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AWD/4WD vehicle for snowy hill conditions

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yea but the point is to be safe on snowy roads at road speed. not how well it slowly creeps up driveways. did she even have snow tires? doesn't sound right.
 
Originally posted by: TStep
I have 94 Jeep GC, 02 Explorer, 99 Silverado. My sister has Outback. From my experience with my cars living in PA off of a dirt road that the Local Township plows out last:

GC > Explorer > Silverado. GC is getting old, but it is the snow king.

Last winter my sister called me up. She couldn't get up here driveway, snow packed / almost ice. She buried her Outback in the gutter. She has two small kids, so it's always a concern. I went over in my Jeep. I got her out of the gutter and proceeded to get her car up the drive. It was a bitch. Her AWD seemed to bounce power around all 4 corners looking for traction. I finally got it up the drive, but not easily. The Jeep is stupid, you lock it in 4WD and crawl towards places of traction, get some, glide across the ice, and repeat. It doesn't bounce power all over the place. Very predictable. If necessary, I'll pop in the snow next to the gutter and grab traction there. The Outback would not do this. Outback isn't bad by any means, but after that experience, I wouldn't trust it in the extreme.
Click to expand...

You just need to get used to the way the AWD reacts, since unlike the 4wd in your jeep it doesn't normally kick in until the tires start slipping.

What was it? Manual, 4eat, or VDC Outback? R, 1, and 2 on a modernish 4eat will lock it to split 50/50.
 
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
yea but the point is to be safe on snowy roads at road speed. not how well it slowly creeps up driveways. did she even have snow tires? doesn't sound right.
Click to expand...

Yeah, had snow tries in good condition, my sisters husband is a safety freak to the Nth degree. My Jeep is old with 260,000 and had half-worn Michelin LTX's since I was contemplating buying something new at the time. No doubt 99% of the time the Outback will be fine. It serves her well and allows them more freedom in bad conditions while still enjoying the aspects of a car that she prefers. But, in my limited experience with the Outback AWD, it will not be better than something that locks into 4WD; that is in extreme conditions. From the OP's question, hill climbing performance and access to ski lodges in less than favorable conditions were his prime criteria.

 
Originally posted by: montanafan
The weight and the tires are the most important things for 4WD and snowy climb. Remember that even 4WD won't be much help if there's ice.
Click to expand...
I've been down a snowy hill before in my mid-size SUV and upon attempting to stop approaching the red light at the bottom, I lost traction and started spinning. Is it better to be heavy or light ? Going up the hills aren't the problem... going down is a little unnerving.
 
Originally posted by: Soccerman06
Originally posted by: OdiN
Where the hell is the Jeep Wranger or Jeep Grand Cherokee?
Click to expand...

Wrangler isnt my type of vehicle and the GC have been know to have bad brakes and have unreliable electronics, according to consumer reports, models 99-03. I actually saw a perfect GC and loved how it drove and everything (fully loaded w/o high output 03 with 35k on it) it was $15900 at the first offer. Then I found out the brakes on it had been replaced 8 times before it was sold...... :brokenheart:
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The brakes are in reference to rotors that are too small for the vehicle. Many cars have this same problem. Look at Nissan Maximas. Putting aftermarket rotors on clears up the problem.

Are you going to need 4Lo at any point? Keep in mind that AWD vehicles do not have 4Lo.
 
Originally posted by: kami333
Originally posted by: TStep
I have 94 Jeep GC, 02 Explorer, 99 Silverado. My sister has Outback. From my experience with my cars living in PA off of a dirt road that the Local Township plows out last:

GC > Explorer > Silverado. GC is getting old, but it is the snow king.

Last winter my sister called me up. She couldn't get up here driveway, snow packed / almost ice. She buried her Outback in the gutter. She has two small kids, so it's always a concern. I went over in my Jeep. I got her out of the gutter and proceeded to get her car up the drive. It was a bitch. Her AWD seemed to bounce power around all 4 corners looking for traction. I finally got it up the drive, but not easily. The Jeep is stupid, you lock it in 4WD and crawl towards places of traction, get some, glide across the ice, and repeat. It doesn't bounce power all over the place. Very predictable. If necessary, I'll pop in the snow next to the gutter and grab traction there. The Outback would not do this. Outback isn't bad by any means, but after that experience, I wouldn't trust it in the extreme.
Click to expand...

You just need to get used to the way the AWD reacts, since unlike the 4wd in your jeep it doesn't normally kick in until the tires start slipping.

What was it? Manual, 4eat, or VDC Outback? R, 1, and 2 on a modernish 4eat will lock it to split 50/50.
Click to expand...


She should have stuck her tranny out of drive and into first (if automatic), seems to give power 50/50 or something, its the only way to make awesome donuts. My fathers 03 legacy always got through anything I put it through. And we have horrible winters here in Quebec. Good winter tires are a must for any vehicle in winter.
 
Originally posted by: kami333
Originally posted by: TStep
I have 94 Jeep GC, 02 Explorer, 99 Silverado. My sister has Outback. From my experience with my cars living in PA off of a dirt road that the Local Township plows out last:

GC > Explorer > Silverado. GC is getting old, but it is the snow king.

Last winter my sister called me up. She couldn't get up here driveway, snow packed / almost ice. She buried her Outback in the gutter. She has two small kids, so it's always a concern. I went over in my Jeep. I got her out of the gutter and proceeded to get her car up the drive. It was a bitch. Her AWD seemed to bounce power around all 4 corners looking for traction. I finally got it up the drive, but not easily. The Jeep is stupid, you lock it in 4WD and crawl towards places of traction, get some, glide across the ice, and repeat. It doesn't bounce power all over the place. Very predictable. If necessary, I'll pop in the snow next to the gutter and grab traction there. The Outback would not do this. Outback isn't bad by any means, but after that experience, I wouldn't trust it in the extreme.
Click to expand...

You just need to get used to the way the AWD reacts, since unlike the 4wd in your jeep it doesn't normally kick in until the tires start slipping.

What was it? Manual, 4eat, or VDC Outback? R, 1, and 2 on a modernish 4eat will force it to split 50/50.
Click to expand...

Probably right on getting used to the way it drives. After 20+ year that I've been driving up our very steep driveway and crappy township road, all cars have certain ways they want to be driven to keep you going in the snow/ice. Not sure what model it was, I've only driven it twice that I can recall. By the feel of it, I do not believe that there was any forced split. I'm sure that would help. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure tha Outback is capable, but that is my experience with it in comparison to the stuff I drive.
 
None of the above.

My 73 VW Bus did better the last storm we had than neighbors with awd/4wd. And I didn't even have studded tires. Just all weather tires.
 
I would look at an 01-02 grand cherokee again. With the 4.0 engine, it will run forever, should be within your price range, and is a good college vehicle in general. Of course it is still a Jeep so you'll have your share of problems, (I say that in the nicest way) but there are a gazillion on the road, they are easy to work on, etc.
 
I love my Outback. The all wheel drive is great not only in snow, but on any roads. It has a lot of cargo space, and gets better gas mileage than a soccer mom SUV.
 
I had a CR-V and hated it...it was small, slow and got horrible mileage (16-18mpg highway). I have a 99 explorer v6 now that is much bigger, higher, quicker with more features and gets a consistent 19-20 city/highway combined. Also like the jeep.
 
but they couldnt clear a 1ft snow drift if their rear axle depended on it.
Click to expand...

i've gone through bigger with all 3 of my subarus (forester, wrx, legacy)

subarus are awesome in the snow
 
Originally posted by: rh71
Originally posted by: montanafan
The weight and the tires are the most important things for 4WD and snowy climb. Remember that even 4WD won't be much help if there's ice.
Click to expand...
I've been down a snowy hill before in my mid-size SUV and upon attempting to stop approaching the red light at the bottom, I lost traction and started spinning. Is it better to be heavy or light ? Going up the hills aren't the problem... going down is a little unnerving.
Click to expand...

Heavier is better. Weight, good snow tires, and slow speeds all help going down a steep hill. You don't want to have to rely on just braking at the bottom of the hill to stop you. Lower gear (set before starting down, gearing down during descent can cause you to slide), short quick brake pumping if necessary to keep speed down, and don't worry about a little loss of traction at bottom, if you're going slow enough and tires are good they should grab shortly.

Every winter I have to drive up and down a very high, steep, narrow, rutted, dirt road with a shear drop on one side that gets so packed down with snow and ice that I have to use 4WD low to get down it safely. It's not that long, but I always have to take a deep breath before starting down. 🙂

 
I could clear one foot snow drifts in my subaru impreza rs with snow tires 😉

Oh and if you are worried about insurance, my impreza was cheaper than my honda civic to insure.
 
Umm, have you looked at a Saab 9-2x? Basically the same car as the Subaru Impreza, but cheaper. There is a HUGE thread on fatwallet about them in the hot deals section. I think there is one in the hot deals forum on AT also...
 
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