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Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 4,378
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 4,378 |
We had 9.5 inches of snow here at the house on Wednesday and yesterday I took a short road trip and saw at least a dozen cars and trucks still stuck in the ditches. People do forget how to drive in this stuff, but that said, some cars and trucks are more prone than others to spinning out and ending up in the ditch. What did surprise me a little was the number of trucks and two Avalanche's in that mix yesterday. The whole eastern half of the country had bad snow last week and lots of the southern states don't have the big road equipment or salt/sand trucks to help with the slippery road conditions. My vote for the worst slippery condition car goes to the Pontiac Grand Prix as I've seen more of those in the ditch than any other model. My old Saab 99 was my best snow car. How do you see it?
My other auto is a .45
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,728
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,728 |
In a 2 wheel drive vehicle, my wife's Honda Accord was great in the snow.
I see a lot of Kia Souls with their wheels in the air
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 651
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 651 |
I once had a Corvette that could get stuck on an icy patch with cable chains on.
Last edited by LarryfromBend; 12/15/17.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 8,737
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 8,737 |
My wifes stock Subaru forester is probably a better vehicle in snow than my totally factory spec 76 CJ5
The open diffs of the CJ were pathetic where the Subaru can direct power to the tires that need it much better in a millisecond!
I'll go out on a limb here and suggest that the subaru design might be as good as any factory produced consumer vehicle ever made
www.huntingadventures.netAre you living your life, or just paying bills until you die? When you hit the pearly gates I want to be there just to see the massive pile of dead 5hit at your feet. ( John Peyton)
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Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 5,680 Likes: 1
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 5,680 Likes: 1 |
My wife had a Explorer, studs on all four and the all wheel drive was the best snow right we've owned. She now has a CR-V Honda all wheel drive that doing good! I don't think it will do as good as the Explorer because of weight! Front wheel drive with studs work well, my daughter's Toyota Camry gets around real well! I think is more the driver that the automobile that puts cars in the ditch!
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,456
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,456 |
On crappy roads my Subaru Crosstrek will run circles around my full-size pickups all day long.
The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me.
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 8,761
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 8,761 |
My Nissan 350-Z is worthless even when it's sleeting which it's doing today.
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Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 2,467
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 2,467 |
The one vehicle I've tried really hard to buy but never owned was a mid 2000's AWD Astro Van. They have a really good reputation in bad weather.
I'm here to increase my social credit score and rub elbows with some of the highest rollers on the internet.
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 9,562 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 9,562 Likes: 1 |
I think is more the driver that the automobile that puts cars in the ditch! Agreed for the most part. Had AWD Saturn Vue and Chevy Equinox AWD as company provided work vehicles and they both sucked. Had a '15 Subaru Legacy that was capable, but not comfortable. Had several FWD Dodge mini-vans that w/Blizzaks were very capable and secure. Current diesel Super Duty will claw through some mighty deep and hard-packed snow but the light rear-end and very heavy motor out from make it less secure-feeling than something that's balanced better and true AWD. Current AWD Nissan Murano seems secure and capable even though currently sans Blizzaks but we're just barely into winter, I'll know more in 3-4Mo.
I can walk on water.......................but I do stagger a bit on alcohol.
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,418
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,418 |
The consensus of many experts (and my experience concurs) is that the Subaru AWD system is unbeatable for snow. My new Forester is so far no different. It's supposed to be even better going up and down tough grades with it's X Mode (which my old Outback did not have.) I had a front wheel drive Toyota Tercel in my early days that was pretty good in the stuff too.
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,970
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,970 |
i've had a couple of subarus and a couple of toyota rav 4s both great in snow. i prefer the rav 4 i agree with the above statement on full size pick ups except in really deep snow.
Ed
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,581
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,581 |
Subaru's are pretty hard to beat in the snow. That said, my wife drives an AWD Ford Edge and it does well in the snow, even without dedicated snow tires. With real snow tires I suspect it would be fantastic. On the down side, the Edge gets horrible fuel milage (20-22mpg) and the PTU (Power Takeoff Unit, basically the transfer case) has failed every 20,000 miles, we've replaced it 3 times (under warranty, thankfully).
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,808 Likes: 19
Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,808 Likes: 19 |
I’m thankful we don’t have that cshit here, it’s just 150 degrees in the summer for three months
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,716
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,716 |
The 5-speed manual Forester with studs that my wife drove around when we lived in Anchorage was quite noteworthy. Subaru AWD is different for manual vs auto trans - the manual is full mechanical (no brains no headaches, power when you want it) but the auto wants to do too much for you, to the point of pulling all power when you're trying to cross a busy intersection and it senses enough slippage...screw that. You couldn't pay me to drive an auto Subaru.
I drove a '96 buick roadmaster wagon around anchorage and it was no big deal, except the abs sometimes let the car creep when coming to a stop at slick intersections...had to put it in 2 or N. Too much push at idle from the RWD.
Any vehicle with low COG, even weight distribution and good winter tires should work well. I'm a big fan of a manual trans for snow/ice, for positive engine braking. Getting around Anch in my old crewcab ford 5-speed 4x4 on all terrain tires was easy as a downshift slowed you down very effectively and under control.
It was slick a couple weeks ago when I dropped into Anch for work - the rental AWD Toyota sienna minivan went along very well, on all-season bridgestones. Icy everywhere. I was pretty impressed.
Last edited by Vek; 12/15/17.
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,076
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,076 |
Have an Outback (2016) that's a lot better than either my 77 Chevy Step-side or my Dodge Ram 3500 LB 4 WDs.
Hang on to your memories; they're better than the real thing ever was - Joe Sherlock
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 29,383
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 29,383 |
The 5-speed manual Forester with studs that my wife drove around when we lived in Anchorage was quite noteworthy. Subaru AWD is different for manual vs auto trans - the manual is full mechanical (no brains no headaches, power when you want it) but the auto wants to do too much for you, to the point of pulling all power when you're trying to cross a busy intersection and it senses enough slippage...screw that. You couldn't pay me to drive an auto Subaru.
I drove a '96 buick roadmaster wagon around anchorage and it was no big deal, except the abs sometimes let the car creep when coming to a stop at slick intersections...had to put it in 2 or N. Too much push at idle from the RWD.
Any vehicle with low COG, even weight distribution and good winter tires should work well. I'm a big fan of a manual trans for snow/ice, for positive engine braking. Getting around Anch in my old crewcab ford 5-speed 4x4 on all terrain tires was easy as a downshift slowed you down very effectively and under control.
It was slick a couple weeks ago when I dropped into Anch for work - the rental AWD Toyota sienna minivan went along very well, on all-season bridgestones. Icy everywhere. I was pretty impressed.
^^^^^ My first subaru was a 5 speed Impreza which was heads and tails better in snow then my 2003 outback. My 2006 Tacoma 4x4 6 speed manual might be the best snow vehicle I have owned.
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 79,321 Likes: 2
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 79,321 Likes: 2 |
My dad showed me how to drive a pick up through snow a long time ago. Fit it with studded snow tires and fill the bed of the truck up with something heavy. He preferred concrete blocks because they were always around.
He used to do that with his '56 GMC step side. Decades later I had the same success in long bed Toyota and several 5 gallon buckets of wheel weights secured in the bed.
A standard 2WD pick up fitted with studded snow tires with about 700lbs of weight in the bed is one of the better snow driving vehicles there is.
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,221
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,221 |
I've had 4WD suvs or trucks since '82, and lived in places like northern NY snow belt, Colorado, Alaska, and some more southerly locations like MD, AL, TN, and VA, so observations limited. I also skied so drove into snowy conditions on purpose. Have never used dedicated winter tires, just whatever all season or all terrain tires I'm was running at the time. So my list:
Worst on snow or packed snow were '86 and '89 Toyota 4Runners. Real light rear end and stiff suspensions like compact pickups. Had to be in 4WD in snow and still had to be careful of rear end trying to pass.
Best ever on snow/packed snow was a '95 Land Rover Discovery. Good all terrain radials, full time 4wd, near 50/50 weight distribution, good coil spring suspension, outstanding traction. Lots of other problems with that truck, but great traction.
Pretty good was my '82 S10 Blazer. Decent tires, good suspension, decent weight distribution, limited power so harder to get in trouble.
My 2000 Dodge Durango was fairly good, but suspension stiffness could start you bouncing if on rutted snowy roads.
My 2005 and 2013 Tundras are good when running in 4WD, but light assed if only in 2wd. Both have been double cabs, the longer wheelbase and a little more weight behind the driver helps. I don't add a lot of weight in the back, but usually have some stuff in the bed. That said, I'm using some new tires this year that look real good in snow so far - Continental Terraincontact A/Ts. I think they will improve snow/packed snow performance noticeably over the oem michelins.
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 17,134
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 17,134 |
Knowing your limitations helps. Growing up in the upper midwest helped me figure that out with minimal sheet metal bendage 1" of snow here today and coming home and a large mercedes spun out in front of me and straddled the curb bending it's right rear wheel in at 45 degree angle. Fun and games when it snows here. The 2011 AWD BMW 5 series and the 08 AWD 4Runner I have now are as good on snow as anything I've owned. The edge goes to the BMW though simply because of the traction control that controls pretty much everything to make it do what I want. Helps that I keep decent rubber on both. You see a lot of bald tires around here.
If something on the internet makes you angry the odds are you're being manipulated
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 4,396
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 4,396 |
My sister once owned a Hyundai Elantra. She said it was the worst handling car in snow or ice that she had ever driven. She drives a RAV4 now, much better.
and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8) d.v. Musings on TDS
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