Winter Tyres or 4x4: which is best? - Auto Express



Subscribe to our YouTube channel http://bit.ly/11Ad1j1 Subscribe to the mag http://subscribe.autoexpress.co.uk/yt Winter tyres are going to be on a lot of minds this year - Britain could face a particularly harsh winter this year, with snow falling from as early as November. If you've got a four-wheel drive car, you probably think you're properly prepared - but are you? We went up to Tamworth Snowdome to find out if a front-wheel drive car with winter tyres has more traction in the snow than a 4x4 with summer tyres fitted. We used two Ford Kugas, both with 2.0-litre diesel engines and manual gearboxes - but one is front-wheel drive, and the other all-wheel drive. The 4x4 Ford Kuga costs £1500 more than the normal model. In snowy conditions the rubber in summer tyres gets harder and less grippy. Winter tyres use a softer compound, and a tread pattern that's designed to pick up snow - improving grip in these harsh conditions. In our first test we saw that the front-wheel drive car on summer tyres was hopeless in the snow - but when fitted with winter tyres, it obviously did much better. However we also tested the 4x4 on summer tyres - and the results might surprise you. With winter tyres, the normal Kuga went 110 metres up the slope, while the 4x4 car only made it 13 metres up, before sliding back down 9 metres. in the end, it ended up no further than the standard did with summer tyres. We also tested the four-wheel drive Ford Kuga with winter tyres - and the difference was astonishing. There was plenty of grip and the car drove all the way to the top of the steep ski slope without a problem. Obviously, the best solution for driving on snow is to have a 4x4 on winter tyres - without the right rubber, a 4x4 is just as useless as a two wheel drive car. Having four-wheel drive won't help with braking, though - and that's much more important.

Comments

  1. I think being a car channel, don't use the terms all wheel and four wheel interchangeably. Enough people are confused by the two terms.
  2. Guys, please get real, four season or all season tires are big bullshit. From what exactly the rubber is made? In winter to stay soft and on summer to be hard at the same time?! Just a trick to buy a bit more expensive tires for rain ... I live in Bulgaria and from time to time we have really good winters, so just belive me - for winter, take WINTER tires - doesent matter 4x4 or normal car... and for the love of God - TURN OFF TRACTION CONTROL WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING ON SNOWY ROADS, traction sux for snow, you need more spin on the tires to be moving, not less ....
  3. the all wheel drive car stoped only when he stoped
  4. I call BS on his first test summer with 2wd. two years back I was driving through blizzards in South East Pennsylvania with my 88 mustang GT with Nitto summer performance tires. Even up steep hills other cars and SUVs got stuck on.
  5. i wish they did 4x4 with all season tires and FWD with snow tires.
  6. They should use in this test full time 4x4 one example is BMW e46 330xd
  7. amazing difference between tyres.. hope it opens a few peoples eyes
  8. how about winter tires + all wheel drive together?
  9. Turn the traction control OFF, the last thing on slope you need is electronics braking your driven wheels, gentle on accelerator, dont spin the wheels and you can should be okay.
  10. it's funny those are called ford escape in canada
  11. what about comparing winter tires vs all seasons tires in winter...
  12. What's best? 4WD with snow tires.
    Case closed. People can be pretty silly at times. Nothing beats 4wd and AWD is not 4wd. It's close and it sure beats 2wd but it isn't 4wd.
  13. 1. No one will have true summer tires in a place where it snows. 2. The driver has a whole lot to do with this. Getting good traction in snow isn't as simple as just pressing the gas
  14. I'm confused... Is it a 4x4 or AWD?
  15. Wtf are Tyres? I know what Tires are though.
  16. I use all season tires here in the northeast of the USA. My car is front wheel drive and feels like all wheel drive on snow
  17. Why summer tires nobody would hav summer tires in winter at least all season
  18. Well if you use a shitty awd system for testing then of course itll get stuck. Go test it with x-drive or quattro. Might not make it all the way on all seasons, but itll be a lot closer than the escape.
  19. Why the hell would the AWD have summer tires, most people have all season and so do most awd cars. That would be a much more accurate comparison, awd w/ all season vs fwd w/ winter.
  20. everyone knows you need good tires this isn't old news.


Additional Information:

Visibility: 620800

Duration: 5m 1s

Rating: 2104