Test Shows 4x4s Are Actually Better Stopping in the Snow Than 2wd

When it comes to gathering traction in the snow, it’s a no-brainer that you’re more likely to have a successful time if you have all four wheels with the power to them. After all, if two wheels are slipping in the back and you have two wheels in the front to help gain extra grip, you can’t really go wrong, right? However, one thing that might just surprise you a little bit is that traction ability isn’t where a 4×4 system is going to stop providing the operator with an advantage. In fact, even when it comes to slowing down, you’re also going to get a little bit of an assist from a 4-wheel-drive layout over a front or rear-wheel-drive vehicle.

When presented with a concept like this, it might be something that you would think that you’d be quick to debate. After all, on the surface, it wouldn’t seem like a 2-wheel-drive vehicle and the 4-wheel-drive vehicle would show any difference at all when it comes to exactly how they interact with the braking system. However, the way that power is transferred, even when the vehicle was slowing down, will be changed up a little bit between the two different kinds of powertrain configurations.

If you follow along with the video below, you’ll be able to dig yourself deep into figuring out exactly how having a 4×4 will even help you out when it comes to slowing down. On the surface, this might not make sense but when you begin to dig into the details, you’ll begin to see how entire picture comes together as everything from weight transfer to brake bias comes into play. After being presented with some evidence like this, you might never look at a 4×4 easily plowing through the snow in the same way again!