Does my AWD suck?

[spta97]

It's snowing in NY and I was coming home from the train station in my 2000 V8 AWD and wasn't terribly impressed with the performance of my X. When I'd give it a good amout of gas most of the time the back end would start to spin out or the whole truck would just slide to the side of the road.

Also, when turning the X would just start to slide - it seems as if there was more torque given to the rear wheels and not enough to the front.

Is this normal for the X? This is my first snow experiance with the truck and my last 4x4 was a 99 Durango so it's been a while. I'm getting the impression that I don't have "Gives power from the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip" like Subaru huh? I'm feeling that my old FWD cars with snow tires did a better job in the snow

 

[Alec]

Maybe your tires suck? Or maybe you're just driving it too hard?

 

[justsearching]

Have you tried the same terrain in 4Hi vs. 4Auto?

 

[section525]

It's gotta be your tires. I take mine up to the snow all the time. And it's comparable to any 4WD I've been out with.

 

[blue_97_v8]

i love mine in the snow..but 35% of power goes to the front and 65% goes to the back..with stud's it act's just like any other 4x4 truck/explorer

 

[LiKuiD]

I dunno, I got to use my X in the snow today with the storm and everything and mine performed kind of the same way as yours....although I think a big part of it is the tires. I have Goodyear Wranglers and I can't say they are teh best for snow. But, I think a big part of it is the way you drive too. If I go rather easy on the throttle and use lots of care, it drives completely fine. Sure, it slipped a little turning but the streets were solid slush...wouldnt any car slip a bit in that sorta stuff? Im very happy with teh way it drove today....im sure the focus that did a 360 infront of me off the road and the 9 cars I counted in the median ditch on rt 18 wish they had an AWD exploder......

 

[blue_97_v8]

BTW im NOT easy on the gas..lol

 

[Fusion213]

Mine did pretty well in the snow, only parts where it was bad was black ice... but that's expected.

 

[VairKing]

Mine does really good in the snow, I have noticed that I do have to give it more power if the rear wheels start to slip in order to transfer power to the front, but it pulls great through deep stuff...If you really dont think its working, you could have a problem in your viscous coupling, if the fluid (not changable) gets to thin, it wont do its job

 

[mhn3773]

why isnt the fluid changable?

 

[terdrocket]

What type of tires do you have? Are they worn and in need of replacement?

Also, how do you know you have AWD? Have you physically looked under the car? I'm not trying to be a jerk, but thats the only way to know for sure.

 

[spta97]

Originally posted by terdrocket
What type of tires do you have? Are they worn and in need of replacement?

Also, how do you know you have AWD? Have you physically looked under the car? I'm not trying to be a jerk, but thats the only way to know for sure.

No offense taken, I have looked under the car and seen the transfer case. But I must admit, it wasn't until after I bought it . I figured that since I made such a big stink about having it the salesman would not try to rip me off! And it is not the Hi / Lo selectable...it's on all the time (my gas gage can confirm that).

The tires are Goodyear Wrangler RT/S with a good amount of meat left on them. As stated above, I noticed that I had to give it more gas for the front wheels to kick in and correct the skids. Also, I went into a parking lot that was covered in fresh snow and had no problems getting going. I was the slush 1/2 plowed street that caused the problem.

It seems like this 4x4 system is really meant so you don't get stuck, not so much that it controls the vehicle's stability but rather gives you the extra drive train to get going.

I'm on the hunt today for some snowy parking lots to really get a feel for how this thing handles in the snow. However, I'm SOOOO worried I'm going to flip it over. Should I be?

 

[boominXplorer]

Originally posted by spta97
However, I'm SOOOO worried I'm going to flip it over. Should I be?

Lower it!!!! get some swaybars!! You need to watch because its easy to flip an suv on snow because if you get going sideways and you hit a dry spot its all over!!

 

[terdrocket]

Originally posted by spta97
However, I'm SOOOO worried I'm going to flip it over. Should I be?

Trust me, you won't flip it.
Mine is raised 2 inches w/ 32" tires. For me the tires break loose before it starts to feel too top heavy.
(I love power slides in the rain)

 

[Alec]

Goodyear RT/S' suck

And don't worry about flipping unless you're being a fast idiot Just remember, when out of control, no sudden moves.

 

[blue_97_v8]

"I noticed that I had to give it more gas for the front wheels to kick in and correct the skids."

no the front tires never "kick in" they are allway's engaged..but they are getting less power then the back ones ALL THE TIME.. remember the FRONT get's 35% of the power and the REAR get's 65%..see why it feel's different..the rear's get more power

 

[sgarcia89lx]

i have to say mine is awsome in the snow i have good tires, and i have a heavy foot also

 

[Jester1994]

Hey guys, I'm up in NH at school right now, it's still snowing out. I've been having fun doing AWD V8 donuts all day. I actually got pulled over in a parking lot by two blonde female officers, they were laughing at me and my friends in my car...wishing their cruiser could do donuts that was sweet.

But, I just got brand new BFG all terrains (31x10.5) on last week. I have bridgestone dulers, decent tires on previously, and pirelli scorpions on before that. Each time I upgrade, the tires perform better int eh snow, the pirelli's sucked, bridgestones were good. The BFG vs. bridgestone battle is like night and day. the BFG all terrains are really sweet in the snow, grip so well, but I can still mash it and get sme great AWD donuts. The AWD system is good I think compared to my old 94 4x4. I like the extra power and the ability to play inthe snow now with my 2 inch lift, etc. Pics and videos of sick stuff are coming soon!

 

[spta97]

Well I took it out on Saturday to an unplowed parking lot and just about had the time of my life. I was racing around the lamp posts like a slalom course I think the experience was invaluable because it really gave me a feel for how to handle the truck in emergency situations and gave me the confidence to drive it on the main roads - also was able to do controlled tight turns by intentionally kicking out the back end! I did notice that the X really likes deep slow as opposed to the slushy stuff.

I briefly drove my g/f's RX 300 which is AWD but most of the power goes to the front. I didn't get the chance to run it through the same trials as my X but I could feel that it would perform better on the road in snow because the truck (well jacked up car) was being pulled by the FWD then corrected when the AWD kicked in. On the X it was very easy to give it too much gas and put the thing spinning into 360s.

I would love to read some opinions on the AWD weighted to the rear and AWD weighted to the front. I wonder if one is better than the other in certain situations?

Oh, no lowering for me - I've already done that to my Maxima...I need the X to be a truck.

What tires in my size (I know they are 16"s but don't know the rest) are better than the Goodyears? I've been pretty happy with them so far.

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Just as playing in the parking lot gives you experiance, so does taking it offroad. I found that while the front is pulling, it really doesn't receive solid amounts of torque until about 1500-2000 rpm.

A locked transfer case would be great for starting, but once the truck is going, the AWD is great, since it allows you to turn smothly.