[czaarsvk]

HI Guys,
I just need some suggestions to drive this car in snow. With so much technology and advancement I wonder if rear wheel drives are still not good on snow.

Taking 2016 Camaro in perspective, weight distribution is 48% back and 50% front. Also car has snow mode(not sure what it does other than controlling the throttle response). This 2016 with a good set of winter tires can this be as good as a FWD if not AWD? Your experiences and thoughts please. Thanks in advance.

What tires do we get from factory? Mustang with performance package gets summer tires, just wondering if Camaro's get summer tires too.

[jp23rockstar]

Winters tires will good for handling and breaking. Acceleration might be the only aspect where rwd will hinder compared to awd. But it's certainly drivable in the snow with snow tires.

[Curr]

Originally Posted by czaarsvk

HI Guys,
I just need some suggestions to drive this car in snow. With so much technology and advancement I wonder if rear wheel drives are still not good on snow.

Taking 2016 Camaro in perspective, weight distribution is 48% back and 50% front. Also car has snow mode(not sure what it does other than controlling the throttle response). This 2016 with a good set of winter tires can this be as good as a FWD if not AWD? Your experiences and thoughts please. Thanks in advance.

With snow tires it will be completely driveable in snow that is not deeper than the car body is off the ground. Get a fresh drift of 6", and probably not the best vehicle to take out. A fresh dusting? No problemo. 18" nor'easter... don't be dumb.

Will it be better than a FWD with snows? Maybe. Driver dependent, vehicle dependent.

Will it be better than an AWD with snows? Probably not. Driver dependent, vehicle dependent.

Common sense applies.

[RenegadeXR]

Regardless of whether it comes with summer-only tires or even "all season" tires, dedicated winter tires help a lot when it comes to driving on packed snow because they have treads that are engineered specifically for that purpose. A RWD car with proper winter tires will typically perform better than an AWD car with summer times when it comes to maneuvering up a snowy incline. Keeping some sand or cat litter in your trunk is also a really good idea. If you sprinkle it on the areas directly in front and behind the rear tires, then gently rock the car in drive and reverse, you can make a much better contact area for getting out of a tough spot. AWD is totally useless if all 4 wheels are spinning and doing nothing.

Even if you live in an area where it rarely snows but still drops into freezing temps, winter tires are better. The rubber composition of summer-only tires isn't designed to operate in cold conditions, and it can lead to faster wear.

Despite all the above advice, I personally never swap my tires throughout year even though the last few winters in NC have been colder then usual. This is mainly because my commute is only 10-15 minutes and I can work from home if conditions are particularly bad. It really boils down to the individual and your circumstances. If I had a family, for example, I'd honestly probably buy light-weight truck like the Colorado for winter months since I'd need to provide them reliable transport.

[laborsmith]

Good ^ answers. The SS has summer onltywhile the LT, including RS LTs, has all seasons.

Laborsmith

[Zack46]

This being my first Camaro, I've been told that with snow tires, preferably 18" that driving in the snow, you will be fine. Now, of course if there is a blizzard, play it safe and stay home. But other than that, your good to go.

[hubb1e]

Originally Posted by RenegadeXR

A RWD car with proper winter tires will typically perform better than an AWD car with summer times when it comes to maneuvering up a snowy incline.

I think you mean AWD with all seasons. Because an AWD car is worthless in the snow with summer tires. I've seen my fair share of Porsche Cayenne Turbos and Range Rovers spinning their tires up slight inclines because the owners didn't realize they brought summer tires to Lake Tahoe during a storm.

A RWD car with winter tires will outperform a AWD car with all seasons in winter condtions. Here's what happens to summer tires in the snow:

M3 on winter tires vs AWD suv on summer tires

[Curr]

Originally Posted by hubb1e

<snip>

A RWD car with winter tires will outperform a AWD car with all seasons in winter condtions. Here's what happens to summer tires in the snow:

M3 on winter tires vs AWD suv on summer tires

I wouldn't go as far making such a blanket statement. My Infiniti M37x on Bridgestone A/S has proved that I don't really need winter tires, and it did it during the snowiest winter New England has seen in 20+ years (last year). The year before we had a G37xS, and it had snows, and it was completely amazing. We traded up to the M37x, and the old snows didn't fit. I decided to see how it would do, and it came through with flying colors. Top notch AWD systems still have huge advantages over RWD cars when it comes to traction. That difference is smaller with better tires, but not all A/S 'suck' in the snow. Some are quite capable.

I'm sure each side can come up with situations where one would excel, but blanket statements like this are just wrong and can give the wrong impression to people who are seeking information.

[Imp]

Originally Posted by Curr

I wouldn't go as far making such a blanket statement. My Infiniti M37x on Bridgestone A/S has proved that I don't really need winter tires, and it did it during the snowiest winter New England has seen in 20+ years (last year). The year before we had a G37xS, and it had snows, and it was completely amazing. We traded up to the M37x, and the old snows didn't fit. I decided to see how it would do, and it came through with flying colors. Top notch AWD systems still have huge advantages over RWD cars when it comes to traction. That difference is smaller with better tires, but not all A/S 'suck' in the snow. Some are quite capable.

I'm sure each side can come up with situations where one would excel, but blanket statements like this are just wrong and can give the wrong impression to people who are seeking information.

I see Curr already beat me to the punch, but my AWD on my particular All seasons (Subaru Crosstrek with 8.9" ground clearance on Continental DWS06 tires, arguably the best all season snows except the Nokian All Seaons) will mop the floor of any RWD car on snows, especially if it's more than 6 or so inches, where most cars become snow plows.

Then when I put snows on my Subaru, it's a snowmobile. I've gone around those stereotypical AWD/4WD drivers that have zero clue about tires, and think that AWD/4WD is the cure all... no, it isn't. Tires for the conditions make all the difference. I should work for tire rack, but I don't want to move to Indiana.

--kC

[Zack46]

Originally Posted by Imp

I see Curr already beat me to the punch, but my AWD on my particular All seasons (Subaru Crosstrek with 8.9" ground clearance on Continental DWS06 tires, arguably the best all season snows except the Nokian All Seaons) will mop the floor of any RWD car on snows, especially if it's more than 6 or so inches, where most cars become snow plows.

Then when I put snows on my Subaru, it's a snowmobile. I've gone around those stereotypical AWD/4WD drivers that have zero clue about tires, and think that AWD/4WD is the cure all... no, it isn't. Tires for the conditions make all the difference. I should work for tire rack, but I don't want to move to Indiana.

--kC

How about Cleveland? Would you move to Cleveland? We only get a foot of snow like every other day. Ha Ha !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hubb1e]

Originally Posted by Curr

I wouldn't go as far making such a blanket statement. My Infiniti M37x on Bridgestone A/S has proved that I don't really need winter tires, and it did it during the snowiest winter New England has seen in 20+ years (last year). The year before we had a G37xS, and it had snows, and it was completely amazing. We traded up to the M37x, and the old snows didn't fit. I decided to see how it would do, and it came through with flying colors. Top notch AWD systems still have huge advantages over RWD cars when it comes to traction. That difference is smaller with better tires, but not all A/S 'suck' in the snow. Some are quite capable.

I'm sure each side can come up with situations where one would excel, but blanket statements like this are just wrong and can give the wrong impression to people who are seeking information.

Actually it's a fact. 4WD will only help you accelerate or climb a hill. Once you have to turn or stop snows will outperform all seasons every time and by a significant margin. The only time 4WD and all seasons is comparable to snows and 2WD is acceleration and climbing hills and even then it's close between the two and it depends on how good your snows are, how good your all seasons are, and how good your 4WD system is on.

I'm sure your AWD Infinity did great in the snow and got you around just fine. But that doesn't change the fact that snows would have been better and safer and would have allowed higher cornering speeds and shorter stops. My S4 on all seasons handled the heavy snows and steep hills of Lake Tahoe just fine. But when I switched to snows it was in a completely different league. All of the accidents I've seen are not because people couldn't go, it was because people couldn't stop or turn. That's where snows will help and a Camaro with snows will be great fun in the snow and as long as you're not driving through deep drifts then you'll do just fine. Just don't leave the summers on like my brother did with his GT500 because then you'll even get stuck in your own driveway on basically flat ground.