How are they with snow in (often hilly) Switzerland? Best to be avoided unless there is none? Or are they fine with snow tires or chains?
Thanks for any help.
Hello all. I am looking at buying a used car and have seen one that is rear wheel drive. I have not driven a rear wheel drive car in years.
Depends what sort of driving you're likely to be doing. With proper winter tyres most normal winter conditions will be fine with rear-wheel drive, but there may come a point, particularly if you're doing mountain driving, when front-wheel drive cars may be able to drive safely in conditions that will see you struggling. Similarly, of course, 4wd will be better than front, the more harsh the conditions become.
Chains will also help, of course, but you really don't want to use them if you can avoid it. I've never needed them since we moved here - always made sure we have decent winter tyres on. That's on 4wd vehicles. There have been times back when we had a FWD car that I would have fitted chains if we'd had them, but never with 4WD.
Not sure that really answers your question, but as I say, it really depends.
Unless it's an old school VW Beetle, I would recommend you avoid it.
"All Wheel Drive" vehicles are best obviously, but if I had to choose, I would go for front wheel over rear wheel.
The driving wheels under the engine will provide more weight for traction.
Hence the stupid reference to the VW
They're not so good, far better in French and German snow though
You've given me a few bits of information, so thanks. I will probably not be going to the Matterhorn in the car (unless it's the one at Disneyland Paris) but I don't know how much snow can fall on the roads over there before it is cleared.
I had a rear wheel drive in Chicago many moons ago, and it slid all over the place in the snow. But it was a light weight Nissan and it did not have on winter tires. Chicago is also totally flat - not quite the case over there!
You'll be okay, as long as you keep a couple of bodies in the boot, for weight over the axle.
I was thinking of a 2003 BMW 330Ci.
I'll call my cousin Guido. He can probably sort me out
Loads of front end weight, loads of power, automatic ....... Mmmmm - you'll have fun just getting out of a ski resort car park, with compressed snow and ice, which is hardly ever flat.
My BMW has rear wheel drive.
Never had any problems in the snow.
Just make sure you have winter tires.
The fact that there are so many rear wheel drive cars sold here should be an indication that you can drive very well with them, also in the winter. If you plan to do extreme driving in the mountains, I would go for 4*4 though.
Time spent driving on snow is next to zero. Just look at the amount of BMW`s you see on the road. Unless of course you are planning to live in the mountains!!
My wife can handle a rear wheel drive BMW so it cant be that hard! (Only meant in a nice way darling in case you read this xx)
I was thinking...... a power pole or cliff face in winter doesn't care.
Seriously mate,
I come from a dry climate area of the world (.... unfortunately on the forum it's also currently associated with a smoke free and free tap water environment, but I digress ) where rear wheel drive cars are king !!!
Snow is slippery shit, and I wouldn't recommend that you take chances based on car vanity.
I'm not saying that rear wheel drive cars here are no good, and I'm sure that 'Ze Germanz zought about zis ven ze car vas built', but after seeing a car rolled off the side of a snowy road, that was concrete evidence for me not to select a rear wheel drive car here.
Traction is paramount in snow, and Switzerland has the longest bloody winters you could ever imagine.
Look at the specs on the BMW, if there is little weight difference between the front and rear, then I guess it doesn't matter.
All Wheel Drive would always be my first choice for a car in Switzerland (from a safety persective)
well, that's my two cents anyway.
I did think about that but because it is also a convertible, I was not sure if it might have been bought as a second car. I'm not really thinking about extreme mountain driving BUT it would be nice to go up into the hills at least on fairly main roads in the winter. If I have to get to a ski area, for example.
9 times out of 10 (maybe 99/100) you won't have problems driving on the roads.
Like I wrote above, where you might get caught out, is when you park, especially if it's snowing.
I've seen so many front wheel drives wheel spinning and sliding all over the place, trying to get traction and get moving. Hazard a guess how it will be for rear wheelers.
Last winter, after a fresh fall of snow, a Beamer, couldn't even make it up the hill where I live - at only 600+m - luckily I was able to drive past him without any problem.
I drove a 400HP supercharged rear-wheel drive Jag daily this winter just gone, on 5-year old winter tyres. No problems at all in the snow & ice. You just have to adjust your driving style to the conditions (which you have to do in any car, regardless of AWD, FWD, RWD, etc..)
Picture for those who like pictures.
All those M5s and M3s you see are not garage queens in winter!!! The Maseratis you see driving around Arosa (without chains) are just a trick of the light.
I know another user who ran a 300++ps BMW estate all year. Ultimately it wasn't as good as a 4wd in really bad conditions - but 99% of the time he had no issues.
Remember - the issues with the driven axle is solely on getting going - braking and cornering makes no difference. A fresh set of high quality winter tyres is all you need if you live below 1,000m.
If you are going to live above 1,000m - then yes - go for the Audi A4 quattro cabriolet - otherwise just get whatever you fancy.
(If you will be living South of the Alps - the Ticino boys will give more relevant information)
AWD (All Wheel Drive) and 4WD (Four Wheel Drive) are not the same. Or they don't always mean the same thing.
With AWD drive is normally around 90% front and 10% back, with load going to other axles only if there is a slip. For that reason, I have chains for my Volvo XC70 AWD, which Volvo say must be fitted to the front wheels only.
In the past ten years, I've used chains maybe 5 times - and that was always on mountain roads going to a resort, after recent snow. I carry them because they're cheaper than getting a tow should conditions require...
And of course I make sure I have good winter tyres fitted.
You don't know many BMW owners, do you?
Those Audis are nice and yes, I just discovered they are 4WD. Genius.
I will be living slightly south of Lugano, where the palm trees are. But in case I want to go to Piedmont for the weekend in the winter (it's a bit dismal that time of year, so it may not happen) or a ski resort, I just want to know that I could get there and back and won't slid off or down a mountain top - if I'm careful.
Is this mis-information day??
The answer is: it all depends on the 4wd system. Volvo, along with a great deal other companies, use a Haldex system. In normal driving this channels 100% of the torque to the front wheels. When slip is detected a clutch slips some of the torque to the rear axle. In the Haldex 4 system (as first used by Saab in their XWD cars) there are further clutches either side of the axle differentials allowing upto 85% of the torque to be transferred to a single wheel.
Any VAG car that has 4wd and a transverse engine will use HALDEX and not QUATTRO.
BMWs x-Drive system has a normal distribution of 40/60 (front/rear).
Nissan's system is even more clever - the locked 2wd isn't actually locked - and will transfer to the rear under extreme slip. Automatic mode will shuffle upto 43% of torque to the rear axle - and 4wd mode locks the ratio at 57/43 - which is the weight distribution of the car.
The biggest bonus of the modern 4wd systems is the HILL DESCENT CONTROL. Controlling and stopping a modern car (1600-2000kg) on a steep slippery descent can be tricky - HDC takes over and can hold your speed at 16kmph leaving you to focus on steering.
9 years - used chains twice!