FWD + Snow = Unimpressed

Drove my mom's 09 Civic on newer Pirelli tires in 1-2" of snow this afternoon. Not liking it. At. All. I've driven RWD all my live so I know there are some handling dynamics that I'd have to learn, but, frankly, FWD is the suxor.

HANDBRAKE!!!

Its different, yes, but I think competing against other FWDs (rallyx and ice racing) is just as fun.

A lot depends on the tires. If they aren't snow tires they aren't going to work well.

If you're not turning with the handbrake, yes, it sucks. In fact, the ONLY way the old Elantra turned was with the ebrake. Keeping that in mind, it was a beast. The Forte? Not so much. But more power, more torque and less weight than the Elantra on the same size tires likely accounts for it.

On snows I know it would have been a whole different experience. Oh, I was competing against other FWD cars. They were trying to kill me and I was trying not to die.

The older FWD cars with heavy iron block engines were the ones that did good in snow. More modern/balanced stuff isn't that great without snows.

In any event you've gotta use the handbrake, apply more throttle and steering angle to make up for understeer, use handbrake to induce oversteer. You can parallel park a FWD car in the snow real easy this way, get it backed in on the angle, lock the handbrake, steering at full lock, then back the front end in. Get out the same way.

I dunno, I kinda enjoy driving just about anything in the snow, nothing like putting my truck into a 4 wheel drift with the 4 wheel engaged, like driving an evo but nothing breaks.

I was just out cruising the corners in my subdivision with the tail of the MINI hanging out. Just drive in a little quick and lift, then get back on it. If you're used to RWD who have to learn some new tricks. My other car is a Miata. If you asked me to get some place in a hurry on snow covered roads I'd take my MINI to do it.

Appleseed wrote: newer Pirelli tires

This is meaningless.

My bet is she has whatever "eco-tire" they offer on a Civic. And those hard "eco" compounds suck in snow, regardless of what car they're on.

DeadSkunk wrote: I was just out cruising the corners in my subdivision with the tail of the MINI hanging out. Just drive in a little quick and lift, then get back on it. If you're used to RWD who have to learn some new tricks. My other car is a Miata. If you asked me to get some place in a hurry on snow covered roads I'd take my MINI to do it.

Yeah...there are ways to drive FWD and make the car rotate. And they can be just as fast in the snow or dry. I just don't like them over RWD.

My fit does well in the snow, a lot of it has to do with using throttle lift and low gears. Lift, turn, plant, smile.

I have PZeroNero tires on the Mustang, they were issued on the car when new and are the only recommended replacement tire as well. Supposedly the Suspension Package is "tuned" to those tires.

They're absoberkeleyinlutely INSANE in the snow . . . might as well be driving on ABS plastic slicks. I can't even get the car out of the driveway at idle in drive. Just sits and spins the wheels, Traction Control on or off, doesn't matter.

Tires? Tires. Tires! TiresTiresTiresTiresTires.

Tires.

when I had my Hyundai's. I would keep one foot on the brake when turning in snow.. just enough to lock the rears, but not enough to stop the fronts due to engine torque. was just as fast as using the handbrake, but with more control and finesse

I 100% agree, FWD sucks hard in the snow. I hate hate hate it. Give me RWD or give me death!

Nick_Comstock wrote: I 100% agree, FWD sucks hard in the snow. I hate hate hate it. Give me RWD or give me death!

Just how often does it snow in Temple, Texas?

I don't know about Temple, but it did snow one year in the Metroplex. Great fun that. Until it all got packed down in to ice. That was scary.

After driving FWD cars almost exclusively for the past 100 yrs. I have not found a liking for the hand brake thing or left foot braking. Just knowing what the car will do with throttle application has been the best way for me. I have found this to be true both in ice racing and at Lime Rock etc.

I have a had few rear wheel drive vehicles in the mix. So I can compare.

DeadSkunk wrote:

Nick_Comstock wrote: I 100% agree, FWD sucks hard in the snow. I hate hate hate it. Give me RWD or give me death!

Just how often does it snow in Temple, Texas?

I haven't lived in temple all my life

In fact I've been here less than a year

shrug

With comparable tires, my Saturns (open diff) have always been better in the snow than my Miatas (Torsen).

I prefer our 2wd s10 with or without weight in the bed over the 04 Saturn ion my wife drives. even to go places im just more comfortable in a rwd platform. neither vehicle has dedicated "snow" tires.

irish44j wrote:

Appleseed wrote: newer Pirelli tires

This is meaningless. My bet is she has whatever "eco-tire" they offer on a Civic. And those hard "eco" compounds suck in snow, regardless of what car they're on.

No. Year old all seasons on the 2009. Unless they can time travel. Then, maybe.

Lots of handbrake in a fwd ice racer is the slow way,a little handbrake can be used in a pinch if you fack it up and need a hail mary to keep from spearing head on into the bank.

Fwd outruns all rwd easily with the exception of of 1st gen MR2's on the ice track up here,those 2 are very close in outright speed.I've driven both and much prefer a well setup fwd over the lackluster prepped MR2 I drove.

Nick_Comstock wrote: I 100% agree, FWD sucks hard in the snow. I hate hate hate it. Give me RWD or give me death!

Seriously! I have been driving my S2000 with studded Nokians all up and down the rockies this year. The throttle response in that car is so...instant... that it took a little practice to not spin from a stop, but then again the throttle response is so instant that should one desire, one can step the back out on demand, in any gear.

Plus, the looks (and phone numbers) you get pulling up to a ski area with the top down are priceless