and my driveway, and over the years I've seen many a neighbor NOT be able to make it up both sides of the hill on my street with a 2wd vehicle.

 

[Warp Daddy]

IT DEPENDS on your circumstances IMO

I 've always driven Saabs w/FWD and stock tires and have never had a problem driving to anywhere . I ski in the Dack's and Tremblant and have been in some pretty mean stuff >

BUT living in extreme northern ny state along the Canadian border i drove daily in snow country and comuted to work approx 20 miles one way and never missed a day due to weather in over 35 yrs . I either rear or FWD .

Being retired i can ski ANYDAY and up here the roads are well plowed both by the state and the villages so its rarely an issue