Now that I've had my car for a month (today actually) I can offer some more educated winter-driving observations.

Once I got my Toyo Observe winter tires, I loved this car in the winter. I will never go back to FWD again.

FWD was not designed for better traction anyway. It was designed for ease of manufacturing but promoted as a traction-enhancing configuration.

My RWD IS is way better with winter tires than my ES300 was with All-Seasons, and probably with winter tires. I can stop and steer better and can use a feathering of the throttle to tighten a turn if I'm sliding slightly on a curve.

Try that in a FWD car (please don't)!

It took a couple weeks to get used to the differences, but the improved weight balance coupled with the opportunity to use the throttle to control the car make a RWD car with winter tires a better choice in the winter in my opionion.

Winter driving safety has more to do with braking and handling than it does accelerating anyway. That's why we see so many SUV's in the median every time we have a major snow storm up here. A RWD car offers the best balance of handling, braking, and safety.

 

Hey jroosh thanks for the info!! I've been afraid to take my car up to the mountains for fear of losing control of the car. I do have summer tires on it, so I won't go nuts.

I always had a feeling that front wheel drive was for people who don't know how to drive because it's easier to control the car once you corner too hard to something. The chances of the back end coming out from under you are gone, which makes it easier for the average driver to handle. I think that all experienced drivers prefer RWD because it leads to much more control as you've pointed out. Another thing that I've always been mystified about, is this: If you are on ice, and the front wheels start spinning from punching the gas, you now have lost your ability to control where the car is going. If something happens to the front wheels you have no control any longer. In the RWD, the two control systems (steering, and wheel torque) are seperated so that if one is disabled (spinning out etc) the other is still present.

 

Christobo,

Thanks.

FWD was designed first to make cars easier to manufacture. The whole drivetrain is installed in one package.

The rest of the "FWD is better" story is hyperbole as far as I'm concerned.

Good luck in the mountains, I do hope you're putting snows on your ride or you may have some unintended mods done to the body of your car!

 

I sincerly hope not. I'm not in the market for any mods that aren't produced on an assembly line.

 

Actually guys, maybe you can point out what I'm doing wrong here. We've had a pretty dry winter in Toronto until this week, where it snowed twice (about 5 inches). I bought snow tires a couple of months ago, but this is the first true test they've been put through. I got the Toyo Observes - Garrit HTs.

I find that a lot of times, when I'm accelerating slowly on an un-plowed road, my back-end swings out a lot! So then I ease off the gas, but as soon as I press the gas a little bit again, the back-end will slide out again. This is with the 'snow' button on or off. So I just have to drive at extra-slow speeds to maintain control. This doesn't happen all the time, but it happens enough to make me feel that this car isn't that great of a winter car. When the snow has melted on the roads, then I'm usually fine, but when there is fresh snow on the road, the drive feels really dangerous. Is it my driving? The weather conditions? My tires? Anyone have Toyo Observes and been having the same problems in a true winter storm? Snow chains/cables are illegal here, so I can only rely on my snow tires. Any advice would truly be appreciated.

 

I have blizzaks and they are fine in the snow. I drove in 4 inches of snow with no problem.

 

Riceboy77: You don't say if you have the LSD, if not that might be a big part of the problem. These cars will behave as you describe, even with snow tires, if you have an open diff.

OTOH you it could be your driving!

Peter