FWD vs. AWD in Winter Conditions
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- Опубликовано: 29 фев 2020
- In this video, we put a single car, which is able to switch between FWD and AWD modes, through multiple tests to see how both configurations fare in winter conditions.
All conclusions made in this video are from my own unbiased opinions. This is not a sponsored video.
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2:12 Clarification: The difference between FWD and AWD was imperceptible when at higher, more constant speeds from my experience. Depending on your scenario, you could notice a difference at higher speeds. Thanks for watching!
Nice! We love your take on this topic!
Finally a video that compares things equally, Just because I have awd, that doesn't mean I will want to get all-seasons tires.....
That’s the goal! Keep as many variables constant as I could 😁
This video is fantastic. Very thorough, yet concise. Thanks!
Awesome video! Great quality, thank you so much!
So glad I could help, and thank you so much!!
¡Buen trabajo!
Great vid. Keep up the good work.
Great video and straight to the point. Thank you!
Thank you so much, and of course-that was the goal! 😁
Mu main reason for awd over r/fwd is for when I need to cross a road in snow weather. That loss of traction is a big deal if others are not stopping when they should. And the ice hills are a huge prob as well. I've seen so many people who can't climb a hill because they have only fwd. But for sure, tires can make a massive difference. The only prob is cost and having to change the wheels 2 times a year at least. Which will add up.
Using AWD car in FWD mode to test how FWD car behaves might be not the best method because there's probably additional weight of the rear motor. It's important to mention that many states require you to have AWD to drive mountain passes in the winter or use chains on 2WD.
AWD cars do not have a rear motor...
@@thebigmacd elaborate
Bruh LOL THERE IS NO MOTOR IN THE REAR FOR AWD 😂
@@ec9682 now I read it and it sounds kinda stupid if we’re talking about pure ICE, I probably said that because I’m EV owner and on EVs there is an additional motor on AWD. Similarly hybrids might have more components in the rear including additional motor.
That's why so many AWD vehicles wreck because Americans in general put little emphasis on winter rated tires. They mostly think ALL season means winter snow where those same tires will get you a ticket in Canada in the winter. All Season are 3 Season tires. So many drivers buy their AWD and once they feel the car move in snow they think they have a winter battle tank and they falsely drive at speeds that their tires cannot stop in time for. Crazy how many bone head people there are that think 4x4/AWD means you are ready for driving in the snow. It only helps you get moving and once at speed say 25mph on icy roads y our AWD does nothing for you. It's all tires at that point. As long as I can get rolling with FWD I would much rather have a FWD with winter tires then AWD with all season (3 season) for snow driving. Once I am at speed I want good tires under my vehicle that will help me not spin out and help stop the vehicle.
Great objective factual comparison!
Thank you!! It means so much!!
A lot matter as to the tires you run, and I don't mean all-season vs. snow, nor do I mean tire compound. What I mean AWD has gotten more necessary due to tire profiles that are common to more modern and upscale vehicles. 19, 20, and 21 wheels are asinine.
1. They make a luxury vehicle ride a buckboard.
2. They are harder on gas.
3. They are lousy on snow and ice because they are wide to make them compress the sidewalls very little. Wide is a mess for rain or snow.
4. They give poorer tire life.
5. They can't take a hit as well from a curb or pot hole without ruining the rim and/or tire. Moreover they are much more prone to rim rash from accidentally rubbing on a curb when you park.
They have one advantage and that is that they corner flatter because their tiny sidewalls deflect less. They are also ridiculously wide because they have to be so that every bump does not contact the rim. They are an expensive ego trip. The fancy rims and tires that came with the car are upstairs in the garage. I bought 4 rims of the exact same style that are 3" smaller in diameter and the rims plus the tires are cheaper than simply replacing the tires on the original rims. The outside diameter of the tire is the same.
As your traveling around curves on wet roads with a 2WD vehicle depending on how fast your traveling your more likely to Loose control easier then someone with AWD travel same speeds or higher, which they can travel more safer without loosing control
I have had studded tires for 4-5 month a year on all my cars and I owned both RWD, FWD and now AWD. In the winter I had to have extra weight in the boot of my RWD during the winter but I didn't feel secure anyway especially cornering. My FWD took me up steep hills and with careful driving I were never stuck. But my AWD actually took me through a road of lots of slush on ice (using X-mode on my Subaru) where I think my FWD had not managed. It's always good to have the margins on your side. Stay safe.
Good video. Maybe I say that because it reinforces my decision earlier this month to buy an FWD vehicle and fit it with Michelin Crossclimate 2 tires versus plunking down another $5-10K to get an AWD sport utility vehicle. Anyway, good video. Good production values. Well done.
Thank you so much!! So glad I could help!
Smart choice. Good tires mean better traction in all aspects of driving. I own both awd and fwd both with blizzaks. I have no issue traveling over the mountain passes with my fwd family van on blizzaks. AWD only gains me a bit more acceleration from a start.
Great video! I just bought a brand new suv and because of shortages everywhere I couldn’t find the model I wanted in AWD so I opted for the FWD. In the DC metro area snow never gets that deep as the roads are cleared quick. Watching your video it made me realize FWD suv are very capable and you will only need AWD if you get into deep snow or going off-road which more than likely will never happen in this area. Thank you for showing the suv going on both modes!!
Which area are you located?
AWD has always been an overrated option. It’s one of those things that once it became available, everyone made excuses to justify needing it. If you’ve got a FWD SUV with good ground clearance, you’ll never know the difference. FWD performs plenty well enough to navigate deep snows.
my FWD golf GTI handles amazing in snow and I live in a city that gets 40 inches of snow per year and all I see in the ditch are 4WD pickups, All you need is tires and skill, I don’t mash the pedal, and it brakes very well due to its light weight
This is so great to hear!! So happy I could conduct these comparisons for everyone!!
FWD will get you buy in most cases but ive had both AWD & FWD. AWD is far greater hands down
Where I live the roads aren't always cleared as soon as it snows.
Can someone please create a good quality video about fwd with snow tire chains.
In my experience, I have two FWD vehicles and one AWD vehicle. When we get snow, neither of the FWD vehicles can make it up my driveway and if they did, probably wouldn't make it up the hill in front of my house. My AWD has no issues. Doesn't even spin the tires. All vehicles are running all season tires.
You are among the 85%. I live in Michigan with the Great Lakes on 3 sides. I have never had AWD and I use all-season tires year around. Once a year I have about 20 seconds when I'm trying to get going on uphill ice. Only 15% of the people in snow and ice areas switch to snow tires and I don't know for the life of me where that 15% live, but it isn't around here. Nobody frogs around with switching tires unless they have RWD.
An incline is the issue.
Front wheel drive with real winter tires is amazing. My wife's Hyundai Elantra with winter tires goes so well. The difference between winter tires and so called all season tires is night and day I have gone around so many 4x4 tricks that were stuck on hills. It is a shame so many people will never know just how good they are because they do not believe, or are too cheap. But trust me, I have been driving for 53 years and they are worth it. Remember it is not just about going but you must also stop and go around turns. How much is your life worth to you?
This past winter season was a hot mess out there. Like 5 cars were stuck on the ramps trying to get on the highways because the roads were just that bad. Me I took a different route around the highways. But the only vehicles that made it up them snow covered on ramps were AWD and 4x4 vehicles only.
That’s why it pays to have AWD if you live in areas that get snow and ice
Oh for sure. In an area that’s frequently slippery, AWD is definitely worth the couple thousand extra it costs. I’ve never seen conditions that bad, but wow, I hope it’s not always like that for you! Were the cars on the highway going like 10 MPH?
Also if traction gets so bad that FWD won't work, you'll have an AWD vehicle blocked by stuck FWDs ahead of you that you can't get passed.
Liked and subscribed 👍👍😁
Thanks so much!!
I prefer FWD for mileage and sometimes snow drive which is hardly once a year in the mountains.
Test with snow tires would a fwd do just as good with snow tires
Nice!
Nice review but I would be curious to see a your test with a winter tires specially at 3mn in deep snow :-)
I always drive with manual fwd with winter tired in Canada Quebec Province and I have never been stuck yet :-) but I already saw people with winter tired and awd stuck in deep snow where I was able to not be stuck :-)
Yes sometimes I can lose traction on curve or while turning but not that much…
Some AWD systems absolutely improve handling in bad conditions, by a lot. Like Subaru's. Others don't engage unless the front wheels slip and many disengage completely once you get above 20 MPH or so. It's impossible to make generalizations because there are so many different ways AWD is being done.
Why can't you people get it. Damit it is not about how many tires have power or what the 4x4 system does none of this means a damn if the tires do not have the proper tread to get a grip. Have you people ever looked at the tread on a winter tire vs an all season tire that should give you a clue. Take the time and go to a tire store and compare the difference.
@@scrambler69-xk3kv I've been driving in snow for over 30 years. Tires make a difference of course, but the driven wheels certainly also matter. Insisting otherwise is asinine. Given the same tires and same vehicle, four drive wheels provide more traction and better emergency handling than two every single time. This is basic physics.
Here is an example of what I was talking about when I stated not all AWD systems are equal: ruclips.net/video/P21lwEYY-D0/видео.html
And another in snow: ruclips.net/video/k-TQdIqFvZo/видео.html
And yet another: ruclips.net/video/BC91gE_keVo/видео.html
You can claim you don't really need AWD for most winter driving. I haven't. But you can't claim AWD doesn't matter.
Cool vid
Thank you thank you
I really like your video, I'm about buy a suv equinox and idk what to do.
Thank you!! I hope your purchase went well, and I hope my video helped!
Hey we did get around fine in winter time 30 years ago even with rear wheel drive cars. If you don't need it , don't waste your money.specially in california or similar condition states. stat say AWD cars get stuck more than FWD cars because people think AWD cars are invincible.
Wow, that’s interesting!! Yeah, an FWD car with the proper tires really can perform well.
Sorry to say but AWD handle excellent through snow much better then 2WD
AWD is basically designed for all weather conditions and you wheel spin when accelerating in rain period. Your cornering on wet surfaces while traveling around curves handles much better in rain and snow.
Facts
Why not more videos?
After you drove in snow road with AWD, you will never go back to Front or rear wheel drive.
I have a FWD Fusion and live in Arkansas. When I bought it I lived in Houston, so AWD was not needed. Now that we have this snow storm we just had, I am wondering how much better the AWD would have done, although I haven't had any issues with the FWD.
I get it. And you are correct. But fwd with good winter/snow tires can not to be dismissed. I've driven fwd 4 bangers my whole life and never got stuck with good tires and skill.
Individuals that are poor drivers need all wheel drive. Skilled competent drivers show no difference.
Winter tires with FWD over AWD with All Seasons anyday. If on paved icy/snowy roads. AWD does not help you stop, tires do.
Best option is proper winter tires and AWD but still FWD first if the AWD will be using 3 season/ all season tires. I like being able to have grip in cornering and braking.
FWD is good enough. I've driven through snowy rocky and floods. Luckily survived all.
So I believe the FWD equinox has a snow mode, which wouldn’t come in the AWD. Not really a great test unless you would look at the separate vehicles.
Yea I’ve been trying to figure out the same thing. I’ve seen it pop up a few times on the gauge
Yeah FWD is fine, but AWD is great for traction. If you’re looking at a performance car check out the LSD you get with it. That can really help with traction.
I have 2 AWD cars now, but I’ve had very few issues with FWD driving with All-Seasons. My current cars have Winter Tires on. I would recommend Winter Tires with FWD or AWD.
But again it depends on your winter conditions, some places just need A/S or All-Weather Tires. AWD is great but if you have a smaller car and that’s not an option you can still drive in most conditions, you just need Winter Tires.
Some exceptions of course, like ski resorts or extreme winter conditions, you may need an AWD truck or SUV, maybe even chains.
AWD w/ Winter is best. Really harness the AWD with good tire grip. 2nd best is Winter tires on FWD. AWD might spin the tires slightly less but once up to travel speed I want the tires there for braking grip. AWD with All Season I think is misleading to many people as they don't have much issue getting moving but then the light turns red and they slide through the intersection never connecting the dots that their tires are not great for those conditions. Of course knowledgeable people do far better regardless of All Season or Winter tires as they know when their AWD benefits them and when it doesn't. Seems like 90% of the country has this inflated view of AWD. One of the last winters we were headed up to a mountain pass for some snowboarding in my RAV4 V6 AWD / Blizzak DMV2 driving carefully. Every vehicle in the ditch at least 10 were some sort of Subaru, SUV or truck with many of them on all season looking tires.
@@45eno Agreed… probably some Audi and BMW Drivers too. Basically any brand that promotes AWD.
I had Minivans with FWD and A/S often but never had an accident in the winter. I live in the Snow Belt too. It’s partly not driving in certain conditions and driving safely.
I have AWD and winter tires on both vehicles now but still drive like I’m on A/S
If you live in states like Colorado get an AWD car. I was told a FWD car is sufficient as long as I have good snow tires when i first moved to Colorado. The truth is you will eventually find yourself in a situation where FWD just won't cut it.
I live in northern IN and we get snowstorms with a foot of snow and I've never had a need for AWD
Not too many mountain passes is there?
Some FWD have snow mode… compare FWD snow mode to AWD
Also I personally find my FWD car drives better in the snow with traction control OFF (Chicago)
I've had a FWD car for that last 7 years in Canada . When there is 8-12 inches of snow during the night and I had to go to work, damn it was shitty accelerating after every stop, taking a couples seconds reaching 35mph... With an AWD car you start and look at the FWD car still a the stop trying to move while you're already way far !
That explains why Subaru is the king in our winters lol
Wow, I bet! Did you have winter tires on both though? But yeah, Subarus are great in the snow and off-road.
@@texemplargarage1553 Of course, in Quebec due to the great ammount of snow it is illegal to drive all season tires from December to april 😉 The winter tires helps a lot for the FWD cars but it is nothing compared to AWD 😜
@@krib1887 Yeah, I bet all-seasons wouldn't stand a chance! Do you find that FWD performs worse in snow or ice?
@@texemplargarage1553 Snow is great for winter tires but if you don't have studs, ice is very slippy on the acceleration definetely !
Yeah. I wouldn't want to be without studs when on a lot of ice, even with AWD.
Thanks
Of course! Thanks for watching!
Which one you think is better
It depends on the situation. I detail which drivetrain works better for which conditions in the video!
The answer is yes when you're in Colorado.
All season tires in the winter ? Who does that
After an incident with ice and a hill, most of the cars my family bought was with AWD. It’s that our nothing.
Maybe front wheel drive (FWD) vehicles are good enough in most wintertime instances, but it would be nice to have the option to AWD in certain problem road conditions.
So this video only proved FWD vehicles are good enough in plowed out conditions.
If you can afford the extra cost of AWD, I would get it. It could also be a good selling point if you wanted to Re-Sell or Trade in the car.
I have had a Chevy 2001 Monte Carlo (21 years old now) with just FWD and have managed to get through Northern Illinois winters with very little problems. Though I have gotten stuck in the snow a few times with the car. Again as long as the roads are plowed out, My FWD car drives great in those conditions.
But it is your decision if you really need AWD. This feature is not meant to be for doing full off road vehicle conditions.
Take care.
Wrong. That is the problem. Young people have never experienced true winter tires. The difference between winter tires and all- season tires is unbelievable, period. I have been driving in the northeast for 53 years. And last winter as only one example, I took my granddaughter to work at 5 30 am and the roads had a wet slippery six inches on them and my wife's Hyundai Elantra with winter tires went like it was summer, passing 4x4's on two lane steep roads while they with all seasons were on the hill spinning. Wish I could make young people understand how good they are. And remember it is not just about going you must stop and go around corners. It is your life, and you could die in a crash or from being stranded and frozen.
Awd and
Torque vectoring awd are not one in the same
Wait wait wait! 2:03 you mean I have to steer the vehicle if I was it to go where I want?!? Since when was this a thing? I didn’t know I had to make steering adjustments to get the car to go where I want. Thank the lord for you making this video. You are amazing.
One night it was raining and as I was traveling through the rain heading to work I got off the highways and was traveling on another highway which the speeds are 45mph.
I drive a 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD turbo SUV, which handles great 👍🏽
There was a car constantly hitting brakes in front of me and holding up traffic while doing so.
Remember I’m trying to get to work ok.
I decided to go around him while the roads were saturated with sharp curves on a 4 lane highway.
I zoomed around him running like 65mph to get around 3 other vehicles around sharp curves in rain.
The AWD handles so excellent in rain that it keeps the vehicle straight and feels more in control
Don't get so confident the awd is not active all the time it's more so your tires
@@ghry7803
Keep up on your tires are important but Hyundai’s new Htrac AWD is very active all the time it’s much better then competitors AWD systems.
That’s why I had no issues getting through snow ❄️
Htrac is a newer system not ole.
Just go to RUclips and watch the video for yourself.
Hyundai’s Htrac system
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I go through Midwest winters im a dodge Dart fwd lol I been fine lol
AWD is always better. Tires are important too
All season tires! Seriously? Couldn't afford winter tires for a true test?
I live in so cal, literally no reason for awd
Besides racing
Lol in the Bay. Only needed when visiting Tahoe
Unless you live in the inland empire and go to Mt baldy or Big bear often, I’d go awd
Bridgestone Ecopia tires are like hockey pucks. Stay away from those garbage tires
Those specifically?
@@texemplargarage1553 yes
With front wheel drive try pulling through a stop sign up any small hill or an on ramp getting on highways from a dead stop and watch how fast you get😁😁.
After 3 years dealing with that mess that’s exactly why I traded my 2017 2WD Jeep Cherokee In......
Got tired of getting stuck in snow or ice here In Missouri
True you could get around ok in snow or ice but come across any hill during winter seasons or if the roads are unplowed that’s when you’ll realize having AWD or 4x4 would be the best option to have.
Every winter I’ve always carried a shuffle around in my 2WD vehicles because it’s so easy to get stuck somewhere, when help is not around🤷🏽♂️
That is why I finally bought myself an AWD vehicle this year
Nice! Thanks for watching! Yeah, for anything even remotely deep, you’ll want to go AWD. Congrats on getting an AWD! In these conditions, the road wasn’t too slippery, but I surely would imagine that FWD/RWD wouldn’t fare well in ice/deep snow, especially when trying to accelerate quickly. Oh, and what do you mean by a shuffle?
Your whole video was out of focus, make sure you watch your videos before posting.