FWD car are good in the snow b/c most have 60% of the weight on the front. Also since most FWD cars arn't performance cars, they have skinny tires and not a lot of torque.

Tires make the biggest difference too, traction control also helps.

If a RWD had 50/50 weight distro, traction control, and 225mm wide all season or snow tires, then it will be just as good as a FWD in the Snow.

 

in reply to mastrdriver...
i think the reason you see more fwd cars in ditches is that there's a lot of them on the streets for one, and couple that with someone who thinks theyre invincible, and there you have it

 

guion,

You may not agree with me, and so be it. But my Grand Am with snows on it was able to get my neighbor's kids up her driveway and into a nice warm house while she shoveled the Blazer out Guess ya had to be there. And no, she hadn't driven off into a ditch, either.

Did I say that FWD was MANDATORY? I don't see it...do you? Geez people...I said many of us here in the snow belt feel it is BETTER, but not MANDATORTY. I'm sorry I got this post on this path in the first place...

And frankly, we've already had 2 major blizzards full of freezing rain, and my girlfriend lives in northern VT, where it SNOWS. And I go there every weekend. And in the last blizzard, if I had had the Z, who knows where I woulda been...the GP was having issue getting started (only has Eagle LSs on it...crap whether its good or bad out )

And if you don't think a FWD car with good snows on it can plow snow 12" or higher going down the road ok, then I guess my Grand Am was an enigma of GM engineering My family has now had 2 Grand Ams with snows. My dad's '91 H.O. Quad 4 SE was able to go up our driveway when my other neighbor's '92 Explorer was stuck at the bottom. Same incline, same condition. Guess us Emmetts just have good luck with snows and N bodies

In all seriousness, before you people get all bent, read. No one said FWD is MANDATORY, just that maybe some up here PREFER it for a particular reason. Is that so bad???????????

mastrdriver,
Snows on a standard wouldn't be so bad at all. Feathering the clutch can help big time in getting it launched. Add in the ASR, and I'm sure it isn't bad at all. All I was saying is, PUT THOSE SAME TIRES ON A FWD CAR, and the FWD is better.

1990 Turbo Grand Prix,
Preach it You and I know what its like to move 100+ cars to plow a lot when it has snowed like crazy. Love those Vibe AWDs That AWD system is fantastic...they seemed to be better off the line than the damn Bravadas we had. And indeed, its a stop and start issue. Once you go? You're fine. And customers in New England WILL take issue if they know their famiyl 4 door drives the back wheels...like you said, it may be a hard sell. And that's all I was really trying to get at in the first place...sorry this got off on such a tangent.

To sum, for those that apparently take issue here, NO ONE SAID RWD CANNOT GO IN SNOW. And if anyone wants to see how FWD vs. RWD compares, bring your RWD to Burlington, VT this weekend, and I'll show you how you'll fair against my Grand Prix

 

Where is your dealership? I'm curious as to where you are, seeing as how you appear to deal with the lovely S word as much as I have to

Speaking of which, ever move an '03 Vibe GT in the snow? Those damn Dunlop Z rated tires went NOWHERE. I had 3 last winter I had to push all over the place. Our used '01 WS6 and '00 Z28 almost did better. They didn't, but it was close I like how the 17" tires on the Vibes are now all season RE930 Bridgestones, 1 year later

 

That is true, atleast the last part.

 

I'm sure most of the people that were in the ditch on my way home a couple days ago weren't planning on it either You must have some damn fine roads if "spinning, you lose control of both steering and throttle" has never been an issue. You're right, with comparable tires and weight the FWD will feel slightly more sure footed under normal controlled conditions, but those aren't the conditions that ever worry me. 4 wheels drive is WAY ahead of either RWD or FWD, although their large size makes me hate their braking performance on ice, though a whole lot of fun in snow

Most people like FWD because they've been told it's best, not because "they" have decided it's best. The sad truth is that FWD may be better for your average American because, let's face it, the average American is a bad driver with very limited knowledge of the automobile or how to control it When a FWD car starts to understeer you naturally turn in which is very BAD with RWD. Also, most RWD cars here in the states are performance cars with performance tires, which is not what should be used as an example against your econo car with all season tires

Now that we're seeing more FWD cars with performance tires I'm sure those specific cars will get bad raps as being bad in the snow We'll probably be hearing how crappy the neon is with all these SRT-4's going out the door

 

It was announced yesterday at the American Revolution presentation that the Impy and MC will have the 3900 engine for 2005 as well as DoD. anyone know what the numbers are on the 3900?

 

The 3900 V6 (LZ8):

*Overhead valve V6 due to replace the old 3.8 Buick based V6.
*Single cam in block engine, designed for low end torque.
*Due on the new Pontiac G6 when introduced next year.
*Will have a Displacement on Demand version in 2005.
*Will have 240 hp at 5900 rpm and 245 lb-ft of torque at just 2800 rpm.
*90% of peak torque is available from 1800 rpm to 5800 rpm.
*There will be a version shortly after introduction that will have 3-valve cylinder-heads that will boost output to 270 hp.

That about covers it.

 

So basically the "new" 3900 V6 is a slightly bored out and reworked 3800? Or is it completely "new"?

 

good news!

 

that's what I thought at first too, but its actually a 60* engine, so it still derives from the 2.8/3.1/3.4 line but its bore centers are offset a bit to accomodate the larger displacement. The 3.5L and the 3.9L are close cousins and share many parts, but they are no longer just the same engine/block with a difference in displacement like the 2.8/3.1/3.4 are.