> 4wd/AWD are almost never necessary in USA and europe today...
I'd have disagreed a few years ago, then I moved to Norway. Snow is normal.
And the average car is simply a FWD. Most folks tend to have cars or station wagons instead of trucks and SUV's, and most of those are FWD.
The biggest things that help in snow?
Snow tires and snow socks for the tires, and chains when necessary. My spouse thought it was nuts that people didn't change tires in the winter, and average travel speeds on roads is slightly higher on snow and ice. Most folks will take their cars lightly offroad without incident (prinmitive vacation houses are often on dirt roads with weedy grass parking). In cities, at least, it is also pretty common to have bins with grit and I think folks need to keep safety items (a shovel) in their cars.
"I'd have disagreed a few years ago, then I moved to Norway. Snow is normal.
And the average car is simply a FWD. Most folks tend to have cars or station wagons instead of trucks and SUV's, and most of those are FWD."
This is true.
I live in the US and am guilty as charged with over-provisioning vehicles. It's what we do.
Meanwhile, last time I was in Denmark, I was amused to see a decent sized horse trailer being towed by ... an Audi A8.
I'd have disagreed a few years ago, then I moved to Norway. Snow is normal.
And the average car is simply a FWD. Most folks tend to have cars or station wagons instead of trucks and SUV's, and most of those are FWD.
The biggest things that help in snow?
Snow tires and snow socks for the tires, and chains when necessary. My spouse thought it was nuts that people didn't change tires in the winter, and average travel speeds on roads is slightly higher on snow and ice. Most folks will take their cars lightly offroad without incident (prinmitive vacation houses are often on dirt roads with weedy grass parking). In cities, at least, it is also pretty common to have bins with grit and I think folks need to keep safety items (a shovel) in their cars.
The snow socks are neat, and I wished they were more common in the states. They weren't in Indiana, anyway. http://www.autosock.co.uk/http://www.autosock.co.uk/