Front wheel drive, 4 wheel drive, or all wheel drive?

Question

Which vehicle is better on snowy, and / or icy roads? Front wheel drive, all wheel drive. or 4 wheel drive??

Answer 1

All wheel drive is best on snowy , icy roads, 4 wheel drive is best for OFF-ROAD conditions

The reason all wheel is better on icy road, is it's instant changing of individual wheel traction for control

4 Wheel drive only controls  power to axels.

Answer 2

4 Wheel Drive is the best... though All Wheel Drive is basically the same thing.

Either of those beats front or rear wheel drive.

Those people up top don't know what they are talking about. If you have 4 wheels providing the power then you have better ability to stay on the road. I live in Colorado and it is very, very icy here. My car is 4wd, my friend has front wheel drive... he can go half as fast as me and still be sliding out everywhere while I'm going twice as fast with no problems at all.

Answer 3

Front Wheel Drive is the best for everything!  Don't listen to people who say All Wheel Drive because that is soo not true!

Answer 4

I have an allwheel drive, but have had all 3 and live in Idaho, so we have horrible winter roads. You still have to be careful on icy roads, but the 4 wheel drive and all wheel help to keep you on the road. But, it has to be an suv, pickups dont have equal weight distribution.

Answer 5

4 wheel drive will out preform the others on ice and snow. Front wheel is better than rear wheel but it can't hold a candle to 4 wheel dr.

Answer 6

Front wheel.

Answer 7

nothing works well on ice. Front wheel drive starting on a slight hilll will leave you spinning. I have seen it many times,s I drive by.LOL I use 4WD. It is not the same as quattro and AWD. Those have viscous transfer cases that divide the torque up to any wheel in any  percentage of torque to that wheel. 4wd can be locked so that torque goes to all the wheels all the time. You can't drive 4wd on dry roads, but you can drive AWD on dry roads.

Answer 8

four wheel drive best ,front wheel drive no,awd alright

Answer 9

you only need 4 wheel or all wheel when you get stuck.....

the rest of the time it's a hindrance....

Answer 10

4WD vehicles transfer the majority of engine power only to the rear wheels. But when additional traction is required, a lever can be switched that then transfers power to all four wheels.(So if one tire loses grip, there are now three others available to help-instead of one.) This makes 4WD vehicles more maneuverable in rough terrain and bad weather. That's why off-road vehicles, snow plows, and tow trucks all have it. The biggest downside to 4WD: It can add several thousand dollars to the sticker price of a new car.

All wheel drive (AWD) is a form of 4WD where power is always transferred to all four wheels-there's no lever flipping involved.

Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) In this system, power from the engine is transferred to the front tires, offering increased traction and safety. FWD provides easier handling, especially in harsher weather and snow. Most of today's popular, mid-priced cars have FWD.

Answer 11

none of them are good on icy roads-you just have to drive slow. In deep snow probably 4-wheel drive, for curvy roads all wheel drive but  front wheel drive is good in snow if you do not race. I own vehicles with 4-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, front and rear wheel drive. Even my rear wheel drive volvo went well in the snow.

Answer 12

4 wheel drive is the same as all wheel drive is the same as quattro. Rear wheel drive is useless in snow or ice. Front wheel drive is better than rear wheel drive, but if the car has wide low profile tyres, as is now the norm, then things get hairy ! Four wheel drive is the best and that is why it fitted on cars such as the Audi.The first Audi quattro were built for the Austrian/Swiss and German alpine markets. One thing to consider with any drive system, if the tyres lose their grip, you are going to have to avoid the first stationary object you come across !!!!