We finally got a decent snowfall here in western pennsylvania and I have to say I am not impressed with my wife's Outlander Sports AWC. I didn't feel like I had very sure "footing" under me. The car seemed to really drift on bends.

 

Four seasons tires are LOUSY in the snow. Lateral stability is a function of tires capability more than AWC.

If you drift instead of spinning then the AWC is doing it's job.

 

ok, thanks for the reply. I am used to driving a 4x4 truck.

 

Yeah its going to drift, especially if you put it in 4WD lock, since it will end up sending 60% of the power to the rear when you power through corners. Just keep steadily on the gas and point it to where you want the car to go and it will compensate.

I would recommend snow tires, you will notice a HUGE improvement on any car.

 

The first couple of days when there was powder snow it was solid, almost like driving on pavement. When the snow started melting and it was very slushy and icy, I also had the same experience as acroyle. I'm sure the Goodyear Eagles that came with the car didn't help much (they are rated pretty bad for snow traction by Tirerack reviewers). I never got stuck though, and I deliberately drove over slushy snow about a foot thick on a few sloped driveways and parking lots. Plenty of rear end drift in those cases.

I remember putting some Bfgoodrich All Terrain on my old Chevy 4x4 - those tires were so surefooted that I could go anywhere on those (snowy unpaved mountain roads) and that truck drove like a car when I had them on. Tires do make a lot of difference. Too bad I couldn't find those tires in the size for my Outlander Sport.

 

Dude you need snow tires. AWD is useless without grip, so quit compalining.

I dont understand why people think that because they have 4wd they are invincible in Snow.

put on snow tires and then tell us if it still sucks.

 

^^ Exactly. I notice most cars that spin out/end up in the ditch are 4WD/AWD, while the ones that least likely end up in the ditch are RWD cars. It should be the opposite in reality, but people, as ryandlor says, believe they are invincible.
That's why it is important to power through the slides, that's the only real advantage you have with all season tires and 4WD. Pressing on the brakes will just send you straight into whatever you are skidding into.

 

First off I wasn't complaining! I was looking for input because I had never owned an AWD vehicle and wasn't sure if I was doing something wrong. Secondly I have never had to put snow tires on a 4WD vehicle in my life, all season tires work great on my GMC. If I would have known I had to put snow tires on an AWD vehicle to make it "feel" safe I would have told my wife to get a less expensive front wheel drive car!

 

I understand I come from a long line of FWD cars ans they are good with winter tire (remember I live in the white stuff 6 months a year).

On the other hand...

In Winter 4 seasons tires loose their traction because the rubber used for longevity loose it's flexibility.

BUT not all 4 seasons are the same and if you check at TireRack.com you will see what users think of each types. The Goodyear Eagle LS2 is not that good in the slick stuff but others are.

Fact- Winter tire are made for winter condition but that is your choice to use.

Fact- In vehicle dynamic AWC or 4WD is for traction in straight line and taking off by balancing the torque around thus balancing the car.
Tires take care of direction changing, tracking on a curve and braking, all of this by using their contact with the ground and the softer the rubber the better it is.

Fact- Aggressive thread pattern clean better so winter tire AND truck tire work better than 4 seasons which are aimed more toward low noise than bad weather traction.

 

You just said you weren't complaining, yet your whole post is you complaining.

You haven't told us what tires you have or what mode you are driving in. Likewise, "feel" safe isn't a quantitative measure, what does it feel like?. My Outlander with 16" rims and OEM Yokohama Geolander tires is awesome in the snow, it feels like a winter tire almost until the snow starts getting compacted.
I find it hard to believe your "GMC" defied the laws of physics, you must have had better tires.