Originally Posted by
CliftonGK1
Ah yes, the myth of the all-terrain pimpmobile; because everyone knows that 24" chromes and racing tires are the optimal winter setup... People who beleive this type of advertising are the ones I end up towing out of ditches every winter. I ride a bike most places, but I do own a beater old 4x4 as my sole motorized vehicle. When I lived in the midwest, it did get me through many an unplowed road during city-wide snow closures; (I was an ARES first responder).
Now, I just get to laugh as I winch people back onto the road and explain to them that 4wd/AWD doesn't make them invincible, or just because they bought an SUV (especially those with RWD only and small engine versions) doesn't mean they know how to drive in the snow.
You'd be surprised, (or maybe not), to hear how many GMC Yukon, Cadillac Escalade and other behemoth SUV owners tell me the same story. "The dealer said that I'd be able to go anywhere in this car. I don't understand why it's stuck." That, as they're high-bottomed, straddling a snowbank with 2 of their low-profile summer-tread street tires in a drainage ditch. Now
there's a promo poster for ya!

Yeah, it's pretty funny. If you watch the ditches after a serious snowstorm on the interstate, it always seemed like *at least* 50% of the cars in the ditch were SUV's. Safer in the snow my a...
The biggest myth I see perpetuated is that AWD (or even 4wd) is going to help with braking in the snow. People don't realize that your car ALREADY has 4 wheel braking - AWD just adds 4 wheel accelerating. Helpful for getting out of a snowbank once you're stuck, but it doesn't do anything to increase your ability to stop.