2WD in the snow - any good?

[YetiJames]

Hello,

As per title - what's it like in the snow?

I'm taking delivery of a brand new Greenline SE Yeti 1.6TDi which is 2WD.

Anyone know how it'll fair with the White stuff? I live by a hill...

[Llanigraham]

As well as any other front wheel drive vehicle.

[trundlenut]

The right tyres make a big difference.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[Darren09]

Hello,

As per title - what's it like in the snow?

I'm taking delivery of a brand new Greenline SE Yeti 1.6TDi which is 2WD.

Anyone know how it'll fair with the White stuff? I live by a hill...

How steep is 'the hill' 1%? 15%? Will the driver have experience with driving on snow? Will the white stuff be frozen on top or underneath? Will the tyres be winters? Will snow chains be used? Is the snow fresh?

Answer those and other questions and we'll tell you if you'll be OK.

[Paul52]

Hi YetiJames. There is masses of stuff on this forum and elsewhere about 2WD and 4WD in the snow but it boils down to having the right tyres will be more important for most people than 4 WD on the tyres the car is likely to be delivered on. Search the site for "winter tyres" and you will have hours of happy and informative reading. As the post above implies, there is no "right" answer it going to depend on your abilities and the circumstances of where you expect to be driving.

[YetiJames]

Okay,

Many thanks all.

I'll have a good read of the other threads :0)

Cheers

[Ryeman]

He'll of a lot better than RWD that's for sure!

[Woodmaster]

The right tyres make a big difference.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

So do the left ones!

[fastestlouigie]

If I lived "oop North", I'd definitely invest in a set of winter tyres. Many on this forum would advise getting some regardless of where you are.

As I also have a garage I could store them in, I would probably also buy a set of 16" steel wheels as well, though I appreciate that you're starting to get into quite a bit of moolah going down this route. 'Might be worth it for you in the long run though, if you plan on keeping the car for a few years.

[Frenchtone]

Used to drive a Berlingo always had probs getting away from my mother's place  on all weathers,yeti had  winters fitted, no probs,, front end weight could have been the reason, think the engine/g'box are heavier in the yeti than the 1.6 engine berlingo - here in france , never had probs, even a couple of yrs ago when all hell let loose in early march!

[Ryeman]

If I lived your way, I would never drive in winter on 'performance' tyres.

I'd regards winters as min equipment.

[muddyboots]

As well as any other front wheel drive vehicle.

^^ this....

 

Whether it's any good in snow depends on whether you've got suitable tyres or not.

 

With summer tyres you'll be like the other 90+% of cars that slither around and get stuck on the slightest gradient.

With winter tyres you'll be going places the 4x4s on summer tyres can't go (ground clearance permitting) - and get this - you'll be able to brake and steer too!

[Dinski]

My opinion but my 2wd yeti I owned a few years back was shocking in snow, a lot to do with the rubbish tyres it came with but still way worse than any other 2wd cars that were on my street that day.

[Exeterj]

As everyone says - just down to tyres. We've got a 55 plate cr-v (obviously part time 4x4) which had 'normal' M&S (mud/snow) tyres on it, and i had a mondeo at the same time with Cooper snow/winter tyres during the heavy snow we had on dartmoor in 2012, and arguably the mondeo was as good, if not better in the snow. 

 

We brought the Cr-v specifically as my wife is a nurse and has a lot of pressure to get to work if it snows, and we are 700ft above sea level (hence are prone to snow when it comes) with 12 miles and several large hills to get into town - but that last batch of snow and the tyres on the mondeo has really made me question if we need 4x4 in future for such instances.

Edited 28 December, 2014 by Exeterj

[YetiJames]

Hello again,

My Skoda Felicia has been great in the snow - it is on cheap summer tyres and as such has shocked me at how well it has coped where others on my road haven't.

Because it's light? Any ideas?

[trundlenut]

on 195 width summer tyres our mkI Leon was a lot better in the snow than my old mkI Octavia on 205 width summers.  Whether it was just the tyre width or the weight and weight distribution I don't know.

[MajorTom]

If you have to drive a 2WD car in snow on summers, then the narrower the better, provided there's lots of tread, but basically, you're better off with decent winter tyres, whether your car is 2WD or 4WD.

[MikeWales]

Many moons ago I used to go all over Wales and back & forth to Croydon in my Citroen 2CV.

 

Michelin 125 x 15 - thin tyres - see.

 

And the skill of the (young) driver - of course! 

[Llanigraham]

Many moons ago I used to go all over Wales and back & forth to Croydon in my Citroen 2CV.

 

Michelin 125 x 15 - thin tyres - see.

 

And the skill bravado of the (young) driver - of course! 

 

Corrected that for you, Mike!  

[MikeWales]

Front wheel drive does also help!

 

I remember I had to jam on the brakes of the 2CV on a snowy night just after I had left a friend's house. He had run out in front of me and had forgotten to tell me something.

 

The Citroen just spun 360 degrees on the spot, no damage done to man or beast.

 

I have been looking to buy a 2CV for the summer weather, but have you seen the prices for a restored one?

 

Are they thinking of a convertible Yeti to mirror the Evoque convertible  :think:

[Llanigraham]

If you think a 2CV is expensive here, Mike, you should see the price for a restored one in France!!

 

I want a Lomax!!

[Urrell]

I want a Lomax!!

This is a particularly nice one in Belgium where we stay that was the last one built by the owner.

 

[Ryeman]

I rescued a Holden stuck on a muddy rutted road near Mt Donna Buang in the late 60s in my new pride and joy - an Austin 1800 shod with the latest Dunlops that equipped the E Type.

SP41 s.

Remember them?

I must say the 1800 was a great tractor but at 70mph and 4300rpm not a great motorway cruiser......the engine was v sweet though a those revs and the gearbox oil certainly got hot enough.

It had character....and then the beancounters out here got hold of it sadly.

[PeterKn]

Took my Yeti 2wd 1.2 dsg out of my drive onto an untreated road yesterday, its first snow trial. The tyres are standard, 225x50x17“ Nexen summer tyres. The snow was hard packed by other vehicles and frozen. There is a slight uphill.  I was extremely lucky to get to the junction with a treated road. I had visions of the car being stranded at an odd angle until the spring thaw, which thankfully arrived a few hours later. My previous car was an AWD Subaru Forester, I could take that out in any weather with confidence. I knew of course that the Yeti would struggle in snow for various reasons. To answer the original question, No, a 2wd Yeti is not any good in the snow. I have never tried the likes of Michelin Cross Climate, perhaps they would transform the car. Happy New Year to all. 

[Austin 7]

The best 2WD vehicles for traction have a predominance of weight at the driven end and soft suspension to avoid side-to-side weight transfer of the driven wheels.  Examples would be a RWD classic VW Beetle or a FWD Citroen 2CV.  I once had a FWD VW Polo hatchback which was remarkably good.

 

Unfortunately the Yeti has a light engine (especially the 1.2 and 1.4 petrol) relative to the weight of its body and even unladen I suspect the Front/Rear weight distribution is no better than 45/55%.  Once laden it could approach 50/50.  It also has stiff anti-roll bars, so for example any road slope across the rear wheels can take weight off one of the front wheels which is then more likely to spin.

 

in my experience, even on Winter tyres, the Yeti is poorer than an unsporting small 2WD hatchback.  Fortunately I rarely have to drive on slopes with ice and snow.