Can Winter Tires On 2WD Compare To Functionality Of 4×4 With Summer Tires?

It wouldn’t appear that there is much of debate within the car community that being able to have a 4×4 vehicle with the proper tires, when it snows, is probably going to give the operator a little bit of an edge on anybody else in this situation. Sure, the driver of such a vehicle might find that the application is a little bit overkill in most places but one would be inclined to think that the “better safe than sorry” moniker can really apply in an area like this. After all, why would anybody want to chance leaving themselves stranded in a snowstorm if they could prevent it?

However, there are definitely still some interesting comparisons to be made in terms of how different vehicles will handle the snow. Let’s say, for example, two drivers, one with a 2-wheel-drive vehicle that has snow tires and one that has a 4×4 with summer tires got into a debate over which would handle the elements more gracefully. Would the 4×4 still prove to be victorious even though the tires weren’t set up for the job? Would the 2-wheel drive application reign supreme with one drive axle just because the tires are more designed to dig into the terrain at hand and handle it without thinking twice?

The video below attempts to find out just that, taking vehicles of both types and putting them up against one another in a couple of tests to see which configuration comes out on top. Will those who say that their 2-wheel-drive vehicle does just fine in the snow be proven right here, maybe even showing that they have an edge over 4x4s with the wrong tires? On the other hand, maybe this comparison will take some of the necessary steps to put a debate like this to rest once and for all.