2009 Hyundai Genesis: A 790.2 Mile Run to the Snow Part 3

I think too many people have been traumatized by years spent driving old Detroit RWD iron with most of the weight over the front tires and terrible traction in the snow.

The Genesis has almost a 50/50 split, that along with traction and stability control, help a lot.

Glad to hear it's such a pleasant car though!

I'd argue a 2009 Audi A4 with all-seasons (like I have) is far better than the Genesis in snow. Just my 2 cents.

Last year, Hyundai did a roadshow with Genesis. Public was allowed to drive Genesis on a water slick road & feel for themselves the effectiveness of traction control. They also had brought along a Caddy CTS & Merc C class for us to compare against. Genesis was the most stable when traction control activated. CTS was the WORST.

I never knew how effective Traction control can be in real world conditions till that day. Now, none of the future vehicles I buy will be without Traction Control

mobilehavoc,

I would argue any car with 4 snow tires would be FAR better than your 09 Audi A4.

just my 2 cents. (which I'm trying to say is useless... why bother posting obvious?)

When it comes to winter traction, tires count for more than driven wheels. When the temperature plummets and all-seasons begin to loose their tread flex and turn into rolling hockey pucks, I will take 4 dedicated snow tires over 4 driven wheels every single time. AWD doesn't count for much if the tires don't grip well - or at all. 4 x 0 = 0.

I remember one bad storm this past winter. dropped my kid to school then had to help two other parents who could not get out of the unplowed parking lot. One in a Pathfinder, the other in an AWD 3-series. Both on all-seasons. meanwhile, my Altima with 4 Pirelli Winter 210 Snowsports pulled through just fine. That's one reason why one Canadian province has just made snow tires mandatory as a matter of law during the winter months. It DOES make that big a difference.

Reminds of my adventures in snow in Columbus OH few years ago when I had my Hyundai Accent. Driving to work one morning during the harshest blizzard showed me how immature I was & how lucky I was.

Drifting in snow makes you appreciate how cowardice isn't such a bad thing. Better than being brave & dead.

The Genesis is sounding better and better.

AWD has to be the most hyped and overrated adverse weather driving aid. As jaeger said, if your tires can't get grip it doesn't matter what wheels are providing propulsion. It kills me when people tout car "X" has AWD so it's automatically provides good all weather performance and is good in the snow when the tires are of the Z,Y or W rated summer only performance variety.

I remember C&D did a test about 6-8 years ago with a FronTrak/Quattro A6 vs an RWD/4Matic E320. They tried snow and all season tires on each of the four cars and the snow tires on both 2wd versions outperformed the all seasons on the AWD cars. Keep in mind, AWD does nothing to help you stop any quicker or safer nor does it help recover the car during a slide which is when most snow related car accidents occur. The same results can be extrapolated to the all-season vs summer tire debated. All seasons on a 2wd car will outperform summers on a Awd vehicle.

Here's my take on AWD and snow:

If I lived in snow country and my daughter was getting her first car (it could happen if the climate changes drastically in the next two years), I absolutely would NOT put her in any AWD car.

Sure, AWD has superior starting traction, and gets you up to speed without slipping or sliding. I've done such formal tire tests myself, and the difference in acceleration potential is indeed massive.

But that's just the point. AWD gives you a false sense of how much available traction there is, and makes it way too easy to get going too fast for conditions. When you get on the brakes or enter a corner, you could be in for a big surprise.

Better to have 2WD and know how slippery it is out there, so you can choose your cornering speed and braking points accordingly.

And I'd submit that 2WD makes for better drivers in the long run.

^ Exactly. A good set of winters, and some common sense, should get you through most anything in any type of car.

Sweet pic, Scott. That's what I call real weather. I was wondering though, does the Genesis have an open diff?

actualsize, you are so right on this one.

Training, Training, Training.

If you have been to Germany, you'd notice that most (I said most, not all) have good driving manners. The reason is that they really need to prove themselves as capable drivers before they get their license. It is really really tough. That's the reason they can drive at those speeds on Autobahns & still arrive at their destination in one piece.

Have you noticed how NOBODY passes on the right there? How about the fact every slower driver is on the right lane? Compared to that, how about here in Amrikha?? I think 90% of drivers on the roads here don't even know that they shouldn't pass on the right or that they need to use turning signals when they change lanes.

"Have you noticed how NOBODY passes on the right there? How about the fact every slower driver is on the right lane?"

That's the law in Germany.

"I think 90% of drivers on the roads here don't even know that [...] they need to use turning signals when they change lanes."

For a while there, I thought certain luxury cars didn't even come with them anymore. :D

Actualsize has good points, but having driven RWD / FWD / AWD in snows, I'd take AWD first, as it maximizes traction you can get from the wheels.
Just be sure car's shod with proper rubber (summers + AWD + snow = endless drifting).

Still, AWD doesn't prevent loss of control in turns or when stopping. And in snow, AWD cars can spin rear ends out like RWD can (as us '09 Forester's learned this year :-) ).

I disagree 'actualsize'. If you're saying that you get a false sense of security from AWD, and would by a 2wd because of that...then you are doing anything BUT training. In an emergency situation, AWD will be more beneficial. You're taking that away with 2wd.

I'm just guessing that anybody here that says 2wd with snow tires is better than AWD with snow tires is ignorant, or has never driven in snow...at least for an extended period of time.

Traction control has come a long way, but it is not the same thing. Not even close. All it does is keep you going really slowly as not to slip. That's fine, that's great. But for anyone to say that that's better than having the security of AWD just needs to be trained themselves on how to drive in adverse weather conditions.

I think the biggest issue with AWD/4wd, which I agree with those that have pointed it out, is the morons who believe that AWD stops them better than 2wd. I see people flying by in their cars (It's not just SUV and trucks people). Every single time, I think about where it is down the road that I'm either going to see them in a ditch, or in the back end of somebody that was driving safe. Take

When it comes time for my daughter to buy her first car, AWD will be a minimum. Of course by the time that comes, who knows what will be available. Probably flying around by then.

I'm not saying AWD is the end-all-be-all of traction.
Train yourself, make your children get trained. There are many classes on how to drive in inclement weather.

But taking away a proven safety feature because you're afraid she'll go too fast seems pretty illogical.

This really doesn't surprise me. People automatically assume that because a car is rear-wheel-drive it will suck in the snow, but that just isn't true. I have driven down plenty of snow packed/slushy roads in my S550 w/all-seasons with total confidence. I always drive very cautiously in those conditions, but the car doesn't try to break loose in every corner like most people seem to think. Sometimes weight matters more than the number of driven wheels, and at nearly 5000lb my car has plenty of that.

And to be clear, brought up by mercedesfan, I'm not saying 2wd sucks.

Just sayin AWD has better traction when the weather turns.

mohaji,

No one is arguing using snow tires isn't better than all seasons/summers. My point is, I want a reliable year-round car without the hassle of changing tires during the year, an AWD with all-season tires works exceptionally well. Stats aside, my 09 A4 has helped me avoid a few accidents this past winter thanks to being able to maintain traction at high speeds in bad weather. I agree AWD doesn't help you stop but having driven both AWD, FWD and RWD cars, the AWD cars feel more confident/sure footed in bad weather.

Of course you could drive a RWD with summer tires at 10mph in the snow and it'd be perfect. I'm talking about realistic driving on highway in snow/ice, etc.

Excellent Tires

http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=11899&group=1.01.02&name=Nokian%20WRG2

http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=11884&group=1.01.02&name=Nokian%20WR