[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

4WD Follies

In response to K C Boyce:

> I think that the biggest problem is the general public's lack of
> understanding of vehicle dynamics.  Four-wheel drive (or AWD) is seen
> as a way to stay out of trouble on slick roads.  Even with all four
> wheels driven, the laws of physics must be obeyed!  (I've been wanting
> to say that for a while :-)

True enough - and most people in four wheel drives (or any other
vehicle) just have plain bad car control skills.
 
> Four-wheel drivers think that they can do stupid things because their
> drivetrain will somehow save them.  This goes for not only SUV
> drivers, but Subaru and Audi owners as well.

Again true - there are just too many people doing too many dumb things
on the road.

 
> BMWs (IMHO) are better than the alternative in the snow for a couple
> of reasons.  There's the lower center of gravity, etc. etc. that's
> already been mentioned.  Then there's the advantages of RWD.  Yes,
> advantages!  You see, when a car's wheels lock up, so does the
> drivetrain.  That extra mass takes some time to get moving again
> (inertia and all that).  Now, maybe it's just me, but I'd rather have
> the wheels that steer regain traction as soon as possible!

This is where you start to get into trouble, because the same laws of
physics you want to rely on earlier in your post will hold true here
also.  The simple fact that you have four wheels with traction (for
starting and maintaining forward momentum) rather than two is most times
better.  As for stopping, it really doesn't matter how many (or which)
wheels are the drive wheels.
 

> Just pretend that you're doing a low-speed driving event, and you'll
> be fine in the worst of weather.

Quite frankly, my '85 325 was a dog in the snow, and my '97 M3 is
worse.  So I'll leave the thing home and happily motoring around most
everything else on the road in my Subaru Outback.
 

- --
Richard A. Perry
BMW CCA #145032
Boston Chapter
'97 M3/4
'97 Outback (the "Winter Wonder")

------------------------------