4WD Fever

MikeHiow

MikeHiow

MikeHiow

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Joined
26 Oct 2004
Posts
7,540
Location
Isle of Wight
Something I observe about both myself and when talking to my friends is that this time of year seems to leave everyone wanting a 4WD.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of 4WD - although not had many opportunities to exploit it. This time of year, however, with the snow etc. and especially as I'm looking to buy a car at the moment, makes me forget about 2WD cars I'd like and focus instead on some 4WD variants; Things like the R32 GTR, Imprezas, Evos etc.

It is similar for friends, just last night I was talking to a friend who has been dead set on an RX8 at the beginning on next year, but is now thinking about an Impreza.

Would the increasing amount of snow we're getting these days sway you towards a 4WD car? I can't help but think how awesome something like an Impreza with winter/m&s tyres would be.

NB: This is not a spec me thread, this isn't any indication of, nor anything to do with me buying a car - I wish to discuss the weather and its influence on car wants/purchases.
 
No, it wouldnt make any difference at all. I have no interest in hooning in this sort of weather anyway, so I might as well be driving an Impreza Sport over an Impreza WRX if its snowing.
 
Would not let the snow effect my car choice at all. We get it for a maximum of 2-3 weeks a year at worse if at all. I live 5 miles from work so could if worse comes to worse pay £20 for a taxi to work and back, any other journeys are not really required and I can delay them.
 
MikeHiow said:
Would the increasing amount of snow we're getting these days sway you towards a 4WD car?
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Can't say it's all that much snow, if I was really fussed about it, I'd buy winter tyres or if it was real snow, then snow tyres. Car copes fine as it is with summer tyres, albeit with slides sometimes, but it's reet good, sod changing to 4wd on a pointless whim.
 
If I lived somewhere that got a lot of snow and it was always a problem then i'd consider it. But we don't get a lot here in Devon so it certainly wouldn't sway me either way.
 
MikeHiow said:
Would the increasing amount of snow we're getting these days sway you towards a 4WD car?
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Personally I'd be waiting for more than a couple of years of heavy(ish) snowfall to declare it a trend worth noting, at the moment it could simply be a couple of freak years in a row. Certainly not really worth basing a car purchase on yet - if you want a 4WD then by all means get one but at the moment I'm not convinced that conditions really merit it.
 
MikeHiow said:
Would your opinion be swayed if you were already looking to change car?
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I'm currently looking at cars, to change and because of my crash earlier in the year I took a stance this time round that apart from work I wouldn't drive at all in the snow.

I will not be looking at 4WD cars unless they meet my original criteria. No plays no part in that decision.
 
MikeHiow said:
Would your opinion be swayed if you were already looking to change car?
Click to expand...

No. I'd chose a car on what I was after in general, not for a couple of weeks in the winter when we get a bit of snow. It may be that at the time I want a 4wd car, but the snow/bad weather would not be a factor.
 
I like 4WD anyway, got my first while we still had mild winters, so not influenced by the snow.

There's no doubt the weather has an influence on people's priorities, same way that the demand for little RWD convertibles goes up in the spring.
 
I'd consider it a plus point if the car I happened to want did have 4WD but I certainly wouldn't let it become a major selling point.

Most of the Imprezas and Evos I've seen in this weather have (quite rightly) been taking it easy anyway. Letting it factor into your decision of buying a 200BHP+ 'performance' car does strike me as a bit odd.
 
Yes, when i changed my car i specifically purchased a 4wd for this exact reason. Its not a freak one off week, its a winter of snow, ice and bad weather where 4WD helps a lot.

I'm the MD, i have to get into my office and its in the middle of nowhere. 4WD and winter tyres are a godsend, the biggest problem i have now is the pathetic council who close roads and dont bother to plow until its too late and those BMW drivers without winter tyres who were littering the road the other day!

I went up on Dartmoor earlier this evening, no worries on the hills driving in either the powdery snow (up to 2ft deep in places) or on the hard compact ice/snow - all thanks to 4WD and winter tyres.
 
I quite like 4WD, however the state of the weather here would not be a factor in my decision to buy one.

Has been handy though, more so than I was expecting tbh.
 
Joshy said:
I'd consider it a plus point if the car I happened to want did have 4WD but I certainly wouldn't let it become a major selling point.

Most of the Imprezas and Evos I've seen in this weather have (quite rightly) been taking it easy anyway. Letting it factor into your decision of buying a 200BHP+ 'performance' car does strike me as a bit odd.
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Been seeing a lot of Subaru drivers around here being utter tools. :p

Slime101 said:
Yes, when i changed my car i specifically purchased a 4wd for this exact reason. Its not a freak one off week, its a winter of snow, ice and bad weather where 4WD helps a lot.
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As does not driving like a plank, my RWD car has coped fine and lots of 4WD haven't on the exact same roads.

Slime101 said:
I'm the MD, i have to get into my office and its in the middle of nowhere. 4WD and winter tyres are a godsend, the biggest problem i have now is the pathetic council who close roads and dont bother to plow until its too late and those BMW drivers without winter tyres who were littering the road the other day!
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Don't tar BMW drivers with the idiot brigade brush thanks. I've seen 4WD cars/vehicles struggling, FWD struggling and abandoned and not one RWD car stuck. My car has summer tyres and has coped just fine with the snow and ice and continues to do so, driving sensibly has made it fine. Driving like a plank puts you into trouble.

Slime101 said:
I went up on Dartmoor earlier this evening, no worries on the hills driving in either the powdery snow (up to 2ft deep in places) or on the hard compact ice/snow - all thanks to 4WD and winter tyres.
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2ft deep snow just means your 4wd has better ground clearance...try it with summer tyres and not driving like a plank, or with FWD or RWD with summer or winter tyres, again, not driving like a plank...should cope ok.

You come across as the sort of driver that owns a 4WD (with winter tyres :/) and thinks it means they can continue to drive like a complete and utter tool 'because 4wd and winter tyres make the roads the same as summer'. :rolleyes:
 
winter tyres are much more useful on a 2wd car than having a 4wd on regular tyres.

It may well have 4 wheel DRIVE and therefore twice as much grip to pull off with, but it has the same 4 wheel braking and 2 wheel steering of any other car, so still as rubbish in these respects.
 
With some decent snow tyres and smaller size wheels a GTR would be excellent. Quite a few guys with the bigger wheel widths are having some serious problems with theres.
 
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