One time it snowed a foot or two in Seattle. I had a set of studded tires on a little Toyota Tercel and I swear I was the only fucker driving around. Uphill, downhill, cruising down the lumpy hard-packed freeway, didn’t have any problems. Besides, if you get stuck in a Tercel you can just lift the whole rear of the car out of the snow with a second person. I really miss that car.
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dx1@lemmy.world 16 hours agoTechnically it’s not the power of the engine but the AWD/4WD. Subarus are pretty cheap 4 cyl boxer engines known for great handling in snow with some clever differential systems they have (viscuous coupling diffs, active torque split, etc.)
Pandemanium@lemm.ee 5 hours ago
dx1@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
I looked that car up a few days ago - know why? It was Jesse’s car in Breaking Bad.
lepinkainen@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
There is a reason why the Italian mountain police uses the Fiat Panda (other than it being an Italian car)
That fucker will go ANYWHERE
dx1@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
If you’re into cars for curiosity’s sake, it’s a fun deep dive to look into the cars used in Russia, including the USSR-era ones. Harsh winter conditions, huge backcountry. Some of the government issue ones, uh, GAZ-69, UAZ-469, GAZ-66. One of the crazier things is in the colder regions (e.g. Yakutia) engine cooling isn’t an issue, rather they have to insulate the engine so that it’ll be warm enough to start.
ikidd@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
I just shake my head at people that think if you’re spinning out on the ice, just press the throttle harder. Fucking idiots.
ChapulinColorado@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
With that said, a beater with snow tires and chains on the trunk (and a driver that knows how to put them on before they are needed) will do better than a Subaru with all season tires.
Source: Subaru forums, even a RWD like a BRZ/FRS with snow tires can be safe if driven with the car’s limitations in mind.
Ajen@sh.itjust.works 7 hours ago
AWD might help you avoid getting stuck, but it does nothing to avoid getting in an accident. A cheap 4 cyl FWD with chains or winter tires would do better than a Subaru with crappy tires in icy weather.
dx1@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
It won’t help you skidding out on the highway, but there are a few situations where you start slipping where they’ll actually catch it.
pahlimur@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
Totally incorrect for both posts. A geo with winter tires is better in the snow than a truck on 40 inch mud tires. Winter tires feel like turning on the cheat codes when it’s slick. They have like 10 times the grip of good all seasons below freezing.
I drive on unmaintained roads a lot in the winter. The hakapelitas on my truck let me drive in 2wd until the snow is a foot deep.
dx1@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
That is also a big help, the best thing you can do is increase what’s basically the coefficient of friction.