Are RWD Suvs useless in the snow

[ws6 jim]

I know they have more weight, ground clearance, and better tires that could be fitted than an F body, but would this would be a waste to look into a 2wd SUV?

Your thoughts, experiences

I have my camry for this winter just bouncing some ideas around for the future

[NastyEllEssWon]

id rather drive the camry around...although iknow youre a tall guy and that might not be the best bet...smaller fwd cars never let me down in the snow is all....yet ive always seen big suvs...even awd ones...stuck on the side of the road :D

[Jersey Mike]

I'd rather a torquey RWD car than an underpowered FWD car in the snow.
Spin 'em enough & you'll get moving. Had a hell of a time with a FWD CX7 last winter. Needed to move the TA that same day & didn't have nearly as tough of a time.

[88WS-6]

My last daily was an 05 Trailblazer 4.2 and I didn't have many traction problems. I rarely put it into 4WD and actually the worst part about driving an SUV in the snow is stopping not going.

[maroman88]

with good tires itd be fine.... i only used 4x4 when playing around in my Blazer

[sweetbmxrider]

Depends how deep the snow is.....

[deadtrend1]

Damn you jim, don't even talk about snow yet!!

[JL8Jeff]

It will really depend if the rear is a posi or limited slip. My pickup will spin the right rear tire easily in the rain or on a muddy boat ramp :nod: so it's pretty worthless in the snow without the posi or locker. Good tires can help but it depends on the weight distribution and the amount of snow.

[ws6 jim]

Ok gotcha I wasnt wishing snow on jersey just yet but looking into something else because the camry is my sisters after this winter and I can't fit in it too well. Also test drove a jeep cherokee and couldn't get comfortable in that either. So I would like something bigger but not huge looking at 2 door Tahoes and blazers. Any other thoughts

[91chevywt]

A 2wd would work well. My Jimmy didn't always have working 4x4, so when it snowed I drove it in 2wd. It worked surprisingly well. The 4x4 definitly helps. During acceleration if you have a heavy foot the front axle will actually do a lot to keep you moving straight.

Blazer/Jimmy/Bravada trucks are probably my favorite for snow. If you're tall, I think a S10 blazer would be fine, my seat can go back pretty far and it has good head room. I don't think they would be great for a wide person though.

[WayFast84]

Suburbans are inexpensive and can even go diesel.

[98CamaroSS]

My moms 4wd Yukon never had a problem driving 2wd in the snow however when parking or getting out of the snow when parked it would just spin so I would always have to put in in 4wd and then your good to go as it never got stuck anywhere including blizzards. :nod:

[HeadlessNorseman]

there are so many of these threads, its ALL about the tires, no matter what engine and wheels are driven. 4wd obv is slightly better, but a terd beater car with all weather tires is all you need

[LTb1ow]

there are so many of these threads, its ALL about the tires, no matter what engine and wheels are driven. 4wd obv is slightly better, but a terd beater car with all weather tires is all you need

So a slammed fbod with blizzaks is the same or better than a semi lifted 4x4? :shock:

[redsoxsstink]

I put all season on my camaro and 3-4inches was no problem. My dad has an aveo and he made it to work in north jersey from central jersey in the day after christmas storm. I'd say buy new tires not a new car. Much cheaper

[r0nin89]

So a slammed fbod with blizzaks is the same or better than a semi lifted 4x4? :shock:

I dont think thats what he meant. When snow starts to get really tall ground clearance and under axle clearance really start to come into play. I think his point is that a fwd car with X snow tire and a rwd (not 4wd) truck with the same size snow tire will perform nearly the same.

I mean you can argue it to death and start busting out ridiculous **** like well if you had lockers instead of open/open 4wd youd be 1/2 as likely to get stuck.

The first year we got snow back me and my G/F went out in her 02 corolla. All 120hp of it and non stud'd snow tires and we couldnt get stuck on anything that had seen a plow.

The only time a FWD car really has an advantage is when your talking about VS an unloaded 2wd pickup. They are gluttons for the punishment of stuck in the snow, its ridiculous. An SUV isnt empty weight over the rear tires like a truck.

[sweetbmxrider]

Topography matters too brah.

[BonzoHansen]

snow tires ftw. when I used to ski nearly every other weekend in VT, my 93 civic ex coupe with 4 snows went through everything. the only time it got stuck was a mile from my house during the big blizzard of 96 (like 2', the state closed) when I hit a plow pile in an intersection I could not see and hung all 4 tires off the ground. lol irony is i was coming home from a ski trip. i should have stayed at the mountain.

[The Fixer]

The only time a FWD car really has an advantage is when your talking about VS an unloaded 2wd pickup. They are gluttons for the punishment of stuck in the snow, its ridiculous. An SUV isnt empty weight over the rear tires like a truck.

Werd. My wife's dad has a 2WD '96 Chevy 1500 with 8' bed - he just fills the bed up with snow to get some weight over the rear wheels and he's good to go.

[79T/A]

After many winters driving 2WD and FWD cars in the snow, I'm a big fan of 4WD. I also do the 2WD til I need it technique, but a lot of times, if I'm getting out in the morning before the plow makes its second pass (Which happens a lot), I'm not even getting out of the driveway without 4WD. Of course, I live in the far north corner of the state, but with the snowfall we've had the last few years, that doesn't seem to matter.

I've got two to choose from: My 2001 Jeep Wrangler and my 2000 GMC Yukon XL. I love my Jeep, but judging by the posts above, I'm guessing you're as tall or taller than I am, and you really have to love a Jeep Wrangler to cram yourself into it and therefore, I'm guessing that's out. Having said that, the Yukon is full of awesome. Mine's the XL (3/4 ton) with the 6.0 Vortec. It's a big, heavy monster with a lot of interior room. Drawback? Gas guzzler. But I only commute with it when it snows, so if I can get to work and home safely and sanely it's worth the gas money to me. Just my two pennies.

[spina74]

Suuuuuuuuuuubaruuuuuuuuu.....is all you need

[wretched73]

So a slammed fbod with blizzaks is the same or better than a semi lifted 4x4? :shock:

What kind of tires does said 4x4 have? If it has 11" wide slicks... I'd go with the fbod :wink:

[r0nin89]

Werd. My wife's dad has a 2WD '96 Chevy 1500 with 8' bed - he just fills the bed up with snow to get some weight over the rear wheels and he's good to go.


Countless hours were wasted last winter at work because our brand new 2wd dueling literally got stuck on a 1/2 sheet of compacted snow. We dug and dug and dug until there was 8in just under the contact patch of the tires and it was STILL stuck...