A nice suprise in this ice storm

[Theadyn]

So western Oklahoma has been hit with some pretty yucky weather.  Ice, then snow, then melting, to get frozen all over again every night going on 4 days now.

Yesterday I was getting a little bit stir crazy.  I hadn't been out since Christmas.  When you are snowed/iced in and really don't have to be anywhere, it does get a little boring after a while.  Plus, when you are stuck inside, it's nice to be able to have a cold beer, ya know? 

Well, I decided to go to the store.  My thinking was, my little car was front wheel drive, small, and light.  It would be the better choice to get around town in, right?  Yeah.. uh... it didn't quite cooperate with me.  The sloped shape of her helped the snow accumulate on top of her and around the tires and such.  After scraping her, warming her, and about 30 minutes of rocking her to try to get over the bit of drift around the tires, I gave up. 

Then thought, hmm..  the van, sitting right next to her, didn't have near as much snow or ice around her.  Maybe because she's boxy and it was able to just fall off, I don't know.  But there wasn't the snow drift around her tires like there was on my little car.

Now, let me also admit, I have never been a rear-wheel driving person, front wheel drives my whole life.  Especially in icy conditions.  I was a bit afraid of what would happen.  But, no time like the present to see how she'd roll.   Hopped in her, turned the key, waited a bit for her to warm up, put her in gear, and man!  She drove around like no one's business!!  

Most of the main roads here have been dozed and salted, and they were mostly on the dry side, those were no problem.  But the side streets are pretty much a sheet of ice.  I didn't have but a few blocks of that to contend with until I got to the cleared roads.  And, of course, me being not a complete idiot (no picking for going to get beer in the ice, lol), I went very slow.  She didn't slide once.  She handled great, even over a sloped iced parking lot and some ice piling up where the roads were cleared that looked like some people had had trouble.

Okay, my more knowledgeable friends...  was it the weight of the van that made her handle so well?  Does rear-wheel drives handle better on ice/snow?  I'm sure it helped that I just went very slow, of course.  But what's your opinions on how the different types handle?


TLDR;  Was pleasantly suprised my big bulky van handled the ice/snow so darn well when my little car couldn't even get out of the driveway. 

 

[BradKW]

My experiences driving a rwd van on slippery roads has been mostly akin to guiding a large metal toboggan while sweating nervously. So the weight must have worked in your favor...

 

[GotSmart]

I learned how to drive on volcanic ash from sprint car racers.  RWD, and 1/2 the time Sideways.   Like in the movie CARS, Turn left to go right.  

The only time ice bothers me is when I can not get traction to get going.   :s

Unless you have more practice, be extremely careful out there.  Weight over the drive axle, and keep it turning.  

 

[TMG51]

When reading your post and getting to the bit about your car working in the snow because it's light (among other reasons), my first thought was that's not gonna help. I'd say, yes, the biggest difference with how the van performed came from the weight. The tires also could matter a lot depending what's on there.

Driving in snow is very different to people who aren't used to it. You did the best thing by going slow.

 

[rvpopeye]

The weight and how it was distributed on the wheels.
I have driven FWD vehicles but never owned one......

Going slow is great ,you might say it is required,
and when you start to lose traction(start to spin/slide)
LESS gas, NOT more!
As a test.
I like to get going about 10-15mph where there's no traffic and hit the brakes . Depending on how much I skid , I slow down. More skid=less speed.
I have driven very slowly over many miles of iced over roads.
With no problems using this method.
Impatient drivers that pass me , I'll usually see again.
OFF THE ROAD !

Slush is worse than ice , it will grab your tires and take over your direction !

PS: We do this crazy stuff on frozen lakes called ice racing. Not so much lately , the lakes aren't freezing like they used to anymore......

 

[ACagedTraveller]

Plus, when you are stuck inside, it's nice to be able to have a cold beer, ya know? 


Now, let me also admit, I have never been a rear-wheel driving person, front wheel drives my whole life.  Especially in icy conditions.  I was a bit afraid of what would happen.  But, no time like the present to see how she'd roll.   Hopped in her, turned the key, waited a bit for her to warm up, put her in gear, and man!  She drove around like no one's business!!  

Why not find a warm beer to cool outside before you bring it inside? 
With a more serious tone, I think the extra weight and the decision to drive slowly might have influenced the outcome more than FWD or RWD.

 

[highdesertranger]

I like the beer part of this story. highdesertranger

 

[Canine]

All things being equal, front wheel drive will smoke rear wheel drive.

Tires and weight make an enormous difference. Combine winter or at least all terrain tires with 300+ pounds over the rear tires on a rear wheel drive vehicle, and you will do very well as long as you have solid ground to drive on.

I had a front wheel drive with summer tires on it. It was terrible in the snow. I put snow tires on it and it ripped through the snow. Huge difference.

An empty two wheel drive truck is helpless in the snow and ice. Put some weight in the back and you have a new vehicle.

 

[GotSmart]

All things being equal, front wheel drive will smoke rear wheel drive.

Tires and weight make an enormous difference. Combine winter or at least all terrain tires with 300+ pounds over the rear tires on a rear wheel drive vehicle, and you will do very well as long as you have solid ground to drive on.

I had a front wheel drive with summer tires on it. It was terrible in the snow. I put snow tires on it and it ripped through the snow. Huge difference.

An empty two wheel drive truck is helpless in the snow and ice. Put some weight in the back and you have a new vehicle.

How about a screw wheel drive?

 

[Reducto]

Another problem people run into with FWD cars is putting crappy worn out tires on the back and grippy new tires or even snow tires on the front. Back tires are what keep your car pointing straight ahead. I found myself going 65mph sideways once when I gently tapped on my brakes and my front tires slowed down but my rear tires didn't.

Always put your best tires on the back, FWD or RWD! They are what keep you pointed straight.