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Front Wheel Drive in the Winter

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Old Sep 23, 2015 | 02:18 PM
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JoeMed's Avatar
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From: North Shore, MA
Default Front Wheel Drive in the Winter

I'm a new owner of a V60--so far-so good. I'm looking for feedback on your driving experience with FWD in the winter. Last year here in nor-east MA we got ~108". I'm thinking that I can get around buying snow tires.
 
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Old Sep 23, 2015 | 06:03 PM
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FWD is different than RWD driving. If your nose slides on a FWD vehicle, you point and shoot in the direction you want to go, but turn the wheel no more than 10% off straight.. or you'll quite possibly lose it and do a fantastic 180°+ spin around. If your nose slides on a RWD, you let off and it should straighten out with some clever braking (ABS brakes you hold, non-ABS you stab-brake).
Drove an '87 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham d'Elegance (fancy name for a rehashed Delta 88 body/suspension) on 1/4" of untreated ice from Wilton, NH to Antrim, NH on Rte 31 when a sudden rainstorm came up at ~32 deg then froze.
All-in-all, FWD is superior to RWD in snow. I'm assuming this is your first FWD vehicle.
 
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Old Sep 23, 2015 | 07:56 PM
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We have a FWD V-60 and it did fine last winter with the one exception of a heavy wet snow. I misjudged how deep it was going around a corner and got the car hung up in the snow. AWD might have gotten me out of it but otherwise, I"m perfectly happy with FWD.
The FWD has an electronic locking differential that also helps out when the traction is iffy.
 
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Old Sep 23, 2015 | 11:00 PM
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Assuming the snow is not so deep to cause you to be a snow plow and get hung up, you should be pleasantly surprised with FWD. I have had various FWD cars and they can go up hills and over slick stuff that RWD vehicles slide around on.
Switch to W and easy on the controls.
 
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Old Sep 24, 2015 | 05:50 AM
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FWD performs very well in winter conditions, drive accordingly and as suggested you can change to "W" driving mode.
 
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