Denver just got its first real snow of 2018, but anyone driving in the mountains commuting or for recreation can expect these conditions almost any time. Conifer got 15 inches from this storm.
Consumer Reports and Auto Express did tests to see how well vehicles with front wheel drive and all wheel drive did in the snow with and without snow tires. Both tests used all season tires and snow tires but for some reason Auto Express called the all season tyres “summer tyres”, probably British terminology.
The results were quite remarkable. Going uphill, FWD with all seasons only made it 23 feet while the all wheel drive went 98 feet but slid back down 30 feet. With snow tires FWD went 360 feet and just couldn’t quite make it through the steepest part at the top of the hill. The AWD with snow made it all the way up the hill, 442 feet.
Aside from hill climbing, two other factors affected by tires are steering and braking. In the Consumer Reports testing, the braking distance for snow tires was 314 feet while the stopping distance without snow tires was more than twice as long, 668 feet. Another Consumer Reports statistic shows that only 11.6% of AWD/4WD owners who drive over 6 days per season in snowy conditions use snow tires.
Each year we like to remind our customers about Colorado Department of Transportation’s traction law. During winter weather events, snow tires are required on two wheel drive vehicles but all season tires are allowed on 4WD & AWD vehicles. I would say just because CDOT allows it doesn’t mean it’s the best option.
At Addison Auto we are serious about your safety
Obviously on any given day we see many accidents and some of them are a direct result of inadequate tires for the condition the driver was in. As our sign says, we’re serious about safety and if you drive in winter conditions any vehicle; front wheel, 4 wheel or all wheel drive are safer with snow tires and front wheel drive with snow tires provides much more traction than AWD/4WD with all season tires.
All wheel drive didn’t prevent this accident, but snow tires might have.
