mb88

Bumping this thread because I have the same question as OP. This is a really helpful post.

In most cases, I think, I could work from home on the day of a snowstorm, but I probably couldn't do that for 2-3 days in a row. (Like many other people in DC, I work at a law firm.) When it snows in DC, is there still some snow, slush, and/or ice on the streets for a few days following the storm? Or is this a question of needing AWD if one needs to get to work on the day of the storm itself?

mmarshall

Usually the streets are cleared pretty quickly, unless there is a large blizzard-type storm, which typically hits once every several years or so. Some local jurisdictions, though, use sand and abrasives (others don't). The salt can be washed off, but the sand and abrasives can pit and scratch the paint/glass/trim when they are kicked up by car and truck tires. I try and avoid the sand/abrasive-treated roads like the plague.

SW17LS

The answer is...it depends. It depends a lot on where you live. Snow removal has never been a strong suit here, its hard when you can go 3-4 winters with no snow, and have one winter with two 30" snowfalls. Its hard to maintain a budget, equipment and personnel for that. Its gotten better over the years here (IMHO because we've had consistently more severe winters over the last 4-5 years), but its not NJ, NY, PA. etc. Some roads remain snow covered for days after a snowstorm. Some roads never get cleared and just melt, especially in DC.

For instance I live in a planned development where we have private snow removal. Our roads within our development are often totally clear when you still can't get out of the development to get anywhere. However, I grew up in Bethesda and we would be snowed in for days anything over 6-7 inches. Its better in VA, DC is terrible.

So depending on where you commute to and from you may drive on totally plowed roads and totally unplowed roads all in the same trip.

5 inches of snow will close schools for 2 days+ 1/2 inch of snow will close schools for 1 day.

mb88

Thank you very much. I come from the San Francisco Bay Area and have zero experience driving in the snow. I'm thinking that it might be better to have a car with AWD for now, even if I don't "need" it, because even roads with a lot of slush will be new to me. My commute to work would probably be okay, but the idea of not being able to drive anywhere for 3/4 days in the event of a heavy snowfall would make me nervous.

SW17LS

With no experience driving in the snow, I would definitely choose AWD over RWD or FWD. The issue is that what you will encounter along your drive will be unpredictable, you just won't know setting out and looking at the roads by where you live what they will look like 1/2 way to your destination or at your destination. I've had two Lexus sedans with AWD now and two RWD Lexus sedans, the AWD system is really excellent. I also had a Jeep Grand Cherokee and I would say in snow 6" and under, my Lexus sedans were even better than my Jeeps. Obviously deeper than that the physical height of the vehicle makes a difference.

But I would head out in a snowstorm in my AWD LS on all season tires with no worries. I would not have done that with my RWD LS sedans lol.

Relocating to the area?

UDel

I have lived in that area of the East Coast for over 20 years off and on along with most of my family and friends and I have never owned a awd vehicle nor have most of my family and friends. You do not need awd in that part of the country or in the mid west. AWD does not suddenly make a vehicle invisible in ice or snow, defies the laws of physics, or shortens stopping distances. AWD barely existed in cars before 2000 or so, to this day none of the most popular family sedans or compacts even offer awd, and drivers seemed to have done or do just fine in those states without it, even with the many rwd cars on the road in those states. Guess what kind of vehicles I noticed stuck or in the ditch in snowstorms, they were not fwd family sedans, they were normally awd Suvs because the owners often have a false sense of security and invincibility with regards to having awd and a higher ride height plus those vehicles are heavier and take more distance to stop. A good pair of all season tires or chains in some cases is much better then just having awd.

If the roads are so bad it is dangerous or almost impossible to drive with a fwd or rwd vehicle they are going to be dangerous or almost impossible to drive with the avg awd vehicle too, during a state of emergency regarding heavy snow/dangerous road conditions you are not allowed on the road whether it is fwd, rwd, or awd.

SW17LS

You do not NEED AWD, but its very nice to have. I got by for many years without AWD and I survived, I got where I was going and I stayed alive.

But, when purchasing a vehicle and being faced with a choice of two identical vehicles one with AWD and one without AWD...living here I would choose the AWD and thats the point at question. If you own a vehicle that is not AWD, and you move here you don't need to freak out and go buy something thats AWD, but you're better off having it than not having it and if you're buying a vehicle where its an option I would bear that in mind.

I've had the unique benefit of having owned essentially the same vehicle in both RWD and AWD. Anybody that tells you that the AWD car is not significantly better to drive in bad weather, more sure footed, more confident, and safer to drive in bad weather than the RWD car is just flat wrong.

Chains? Who wants to put chains on a car? I've lived here all my life and Ive never once felt the need to put chains on one of my cars. Even driving in the mountains during real significant snow...haven't needed chains.

Sulu

I agree. I have lived here in Ontario, Canada (the Great White North), all my life. Since I have been driving, my cars have all been FWD cars and I have not even switched to snow tires in the winter, even during the 5 years I lived in Ottawa, a particularly cold and snowy city.

When the snow comes, I just slow down. I have had my share of skids, but luckily without ever hitting anybody; I learned from those conditions and now can feel when road conditions are getting particularly slippery.

SW17LS

But here's the question, do you think you would have more stability in an AWD car? I don't see any argument that you wouldn't...

So when choosing a specific car and you have the option of AWD or not, doesn't it just make sense to get the AWD?

mb88

Yup, moving with my girlfriend to be closer to her parents, who live in MD. I've always had RWD cars because on California, there's no need for anything else, but since I need a new car anyway, I think it would be better to leave my old Mercedes C class behind instead of ship it; it's starting to have transmission problems.

Thanks for the advice and input. I agree that since I don't know what I'm doing, and since the nature of the roads will vary, it would be better to be safe than sorry. I'm not crazy about doing the RWD/winter tires things since DC winters, like you said, don't stay sub-40 for three months straight.

mmarshall

Agreed. Even filling the trunk of a RWD car with weight only gives limited improvement at best, and does not equal the extra traction of AWD. In the bed of a pickup, sometimes the improvement with RWD and a loaded-bed can be more noticeable, since body-on-frame trucks can usually carry more weight than cars.

mb88

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to go with the AWD. I'm sure I could load up my trunk with kitty litter and put winter tires on an RWD car, but that's both a hassle and an extra recurring expense every year for the tire change, whereas the premium to just buy AWD at the outset isn't that much, and with Lexus, I'm not too concerned about the added components that could fail.

mmarshall

It's hard to go wrong with AWD if you are going to have to endure severe winter driving conditions. But also, remember that AWD has more differentials and the need for more service/fluid-changes. If you have a flat tire, full-time AWD sometimes has special tire-changing procedures that call for disabling the AWD by pulling a fuse and/or putting certain good tires on the front or back (to save undue wear on the center differential).....so whatever you buy, check the Owners' Manual carefully.

UDel

AWD is mainly for accelerating and maintaining speed on a snowy surface, it can help in getting a stuck vehicle unstuck if you need both front and rear wheels to be providing power, it does not really provide much stability over a fwd equipped with traction/stability control/all season/winter tires especially with a driver who does not have any experience driving in snow. The reason why so many people with awd get into accidents in the snow is the false sense that awd is going to save them and they can drive their vehicles in conditions that they wouldn't without awd, they often think because the vehicle seemed to take a snow storm like a champ and they made it home fine is because of the awd system when it is likely a fwd vehicle would have done just as well and they start driving more in the snow and faster which is a recipe for disaster.

States like Maryland, DC, VA don't often even get that much snow, most storms just drop a few inches and road clearing crews do a good job of getting ahead of storms, often times they get very little snow in the winter. Depending where you live AWD may help a little but as far as necessary or even a good idea in those states, it isn't. What sulu was saying is he lives in Canada which gets much more snow and is much colder then those states and he has done just fine with fwd. I have driven my rwd car in the snow several times along with other rwd vehicles, with good all season tires and using caution I have not had any issues or anymore then fwd or awd I have driven aside from rwd pickups and old muscle cars. RWD pickups can be handful though especially without good all seasons and weight in the bed, I was following a co worker who spun out in his pickup when trying to brake for a red light but it was a old truck, he was going a bit too fast, and his tires were well past their prime. I would recommend awd when it comes to a pickup though my uncle has had rwd pick ups on the east coast and has not had any real issue.

SH-awd with its torque vectoring is a excellent choice for awd in slippery conditions because it can provide increased torque not only to the front or rear driven wheel with most traction but to the side of the vehicle with the best traction but again that is mainly good for accelerating and maintaining speed during a incline.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...rive-15202862/

http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/do...drive-car.html

SW17LS

None of this is really true. I have owned several modern full time AWD cars, including two Lexus AWD sedans which are the subject of this discussion, none of them required any special tire changing procedures, and certainly not disabling AWD by pulling a fuse (?!?). You do need to let anybody who is going to tow it know its AWD should it ever be towed.

A differential change here and there? Not a big deal.

In other words its better in multiple ways over a 2WD vehicle. Just because AWD doesn't solve all drivability issues in bad weather doesn't mean that overall a vehicle with AWD isn't more drivable in the snow than a vehicle with 2WD. Thats the whole point...is it "necessary"? No. Is it a lot better? Yes.

As for FWD, ask a professional driver about the dynamic limitations of FWD vehicles in the snow. I always used to think in general FWD vehicles were better than RWD vehicles until I took advanced driving courses and experienced skids in skid cars of different powertrain types. FWD vehicles can be downright dangerous in certain situations in snow and ice because of the dynamic limitations of having no separation between the steering wheels and the driving wheels

I'm sorry, but this just doesn't make any sense. Bottom line is an AWD car is easier to drive in the snow than a RWD or FWD car assuming all else is equal (i.e. all on all seasons, all on winter tires, etc), this is just a fact that can't reasonably be refuted. Its also the case in the rain.

I live in the MD/DC/VA area and have my entire life. Some years we don't get much snow...but some years we do. Last year we had multiple snows during the winter that affected drivability here, and we have had very significant snows over the last few years. We DO get snow here, its just not a guarantee. I have lived here in this specific place these posters are asking about with RWD, FWD and AWD Lexus vehicles. There is no question that getting around in the winter here in metro DC is easier in my AWD Lexus vehicles than it was in my FWD or RWD Lexus vehicles. To say otherwise just doesn't make sense.

If you have a RWD or FWD car do you HAVE to go out and buy an AWD car because you live here? Of course not. But, if you are buying a new car anyway, and your car is available in AWD or 2WD...I would get the AWD...every time. Most people agree, thats why Lexus doesn't even sell RWD sedans here anymore unless its a model that doesn't have an AWD option. They don't even ship them to the region because nobody wants them. You wont find a 2WD SUV on a lot here anywhere....people don't want them. Why is that? Because AWD makes winter easier,.