Recent Comments

Mine are sneaky pains in the ass. I have two that literally come out using their body to move the snow every year and one who uses a regular shovel and garden rake. My neighbor across the street shovels two tire wide lines the width of his car then goes up and down his driveway till he can get out.

via GIPHY

Oh and one genius uses a high grade leaf blower and blows his driveway!!

via GIPHY

This is mostly accurate. This might be lengthy, so take a deep breath before continuing.

The difference I'll add is this. 4WD vehicles don't actually send power to all 4 wheels independently. 4WD vehicles have differentials on both axles and a transfer case which can either send all of the power from the engine to one axle (most commonly the rear one) or send equal amounts of power to both the front and rear axle. This guarantees that at least one wheel on each axle will receive power. This is where differential lockers are a key part to a 4WD system. The differential locker prevents the differential on the axle from sending unequal amounts of power to both wheels on the axle. Without the lockers, or any limited slip system, theoretically all of the power can be sent to just one wheel. In this case, all of the power goes to 1 wheel per axle. Like most things, the power will seek the path of least resistance so when you're driving in slippery conditions (snow, ice, mud) if one wheel spins all of the power will go to that wheel instead of the wheel that has more traction. You need the power to go to the wheel with traction, not the one that is spinning.

AWD vehicles have a central differential instead of a transfer case. What this means, is that all of the power is distributed to each axle in un-equal amounts. I believe most AWD vehicles have central differentials which will limit the difference in power distribution to the axles but you're not going to get exactly even distribution without having a central diff locker. (I'll take a moment here to say that a lot of vehicles which boast "All Time 4WD" (like Toyota 4Runners) are really just AWD vehicles with a central diff locker...the locker, when locked, sends even amounts of power to both axles, just like a traditional 4WD vehicle would)...The theory here is that without any lockers or limited slip systems, theoretically, all of the power can be sent to just 1 of the 4 wheels. The key difference between AWD and 4WD is that AWD really only guarantees max power distribution to 1 wheel whereas 4WD guarantees max power distribution to 1 wheel PER AXLE, so 2 wheels total. Twice as many wheels guaranteed to get power. That's why 4WD is better for getting un-stuck in deep snow or muddy off-road tracks.

All that being said, the other key difference comes down mostly to semantics. Most companies who advertise AWD vehicles are putting cars with AWD systems on the road. They tend to be lower to the ground and lighter weight than typical 4WD trucks and SUVs. A 4WD vehicle is almost always going to have more size and weight and more ground clearance than vehicles billed as AWD. When it comes to driving in snow, or any off-road track, the more clearance you have over the ground, the better. Especially in deep, deep snow. At a certain point the amount of snow is so deep that you begin plowing through the snow as opposed to driving over top of it. When this happens, you need to have more power and that power needs to be distributed evenly to all the wheels if you want to maintain traction and keep forward progress. This is where 4WD vehicles have a distinct advantage over AWD vehicles. They generally have more ground clearance so they can handle deeper snow before getting to the point of plowing, and when they do get to that point they have more power distributed evenly to multiple wheels to maintain traction and forward progress.

AWD vehicles are terrific in bad weather conditions. In fact most AWD vehicles are better than most 4WD vehicles in normal driving conditions when it is raining. AWD is AWD all the time, whereas 4WD vehicles are only 2WD vehicles until the driver puts the vehicle into 4WD. It is bad to drive in normal conditions in 4WD so you don't want to be in that all the time. AWD vehicles will be just as good as any 4WD vehicle in snow all the way up until the snow gets so deep that the AWD vehicle starts to push the snow instead of drive over top. This is the point at which 4WD becomes better than AWD. When we're talking about 30" of snow you absolutely need 4WD instead of AWD.

Furthermore, 4WD vehicles are not all equipped with the "lockers" I keep referring to. In fact, most 4WD vehicles won't come stock with them. There are some auto-makers who have "automatic lockers" which are really just part time ultra-limited slip differentials and not true lockers. They do help performance to a point but they're not going to give the same advantages of a traditional locker. I think Jeep Wranglers come standard with lockers and I know that you can get them on the TRD Off-road packages on Toyota Tacomas (my preferred vehicle of choice). They can also be found on the high-end Range Rover and LR3. Outside of those 4 vehicles, though, I don't believe true traditional lockers are an option on very many other vehicles.

In summary, an AWD vehicle is absolutely great in the snow and certainly an equal to any 4WD platform until you start talking about really really deep snow (~12" or more). When the snow gets really deep and the going gets tough 4WD is going to be better for you than AWD but what you really really need is a 4WD vehicle with differential lockers to guarantee that all 4 wheels are getting equal amounts of power in order to maintain traction and forward progress through the really thick stuff. Obviously, tires play a much much more important role than most people will realize. Great tires on a front wheel drive civic could make that car a better snow car than crappy bald tires on a ford explorer.

Hope that helped.

TL;DR Tires are really important, but all things being equal AWD is great up to a point and 4WD is best suited for the really deep snow.

I'm looking to get a Forester this year. Would you recommend?

I live in Shawsville. I'm hoping some of my new neighbors have some spare time to bring their farm tractors over to help a guy out.

All fun and games till you're one of the only guys in the neighborhood with a decent snow shovel

via GIPHY

Already told my boss to not expect to see me Friday. Even if I could make it out (and I couldn't in all likelihood) I've driven in Roanoke when we've had an inch or so on the groundbefore, and I don't plan to fight the collective lunacy that gets into winter drivers here again.

Y'all think he still gets chick fil a on Sundays???

David Wilson is disappointed that you would ever doubt him eating chick-fil-a on Sundays

Until you retire, then you say bring it on. I got an open agenda today.

Come earlier, stay later! Nights of Lights still going in St Aug. Come up and spend a night at a B&B off St George Street. Walk on the beach at Anastasia. Check out World Golf Village.

We (FL) need (and are happy to take) your money!

Thanks. Got a '15 Subaru Forester with Yokohama Geolanders. Handled perfectly and like a charm last year. Recently got the rear-right inflated and sealed (flat). Was thankful I didn't have to replace ALL of them.

Absolutely do not hate you for that. I'm pissed as hell too. I freaking love the snow. It looks like the line is somewhere between Richmond and Williamsburg, so all of Hampton Roads is missing out on it. I'm hoping something happens to push the line further South East and out of VA.

What sucks is that Mrs. HokieMcGruber and I are scheduled to depart from RIC this Sat to Orlando for our 3rd yr anni. Last time we departed RIC during a snowstorm it took nearly a damn 3-4 hrs for de plane to be de-iced.