AWD or FWD

Thanks, did not know that. What would you recommend?

All seasons are merely adequate in snow. Most people don't want to own 2 sets of wheels/tires so there's all seasons.Tires inherently can't be great in all seasons. Not only the tread, but the rubber itself must be different to be great in summer (stiffer) or be great in winter (softer).

So if you live in a northern climate with rough winters, the best thing is two sets - one set with summer or all season touring tires, and a winter set.
Just remember cost is curtailed by the fact that you're only wearing out one set of tires at a time thus extending the time you get out of each set.
 
Thanks, did not know that. What would you recommend?

Hate to say it but JPL is right...the OEM Falkens all season on my CX9 sucked last winter in snow and ice that made me replace them with all weather (winter rated) tires. Not purely dedicated winter sets but way better than the all seasons. There are a lot of good winter tires in the market like Michelin X-ice, Bridgestone Blizzaks, Nokian Hakkapeliita R2, and so on. Any of those will out perform those Michelin all seasons during winter.
 
All seasons are merely adequate in snow. Most people don't want to own 2 sets of wheels/tires so there's all seasons.Tires inherently can't be great in all seasons. Not only the tread, but the rubber itself must be different to be great in summer (stiffer) or be great in winter (softer).

So if you live in a northern climate with rough winters, the best thing is two sets - one set with summer or all season touring tires, and a winter set.
Just remember cost is curtailed by the fact that you're only wearing out one set of tires at a time thus extending the time you get out of each set.

Truly, this info is appreciated. For me, driving for 40 years on all season tires has almost always performed fine (all but the RX300)

However, the original intent of my thread was not about tires...

Still the question remains. AWD or FWD? Generally speaking, do you prefer one over the other? Thanks.
 
Awd systems are designed for vehicles that will be used in conditions that out of the normal. I would recommend awd if you live in a place that conditions change dramatically like lots of rain , snow or perhaps some off road ( like going camping fishing.. ) . if non of these are characteristics of were u live then go to a fwd system that is much simpler.
on the other hand , if ur a spirited driver , an awd system will definitefvley worth the extra bucks, and if you live near a mountain road, its imperative that u choose the awd system.
so at the end mine is a awd and its really much nicer to drive than the fwd version.
 
Truly, this info is appreciated. For me, driving for 40 years on all season tires has almost always performed fine (all but the RX300)

However, the original intent of my thread was not about tires...

Still the question remains. AWD or FWD? Generally speaking, do you prefer one over the other? Thanks.

Aside from where you live you have to factor in the places you go to say if you like going up the mountains and tackling snow ice or rain evry now and then...this is where the AWD shines! Another way to look at it is this - even if its AWD when the road conditions are fine it defaults to FWD but when it goes bad then system activates the AWD which you won't have when only with FWD vehicle.
 
Truly, this info is appreciated. For me, driving for 40 years on all season tires has almost always performed fine (all but the RX300)

However, the original intent of my thread was not about tires...

Still the question remains. AWD or FWD? Generally speaking, do you prefer one over the other? Thanks.

Winter tires in Middle TN seems unnecessary to me. While it's true that all seasons are made to be adequate in any weather, I would think it's pretty rare for the weather there to justify a 2nd set of winter tires.

You said you are leaning toward AWD--so just get it. It's your car, not ours.
 
Truly, this info is appreciated. For me, driving for 40 years on all season tires has almost always performed fine (all but the RX300)

However, the original intent of my thread was not about tires...

Still the question remains. AWD or FWD? Generally speaking, do you prefer one over the other? Thanks.

Well, AWD is always the desired choice over FWD.
We're talking $1,800 on a $40,000+ vehicle. If $1800 and 1MPG difference matters, then $40K is out of your price range.

I can understand being in the south and AWD is a tough sell, or even hard to find. Otherwise, part of having an SUV is AWD. It would stand to reason to just get a minivan if you never need it or the ground clearance because then you're just buying for style and image.
 
Winter tires in Middle TN seems unnecessary to me. While it's true that all seasons are made to be adequate in any weather, I would think it's pretty rare for the weather there to justify a 2nd set of winter tires.

You said you are leaning toward AWD--so just get it. It's your car, not ours.

Even in New England where I am, most people don't own a winter set.
 
This horse has been well beaten here and elsewhere. I have owned both and would never waste money and weight on AWD in these vehicles.

A competent driver with FWD and good tires will have no trouble in 99% of situations CX-9 owners face on paved roads. Remember that these are light duty AWD systems not intended for off-road use anyway.

Also remember that most accidents result from an inability to stop and excessive speed in poor weather. AWD does NOTHING to help you stop and actually hurts (extra weight). I see overconfident AWD owners in ditches every year here in the snowbelt who apparently thought AWD would allow them to overdrive their lousy OEM all-season tires.

Buy FWD and snow tires and blow past all the AWD folks in the snow while also stopping in a much shorter distance.
 
This horse has been well beaten here and elsewhere. I have owned both and would never waste money and weight on AWD in these vehicles.

A competent driver with FWD and good tires will have no trouble in 99% of situations CX-9 owners face on paved roads. Remember that these are light duty AWD systems not intended for off-road use anyway.

Also remember that most accidents result from an inability to stop and excessive speed in poor weather. AWD does NOTHING to help you stop and actually hurts (extra weight). I see overconfident AWD owners in ditches every year here in the snowbelt who apparently thought AWD would allow them to overdrive their lousy OEM all-season tires.

Buy FWD and snow tires and blow past all the AWD folks in the snow while also stopping in a much shorter distance.

You make some fair points. Still, AWD in the north is a useful thing to have. If you're going up a grade in snow, that's where it really shines. You're right that it doesn't prevent accidents. It's more about go traction.

Yes, the reason rubber was brought up early in this thread is because it is more important than drivetrain. I see many SUV's running around with worn tires and people think they'll be fine.

I had winter tires on a FWD compact sedan and I felt invincible in the snow. You literally have the confidence to drive the full dry weather speed limit in snow. It always surprised me. Never got stuck even getting out of a parked position after a foot high storm.
 
Last edited:
OP, the answer to this question is entirely dependent on your driving characteristics. I am in the Midwest and I typically commute 100 miles every day, 95% of which are highway miles. The highway in question is almost always clear. For that reason, the FWD made much more sense especially considering the small MPG benefits and cost benefit. My main concern with the AWD system is from experience with the prior generation's Ford-built transfer case. Inherently, it boils down to added mechanical complexity and a headache that I didn't want to have to deal with down the road.
 
Even in New England where I am, most people don't own a winter set.

That's true, but I wouldn't necessarily argue that is the best strategy. Especially in Northern NE, it IS worth it to get a winter set. Not so much in TN.
 
I have AWD and I’m glad I do for snow. However if snow weren’t an issue, the system feels (and is) so heavily front biased on dry roads that I’d probably recommend saving the money (or spending it on tires). It’s not like a BMW system that’s sending 60% of torque to the rear under normal conditions and can go 100% to either axle as needed. The AWD CX-9 is basically a FWD car that can send some torque (50% max) to the rear wheels when it thinks the front wheels are going to slip. Handy in the snow and to some degree in the rain but not much of a factor (if at all) in dry road driving experience as far as I can tell. I know that coming from an AWD BMW 3-series, the torque steer in my AWD CX-9 took some getting used to. I wish it had a more balanced AWD setup, but i can’t complain too much for $40k. It would pull down the pretty outstanding fuel economy too. Everything is a trade off and overall I think they did a great job. I’m really happy with the car so far.

https://insidemazda.mazdausa.com/newsroom/mazda-i-activ-awd/
 
Last edited:
I currently drive both (CX9 AWD & Ford Escape FWD) - the CX9 has all weather (winter rated tires) while the Escape has fully dedicated winter tires and both drive well on snowy/icy/slushy or wet & dry roads. The only advantage obviously the CX9 has over the Escape would be on the take off due to AWD and of course still handles better than the Escape but I just feel more confident on the CX9 in terms of not getting stuck on deep snow due to AWD. For me and due to where I live I'd still prefer the AWD than the FWD. For a $50K vehicle (here in Cda) the fuel mileage hit on AWD vs FWD is insignificant.
 
This horse has been well beaten here and elsewhere. I have owned both and would never waste money and weight on AWD in these vehicles.

A competent driver with FWD and good tires will have no trouble in 99% of situations CX-9 owners face on paved roads. Remember that these are light duty AWD systems not intended for off-road use anyway.

Also remember that most accidents result from an inability to stop and excessive speed in poor weather. AWD does NOTHING to help you stop and actually hurts (extra weight). I see overconfident AWD owners in ditches every year here in the snowbelt who apparently thought AWD would allow them to overdrive their lousy OEM all-season tires.

Buy FWD and snow tires and blow past all the AWD folks in the snow while also stopping in a much shorter distance.

hey thaumaturge, I a gree that there is extra weight on awd systems but that is the end of the negative side of it . new awd systems like the one in the cx9 s are quite sophisticated sendig power to the tires that needed so there is no loosing of traction at any moment. in slippery conditions I believe you have to be a very competent driver to our drive a awd system . and reality is that not every one is a very competent driver. its so much easier to drive at 60 to 80% in mountain roads a car with an awd system than front wheeled ones specially in raining conditions or spipery for any reason.
ah yes its more expensive... on the other side there is no difference in stopping distances in awd or fwd cars.
 
hey thaumaturge, I a gree that there is extra weight on awd systems but that is the end of the negative side of it . new awd systems like the one in the cx9 s are quite sophisticated sendig power to the tires that needed so there is no loosing of traction at any moment. in slippery conditions I believe you have to be a very competent driver to our drive a awd system . and reality is that not every one is a very competent driver. its so much easier to drive at 60 to 80% in mountain roads a car with an awd system than front wheeled ones specially in raining conditions or spipery for any reason.
ah yes its more expensive... on the other side there is no difference in stopping distances in awd or fwd cars.
I think he believes that AWD will cause more harm than good because it makes use driver overconfident thereby causing the driver more accidents like going over ditches. He also believes that if you buy a set of good winter tires, you're better than the AWD.

The question is, what will happen if the drivers who read this buys winter tires, gets overconfident and fell on ditches?

[emoji16]
 
I think he believes that AWD will cause more harm than good because it makes use driver overconfident thereby causing the driver more accidents like going over ditches. He also believes that if you buy a set of good winter tires, you're better than the AWD.

The question is, what will happen if the drivers who read this buys winter tires, gets overconfident and fell on ditches?

[emoji16]

At the end of the day this will depend on the driver whether he/she will be overconfident in an AWD version...In my 8yrs of driving AWD vehicles I've never been overconfident during winter season therefore never been in the ditch unlike some vehicles (AWD or FWD doesn't matter) as a big factor is in the proper tire used and driving behavior. I do however am confident in the proper tires I use and the AWD in my vehicle that my chances of getting stuck in snow is lower vs a FWD.
 
Back