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I used to run 4 studded snows. Don’t like to get caught on icy roads.
OT: Corolla/Civic/Sentra/Impreza
- Thread starter Stainmaster
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Chin Diesel
Power of Love
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Spoken like a true dad.
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Respectfully, I believe that this is an untrue statement. On my 4wd and AWD vehicles, traction control includes rear wheel control. The vehicles can cut or increase torque to the back tires through the 4wd or AWD as needed, thereby helping you stop. That torque control is very helpful in keeping the car straight. It is extremely difficult to get my Santa Fe to slip sideways on snow/ice.
Agree 100% to buy the best tires you can afford, and don't let the tread get low.
Ultimately, however, 99% or more of road hazards can be avoided by simply driving a safe speed and maintaining a proper following distance. Throw in basic defensive driving, and assume that people around you will make bad choices, and it becomes darn difficult to get seriously injured in a car wreck. Sure, you'll get your occasional deer or whatnot that pops in front of you, but for everything else, safe driving will keep you out of wrecks better than any tire, braking, or traction control.
Teaching kids to be safe drivers right off the bat is important. I taught each of my kids how to drive. The day I knew that they were ready to go out on their own was when they came to me to complain about how mom tailgated and was generally an unsafe driver who scared them. I'm being completely serious - all of them came to me with that, never having noticed it until I taught them basic safe driving techniques.
Drive like you don't need to rely on ABS and traction control.
And stay off the handset.
Be safe.
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Sorry but you are mostly wrong here. First of all, traction control is to help you go, not stop. Stopping is controlled by the ABS and vehicle stability control systems, for the most part. AWD helps you stop without slipping when primarily using engine braking. As an aside note, this is one thing Honda does better than Toyota. In the cases that matter, engine braking is not sufficient and the actual brakes have to do the work. At that point, it really becomes a friction problem and Blizzaks and studded snows are so far superior, in ice and snow, to all-seasons it isn't even close. FWD and RWD drive cars with Blizzaks will stop faster and have better stability compared to AWD cars on even the best all-season tires (Michelin in my opinion) when stopping on ice or snow. Getting going is a different situation. AWD on all-seasons is superior to one wheel drive cars on Blizzaks and FWD is better than RWD. Even if you have posi-traction (limited slip 2 wheel drive) the situation is the same. But consider the following. If the driver is bad or inexperienced, it may actually be bad to be able to "get going" easy. It masks the traction issues and lulls the driver into a false sense of security. On a FWD drive car where the wheel slips, the driver is more likely to go, "whoa, I better slow down". That will save them from sliding off a corner or coming to a stop too fast. So, let's say you have a FWD car and, say, you have a winter, what should you do? GET BLIZZAKS!!! The driver will still be made aware of slippery conditions on their starts, which is good, but they will have far superior handling and braking on the Blizzaks. That is the best of both worlds for a bad or young driver. It gets them to slow down AND it gives them extra margin for error. For good and experienced drivers, AWD AND Blizzaks FTW!!!