Found this post on Yahoo discussion

Cut & pasted from the AUDI board on Yahoo's auto discussion.<br><HR NOSHADE><p><B>AWD is overrated</B><br>by: M3_Speedster (23/M/New Rochelle, NY) 17 of 24 <p>No offense.. but 4x4 AND AWD is so overrated its<br>funny. Its not some miraculous performance enhancer. AWD and 4x4 is great to get moving, but once you're moving, its all up to the rubber that your car is riding on. Sure, it helps a bit in the turns, but it all gets down to the rubber. AWD does nothign to slow you down. I love watching 3-4 ton SUV's trying to slow down<br>with their 4x4 system on! My M3 could probably<br>outperform a stock A4 quattro driving on snow. Why can I say this? Because I've done it. I've taken my M3 up in several snow storms this past year and all I can say is this: Prudent driving and good tires is all that really counts. My car doesn't even have traction control.<p>As for the performance enhancement of the AWD, like in bad weather, it just adds another layer to the safety net. An AWD system increases the threshold where you can make mistakes and what you can recover from. In that sense, its great, but its not a life saver. On the track, as C&D and other magazines keep on mentioning, the AWD system cannot match a properly driven rear-wheel drive car.<p>Anyway, I'm sorry this sounded 'aggressive' but I'm tired of people bashing BMW's and other<br>German rear-wheel drive cars as being 'terrible' in the snow. The main problem is that a lot of BMW's at least are bought with the sport package, meaning there is performance rubber on the rims. With the right snow tires, any rear-wheel drive car can be driven safely and capably in all bad weather.<p>The A4Q is a great car and the quattro system offers a larger margin of safety to driving, but I don't think it should be touted as the next best greatest thing! <p>Posted: 04/02/99, 5:20PM EST as a reply to: Msg 14 by Quattro80 <br>

traction control bites

nt<br>

CH

While I've had better luck(traction) with my A4 in the snow, I've never had any problems driving a RWD in the snow either

ErikR

Y'all must not get real snow and ice. Having seen no BMW's but old ix's all winter long here in MT.

Jeff J

One of the many reasons I bought my 2.8 30V Quattro is because I have a HUGE hill to climb. The grade is as steep as 14% in some spots, less in others, and it's almost a 1/4 mile to the main road. In the winter, it's really tough to get up when it's covered with snow.<p>I have also driven a 525i (for 4 months) and several other BMWs in snowy conditions and they have been so well balanced and easy to control that with a decent set of snow tires, in anything other than periods of moderate to hard acceleration I would say that general handling and car control is about on par.<p>Does that make a RWD car such as the M3 the equal in traction of an AWD car of the 2.8's caliber in adverse conditions? Never. Does this mean that this guy can really, as he puts it, "outperform a stock A4 quattro driving on snow"? I doubt it very much but I don't know what his criteria for "outperform" is. Pushing your car to the limits of adhesion in the snow, and looking in the next lane noticing that you're going faster than the slightly more reserved driver next to you does not qualify as "outperform" in my book.<p>That statement aside, there is a lot of validity to most of his post.<p>Best,<br>Jeff

Dank

!

Todd W

Quattro also beat BMW regularly on the track

Brad Franklin

Huh? What track? Where? Are you talking professional racing? If you are, then you're talking about COMPLETELY different cars. In the original posting, the guy is full of BS if he says his M3 will OUTPERFORM an A4 quattro, but I do agree with most of what he is saying...tires are everything. Quattro adds a bit more traction, and some stability (i.e. when you change lanes in deep snow and cross a snow 'rut' in the middle of the road, the car won't do funny things like a 2wd car will), but that's about it. You take an M3 with snow tires against an A4 quattro with all season radials, and the M3 will stop and corner better in the snow (like you should be doing performance tests in the snow!?? Another example....I tried to drive my M3 with the stock Michelin MXX3's through 2" of snow up a very sleight incline (my driveway) and couldn't make it. I had to back up into my dry garage and get a running start <p>Brad

Todd W

But with the same tires I'd rather have quattro - in the snow or on the track. A stock A42.8QMS is a fair match for a stock 328, both on slicks. A BMW can be driven in the snow with snow tires, especially with traction control, but I'll never do it. When you are sliding down an icy hill with a T intersection at the bottom, you want to be sure to make the turn. Being able to put down power becomes a very attractive option.<p>Quattro adds more than a little traction and stability at the limit. A BMW would have spun off into the weeds with some of the things that I have done on the track in my Quattro. The BMW/Porsche instructor certainly thought we were in for it, but I was never worried (just a waste of rubber).<p>Todd W

Andrei D

...Because I've spun a 325is on a rainy day in a test drive while exiting the dealer lot.<p>So there is some truth to what you're saying, but I could almost swear you've never driven an A4 in snow or rain.<p>Tell me I'm wrong...<p>Andrei D<br>Red 1.8T QMS