Winters like this are why tiny cars will never make it in America

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Yeah, beacause a standard RWD pick-up is so much better on snow than a mid-sized FWD sedan. You don't drive much on snow, do you? And why is everyone down here in FL running a pick-up? Because of the heavy snowfalls down here?

Real men buy 4x4 pick ups and SUVs.

[BishopM 114]

I've been working in Massachusetts for the past 9 months, and I have to admit that I was very surprised to see so many of those Priusmobiles spinning about....said alot about the NE states

Real men buy 4x4 pick ups and SUVs.

...or the new Camaro, Charger, or Challenger

[Ban Hammer 13,475]

Just the other day, after a decent snowfall, I watched an SUV try to plow its way through a pile of snow in a parking lot and get stuck.

Every time we have snow on the ground, the interstate between Phoenix and Flagstaff is riddled with SUV's that have slid or tumbled off the embankment because the drivers think SUV's can handle the snow and ice.

While 4WD gives you better traction on the roads in most SUV's, you give up having a lower center of gravity and less weight, which works against you when driving on icy roads.

I'd take a FWD sedan with snow tires or chains over any SUV when having to drive on icy roads. As for when there's heavy snowfall, there's no vehicle short of a snow mobile that can drive when there is more than about 18" of snow.

i'd rather have my 4x4 truck - and drive slower

[alienlovechild 75]

Winters will rapidly become less severe due to global warming so there will less of a need for SUVs that spew out GHGs.

If the polar seas are melting I wouldn't worry about deep snow thousands of miles south of the north pole.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Outside of California, the I-95 corridor is one of the major concentrations of Americans with disposable money. If I heeded the (bad) advice of the hippies and had two Priuses or Smartcars, I'd be screwed right now. Small cars just don't cut it in weather like this (there's about two feet of snow on the ground right now).

And that's why while we will certainly transition to vehicles that use less gasoline, our vehicles will stay larger and heavier than is the norm elsewhere.

So the next time some insufferable hippie gives you sh'it about your SUV, run him the f over. America will thank you and so will I.

Don't forget, hippies like Subaru!

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Don't forget, hippies like Subaru!

So true.

[Peikko 1,575]

Outside of California, the I-95 corridor is one of the major concentrations of Americans with disposable money. If I heeded the (bad) advice of the hippies and had two Priuses or Smartcars, I'd be screwed right now. Small cars just don't cut it in weather like this (there's about two feet of snow on the ground right now).

And that's why while we will certainly transition to vehicles that use less gasoline, our vehicles will stay larger and heavier than is the norm elsewhere.

So the next time some insufferable hippie gives you sh'it about your SUV, run him the f over. America will thank you and so will I.

Yet, outside the US where there are equally atrocious/worse winter weather conditions the SUV is not the norm.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Just the other day, after a decent snowfall, I watched an SUV try to plow its way through a pile of snow in a parking lot and get stuck.

Every time we have snow on the ground, the interstate between Phoenix and Flagstaff is riddled with SUV's that have slid or tumbled off the embankment because the drivers think SUV's can handle the snow and ice.

While 4WD gives you better traction on the roads in most SUV's, you give up having a lower center of gravity and less weight, which works against you when driving on icy roads.

I'd take a FWD sedan with snow tires or chains over any SUV when having to drive on icy roads. As for when there's heavy snowfall, there's no vehicle short of a snow mobile that can drive when there is more than about 18" of snow.

I'll take a 4X4 SUV or pickup with good tires. I've plowed snow for decades and have used pickups with all season and winter radials with good results. Chains help a lot on ice, but aren't used much out here. The reason you see SUVs off the road just as I do here is the moron behind the wheel, not the vehicle. You can't drive 70 mph on ice and expect to stop or turn, they're idiots. Half the SUVs now are only FWD. A 4x4 will be much better in deep snow. One of the problems with deep snow is ground clearance. A car doesn't have much ground clearance while a truck sits higher off the road which helps it in deeper snow. A RWD pickup with an empty bed isn't good in the snow. I've driven RWD drive cars all of my life and I am a firm believer in good winter tires.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I'll take a 4X4 SUV or pickup with good tires. I've plowed snow for decades and have used pickups with all season and winter radials with good results. Chains help a lot on ice, but aren't used much out here. The reason you see SUVs off the road just as I do here is the moron behind the wheel, not the vehicle. You can't drive 70 mph on ice and expect to stop or turn, they're idiots. Half the SUVs now are only FWD. A 4x4 will be much better in deep snow. One of the problems with deep snow is ground clearance. A car doesn't have much ground clearance while a truck sits higher off the road which helps it in deeper snow. A RWD pickup with an empty bed isn't good in the snow. I've driven RWD drive cars all of my life and I am a firm believer in good winter tires.

The thing is - many of the newer crossover SUV's are lower to the ground and much smaller in size. I understand the 4WD will give you better traction, but to the point that it makes a standard SUV a superior choice over a standard sedan in winter conditions is arguable.

As for the drivers - I agree. It's the man behind the machine, not the machine, as Chuck Yeager would say. I just saw a GMC commercial where the SUV is plowing through several feet of snow. There a lot of gullible SUV owners that have a false sense of road superiority because they buy into such advertisement.

[The_Dude 1,142]

Don't forget, hippies like Subaru!

Hippies do not like subaru; they get shitty fuel efficiency. I think it is the hipsters that like them.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

A lot of it has to do with ground clearance. If a vehicle is only 6" of the ground, it won't do well in a foot of show. Weight distribution is also a contributing factor, that is why a 2wd pickup driven by the rear wheels with an empty bed isn't so hot in the snow. Put some weight over the rear wheels and thing get better. Now make it 4x4 with real tires and you have snow capability. As soon as the underbelly is hung up in the snow, you ain't going far. Try a Hummer in 18"+ of snow. It will move. People need to learn that you just can't drive fast in the snow and ice.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Yet, outside the US where there are equally atrocious/worse winter weather conditions the SUV is not the norm.

I lived in a Tuscan hill town for a few months and their way of dealing with snow was hilarious. The main road up to the old part of the town was fairly steep. So the police had one set of snow chains and would put them on a car, have them drive up the hill and then return the chains to the bottom. There were probably 100 cars waiting their turn. The funny thing was, no one seemed bothered.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Hippies do not like subaru; they get shitty fuel efficiency. I think it is the hipsters that like them.

....but the Sierra Club sponsors them....

[Peikko 1,575]

I lived in a Tuscan hill town for a few months and their way of dealing with snow was hilarious. The main road up to the old part of the town was fairly steep. So the police had one set of snow chains and would put them on a car, have them drive up the hill and then return the chains to the bottom. There were probably 100 cars waiting their turn. The funny thing was, no one seemed bothered.

Eastern Europe survived driving the Trabbant (however it's spelt) mind you, I expect a lot of the time things ground to a halt, not the most reliable vehicle even in good weather

I think that's part of it, some cultures just don't get that wound up if things slow down for a while.

[^_^ 5,021]

You're all fixating on the SUV like the dumb little libruls they say you are. The SUV is an example of what I'm getting at - vehicles with mass as opposed to the boxes of thin tin the envirofreaks want us to buy.