Snow vehicle. teach me the ways.

WestWoods

WestWoods

Member
So, I know jack about vehicles.

I need your guys help, you see Im gonna be going to school in Idaho, and now need a whip that will be good in snow. I wanna get a car (no SUVs or trucks) and anything other then rear wheel drive.

whats a good decision that will last a long time without repairs??

inb4 nothing but subarus
 
If no trucks or SUVs then a good sedan or station wagon with a reliable all wheel drive system. Audi, Subaru come to mind. If you could find a used Audi Allroad that would be perfect you can raise the suspension with a button so you can get better clearance and it's great in the snow, lots of space and really comfortable/ fun to drive. They havn't made them in a few years. And you can get used ones for a decent price right now. But if you cant afford a good sedan or station wagon and are on a tight budget you should really consider a Pathfinder or another reliable SUV or pickup
 
not to many low end cars with awd out there besides subaru of course.....look at any small suv like a ford escape or something like that. Cars are going to be tough other than a subaru because most awd cars are on luxury brands which are much more $ unelss you are spending that, in which case, lexus, mb, bmw, audi, etc
 
This would be my advice, in Sweden some people drive Lamborghinis in the snow so with the correct tires I'm sure anything could...
 
if you're planning on driving on the roads, just get whatever car you like, get frontwheel drive or awd and invest in a decent pair of snowtires and save the extra money so you can get some extra days !

i've driven a peugeot partner (basically a 2wd mini van) for the last 2 season, and if you drive carefully and have decent snowtires you can get pretty much anywhere ...

last season i got pretty scared when i arrived around 1am in austria and it started snowing, i still had to drive 30km on a steep snowy hairpin road with about 30cm of fresh and no snowchains in my car...

didn't have a problem at all, moderate your speed but keep it constant and you'll get there for sure :)
 
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My entire family drives outbacks, wrx's, and sport wagons which all fucking sucked in the winter, we got blizzaks and they kick ass to death
 
subarus kill it....i rock all season tires and it's still better in the snow than a lot of other cars I've seen driving around. beyond cars/tires, knowing how to properly drive in the snow and the car's limits is far more important.
 
images


go well in snow and are also amphibious if your into that
 
I love my volvo 850 and I can drive it in fairly deep snow without incident and its only fwd. As has been said its more about the driver than the car, just be careful and know what you are doing
 
Here are a few cars that i looked at when i was buying a new car. i think these are all good for winter, practical, reliable, good on gas, and somewhat sporty. I dont know what your budget it, but the prices have a pretty good range.

- A newer Audi (lets say 04+) try to avoid the 1.8 turbo and youll be fine

- 06+ VW Jetta / GLI / GTI / Passat. if you take care of the car, it will take care of you. I had an 06 passat which my step sister crashed, and i then bought an 06 GLI

- early 2000's mercedes wagons are well priced AWD and reliable

there are a few others that i cant think of at the moment but if i do il post them up
 
I read that a FWD car is better with blizzaks than all seasons on an AWD car, and i never believed it until this past winter when i tried both scenarios out, and hands down FWD was better with the snows and thats why i chose that path
 
to op, why not an suv? is it a matter of it being harder to drive and honestly suvs arent much harder to drive. i think its worth it in the snow and i have a bunch of room for all my gear
 
except that SUV are generally pretty expensive, aren't very easy on the fuel either and although they look very big on the outside, they are pretty small on the inside, especially when compared to something mini-van like or a big break ...

still, my dream vehicle for the snow would be a pimped out jeep cherokee xj, i just can't bring up the money to buy something so expensive to drive while my tiny van gets me anywhere, has a lot of room and is quite fuel efficient ...

 
toyota truck, 4runner, jeep XJ......im telling you winter tires or not a truck is better in the snow then anything else on the road. You can get them for cheep as homes.
 
As has been said, place your priorities in this order:

1 - Snow tires

2- Driving technique (smooth, fluid movement and driving within the conditions and limits of the vehicle)

3 - Drivetrain

Snow tires offer about 40% more traction than all-seasons. This means that if you need to stop in an emergency, the snow tires may easily mean the difference between stopping or crashing. 40% is a HUGE difference.

Driving ability is the next most important factor. Become smooth as silk in your steering, braking and throttle inputs. Recognize how the rules of physics are greatly accentuated by snow and ice and get a feeling for where these thresholds are in your car in a safe environment (empty, obstacle-free parking lot is a good one. Do it smart and safely and keep in mind that while it is a learning experience, the police may not feel that way). Knowing your cars limits makes it easier to stay within them and also makes it more likely that if an emergency situation arises, that you will react properly rather than panicking.

Your vehicle's drivetrain layout is the least important. I owned a FWD car with snow tires and it was a beast in the snow. While I am a Subaru convert, if I had to choose between a FWD car with snow tires in the winter and an AWD with all-seasons in the winter, I'd choose the FWD every time. That said, AWD with snows does admittedly trump everything.
 
What is this the the Subaru fan club.?Yea get a subaru if you like having to deal with two heads and head gaskets on a 4 banger. Get a subaru if you like having to take off your front wheels to change spark plugs. Subarus are ok cars, a massive pain in the ass to work on.

There are many cars out there that offer great traction in the snow besides a subaru. For a second I thought some of you were Subaru paid employees, the way everyone rants about them.

While snow tires do make a world of difference. You are smoking crack if you believe that snow tires offer 40% more traction in snow like conditions. You will not stop 40% less if you have snow tires on verse all seasons.

And, you are also smoking crack if you would take a fwd car with snow tires over an awd car with all seasons. Heck...I would take an awd car with slicks over a fwd with snow tires. Its all how you drive.

89-99 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX (eagle Talon TSI AWD)- Had 4 of them, rocked in the snow like no other

2003-2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution- Needs no explanation

Toyota Rav4- My wife has one, and the thing is a beast in the snow, short wheel base to throw around, goes through almost anything on the road. Two winters ago when we got 3 feet of snow in 24 hours...I drove to my buddy's house and it plowed through everything.

Honda Crv- A little more expensive then the rav4 just as good in the snow.

These are just a few....if your heart is set on a cheap car. I would go with an old DSM (89-94), you can get one very very cheap, get the motor rebuilt, and boom you have an awsome car that is very responsible. Ohh and the 4g63 motor is hands down one of the best motors every produced.
 
"The braking comparison measured the tires' ability to provide traction during an ABS-assisted panic stop in a straight line. We drove the two cars side-by-side at a speed of 30 mph, gave both drivers a braking signal at the prescribed mark and compared the distances it took them to come to a complete stop. The winter tire equipped car stopped in a distance of about 59 feet, while the all-season tire equipped car took an additional two car lengths, or about 30 more feet."

-http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=103

Furthermore, Quebec has mandated snow tire use for all vehicles registered within the province, and have seen success in reducing accident rates, and winter accident rates for those with all-seasons is drastically higher than those on snow tires.

-http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/07/in-quebec-winter-tire-law-reaps-a-modest-measure-of-success/

"In addition, their rubber compound is softer and remains flexible even when the temperature drops to as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius. In comparison, an all-season tire considerably loses elasticity between minus 8 and minus 15 degrees.

Being more flexible at lower temperatures, winter tires offer superior grip. As a result, drivers enjoy greater control of their vehicle. Tire spin under acceleration is significantly reduced, while braking distances are up to 25-percent shorter than with all-season tires, according to Transports experts.

A study was conducted by the Quebec Transport Ministry in 2002. In a series of tests conducted at minus 20 degrees Celcius in 3 to 5 centimeters of compacted snow and ice on an asphalt surface, it showed that vehicles moving at 50 km/h and equipped with winter tires had stopping distances that were a little over 10 meters shorter on average compared to the same vehicle with all-season tires."

-http://www.auto123.com/en/auto-parts/winter-tires
 
haha, oh boy, i disagree completely with this.....

i drive a 2wd peugeot partner

peugeot-partner-van-forsale.jpg


and just last season i had to tow a volvo xc90 out of a parking lot ....

i didn't even have chains on, just decent snow tires ....
 
As everyone has said, Snow tires are a must for good traction in snow, or all weather tires.the ground clearance isnt much of a problem, I have not had trouble with the ground clearance yet. My friend and I drove up in a audi a4 quattro and it was fine. it'll plow through snow fine, just dont go in anything deep.. shouldnt be going through anything deep anyway even in a truck or else you are screwed.

Subaru Impreza sport (good for snow)

Audi Allroad ( i think that's what it is called)

But i love my GMC Yukon Denali, great car because it is heavy and AWD
 
if your gonna drive small cars like that in the snow you better know how to drive in the snow. also you might wanna carry a toe chain
 
that is true, even with SUVs... you need to know basics and just get up there and practice.I find snow driving/ blizzard driving extremely fun.

yeah i need a chain... dont have one yet
 
A front wheel drive car with good snow tires will do fairly well in the snow. AWD vehicles will help you a lot of you're around hills and stuff, but if you just need to get around and do the usual ramming a FWD car with good tires should be good.
 
Okay amigos... so teach me.

how about a front wheel drive mazda3 ???

am I retarded for thinking this could work?

 
that car looks like a fucking awesome skimobile!

Throw a mattress in the back and a thule on top for your skis/poles and you could live in that shit!
 
I had an '04 Mazda 3 in high school with Blizzaks, and it drove just fine in some nasty Michigan winters. Slush, snow, ice, whatever. As long as you know the limits of the car and don't drive like a fucking moron, you'll be golden.
 
ditto.

AWD is great for helping you get moving. Snow tires help you start and turn. Where are your priorities?

Nokian Hakkapellitas are just as good, if not better, than Blizzaks. Michelian x-ice are good, too.

 
Love my Rav4. For an SUV it gets great gas mileage and contrary to what someone above said it has the most room of any small SUV I've ever seen. And yes the clearance is boss. I don't know why people over look clearance so much. I've seen plenty of badass Subarus, etc. just stuck on the road because it piles up too high.
 
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