Front- or rear-wheel drive, common sense is what’s needed in snow.

We’ve all heard it before: “Rear-wheel drive is bad in the winter.” This dogma seems to have permeated most of our minds, as those with front- (FWD), all- (AWD) and four-wheel drive (4WD) scoff at those who have all their power out back. Then, they scoff at the foot of snow piled up around their cars in the NIU parking lots, and get stuck in it as they try to pull out. They scoff at the snow and ice-covered highways, and proceed to slide into ditches. And then I, in my open-differential RWD car with a shovel in the trunk, have to pull over and ask if they need any help.

I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself as I noted the many cars stuck in lots and ditches during and after this weekend’s snow. This was not because of their misfortune, but because of the irony I found in their situation. The majority of these cars were front-, all-, or four-wheel drive — the kinds we’re told are so much better for this weather. In fact, of the six cars I helped to free from the snow this Friday, all were FWD. On the other hand, everywhere I went this weekend was in a RWD vehicle — either a ’70 Oldsmobile Cutlass or an ’89 Chevy van — and they proved quite capable to traverse the snow and ice.

I have to be honest, though. Technically, FWD, AWD and 4WD should and often do perform better in the snow. FWD offers much more weight over the driving wheels of the vehicle, unlike RWD. AWD and 4WD, while mechanically different, both provide better traction, as all four wheels fight for it. It is undeniably harder to gain traction in RWD vehicles than in others.

So why do so many of the cars I see stuck and off the road happen to be the kind that should have it easier? I believe it is simply because the owners of those vehicles allow themselves a false sense of security. Because of this, they tend to drive faster than the weather allows, even for vehicles such as theirs, which have traction advantages. Once you start sliding in a vehicle, no matter where the power goes, it’s not easy to stop, and about all you can do is let off the gas — brakes only make things worse. In fact, once a 4WD vehicle begins to slide, the fact that all tires are spinning can actually be a detriment to traction, because even if the wheel is slightly turned, you have the front wheels pulling you one way while the rear wheels push you another, causing spinning to continue.

It takes some practical knowledge and common sense to drive in poor winter weather, whichever method of locomotion your car utilizes, and RWD, despite its slight traction disadvantage, can work just as well if you know how to drive with it. Often, this just means driving slower. Another useful option with RWD is weighing down the rear end with any weight possible. We use tractor weights in our Buick Roadmaster.

Ultimately, it’s mostly up to the driver if a car is going to travel successfully in hazardous winter. Sometimes this means choosing not to go anywhere at all, especially when you don’t have a shovel, and your car is surrounded by heaps of snow in an unplowed NIU parking lot.

Matt Wier is an Opinion Columnist for the Northern Star.