On Nov 28, 1:57*pm, (Steve Firth) wrote:
sweetheart hotmail.com wrote:
I dont necessarily want it for off road or bad weather . I would prefer to
avoid both but the fact remains that most 4x4's got out of the village last
year when I couldnt.

What tyres do you have on your car? Do you own a set of snow chains? I
woudl guess that the 4x4s you refer to probably had AT tyres which are
an "all season" type, so not as good as proper winter tyres but better
than the ones fitted to most saloons as standard.

Swedes, the Swiss and others manage all year round in far worse
conditions than the UK without needing 4x4 vehicles. In fact front-wheel
drive vehicles are preferred by many who drive in these conditions and
they simply use the appropriate tyres for the job.

FWIW, I took a Fiat Ducato based motorhome (front wheel drive) over the
Dolomites in heavy snow a couple of years ago, summer tyres, no snow
chains, about 9-15 inches of snow on the road. I made it from Italy to
Basel where we stopped for the night. Progress was slow, but steady. I
saw many 4x4s crashed out at the side of the road, and was in the
company of several drivers in SAABS and Peugeots, all moving. The only
problem came at an uphill section where crashed vehicles littered all
three lanes. You can't do anything about that in a 4x4 either.

I left the motorway and took the motorhome over a mountain pass. It was
worrying but not impossible.

Last January I had to get into work no matter what the conditions. I did
so in a 4x4 fitted with winter tyres. It was still a difficult drive,
mostly complicated again by crashed and abandoned vehicles and I only
needed to switch in 4x4 high ratio once during the entire trip.

I simply want broader options than I have now.

I can't imagine what that means. It does sound a bit as if you are
imaging some magic on the part of 4WD. When you've had a go in one in
snow and experienced having all four wheels slipping at once you might
feel differently. Having 4WD can be good, and it can leave you worse
off, much depends on the driver. However since you're a driving god that
obviously doesn't apply in your case.

The Swedea and the Krauts use studded tires. No magic secrets there.