It wouldn't be fun going on it during the winter but I assure you it can be done cause it has been (as it was how people got through that area before interstates and long before FWD). For an unskilled driver, that road would be deadly during the winter regardless of RWD, FWD, or 4x4. But for a skilled driver who knows what they're doing and takes their time it's can be done, again regardless of what type of vehicle it is. I love how people automatically think that RWDs are impossible to drive in the snow regardless of driver skill. Obviously it's not because up until the early 80s it was all people had to work with unless they had the money to afford 4x4s. Even the late 70s imports were all RWD. It definitely takes a much greater deal of driver skill. As far as driving in the snow is concerned though, RWD is all I know. I've honestly never had a FWD car in the snow. And I only owned 1 4x4 (which I engaged once just to see how it was).

I wouldn't drive that in the snow unless I absolutely had to but I know that if I ever did have no choice for some reason I could safely do it.

 

I had a Blazer. RWD with the top rated winter tires on it was okay to do. RWD with road tires would've sucked. 4x4 just smoothly accelerates across ice and snow. FWD is almost as good. I say all this from personal experience.

 

either way, driving a RWD in the winter is dumb, not to even mention driving it on the dragon tail.

any kind of car on the dragon tail should be driven slow, especially if it's the first time on it, it's not smart at all the push it, thinking you are a skilled driver.

 

^What he said. Although on nice days I'm not going to go under the speed limit. I'm not going to go stupid fast either.

 

right but you have to also realize, you're in a monte carlo.. it's not made for that lol

 

Don't hate on the monte, lol. It could handle it just fine.

"While you won't confuse the SS' handling with that of a BMW M3, it's entertaining enough, given its front-drive, sedan-derived underpinnings and purpose as All-American sporty coupe rather than road racer. There's adequate feel in the steering, the ride is luxo-car smooth without being mushy, and the brakes are a real step forward from many previous GM efforts in terms of feedback and modulation." - Motor Trend First Drive & Road test

 

You're kidding me right? Like i said, that's all I know is RWD. What would be idiotic and borderline reckless is trying to drive a vehicle in the snow that I am unfamiliar with (like FWD since I have NEVER driven it in the snow). 9 years and all I've ever driven in the snow is RWD. I've never driven anything else in the snow. Never had a wreck in the snow. Only close calls I've had was someone else nearly hitting me. I've never lost control in the snow unless I was having fun in an empty lot and intentionally spun it. Mom started driving in the late 70s and it was the mid 90s before she ever had anything other than RWD. And she's from Northern Indiana. Dad started driving in the early 70s. Again, it was the mid 90s before he ever had anything other than RWD. They've never wrecked in the snow either.

FWD didn't become common until the late 80s. So everyone who started driving before then was dumb? It may be easier for a less skilled driver to handle but I see even 4x4s wreck in the snow all the time. Can't tell you how many 4x4s I've passed in my Camaros (of several different years) in the snow that are stuck on the side of the road and I'm chugging along, slow and steady. No sudden movements. Even letting off the gas too quickly can cause you to lose traction in any vehicle. It's all about driver skill and being smart and above all, knowing how your car will handle. That last key is why it would be stupid and reckless of me to start driving a FWD in the snow after being so used to RWD. I would be more likely to make a stupid mistake that could get me stuck, or worse, wrecked because I simply do not have the experience. This is why I will stick with what I know and am experienced with.

Anyway, back on topic, the primary reason I would only take that road during the summer is because spring and fall are hell on my knee as it is, let alone if I'm having to work the clutch that hard. Summer time I would probably be alright. That's what sucks about having a bad knee. I hate automatics but it's a necessary evil to keep one around with my knee the way it is.

 

RWD compared to FWD in the snow are completely different, then there's 4x4 and AWD which are literally 10x better and safer than RWD, if driven correctly.

I don't think skill really has as much to do with driving in bad weather as common sense does. I mean, you can know the vehicle as much as possible and think you're the best driver in the world but if you hit a patch of black ice, you will slide. So for everyone should drive slow in bad weather, it's the people that think they're great drivers or have a lot of skill that end up spinning out and crashing. The smart ones that know when to go slow are the ones that won't have as much issue in the winter.

 

I said that about having to be smart. But wouldn't knowing your vehicle and knowing exactly how it will react in the event you lose traction be common sense? The less you have to think to make a correct decision in a situation that requires a snap decision, the less likely it will turn catastrophic. This is why I will never take a vehicle in the snow before I have a chance to find out how it reacts when it loses traction. All vehicles react different. Each one of my Camaros reacted somewhat different than the others when traction was lost. Each one of my trucks also reacted differently. Taking an unfamiliar vehicle in the snow is one of the dumbest things you can do because if you do hit that black ice and you have to wait to see what the car does, it's too late. If you already know the tendencies, you can react much quicker and are much more likely to react CORRECTLY.

We may just have to agree to disagree on this, but I stand by what I say about it being FAR safer to stick with what you're experienced with as opposed to going to something you have zero experience with. Although apparently I do still have more to learn, because it took me some serious effort to get my RWD suburban to lose traction when I did my usual familiarization after I bought it. I couldn't do more than half a donut with it. Dead serious.

 

it would help to know the vehicle but I mean a lot of accidents in the winter happen due to stupid drivers thinking they're better than what they really are. so I think that driving slow is the safest way regardless of how you know the vehicle, if that makes sense.

when you put it like that it makes sense, driving something you know compared to something you don't, i understand that fully.

you couldn't get it to lose traction in the snow?