Piston Slap: Sanjeev Gets a Grip on Snow Tires?

Sanjeev writes:

Hello Sajeev, I am Sanjeev.

I moved to Michigan last year and have been driving a used 2006 Corolla. I can definitely afford a better car, but this one is serving me good. Agreed that it doesn’t have all the needed electronics and sex appeal; I am not swayed by that. The recent snow (about six inches) in Detroit area made me think of buying a car with needed ESC, ABS for better handling and driving. I have heard, read a lot about FWD and AWD cars and their handling on snowy roads but haven’t fully comprehended RWD cars on a snowy road.

Many online articles generally suggest that RWD is a bad idea during winter. Still, I see many of many colleagues driving RWD 300s, Durangos, and CTSes. Is RWD better or not on snowy roads?

Sajeev answers:

WELL HELLO SANJEEV: we meet after your years of convincing TTAC’s Best and Brightest ( here, here, here, here, here, here) that you run this show. Now everyone knows you do NOT, therefore they’ll stop asking for your help.

Sanjeev, remember that most modern cars are similarly set up in terms of handling: especially relevant on plowed roads, as the benefits of FWD or AWD drop off precipitously. Most suspension (springs, shocks, sway bars, tire pressures, etc) engineers tune for understeer (spin-outs are usually more dangerous) while modern electronics keep wheels from spinning off course.

The main factor — what puts the “N” in Sanjeev, you might say — is tire selection. Why, I reckon damn near every RWD car spanks 100 percent stock FWD/AWD if swapped over to aftermarket, winter rubber. The video below exaggerates snow tires’ benefits (plus the M3 has a limited slip axle) but it proves the point:

As a former design student at CCS in Detroit, I can vouch for RWD’s benefits for expert drivers/hoons: the ability to dial-in oversteer when the front end starts plowing is either reckless (over-driving) or totally awesome (private road, nobody gets hurt).

But that’s not the point. My recommendation for most city-folk is still a modern FWD car with 1) all handling nannies activated and 2) proper winter tires fitted. But everyone’s forgiven for going Mercury Grand Marquis RWD when a set of snow tires is in the equation.

[Image: Shutterstock user LeManna]

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.

Also, if your tires suck and you’re shopping for new tires, help support TTAC’s work by doing your research at TireReviewsandMore.com. — TTAC staff