8/7/2023 0 Comments Best cars for snow![]() It’s seeing wider use in recent years, particularly among performance coupes and luxury cars. Car builders like BMW and Mercedes-Benz have used rear-drive continuously and consistently for decades. That’s one reason why enthusiasts tend to favor the traditional rear-wheel-drive (RWD) layout, which also tends to afford superior ride and handling abilities. Unfortunately, front-drive generally hampers the use of larger-displacement engines because of a phenomenon known as torque steer, which tends to pull the vehicle to one side under heavy acceleration. Because FWD vehicles place more weight over the drive wheels and “pull” rather than “push” the vehicle, they tend to fare far better in snowy conditions (and over otherwise slick roads) than do rear-drive models. Okay, but what if you don’t want to drive a truck or an SUV and/or prefer not to choose a model equipped with AWD for cost concerns or other reasons? City dwellers and those residing in areas that see moderate-to-minimal amounts of snow can usually get by with a basic front-wheel-drive (FWD) car or crossover. All vehicles eventually reach their handling limits, and they usually approach them all too quickly while traversing wet, snowy or – especially – icy pavement. Unlike 4WD, however, all-wheel drive doesn’t include low range gearing, which means an AWD-equipped vehicle could still leave a motorist stranded if he or she attempts to traverse deeply snow-packed pavement or trails.Įither way, be aware that owning a vehicle that drives all four wheels doesn’t mean a motorist can ignore the laws of physics and drive faster or more recklessly than conditions allow. Many AWD-equipped sport sedans bias the engine’s power to the rear wheels, say, on a 40-front/60-rear ratio, for livelier handling and with added stability through the curves. Some AWD vehicles will drive only one axle (usually the front) under normal circumstances, while others will operate permanently in all-wheel mode, usually on a 50/50 front-to-rear split, with the ability to send additional torque to the wheels that need added traction, again when sensors detect wheel slippage. However, most motorists these days find they fare quite well once the white stuff begins to fall with a more amenable car-based crossover SUV or other vehicle type that’s equipped with all-wheel-drive (AWD) for added traction. It is important to note, however, that while 4WD helps you “go in the snow,” it does little to aid a vehicle’s cornering abilities and virtually nothing for braking. A few models even include selectable modes that fine-tune the system’s traction for various road surfaces and conditions.Īll types of four-wheel drive systems include “low range” gearing for times when maximum traction is needed, such as getting out of deep mud or snow or traversing steep hills and extreme off-road trails at slow speeds. Today’s 4WD systems run the gamut of sophistication from the rather basic part-time arrays offered on some pickups and lower-cost truck-based SUVs (the engine powers only the rear axle until the driver engages the front wheels via a button or dial) to automatic engaging full-time hardware that allow a driver to choose between rear-drive, 4WD and a safety minded “automatic” mode that engages the front axle as needed when sensors detect wheel slippage. Which vehicles fare best under snowy conditions? Those living in remote areas within the nation’s most snow-packed regions like Vermont (average yearly snowfall 89.25 inches), Maine (77.28 inches) New Hampshire (71.44 inches) or Colorado (67.30 inches), often find that nothing less than a rugged four-wheel-drive (4WD) pickup or truck-based sport-utility vehicle that can plow its way out of the deepest drifts will suffice.
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