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2WD v 4WD in snow

936horn

By 936horn
in Can You Help Me With This?

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MNLonghornFUKM

MNLonghornFUKM 8817

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This topic always makes me nervous as we travel up there to ski once a year. I've got five kids in the car and want to be safe but never need 4wd down here ever. I bought new michelin ltx m/s (which aren't technically snow tires but get good reviews in snow). I haven't had any issues yet as the weather has been fine anytime we've gone. I did buy some z-coils to put on the tires if needed. What should is Texans do for the one trip a year? Dedicated snow tires? 4Wd? Chains?
Rent an SUV with 4wd. Save the miles/wear on your personal vehicle.
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CO Horn

CO Horn 156

Posted
Posted (edited)
9 hours ago, Larry Sellers said:

This topic always makes me nervous as we travel up there to ski once a year. I've got five kids in the car and want to be safe but never need 4wd down here ever. I bought new michelin ltx m/s (which aren't technically snow tires but get good reviews in snow). I haven't had any issues yet as the weather has been fine anytime we've gone. I did buy some z-coils to put on the tires if needed. What should is Texans do for the one trip a year? Dedicated snow tires? 4Wd? Chains?

New Colorado law requires chains or "alternative traction device" when driving on I-70 in extreme winter conditions.

https://www.outtherecolorado.com/severe-winter-weather-calls-for-new-colorado-chain-laws/

Edited by CO Horn
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Chewbacca

Chewbacca 7780

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Ive lived in shit climate my entire life and i don't recall anything ever having chains on the tires besides my dad's 35 year old snowblower.


Is that a thing for mountain driving? My terrain is the flattest in the country so
The traction laws have gone into use the past few years after several traffic jams caused on I 70 because of people not having the right equipment on their cars. 99 percent of the time you won't need them.
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Bateshorn

Bateshorn 9928

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4 years in Maine here.   The only time you need chains is going back country on unplowed roads or you are driving in extreme icy conditions (which you shouldn't be).

If you live in a snowy climate you need either a FWD or AWD car, and a set of snow tires.  Put them on in the late fall, take them off in the late spring. Your tire shop will do it for you for a small fee. It's really the tires that make all the difference. There are videos online of comparisons of a Forester in All Season vs. a sedan in snow tires and it's night and day.

And as everyone else mentioned:  It's all about the stopping, not the going.  If it's truly icy out, stay off the roads. 

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MoJames

MoJames 8244

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Posted (edited)

Live at 7500 feet in Durango, on top of a hill/mountain.

To OP - sell the RWD and buy a subaru before you leave Texas, they are cheaper in Texas.

Alt - get a Jeep Wrangler. Went everywhere with mine.

Wife has a 4wd Yukon which does fine with good tires.

If you buy a truck do not get some extended cab/bed nonesense. Buy a Tacoma or a Colorado.

I went from the Jeep to a Subaru Impreza with shit clearance and have not issue getting around town.

I have never used Chains/Cords and don't expect to. If conditions are that bad, I'm staying home.

Remember to downshift in snow and not brake, but more importantly just fucking go slow and watch the idiots from Texas/New Mexico try to pass you and fly off into the ditch.

Edited by MoJames
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Chewbacca

Chewbacca 7780

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34 minutes ago, MoJames said:

Live at 7500 feet in Durango, on top of a hill/mountain.

To OP - sell the RWD and buy a subaru before you leave Texas, they are cheaper in Texas.

Alt - get a Jeep Wrangler. Went everywhere with mine.

Wife has a 4wd Yukon which does fine with good tires.

If you buy a truck do not get some extended cab/bed nonesense. Buy a Tacoma or a Colorado.

I went from the Jeep to a Subaru Impreza with shit clearance and have not issue getting around town.

I have never used Chains/Cords and don't expect to. If conditions are that bad, I'm staying home.

Remember to downshift in snow and not brake, but more importantly just fucking go slow and watch the idiots from Texas/New Mexico try to pass you and fly off into the ditch.

Slightly OT, but I did not appreciate the amount of snow you guys got last year until we were down there at the end of September.  Did a little four wheeling and we must have seen ~60 slides around Telluride, Ouray and Silverton.  Engineer Pass was a trip with the debris everywhere.

 

As for the OP, your advice is good.  As long as you have AWD/4WD and good tires, you will likely never need chains.  If you do, you probably shouldn't be driving.

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MoJames

MoJames 8244

Posted
Posted (edited)
9 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:
Slightly OT, but I did not appreciate the amount of snow you guys got last year until we were down there at the end of September.  Did a little four wheeling and we must have seen ~60 slides around Telluride, Ouray and Silverton.  Engineer Pass was a trip with the debris everywhere.
 
As for the OP, your advice is good.  As long as you have AWD/4WD and good tires, you will likely never need chains.  If you do, you probably shouldn't be driving.

Last year was a beating. Good for the slopes, but not for living where I do and not working from home.

That's a trampoline frame in front of my shed.763aea78fe05a6f06d8089020173f18d.jpg83d630577eadd99d6fb1abcbcef94712.jpgf1d420bc3c166e7a535b2dc5e7cb75f2.jpgbd41cae44fe49e1c988e940d5070ff66.jpg

 

Edited by MoJames
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MoJames

MoJames 8244

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14 minutes ago, Larry Sellers said:

If you were a Texan and only went up once or twice a year, would you bother with snow tires or just not go through any passes if the weather is bad? I think next suburban I’ll buy will be 4wd but my current one is rwd.

Just avoid the passes. Travelling from Texas to Colorado on Snow Tires would be a horrible idea.

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Chewbacca

Chewbacca 7780

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18 minutes ago, MoJames said:

Just avoid the passes. Travelling from Texas to Colorado on Snow Tires would be a horrible idea.

You're not going to make it to any ski resorts from Texas if you avoid all the passes.

 

That said, you're fine with 4WD and something like a Michelin LTX M/S2.  That's what we have on my wife's QX80 and they are great tires.  Best non-snow snow tire I've ever driven.

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MoJames

MoJames 8244

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It's ok. Lots of shelves. It was really only meant to be a place for Fort Lewis and the Highschool to practice and blew up. I enjoy taking the 5 year old there because there is plenty of green on the mountain. It definately get's overwhelmed on Texas Spring break. Better skiing in the area is Wolfcreek (need 4wd) and Telluride if you have the desire to travel a bit further. Some of the crazies around here try to kill themselves in Silverton jumping out of helicopters.

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Chewbacca

Chewbacca 7780

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13 minutes ago, MoJames said:

It's ok. Lots of shelves. It was really only meant to be a place for Fort Lewis and the Highschool to practice and blew up. I enjoy taking the 5 year old there because there is plenty of green on the mountain. It definately get's overwhelmed on Texas Spring break. Better skiing in the area is Wolfcreek (need 4wd) and Telluride if you have the desire to travel a bit further. Some of the crazies around here try to kill themselves in Silverton jumping out of helicopters.

Yeah, I've thought about doing Silverton but it's too far out of the way for me, TBH, and I only have maybe 1 friend who is a good enough skier to be able to do it with me, at least until my youngest is a bit older.  He's skiing in the Competition Center at Winter Park this year so my days of being a better skier than him are probably over.  

Is Silverton (the town) even open in winter?  

Edited by Chewbacca
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MoJames

MoJames 8244

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23 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

Yeah, I've thought about doing Silverton but it's too far out of the way for me, TBH, and I only have maybe 1 friend who is a good enough skier to be able to do it with me, at least until my youngest is a bit older.  He's skiing in the Competition Center at Winter Park this year so my days of being a better skier than him are probably over.  

Is Silverton (the town) even open in winter?  

Yup, was a guy that worked here in the hospital that made the drive 4 days a week, he's nuts. I hear stories from those who have lived here for decades about having to helicopter in supplies in the 80s due to crazy snow. You couldn't pay me to live up there in the winter, I'd go full on all work and no play.

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Baboontyme

Baboontyme 2812

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I gotta question. I got a new (slightly used) 4wd SUV in October. I'm noticing that it seems to suck balls in the snow. I've been driving a 4wd SUV for 20 years and I don't remember ever having this issue. I noticed when I bought it that the tires had good/great tread on them, but were a brand I didn't recognize (it's too cold to go outside and check the brand and I'm lazy). They looked pretty new. I'm inclined to think that the tires are the primary reason. However, I have noticed that traction control is still kicking on in 4wd, and to my memory, I think traction control automatically turned OFF on my past vehicles when I shifted into 4wd. Or maybe it just never engaged because my tires were more equipped for the snow? I have tried manually turning TCS off, and it seems to help, but it's something I would have to manually do in the control panel every time I drive if I want to disengage it. Does anyone with a 4wd happen to notice if TCS is automatically disabled when you shift to 4wd? 

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Pato del Muerto

Pato del Muerto 52510

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In Wyoming, it’s difficult to even find a rwd pickup and they are dirt cheap. I haven’t put snow tires on either of my trucks, the f150 has k02s and the 250 has Yokohama geolander 3015 or whatever the mild a/t is. Both are triple peak rated, so they perform ok in snow. They will both slide when stopping though so I have to be gentle there. 
 

what I’m not a fan of is when the snow/ice is patchy due to partial shade on roads from mountains, and I feel like I’m stopping every 5 minutes for a while to engage/disengage 4wd because I’m worried about traction for a couple of miles and then I’m worried about blowing up my transfer case for a few miles. 
 

it was easier when we had the awd Acadia that was fwd and the obc would turn the rears when needed. 
 

loooooots of 4runners here too. 

Edited by Pato del Muerto
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closetohumping

closetohumping 17444

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On 10/11/2019 at 9:27 AM, Chewbacca said:

Lulz.  Snow doesn't stick in Denver and I-70 in the mountains is compacted down so it's not bad?  I'm guessing you used to live here based on your username, but this is terrible information.

You can absolutely run into some hairy shit in the mountains.  

 

 

No RWD.  AWD or FWD, snow tires.

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Chewbacca

Chewbacca 7780

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You can absolutely run into some hairy shit in the mountains.  
 
 
No RWD.  AWD or FWD, snow tires.
I drove in some hairy shit the past 3 days up here. Constant snow, plows running late, so snow is a few inches deep on the roads. Even my Landcruiser (full time 4WD) on really good A/T tires occasionally slips and slides, and it's set up to deal with this weather.
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closetohumping

closetohumping 17444

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59 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:
9 hours ago, closetohumping said:
You can absolutely run into some hairy shit in the mountains.  
 
 
No RWD.  AWD or FWD, snow tires.

I drove in some hairy shit the past 3 days up here. Constant snow, plows running late, so snow is a few inches deep on the roads. Even my Landcruiser (full time 4WD) on really good A/T tires occasionally slips and slides, and it's set up to deal with this weather.

Yep.  Tires are the most important factor but rwd is gonna get you in trouble.  Denver is flat but the mountains will mess you up.  Not to mention the other drivers can be idiots 

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Chewbacca

Chewbacca 7780

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Yep.  Tires are the most important factor but rwd is gonna get you in trouble.  Denver is flat but the mountains will mess you up.  Not to mention the other drivers can be idiots 
Other drivers up here in the mountains have been nuts. Lots of rental cars weaving in and out of traffic on their all seasons. Have seen a couple almost lose control. Still waiting on the one that goes off the road or into incoming traffic. It's coming.
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closetohumping

closetohumping 17444

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4 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:
25 minutes ago, closetohumping said:
Yep.  Tires are the most important factor but rwd is gonna get you in trouble.  Denver is flat but the mountains will mess you up.  Not to mention the other drivers can be idiots 

Other drivers up here in the mountains have been nuts. Lots of rental cars weaving in and out of traffic on their all seasons. Have seen a couple almost lose control. Still waiting on the one that goes off the road or into incoming traffic. It's coming.

At any given time I’d say 1 out of ten cars is from Texas or California.   

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Baboontyme

Baboontyme 2812

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12 hours ago, Chewbacca said:
12 hours ago, Baboontyme said:
Any recs? Just suburban driving and we don't usually get the deep stuff. 285/45R22

Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires are great in road and fantastic in snow.

I believe that's what I had bought and was using on my Tahoe. No ragrets. Should have asked the dealer to swap them out for me. 

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Baboontyme

Baboontyme 2812

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3 hours ago, Baboontyme said:

I believe that's what I had bought and was using on my Tahoe. No ragrets. Should have asked the dealer to swap them out for me. 

Just had to grab the neighbor's mail so I took a gander. "Ironman Imove Gen 2" - no wonder they're shit. Anyone in Michigan want 4 SUV tires on the cheap?

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Upgrayedd

Upgrayedd 5814

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16 hours ago, Chewbacca said:
16 hours ago, Baboontyme said:
Any recs? Just suburban driving and we don't usually get the deep stuff. 285/45R22

Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires are great in road and fantastic in snow.

These

1 hour ago, texhorn said:

Subaru is the correct answer

On my 6 cylinder Outback plus a lot of breaking distance and I’m good.

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Chewbacca

Chewbacca 7780

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$1245 out the door and I could tell the difference on the 3/4 mile drive home from the tire shop. 
I did go through some reviews and those Defenders really do check all of the boxes. I had good experiences with them on my Tahoe so I rolled with it. 
Honestly, i like the look of ATs better, but the Defenders are better in snow.
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