The Last Chevrolet Monte Carlo Rolls off The Line

[red_rider]

I'm torn on this. While I can't wait for the new camaro as an affordable performance coupe, I'm still sad to see the monte go. I've ridden in them literally my whole life, with my mom having an 84 SS, 96 z34, and currently a black loaded '06 SS (as well as a 70 and 78 before I was born). I think I'll always prefer the 84 SS, the 06 is a very close second, its truly mean looking and fast enough to run with most things you will encounter on the street except for newer f-bodies and vettes (it holds its own against mustangs as well ). I remember she asked about the torque steer a lot before buying and from experience, I really don't think its as big of an issue as its made out to be. As long as you dont do something like floor it from a stop or something like that, you can get enough power at other speeds to still accelerate like mad IMO.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by knightfan26917

Course, I always find it interesting when I see AWD/4WD/FWD vehicles off the road in the winter, since those are the vehicles that people claim NEVER have problems in winter.....

Well AWD/4WD is an aid, it will help you through bad conditions more than RWD can ever help you. The thing is people think with AWD/4WD you can drive like normal, but you still need to drive slow. I have driven 2 winters with an AWD vehicle and having power go to all 4 wheels is a god send. Times I got stuck with a non AWD/4WD vehicle but the AWD vehicle got me through. When the road is icy it has also help me keep control of the vehicle. In my time I have seen more than a few RWD cars at the side of the road, so don't think they are so infallible either.

[fastball]

Originally Posted by 2005 Equinox LS

People dont give the new cars the credit they deserve. Maybe some of us dont nitpick because they are FWD. I would never get a RWD car for a daily driver. Its fine in the Caprice and Bonneville but I like my Equinox and liked my 2000 Monte Carlo far better in the winter weather than the RWDs I had before. Not that I couldnt drive the RWDs in bad weather. Just that FWD or AWD is easier.

I'm not flaming here, but I would like to know what people did before you could even buy FWD cars? Before the mid-1980's, EVERYTHING was RWD, and I don't recall too many complaints. Heck, I'm 30 and I learned to drive on a 1985 Regal, it was my first car from the time I was 17-20, and I live in Cleveland - where snow in the winter is just part of the landscape.

I never had a problem with it, and while I drive FWD now (simply because that's the only choice if you don't want to spend over 30k for a car), I would MUCH rather drive a RWD car. I miss oversteer, I miss taping the gas to correct a slide in bad weather. The Regal wasn't much of a performance car by any means, but there were things I learned to do that I just can't do with FWD.

I never got stuck, even in 6 inches of unplowed snow going up hill (they're called snow tires), I never fretted bad weather, and never even thought twice about it to tell you the truth.

For the Camaro I'll have a set of Blizzaks ready to go, and not even think about it.

But because companies have babied people (or brainwashed more like it) into thinking RWD is downright hazzardous to your health, people who want real cars are forced to either spend gobs of money or settle for something resmbling a car - it has an engine, 4 tires, and it can get you where you want to go. But it hasn't got a soul, or personality. It's just an appliance.

Now that everyone wants vanilla, they sell only vanilla, and I have to go out of my way to get chocolate or be happy with boring blah.

[knightfan26917]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

In my time I have seen more than a few RWD cars at the side of the road, so don't think they are so infallible either.

I'll have to double check what I wrote again, but I don't think I ever wrote that RWD was infallible.... I know it has problems, but I have yet to experience the type of difficulties that everyone claims are part of driving RWD.

*shrugs*

Originally Posted by fastball

I would like to know what people did before you could even buy FWD cars?

I'm guessing they just parked and walked everywhere....





Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
WRMNshowcase.lego.HO.model.MCs.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"I can’t stop driving" ... New Radicals ... 'Someday We'll Know'

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by knightfan26917

I'll have to double check what I wrote again, but I don't think I ever wrote that RWD was infallible.... I know it has problems, but I have yet to experience the type of difficulties that everyone claims are part of driving RWD.

*shrugs*

I know people who have owned RWD cars and they tell me that to use it in the winter they need to put a lot of weight in the trunk to keep the thing from skidding or getting stuck, something like that. Maybe you had better experiences but for the most part for people who live in climates (I see you live in Illinois, so you must get a fair share of snow) like mine they do much better with Subaru's, AWD Taurus/Fusions, AWD 300's/Chargers, and other AWD/4WD vehicles. That's not me speaking either, that what I mostly see driving around up here.

You can say you only need to put snow tires on, or weight in the trunk but how many people want to do that? I know I don't. One time we came back from New York and a foot of snow was already on the ground and still falling. What would I do if I didn't have snow tires on at the time or enough weight in the trunk? When I see the heavy snow/ice or both on the ground I just want to drive out in my all season tires.

I said this a million times since I came here but GM needs to get AWD sedans out immediately, people like myself crave these vehicles and a FWD or RWD sedan just isn't going to cut it. Hell the AWD vehicle can even be RWD biased, as long as when conditions get bad I know power can go to all the wheels and give me the best possible traction. I won't be able to drive fast but at least my chances of skidding or getting stuck in snow drop considerably.

*shrugs* now I get a speech on how I am wrong, and RWD is superior in every aspect.

[ksr]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

I know people who have owned RWD cars and they tell me that to use it in the winter they need to put a lot of weight in the trunk to keep the thing from skidding or getting stuck, something like that. Maybe you had better experiences but for the most part for people who live in climates (I see you live in Illinois, so you must get a fair share of snow) like mine they do much better with Subaru's, AWD Taurus/Fusions, AWD 300's/Chargers, and other AWD/4WD vehicles. That's not me speaking either, that what I mostly see driving around up here.

You can say you only need to put snow tires on, or weight in the trunk but how many people want to do that? I know I don't. One time we came back from New York and a foot of snow was already on the ground and still falling. What would I do if I didn't have snow tires on at the time or enough weight in the trunk? When I see the heavy snow/ice or both on the ground I just want to drive out in my all season tires.

I said this a million times since I came here but GM needs to get AWD sedans out immediately, people like myself crave these vehicles and a FWD or RWD sedan just isn't going to cut it. Hell the AWD vehicle can even be RWD biased, as long as when conditions get bad I know power can go to all the wheels and give me the best possible traction. I won't be able to drive fast but at least my chances of skidding or getting stuck in snow drop considerably.

*shrugs* now I get a speech on how I am wrong, and RWD is superior in every aspect.

You're not wrong.

I just put snow tires on my CTS and it's fine. I don't need any additional weight.

I think the thing is that a lot of people lump all FWD cars together, or all RWD cars together. They're not all created equal.

RWD cars like my CTS are well balanced. I know that some people get by with a CTS in the snow just fine with all season tires. It's my choice to go with the added security of snow tires. I used to agree with you and avoided the hassle of snow tires, but I drive 30K a year and like having them now.

If you're talking about RWD in a Firebird, Mustang, or Corvette that's another story. You don't want to go out in the snow without or without snow tires or extra weight. My Firebird will sit there and spin it's wheels on pretty much level ground in the snow. In winter, it's basically a big sled. The weight distribution just doesn't work well for poor traction conditions.

Most FWD cars will handle snow well. But there are exceptions. A guy I know had a Mazda MX-6 that was horrible in the snow. And some people still opt for snow tires on FWD.

People in car forums like this tend to rip on FWD. To the vast majority of the driving public, it just doesn't matter. They aren't going to push cars to limits where the advantages of RWD to handling become obvious.

Around here (Pittsburgh), most people do have a negative foul-weather opinion of RWD and want at least FWD for winter, if not AWD. I think most of them are wasting money that opt for AWD. It just doesn't snow that much here.

[GMCSonoma]

Originally Posted by ksr

You're not wrong.

I just put snow tires on my CTS and it's fine. I don't need any additional weight.

I think the thing is that a lot of people lump all FWD cars together, or all RWD cars together. They're not all created equal.

RWD cars like my CTS are well balanced. I know that some people get by with a CTS in the snow just fine with all season tires. It's my choice to go with the added security of snow tires. I used to agree with you and avoided the hassle of snow tires, but I drive 30K a year and like having them now.

If you're talking about RWD in a Firebird, Mustang, or Corvette that's another story. You don't want to go out in the snow without or without snow tires or extra weight. My Firebird will sit there and spin it's wheels on pretty much level ground in the snow. In winter, it's basically a big sled. The weight distribution just doesn't work well for poor traction conditions.

Most FWD cars will handle snow well. But there are exceptions. A guy I know had a Mazda MX-6 that was horrible in the snow. And some people still opt for snow tires on FWD.

People in car forums like this tend to rip on FWD. To the vast majority of the driving public, it just doesn't matter. They aren't going to push cars to limits where the advantages of RWD to handling become obvious.

Around here (Pittsburgh), most people do have a negative foul-weather opinion of RWD and want at least FWD for winter, if not AWD. I think most of them are wasting money that opt for AWD. It just doesn't snow that much here.

Well, Pittsburgh has been known to get their fair share of snow! Maybe not every year...even here in Wisconsin!!!! I agree about the CTS...it does handle the snow OK enough...but winter tires really make it quite acceptable, IMO...

I can think of about a dozen cars...FWD of which I'd never drive in winter as they do not perform @ all...

The most recent would be a recent trade in to the dealership...a 2007 Nissan Altima...I drove it for a lunch hour and was abhorred how it handled on wet pavement, I couldn't imagine how it would do in any heavy weather.

I once owned a 2003 Olds Alero...it had the EcoTec...
It was a fine car for what it was, except that in winter..the powertrain was much too light..so there was no traction to speak of. Even the V6 versions were questionable..IMO. On the other hand my former clunker...a 1996 Sunfire sedan with the 2.2 OHV mill handled the snow like gangbusters...much like how the C-G-H-K-Ksp FWD's handle it...excellent, IMO.
Pittsburgh, PA used to use GM H-cars for a good number of years because of the winter traction & fuel economy...

I had a 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix GT coupe (3800 V6) which I purchased new January of 2000...that car, despite the Goodyear Eagle LS tires handled the snow quite favorably, and it really took quite a bit to get the traction control to kick in in heavy weather.

I had a 1970 Plymouth Valiant that my parents gave to me when I turned 16....talk about horrible in snow...despite it's weazy slant 6, just a tap on the gas pedal would swing you sideways, even with weight in what was left of the trunk...after I turned 18 I gave the car back to my parents and (mistakenly) I got a 1978 Dodge Ramcharger 2wd/Slant 6...
Once winter hit, I placed 4 cinder blocks up against the tailgate...it would fishtail, bob & weave like nothing!!! I had to clear the blocks out of the cargo area to help a friend move back to college @ Notre Dame in Indiana one January, and on the return trip back to Wisconsin (empty) I experienced a snow storm while still in Indiana...I was terribly nervous knowing with cinder blocks (weight) it was terrible, I couldn't imagine how it'd go empty!!! Well, it performed great...as it was myself & my girlfriend and our two overnight bags and we came through TriState Tollway with a good 6-8" of snow on the ground going 45-50MPH without issue!!!!

In August 1995, I purchased a program car...a 1994 Caprice sedan, 4.3 liter L99 V8. It had 12K miles on it and it was equipped with General Ameri-"someting" tires...215/75/15. We had an early winter in 1995, having some measurable snow already before Thanksgiving. That car handled the snow just awful! Thanks be it had 4WAL ABS so I could at least stop straight...maybe with the mix of right tires & posi it would have handled the winter driving better...I ended up trading it in for a 1996 Buick Regal 2 door (program car) in Feburary 1997...which with it's 3800 (heavy!) it tore through snow like nothing!

A former poster here on GMI, and a former co-worker of mine was the biggest FWD advocate I know...his dad was a doctor and his dad swore by Olds Toronados for the best way to guaruntee his arrival at the hospital! I guess at one time he'd put 4 studded snow tires on his old toronado!!!!

Talk about unstoppable!!!

My parents one & onlt import purchase was a 1982 Mercedes Benz 300SD...that car handled the winter driving quite well, as I can recall in driving...one of my parents neighbors at that same time had a Volvo 240 diesel which I drove a few times...that car handled the snow pretty good too...better than any RWD A, B or G body!

So, no offense to Buick61, knightfan26917, ksr or others who have advocated RWD for winter driving...I don't buy it 100%, and my feelings are not 100% pro FWD....and I've driven plenty of miles in ALL sorts of vehicles since I got my drivers license in May 1983...
It all depends on the vehicle in question!

Originally Posted by knightfan26917

I'll have to double check what I wrote again, but I don't think I ever wrote that RWD was infallible.... I know it has problems, but I have yet to experience the type of difficulties that everyone claims are part of driving RWD.

*shrugs*

I'm guessing they just parked and walked everywhere....

Cort must be the best winter driver ever!
Well....either that or he drives 15 MPH whenever there is snow!!!!

All kidding aside...as for your last statement...what did people do before the internet, TV, radio, electricity, telephones, modern medicine, or indoor plumbing?????

I guess they parked and walked everywhere????

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by ksr

You're not wrong.

I just put snow tires on my CTS and it's fine. I don't need any additional weight.

I think the thing is that a lot of people lump all FWD cars together, or all RWD cars together. They're not all created equal.

RWD cars like my CTS are well balanced. I know that some people get by with a CTS in the snow just fine with all season tires. It's my choice to go with the added security of snow tires. I used to agree with you and avoided the hassle of snow tires, but I drive 30K a year and like having them now.

If you're talking about RWD in a Firebird, Mustang, or Corvette that's another story. You don't want to go out in the snow without or without snow tires or extra weight. My Firebird will sit there and spin it's wheels on pretty much level ground in the snow. In winter, it's basically a big sled. The weight distribution just doesn't work well for poor traction conditions.

Most FWD cars will handle snow well. But there are exceptions. A guy I know had a Mazda MX-6 that was horrible in the snow. And some people still opt for snow tires on FWD.

People in car forums like this tend to rip on FWD. To the vast majority of the driving public, it just doesn't matter. They aren't going to push cars to limits where the advantages of RWD to handling become obvious.

Around here (Pittsburgh), most people do have a negative foul-weather opinion of RWD and want at least FWD for winter, if not AWD. I think most of them are wasting money that opt for AWD. It just doesn't snow that much here.

The winters are worse here, I live about 90 miles north of you. So you really need snow tires or a good AWD vehicle. I used to live in New York and we were able to get by with FWD cars without much problem even in the winter.

You could be right, most of my experience was from my fathers first car which was RWD. He would tell me these nightmare stories of how the thing was uncontrollable during the winter. At the time he lived with his mother so he had to put snow tires on it during the winter, then clean them after winter and store them in his closet, and the only way to keep it stable was to put 300 pounds worth of dump bells into the trunk.

I know modern RWD cars are better equipped to handle snow thanks to innovations like Traction Control. I want the best insurance that I won't get stuck or get into a skid, and AWD is the best way to go. I know it won't prevent me from going into a skid but it will help me. Not to mention we get very heavy snow here.

I have been in two skid outs in my lifetime, one time in a FWD car and the other in a AWD vehicle. The FWD car I couldn't fully recover and ended up scratching the side of it, about $1,000 worth of damage. This was a 94' Accord so it didn't have traction control either. The AWD vehicle I got into a skid with a few weeks ago and with the combination of AWD and Traction Control I was able to recover my vehicle without going off road or damaging the vehicle.

You are right, where I am I see few Firebirds, Camaro's, or Corvette's. Many people own Corvette's up here and I see them all summer, but once the winter comes they disappear. They are so low to the ground they must be nearly impossible to drive in with heavy snow.

I understand why RWD is necessary for a car that has 300 HP or more, but if you are driving something with 250 HP you really don't need RWD IMO. If I had the money now I could see myself driving the CTS with AWD. It gives me the best of both worlds, RWD performance with AWD when conditions call for it. Thats why I like AWD, it's a great aid for you during the winter but gives you great performance during the rest of the year. I could see myself driving RWD biased AWD cars.

[ksr]

Originally Posted by GMCSonoma

Well, Pittsburgh has been known to get their fair share of snow! Maybe not every year...even here in Wisconsin!!!!


On the other hand my former clunker...a 1996 Sunfire sedan with the 2.2 OHV mill handled the snow like gangbusters...much like how the C-G-H-K-Ksp FWD's handle it...excellent, IMO.

Have you lived in Pittsburgh?

It's funny the impression people who don't live here have of Pittsburgh. They seem to think it's snowbound seven months a year. It really don't snow that much here. As PADweller points out, he lives ninety miles north of here and the winters are much worse. Very true. It's something about the geography or mountains or something, but Pittsburgh itself doesn't get much snow. The surrounding area, particularly to the north, often gets hit hard. Erie gets crushed.

Sure, once in a while we'll get dumped on with a big storm, but that's few and far between. It's rare to get more than four or five inches in any one storm.

I lived in Northern Virginia for eight years after college, and in at least half of those winters, we had more snow than Pittsburgh. But most people there thought of Pittsburgh as getting way more snow.

What's a "C-G-H-K-Ksp FWD car?"

My first car that I owned was a Cavalier. It was incredible in the snow. I'd wait for a big snowfall and then go out to drive around. It was like a snowplow with just it's standard tires.

[GMCSonoma]

Nope, never lived in Pittsburgh...a first cousin did for 10-12 years...he worked as a trip pilot on the Ohio, Allegany & Monogalhela Rivers...now he's back in Baton Rouge...one of the reasons he gave..."brutal winters"...
He was born in Wisconsin so hence my stating of such...so no offense.

As for your 2nd question...I should have just stated GM "full size" FWD...
I assumed most on GMI knew of that...I guess not!


Peace...



As for your 2nd question...

Originally Posted by ksr

Have you lived in Pittsburgh?

It's funny the impression people who don't live here have of Pittsburgh. They seem to think it's snowbound seven months a year. It really don't snow that much here. As PADweller points out, he lives ninety miles north of here and the winters are much worse. Very true. It's something about the geography or mountains or something, but Pittsburgh itself doesn't get much snow. The surrounding area, particularly to the north, often gets hit hard. Erie gets crushed.

Sure, once in a while we'll get dumped on with a big storm, but that's few and far between. It's rare to get more than four or five inches in any one storm.

I lived in Northern Virginia for eight years after college, and in at least half of those winters, we had more snow than Pittsburgh. But most people there thought of Pittsburgh as getting way more snow.

What's a "C-G-H-K-Ksp FWD car?"

My first car that I owned was a Cavalier. It was incredible in the snow. I'd wait for a big snowfall and then go out to drive around. It was like a snowplow with just it's standard tires.

[knightfan26917]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

I know people who have owned RWD cars and they tell me that to use it in the winter they need to put a lot of weight in the trunk to keep the thing from skidding or getting stuck, something like that.

Not me ... I've never put extra weight in the trunk of any of my RWD cars during the winter time.

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

You can say you only need to put snow tires on, or weight in the trunk but how many people want to do that? I know I don't.

Neither do I, so I don't. Never put snow tires on ... never added weight to the trunk.


And, no, I don't drive 15mph. Heck, in the snow we had Friday, I was driving more aggressively than others around me ... if only because the roads were actually better than I thought they'd be. So, I knew I didn't have to worry ... meanwhile, I was stuck behind a young guy (college age, I would guess) in a Ch#$r%*et Prizm ... going 40 in a 55.

*shakes head*

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

I have been in two skid outs in my lifetime, one time in a FWD car and the other in a AWD vehicle. The FWD car I couldn't fully recover and ended up scratching the side of it, about $1,000 worth of damage. This was a 94' Accord so it didn't have traction control either. The AWD vehicle I got into a skid with a few weeks ago and with the combination of AWD and Traction Control I was able to recover my vehicle without going off road or damaging the vehicle.

Wait ... what?

When I first read this, I read it as a "one time in a RWD car" ... because that is what I was expecting to read. Then, I noticed it was a '94 Accord and knew I had read that initial statement wrong.

So, how'd you manage to get INTO skids with the FWD and AWD vehicles?



Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
WRMNshowcase.lego.HO.model.MCs.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"You really think you're in control?" ... Gnarls Barkley ... 'Crazy'

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by knightfan26917

Not me ... I've never put extra weight in the trunk of any of my RWD cars during the winter time.




Neither do I, so I don't. Never put snow tires on ... never added weight to the trunk.


And, no, I don't drive 15mph. Heck, in the snow we had Friday, I was driving more aggressively than others around me ... if only because the roads were actually better than I thought they'd be. So, I knew I didn't have to worry ... meanwhile, I was stuck behind a young guy (college age, I would guess) in a Ch#$r%*et Prizm ... going 40 in a 55.

*shakes head*





Wait ... what?

When I first read this, I read it as a "one time in a RWD car" ... because that is what I was expecting to read. Then, I noticed it was a '94 Accord and knew I had read that initial statement wrong.

So, how'd you manage to get INTO skids with the FWD and AWD vehicles?



Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
WRMNshowcase.lego.HO.model.MCs.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"You really think you're in control?" ... Gnarls Barkley ... 'Crazy'

Well I tried to make it clear that this is what I heard most people needed to do with RWD vehicle, if you look back at my post it will say "in most cases". You not being most cases. When I talked about the RWD car and then the Accord I was trying to explain to you why either FWD or RWD won't work for me and most people in my situation, but how the AWD vehicle worked better for me in bad weather compared to FWD and RWD vehicles. Bottom line I prefer the traction of an AWD vehicle and FWD or RWD won't cut it, at least for me.

[knightfan26917]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

When I talked about the RWD car and then the Accord I was trying to explain to you why either FWD or RWD won't work for me and most people in my situation, but how the AWD vehicle worked better for me in bad weather compared to FWD and RWD vehicles. Bottom line I prefer the traction of an AWD vehicle and FWD or RWD won't cut it, at least for me.

Yes, I understood that part of it.

BUT ... I was initially a bit confused because you had indicated that you had had 2 skid outs in your lifetime, one with a FWD car and one with an AWD car. When I first read that section that I quoted, I mis-read it as being a RWD car. But, when I saw you had mentioned the Accord, I went back and re-read it and noticed that the first skid out was, indeed, with a FWD, not RWD.

So ... how'd those skid outs in the FWD and AWD happen?



Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
WRMNshowcase.lego.HO.model.MCs.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"The only thing changing is my way of thinking" ... Dottie West ... 'A Lesson in Leaving'

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by knightfan26917

Yes, I understood that part of it.

BUT ... I was initially a bit confused because you had indicated that you had had 2 skid outs in your lifetime, one with a FWD car and one with an AWD car. When I first read that section that I quoted, I mis-read it as being a RWD car. But, when I saw you had mentioned the Accord, I went back and re-read it and noticed that the first skid out was, indeed, with a FWD, not RWD.

So ... how'd those skid outs in the FWD and AWD happen?



Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker
WRMNshowcase.lego.HO.model.MCs.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort
"The only thing changing is my way of thinking" ... Dottie West ... 'A Lesson in Leaving'

Oh ok I understand, sometimes I misunderstand what people are trying to say also.

My first skid-out happened 3 years ago going up a mountain in Western Pennsylvania. This was in February, so the weather was bad. Below freezing temperature so some patches of Black Ice were on the road. I was actually only going 25-30 MPH (I even got passed by an old guy in a Buick) because I knew the roads were famous for people being killed in such conditions. Anyway this was the Accord I was driving, since it was a 94' it didn't have traction control and the ABS failed in the pass so I don't think that was 100% either.

So I took it into a turn and lost control. I was able to recover the car without going off the side but sadly I rubbed the right side of the car into a guard rail and put a scratch down the right side of the car which cost $1,000 to fix. The black ice in that area was so bad that when I got out I nearly slipped and cracked my head open. So that was a bad day for me.

Also this same Accord nearly got stuck in a major snow storm we had about a year ago. We were on the way home from New York and the storm had already dumped a foot of snow on the ground. The conditions were so bad that every few miles I had to pull over to de-ice the wiper blades and windshield. The only way to keep the thing moving was to keep it in second gear so we were not moving too fast. Vehicles we passed were on the side of the road, seems they lost control. Got home but it took over an hour to go just 20 miles up this back road we take.

The second time I was in an AWD vehicle, this was a few weeks ago in my hometown a few blocks away from home. This time at night, the weather again was bad. We had ice rain so some of that froze on the road. Since this was a local street I was only doing 30 MPH. I was driving in a straight line and then the vehicle started skidding. Luckily the Traction Control and AWD kicked in and I was able to get the vehicle back into a straight line in a few seconds without crashing into anything.

Just to note all these roads were not major roads, they were either smaller local streets or small back roads. If I got into a skid out on a major highway I might not be here to talk about it, luckily they take good care of the highways here.

From my experiences with bad weather I don't ever want to be stuck in a FWD or RWD vehicle, I want the best chances of getting throw the weather in one piece without killing myself, wrecking my vehicle, or getting bogged down in the snow. This is especially important since I have to drive to work so I will be seeing a lot of conditions like this in my lifetime and I fear without a proper vehicle I can be seeing more accidents like this and I really want to lower the chances of these things happening again.

It's not that I don't like RWD vehicles but I just don't trust them in bad weather.

[knightfan26917]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

Oh ok I understand, sometimes I misunderstand what people are trying to say also.

*nods*

I had a feeling you, too, misunderstood what I typed. Sorry I hadn't made it clearer ... thought I had .


Both of your experiences sound as if they were in the really extreme weather conditions, along with the side roads, no? Either way ... winter driving can be very hazardous at times, no matter WHAT you are driving, imho, anyway.

Take for instance ... today. En route home from work (~4:45p central today), we had snow coming down at a rather quick clip. The forecast had been for an inch of accumulation by evening, but if that was an inch of snow, I'm the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I brushed off AT LEAST an inch of snow from my '87 MC LS before I LEFT work.

Anyway, en route home, I went by numerous skid outs and 2 major collisions. The 2 major collisions included a Toyota minivan, Honda Accord, Olds Bravada and (I think) a Dodge pickup in one ... and a Ch#$r%*et Blazer along with an '80s Buick LeSabre (I think) in a ditch in the other. The two vehicles in the ditch looked like they were trying to hide the fact that they were kissing . he he

Meanwhile ... I had NO problems navigating the snowy roads in my RWD '87 MC LS. Yeah, it slipped a couple times, but nothing that I wasn't able to immediately correct...and I was never in danger of hitting anyone because I kept a safe distance between vehicles. Sadly, I can't say the same for the guy in the brand new FWD Cobalt that almost rearended me ... SEVERAL times ... because he kept putting on the brakes too late and skidding to a stop.

And, no, I wasn't going any slower than anyone else. You can't go much faster when a car ahead of you is only going 10mph ... when I was hoping they'd speed up to at least 20mph....

Which just illustrates my opinion that, positives and negatives for RWD, FWD, AWD and 4WD aside, if you don't know how to handle your car/truck, it doesn't matter what wheel(s) are driving the vehicle..... But, unfortunately, it seems, most people either don't agree with that or don't get it....



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