All wheel drive v. rear wheel drive in DC winters?
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Anonymous
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Looking at buying a new car, rear wheel drive is standard... 2K extra for all wheel drive. Seems like we don't get much snow any more, but we do get some I guess.
Worth it to spend more for AWD or stick w RWD? |
Anonymous
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Do you have a job or other life situation that absolutely requires you to be on the road as scheduled no matter what? Like do you work in an ER or something?
If not, RWD is fine. Most of the city shuts down when it snows. Schools and daycares close, federal government and most other employers close or offer telework, stores close. If you can survive staying home for a day or two, the snow will mostly be melted by then. Even the local ski slopes usually have dry pavement right up to the parking lot. If you do, AWD helps, but the most important thing is to know how to use whatever you have. - West coast native who always insisted on owning a Subaru or other AWD car for winter weather ... But finally gave in and bought a RWD five years ago, and haven't gotten stuck once. I feel kind of silly for having insisted on AWD for the previous 3 cars. |
Anonymous
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Just for winters? If you can stay at home when it snows, then doesnt' really matter.
AWD is better in rain also, but it depends on how much you drive whether it's worth it. |
Anonymous
| AWD for the reasons above. Rain, snow. Not much more money for the benefits. I'd never buy another vehicle without it. |
Anonymous
+1 For two grand it’s a no brainer - definitely get it. FWD is no problem here but there are definitely days when RWD struggles. |
Anonymous
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The tires you use matter. Around here it's not usually necessary to install snow tires but good all-season tires will perform better in adverse conditions than summer-only tires, on both RWD and AWD vehicles. In light snow, driven prudently, RWD is going to usually be fine as long as you have good all-season tires with sufficient tread depth; you may find it trickier on hills or if you exceed your tires' limits of adhesion for conditions. If you let your tires get too worn and then try to drive in snow you'll be more likely to run into issues.
I have a AWD SUV with summer-only tires and don't drive it when temps are below 40 - 45 degrees F because the tire compound hardens, the tires lose traction, and can physically and irreparably crack. Fortunately, my spouse has a AWD SUV with all-season tires I can usually use if I can't drive mine, and I don't commute so rarely actually need to drive if the weather is not conducive. |
Anonymous
RWD will be awful in snowy and mixed precipitation weather. If you are aware of this and can plan around it you will be ok. Plenty of RWD cars on the road but they are the ones struggling most when conditions are bad. |
Anonymous
| AWD or get a different car - a front wheel drive car |
Anonymous
| Just remember there are people with 4w drive or all wheel drive that thinks that means no change in their driving behavior in wet slow and they end up wrecking their cars and may hit other drivers, etc. |
Anonymous
| The volume of snow is not the issue as much is the ice in our neighborhood. We have AWD so we can get up the hills in our DC neighborhood. |
Anonymous
| There are usually about 5 days per year that rwd could be a problem. Can you stay home those days? |
Anonymous
| AWD will do you no good on ice or stopping. That's why you see AWD cars in ditch |
Anonymous
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You're going to have to give us some more information. It really depends on the car. Is the AWD system any good or is it just some crappy, barely functional on-demand system that technically allows manufacturers to check a box but otherwise isn't worth a damn?
AWD will also give you worse gas mileage, parasitic drivetrain loss, and will be more expensive to repair when things go sideways. RWD will give you better mileage and better driving dynamics (assuming the AWD isn't rear-biased). Also, RWD with snow tires will get you further than most AWD cars with all-seasons. |
Anonymous
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OP here.
I'm debating a RWD BMW X3, AWD BMW X3, or a Mazda CX-5 AWD fully loaded. The RWD X3 is around $6,000 more than the CX-5, the X3 AWD 8K more. Been agonizing over it for a while an am getting frustrated... appreciate everyone's help on this! |
Anonymous
| I’d never buy a RWD vehicle in this area as my only/main car. |