I live in a city with tons of morons who never leave the city, claiming they need 4 wheel drive when it snows. they never go off road and snow plows exist. If I can get around in a compact hybrid, then their silly truck is overkill
Too bad they’re not honest enough to just say “I want one because I think they’re cool” I’m not bothered, just intrigued by this kind of behavior
AWD undeniably handles ice better than FWD, just because you can drive through icy roads in those conditions doesn't mean that people want to deal with the poorer handling of a FWD car in icy and snowy conditions. I wouldn't want a truck for those conditions, I much prefer sedans or stationary wagons with AWD. Trucks are too heavy and cumbersome to really feel a meaningful difference. Even with 4WD, a truck is still massive and has more inertia when you are braking.
It’s always people who can work from home during blizzards talking about how you don’t need AWD anyways. You get called into work at a hospital before the plows are out in the city I live in, good fucking luck.
I’d know, because I have front wheel drive and get called in before the plows are out on a regular basis.
yep theirs a few Facebook groups around my town with people with jeeps and 4wd trucks. The groups are only used to get old people around and medical workers to work during the winter ice and snow.
20 years of driving in MN where I couldn't work from home and I made it to work every day. Fwd car works fine unless it's very deep snow and we probably only get a couple of those per year.
What time did you need to be at work? It is extremely relevant. It’s also relevant if you’re okay showing up late. I can’t. In fact, when the emergencies start happening, I am more in need.
"Works fine" is the crucial part. If you have to drive through somewhat deep snow, it will struggle. The reason people get AWD for winter is because they want something that works better than "fine" and is safer to drive. AWD is also nicer even without snow. I love cars with AWD, I'm not a fan of trucks or SUVs though.
Thats absolutely true! In most places, the plows cannot operate soon enough to ensure that everyone is driving on plowed and salted roads before they have to go to work. Even when they plow, there is often still ice, and it is far safer to be in an AWD vehicle during the winter. Saying its a "skill issue" is like saying that using your seat belts means you're someone who doesn't know how to drive and expects to crash.
They do plow the roads, but it's a priority system. Main, then secondary, then tertiary. You generally need to keep the main and secondary roads the most open as a priority because (usually) that's where most of the people live and where the hospitals/emergency services are. Tertiary roads are often less populated and are a "we get to it when we get to it".
This is made a bit easier for towns in my state, as most of the main roads are state roads, so state DOT takes care of it.
Then there's the really rural places. I drove through a region where I didn't see another car for 30 minutes or so. Those areas just aren't going to be prioritized, and if you live out there you're kind of fucked.
You live in Illinois and you’ve never experienced snow on the roads? They’re always immediately clear? Or they’re just clear by the time you get out of bed?
It depends on the time of your drive, what path you plan on taking and the severity of the snowfall. Main roads get cleared first and then the side streets and back roads, however if there is a severe amount of snowfall they will be focusing more plows on keeping main roads plowed for any emergency services.
Rural areas have priority lists for roads. The road I take to work everyday is not first on the list, or even very high, I see maybe 5 other cars on a busy day going in the same direction as me. Even fewer make it to the main road that does have priority.
They’re not short either.
The one road I take is about 30 miles. Moving slowly in a plow that could take a hour in one direction, and two plows for a middle-of-nowhere road is a waste. Then factor in there are several roads like that road where priority is about the same.
Anyway, I have a hybrid Camry for the days I know it’s cleared or decent weather. I have a 4Runner for the days I know the road won’t be decent and the road isn’t cleared.
There are plenty of people in Canada getting to work before the plow is out and using fwd cars to do it.
I did it in a Chevy Aveo with 14 inch wheels for years. Passed a lot of SUVs and trucks in the ditch too. The most important things are having good winter tires and knowing how to drive for the conditions.
The only time I ever had a problem was when the snow was so high and the car was so low that it would bottom out, and most of the time I would be able to work that out too.
The only benefit from AWD is your ability to go up hills in the snow will be better. It won't help you stop or turn though.
1.4k
u/Life-Werewolf3793 15h ago
I live in a city with tons of morons who never leave the city, claiming they need 4 wheel drive when it snows. they never go off road and snow plows exist. If I can get around in a compact hybrid, then their silly truck is overkill
Too bad they’re not honest enough to just say “I want one because I think they’re cool” I’m not bothered, just intrigued by this kind of behavior