And they said it wasn't a practical winter car...

DarthSwinger said
Do any of you run dedicated snow tires?

I don't. But I also don't drive in the snow frequently, the picture above was more of a "caught by surprise" situation than an regular occurrence. I guess technically my Toyo Proxes 4's have a M&S rating, but I think that's pretty generous of the rating system.

inkjunkie said
Good in the snow?? Talk about delirious..Guess some of you folks have never driven a 4x4...Would not make it out of my 'hood in an A-body right now. Both ways out are iced over...and have some steep inclines. If I stop on the one of them, even with 4 wheel drive I have to back down.

TrailBeast said
I just got back from a 6 block trip one way to my service call and there is about 4 inches of snow on the roads.
Ink, they drive as well as any rear drive cars do (I think that was the idea)

The sure grip would be nice, but it can also get you in trouble since in the snow they tend to wash out sideways easier when it does break traction.

And of course I saw the usual ******** doing 40 in a residential 25 with fresh snow on the streets.
(In a Honda Accord not a truck or 4x4)

Most don't realize that 4x4 doesn't do a thing for braking on slick surfaces either, as 4 tires sliding are four tires sliding with any vehicle.

Right on Trailbeast. Unless you're in a 6x or a semi, everything has 4 wheel brakes. The advantage of 4x4's is being able to go slow and maintain traction. Just ask any of the WRX guys stuffed in snowbanks right now.

I grew up driving plenty of 4x4's. And I also learned how to drive 2wd's in crappy conditions. Sure, when the snow gets deep you're going to need a 4x4. But if you're not pushing snow with the front valance, you can make it work with a rear wheel drive car. A 4x4 makes it a heck of a lot easier, but 2wd isn't a show stopper for a lot of conditions. Heck, my fwd SRT-4 was a BEAST in the snow. But, only up to about 4" of the fresh stuff because after that the bumper would start pushing snow. If it was packed down already no problemo.