4WD All Season vs 2WD Winter Tires - Do you need winter tires if you have AWD?

Do you need winter tires if you have an AWD (all wheel drive) / 4WD (4x4 four wheel drive) system and good american all season tires?

To find out, I test a 2wd pickup truck with winter tires, against the same truck with 4wd engaged and all season tires.

The tests in the video include acceleration and braking on snow, a snow hill climb and the important snow handling test to see whether AWD and all season tires can beat winter tires with RWD.

Note, I know I use 4x4 and AWD interchangeably in the video.

Winter tires are sometimes called snow tires.

The tires used in this video are the excellent General Grabber Arctic and General Grabber HTS60.

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[tyrereviews]

This is the start of a LOT of winter content coming, so make sure you've subscribed and hit that bell icon if you haven't already. It should be a new video every few weeks until December 🥳

[johnhufnagel]

You've demonstrated something that, sadly, most Americans refuse to recognize: 4WD is GREAT for improving the GO in the snow, but HORRID for improving the WHOA. many people drive WAY TOO FAST in the snow in their 4WD/AWD SUVs around here, and ditch (bin) them constantly because of it. NEVER DRIVE FASTER THAN YOU CAN STOP! That's a rule people just don't remember any longer.

[jackiejorpjomp]

Awd is good for acceleration. Winter tires are good for turning and braking, which is more important for safety.

[xman]

I’d love to see a FWD vs AWD with all season and winter tires

[Insert_Coin_Here]

Of course you need winter tires for awd. Awd is only helping for the starting movement. Still need to steer and brakes which so much safer with proper winter tires.

[youtubeviewer]

Have no snow in my country.. but I’m still watching this

[MXV]

Everytime it snows here, the first vehicles in the ditch (either buried to the axles, on their sides, or upside-down) are 4WD pickups.

[NJRD]

The point about cornering and braking is absolutely key - near me there is a long steep gently curving main road and every time we get the English 2 days of snow, you will see stranded big 4X4s on 'all season' tyres where their owners have discovered that their 4x4 can start but gravity and compacted snow decides their direction of travel and when they get to stop

[sergioserramusic]

This channel should have 10 times the subscribers, its content is on point!

[Snadzies]

There was a 2 year period where I had an AWD WRX with all season tires and my mom had a FWD Saturn with snow tires and if I had to choose which one I wanted to drive in some ugly winter weather it would be that FWD Saturn with snow tires.
The WRX could get going fine but braking and cornering got rather sketchy at times where as the Saturn felt completely stable and in control.

[squangan]

In North America’s far north I had always driven full size 4x4 pickups with good all season tires on them year around because those were the tires available to us at the time.When dedicated winter tires starting gaining in popularity I was firmly in the ‘who needs winter tires’ camp. Finally about 10 years ago more out of curiosity than anything I finally put a set of winter tires on my truck of the time and was quite shocked at how much better the truck handled. I no longer had to subconsciously gauge sliding and drifting distances from experience while driving as the vehicle mostly started, stopped, and steered just like it did in the summer. I haven’t gone back to all seasons in winter since then.

[hooty]

As the saying goes, a jack of all trades is a master of none

[LawrenceAbramoff]

When you are watching a video with zero relevance to you because you like the channel.

[EthanWainland]

Finally! The test I've been waiting for!

[maciejsuchecki]

It's not fair for winters, with all that weight over front axle. Something like 3 series estate rear driven vs xdrive would give us more idea about differences, I reckon.

[abyssalguy]

Conclusion : rear 2 wheels drive is shit on snow when the engine is in the front.

[theroyalcrownedtiger]

My early 90's Cavalier does surprisingly well, even in deep snow, with set of 4 winter tires on it.

[mieszkooracz]

This was cool! You can't even imagine how many questions you have answered!

[chrisjxn]

I love your channel and this is a test I've been waiting for. I would have really liked to have seen more on turning and braking (including things like "winter tires + 2WD stopped x feet / meters sooner than all-season tires + 4WD"). This video confirmed what a lot of us already intuitively understood: AWD provides a traction advantage under acceleration that is far greater than the advantage provided by winter tires. The vast majority of Americans -- even those who live in winter climates -- don't seem to understand that AWD does nothing to help you stop or turn and they feel like AWD is all that's needed for driving in the snow. I live close to Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, and Solitude in Utah. We have a traction law in the canyons leading to these ski areas that requires (a) AWD and M+S (i.e. all-season) tires or (b) 2WD and three-peak mountain snowflake (i.e. winter) tires. Seems like a miss to me, but I guess by the time these vehicles are coming down (when tires are way more important than AWD), the roads are pretty clear and plows are doing their thing...

[matthewmosca]

Great comparison! Once you drive through a nasty winter storm on ice all you’ll ever want is 4WD/AWD with winter tires. Trucks are great but transfer case binding and low weight on rear tires make them tricky. Still drive one though!