Winter driving... good or bad w/o AWD?

[merlin]

I am interested in getting a vibe and leaning towards base. Aside from performanmce of engine, my big concern is how does it handle in snow. Is it worth getting AWD, i understand its not as responsive/peppy as FWD. I really want to purchase a FWD w/16" tires. Any thopughts and comments apreaciated.

[AKLGT]

i live just outside anchorage, ak and i have a gt. i slapped some 15" rims and studded winter radials and i can get around just fine. so far this year we've had over 74" of snow. if you get some good winter tires you will be fine in the base. the awd does help with starting and traction, but fwd is fine.

[MrRich]

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe » if you get some good winter tires you will be fine in the base. the awd does help with starting and traction, but fwd is fine.What else can I say?I agree!

[ragingfish]

Get real snow tires (don't use the stock ones) and you'll be fine with a non-AWD car. Especially in PA.

[joatmon]

check out http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=7729. Also, reach out to your neighbor Stang2Vibe He has a GT and can tell you how it does in your area.unfortunately the site's search doesn't seem to work on three letter words, such as AWD I know there have been previous discussions on this before, just hard to find them. I have a base, but you get a lot more snow that I do. Seems like those that have the AWD swear by it, those that don't tend to say they don't need it.If you get a base, would you go for automatic or manual transmission?

[18stars]

I'd go with the FWD if you are in doubt...I considered both but went with the FWD and put Blizzak snow tires on it...I've done a bit of snow driving at home and around Scranton and have had no problems...I decided the added expense and mechanical complexity along with decreased horsepower made the FWD a better choice for me....a big plus for the AWD might however be in resale value if thats a consideration....

[merlin]

Thank you all for advice. Dont get as much snow in Pittsburgh as Alaska but we do get some. I had read on Autobytell there where some complaints about it handling in snow. I have been using allseason tires for a while now (drive a dodge stratus) without problems but will consider snow tires if i buy one... they do look so cool and really versatile.

[DoughBoy]

AWD doesn't help you stop any better in the snow, so if your only motivation for AWD is for snow acceleration, I would save the money and get a good set of winter/snow tires. I've never had AWD, and I've never had any problems with winter driving.In slippery conditions, when you accelerate, the weight (and hence traction) shifts to the rear, which is where you will see most of the benefits of AWD. With FWD, you can't drive as aggressively in the snow (which you shouldn't anyway).

[msmyer]

Its is my second winter with my Vibe and I have the base. I do just fine with mine. We just got our first "big" snow of the year, today, in Ohio and the Vibe went right though it.....

[red]

where i live in alaska we have ice and snow about 6 months out of the year so most vehicles sold here are 4wd/awd..in fact one dealership boasts that the best selling passenger car in fairbanks is the subaru legacy which i dont doubt.....i didnt give it a second thought about choosing awd over fwd espcially after i test drove a vibe on a cold evening ( -20* and sheet ice) i ve got studded snow tires on and NOTHING absolutely NOTHING hinders the forward progress of this vehicle. i recently got stuck in my driveway when i ventured over too far next to a drainage ditch that sits next to it. i had to evidentually use a shovel for all about 3 minutes to get out...but it wasnt due to traction..i had 4 out of 4 wheels kicking and i mean they were digging..what got me was that the ground clearance was too low and it got a little hung up....if i was in a fwd vibe it would of taken me a lot longer to get out and would have to used alot more muscle and shovelling. my opinion is that if you experience alot of ice and snow then get the awd..the power difference between the base at and the base awd isnt as much as one would think.

[AKLGT]

lol. got the vibe high centered, eh? that's funny! and in your driveway? now, red, that is really funny. you know of course that i'm not laughing at YOU just at the mental image...

[red]

well if you could see how greg plowed the driveway.......he covered up the 2 foot drop off into the ditch so basically i WAS high centered sideways when i ventured over that way....at the time it seemed pretty pissy what was funny was when i got my 9 year old behind the wheel to help me free it, it seems that she only knows one speed forward and back and thats floored, she needs driving lessons!! but the ground clearance on these vibs arent the greatest it got me thinking about a 3" lift or more so when next i go off roading i wont hang up!!!!

[AKLGT]

lol. actually, i think the vibe has about 8" ground clearance which is pretty good for a car type vehicle. i lowered mine this summer, but i also don't get the weather like you do in fbx (atleast not usually). i think i'm just a little over 6" ground clearance now.

[michaelgt]

I would agree that you need different tires for winter. I got my Vibe last March, and drove in snow once. It seemed to handle pretty good. In the last 2 weeks, we have had much more snow, and I have over 27k miles on the tires. It struggles for traction! So next fall, I will get snow tires. I will be driving the 4x4 SUV for the next two days, as they call for a mess on the road.

[pmh013]

Personally, I'm one of those "swear by the AWD types." But, I also live in the snow belt, and our roads are hindered by poor snow removal.For example, yesterday I had to go to the city to run some errands. It's a 50 or 60 mile (110 km) trek into the city. On the trip there, it was blowing snow, but nothing serious -- not slippery.Where I had fun with the AWD was once I got to town. Every intersection is pure ice from all these idiots who floor it with their front wheel drive cars, spinning and really going no where. I had no problems pulling away from a stop; 7 cm (2.75") of snow fell, and I'm talking about pulling away on the unplowed streets. Do I really need to do that? No, but I sure had fun. The Vibe has only 0.7" less ground clearance than a Ford Explorer.Oh, the trip back home was fun. It's dark. Howling wind has created finger drifts in the left hand lane. When one semi passes another, it kicks up so much snow, that you've gotta slow down to 40 km/h (30 MPH) to be able to see. That's when I decided it was better to pass them, then have them pass me. I don't know if I would have wanted to plow through those drifts in a FWD car, but maybe it would have been OK. Or, just drive like a normal person & don't insist on getting home in 1 hour, which is what it takes in the summer.

[Merzbow]

I've got a FWD Base and I haven't lost control yet without trying to. I also don't have ABS. My driving isn't all that cautious in the snow and ice. You'll be fine withthe base:)

[philndz]

Well I have been pretty impressed w/ my fwd base....but yesterday we here in missouri got a very uncharacteristically bad ice layer w/ some snow on top. I got stuck in my neighborhood and had my younger brother (now driving my old jeep grand cherokee) come to push me up the hill....to no avail. We ended up having to strapthe vibe to the jeep and he effortlessly towed me back to the house. - Ashamed.Then I called on him again this morning to help me as I was completely stuck on my own driveway......I put the vibe in 1st gear and let it spin w/ no gas or clutch and then we both pushed and as soon as it started moving i jumped in.....hehe....he says I should have kept my Jeep! This is not anything to judge the vibes bad weather performance by b/c my tires are summer tires and are worn to the wear indicators...so not really ideal for this weather!-Phil

[AKLGT]

yes, tires make a big difference. if you're trying to drive in snow and ice in summer tires.... well, you won't go too far. my family's owned almost all fwd vehicles over the last 12 yrs in ak. we've never had any real probs w/ good winter tires.

[Houston]

I have the Base Vibe with the factory Goodyear Eagles. I have to say that on snowy roads I much prefer driving the Grand Prix, as the Vibe does seem to slide around much more.

[GT_03]

I think the Vibe is great in snow, you need good tires though. My Conti's are wearing to the bone.

[nismo]

IF you don't mind me asking, what is wrong with the stock wheels and tires. I have the 16" alloy's. I got Goodyear's that came with em. So far I love em. Inder Singh

[red]

ground clearance is a hazy claim because each car company measures this difference in various ways.....i cant believe this car has almost the ground clearance of an explorer.....must be how toyota does their measuring...normally its from the diff down to the ground...hmmm anyway i still think i need more clearance cause something underneath dragged enough to impede my movement (besides the driver's ability to pilot in her own driveway !)

[AKLGT]

i sometimes have hit the bottom of my exhaust on bumps. it may be that you're bottoming out on.

[Caretaker]

I just came back from a 5 day trip to Williamsburg, VA. The AWD handled like a trooper in the ice storm. There was also 5 inches of snow which the Vibe ate up. I just gave my baby a bath since the wipers and headlights were all crusted over with I-95 crud. As always, it was great seeing all the SUVs taking a drink from the gulleys on the side of the road. Stupid SUVs!!!