SUV or AWD for harsh winter driving? (Denver, Black Hawk: transfer, buy)

[Katarina Witt]

But of course! You'd be one among many. It hasn't been too many years since I was a "mini-van mom" myself. Any kind of mini-van will do!

[rebagirl]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

But of course! You'd be one among many. It hasn't been too many years since I was a "mini-van mom" myself. Any kind of mini-van will do!

That's what I assumed. Thanks!

[yukon]

If the majority of your winter driving is in the Denver metro area, are all season tires ok? I drove on AS the few times we had snow (and the many times we had ice) in Dallas and they were fine. But then, snow in Dallas isn't anything like your snow, I bet.

I ask mainly because if I move out there, it will be in the winter and I'd like to budget for these babies if I need 'em

[sunsprit]

Yukon ... AllSeason tires are quite adequate for all but the few worst Denver area snowstorms, especially on AWD cars. You may go for years with this combination and never have a problem, but there's always the chance of one of those freak storms coming through and really dumping ... they're few and notable events. When that happens, it's best to just stay home until the roads are cleared.

[robnasty]

Originally Posted by hello-world

don't let people make you think you need more than you need; denver/CO driving (outside of the higher mountainpasses or well off the beaten path) is basically very tame requiring little preparation. a front wheel drive with all season mud and snow (M+S) tires would work fine, given that they have enough tread life left. roads b/w denver and blackhawk are generally well maintained and frequently traveled - the snow will seldom (maybe never) be deep on the road. people love thinking they need AWD and 4WD when they don't need either. sort of a "bigger's better" or "love my new toy" mentality, it can seem. or maybe overcompensation for lack of skill. whatever you have for tires or a vehicle, once you get used to it in snow, will be fine in most circumstances (maybe unless it's a rear wheel drive). just try not to drive yourself into a snowbank. personally, the best vehicle i've ever had for the snow was a front wheel drive subaru XT with nothing but M+S tires; the worse was a 4X4 SUV (higher center of gravity and a little more fishtailing of the rear driven wheels made it less predictable, while the front wheel drive could be driven out of most any situation with a little touch of the accelerator). a 4X4 will have an advantage in deep snow (say > 5 or 6" on the road - EXCEPTIONALLY rare around denver; even if a foot's fallen on the ground, most of the roads very very seldom have more than even an inch or two), an AWD with snows will have a bit of that advantage (unless the snow's rather deep - say 7"+, which you may very well NEVER see on the road) in similar conditions, and otherwise, the front wheel drive with M+S and some skill on your part will be more than enough (maybe even advantageous). snowtires will usually suffer in performance (relative to a decent set of all season M+S tires) on the dry roads that you will usually find around denver, e.g.. before going out and spending an extra $5000 on the AWD version of a car, or an extra $500 on fancy snow tires, (and who knows how much MORE $$ on gas due to the diminished fuel economy) i'd recommend going to a big, empty parking lot on a snowy evening with whatever you already have and driving around for a while trying to get the car to do a few different things - that practive would probably be the best investment of any of the above.

good luck.

sound a little bitter there guy, some people might enjoy the experience of getting a 4wd or SUV in a new city (your "love my new toy" reference) if the driving conditions are not what they're used to. Peace of mind and change aren't always bad things.

If you were taking a Caribbean vacation would you not spend an additional $60 on some nice & breathable new shorts, when technically your muggy ass jeans could do the job? WAKE UP!
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[timothyjames14]

Really....?

This is 6 years old.

[highplainsrus]

Originally Posted by timothyjames14

Really....?

This is 6 years old.

i'm glad it came back up, though. it helps explain why Discount Tires is always so busy, at least at this time of year. still shopping around for F150 4x4 winter tires. sounds like AWD would have been a better vehicle choice.

[Snikt]

I disagree, my Jeep Wrangler in 2WD mode feels much more planted than the Subaru Legacy I traded it in on. In 4WD it's no contest at all

[Snikt]

Limited slip vs open differential makes a big difference too on snow/ice

[Colorado^]

Originally Posted by Snikt

I disagree, my Jeep Wrangler in 2WD mode feels much more planted than the Subaru Legacy I traded it in on. In 4WD it's no contest at all

Was the Legacy and Auto? They are 90% FWD after 2nd gear. The manual tranny's are the one's with a 50/50 torque split in all gears.

Our 04' Forester XT (manual) with studded snow tires will run circles around the big 3/4 ton diesel truck with M+S rated off road tires... unless we're talking about 6+ inches of snow.

Most of that is due to the weight difference though 3,300lb vs 9,000lb. Subbie also has a much better F/R weight balance. When you go fast in the truck on snow in 4x4 and it will push (under-steer), but the Forester can be easily rotated (over-steer) with the throttle.