AWD vs FWD w/chains in the snow

I saw another thread that got me thinking. Is a CX-5 with AWD (with regular all season tires... or even snow tires) better in the snow/ice than a FWD with chains? Someone who lives a tad further north than I do probably knows the answer to this. I'm sure there are a lot of variables to this, but in general, what works best?

I'm not sure why people consistently and deliberately hobble the AWD in such a thought experiment......

An AWD with summer tires will be better than a FWD with summer tires.
An AWD with winter tires will be better than a FWD with winter tires.
An AWD with snow chains will be better than a FWD with snow chains.

When winter arrives I put Hakkapeliittas on all 4 corners of everything I own 2 FWD and one AWD. No problem with any of them. Is one better then the other? I don't know. They are all good enough with those tires.

In most winter driving stopping and cornering are more important then just getting moving. In both stopping and cornering, all wheels are involved.

All season tires are for summer.

A friend of mine called me and told me the Hakkapeliitta i had recommended almost got him run into. I asked him what happened. He was on I90 in a snow storm. The car in front of him spun out and hit another car. He stopped. Looked in his mirror and saw a car coming at him wheels locked, sliding. He started back up and pulled onto the snow covered shoulder. He said the car behind him wasn't going to fast when it hit the car in front of him.

Hakkapeliitta for a CR-X with 17 in wheels cost $157 each. The car costs $30K While the Hakkapeliitta are on the summer tires are in storage. The end cost for two sets of tires is the same as wearing out and replacing one set except for the cost to have the wheels swapped twice a year.
http://www.nokiantires.com/winter-tires/nokian-hakkapeliitta-r2/
Snow tires are a no brainier

Fdew,

I have the exact same tires as you do and can vouch for them. If they are good enough for my (Canadian) neck of the woods, they should be good enough for anyone.

Chains are not legal here on public roads, but with a good set of winter tires I don't see why you would need them. Don't forget that on any dry surface, chains will badly impact your breaking distance regardless of your drive train.

Assuming you have ground clearance... no contest with a chained, studded Blizzak snow tire on a AWD CX-5.

If we are discussing Hakkapeliitta vs Blizzak that is a good thing because we are agreeing that if you drive in snow then run snow tires.

Yes, Driving in snow can be fun.

http://tires.about.com/od/buyers_guide/tp/Top-5-Dedicated-Studless-Snow-Tires.htm

OP - It ain't that simple. What do you want to do? Climb an ice covered hill? The 2 wheel drive, bald tires and chains, hands down. Drive almost anywhere else, the AWD with snow tires. Chains just don't work for normal, day to day travel. And having the back end without chains means you can get going fast enough to have an up close and personal lesson on oversteer.

The real question is not should you have winter tires, it is how far north should you be before you get them. My way of thinking is that if you routinely get snow, you need them. If snow is unusual in your area, no. It't the fuzzy, grey area that is difficult to say. Down here in Alabama, we get snow every couple of years, not a big deal. Everybody just get stuck on the interstates for a day or so. (eek)