Reasons I Need A Car

[superman22x]

There are two differentials in a 4x4. In the rear axle, and in the front. The differential is where the axle meets the drive-shaft in the rear and same in the front, except in newer trucks, there isn't an axle. It sounds like you are saying there is a third differential in the T-case.

 

[Rubber314Chicken]

Yes that's what I'm saying, however in a true AWD system such as a subaru there is a third differential.

 

[Cabbs]

Center differential. It decides front/rear power ratio. in the STI it's adjustable with a knob.

 

[T-Man]

I am yet to see reason why you NEED a car, I see plenty of reasons why you WANT a car, not that there is anything wrong with that.

 

[Luke.13]

im joining this thread a bit late but oh well...and disclaimer: im not an expert

right off that bat, before someone asks my driving experience ive had my license for about 2 years , and have been driving since i was 12 (mostly in a rural setting before i got my license)..and i live in edmonton, alberta, which for the most part gets a large amount of snow a year (at least 7-8 months a year)


if your looking for a AWD vehicle and want safety why look at a car...look at a truck, sure it may not be the coolest thing in the parking lot but its probably one of the safest..it can be an AWD like you want, you sit higher up giving you a better view of your surroundings..and i can t coutn the times i've seen accidents between a truck and car, where the car was scraped and the truck relatively undamaged

but as we know you arnt going to consider anything but the car youve picked out..so ill move on from that

heres some tips from someone who cut his teeth driving in the winter, take them or leave them.

a) get winter tires- i cant stress how important they are, ive seen many people slide like crazy because of all-season tires

b)have a winter pack made up, consisting of things like road salt, a tow rope, and a shovel at the very least

c) watch out for the other drivers! even if you are a good winter driver (as you claim to be), many , many other people are down right terrible (even in edmonton where weve had rough winters forever, still people drive poorly).. always keep an eye out and be prepared to move if someone quickly in case someone losses control ( just a few weeks ago, i was sitting at a red light and i noticed in my rear-view mirror that some guy was skidding towards me, so i had to pop the curb and get out of the way, note: with a RWD vehicle)..

d) get lessons

last note: i cant imagine what your insurance will be like...my insurance was in excess of $3000 driving a old truck, that's without any accidents and after 2 years licensed experience and certified driving lessons


but as for your original post
im in agreement with others here, if you cant justify it without asking us, you dont need it that bad..take a bus, save up money and buy your own car, that way you will have earned it, and you will take better care of it (and be more responsible when driving it)...and if your just getting a car to gain social status or you want to beat a guy in a race, you dont deserve a car period and are feeding the problem that plagues youth today.. wanting too much without really earning it..and yes i read about you marks and the bet with your dad, and how you "earned" the car, but thats not really a good reason because, you should already be doing you best in school to get into a good college

last word: take my opinion or chuck it..i dont give a damn

 

[root]

Are we seriously debating this...AWD is clearly, clearly, clearly, the best system for snow/ice. Let's do a google "best cars in the snow":

FFS, How many times, the best car in snow and ice might be AWD

BECAUSE 4 DRIVING WHEELS WILL START YOU MOVING BETTER THAN 2,
ANY TIME YOU NEED MORE POWER IT'S COMING FROM 4 WHEELS.

however, it WILL NOT help you TURN better, or at different speeds, because there are still ONLY 2 TURNING WHEELS, and it won't help you STOP better or quicker, BECAUSE YOU STILL BRAKE ON 4 WHEELS just the same as any other car.

unless you've found a way to defy the laws of physics, (I'm guessing that you haven't.)

AWD is NOT a safety net. it gives you a feeling of improved handling because it has better traction to drive, as it's driving on 4 wheels rather than 2. that doesn't make it safer.

We are beating a dead horse here...it is time to close this thread...where are the sensible mods? We've been off topic since about page 2 as well.

Personally, I'm not closing the thread, because I wouldn't say it's out of hand, there is no flaming going on.

you want it closed why? because people disagree with you?



The long and the short of it is that you asked people to give you reasons to justify getting a car,
the only reason for getting a car is to get about.

you posted the car that you were getting, and we are finding it hard to find justification for that.

simply for the fact that you sit there saying about safety whilst also talking about all the mods that you can put in it to make it faster so you can race your friends, I don't really see where safety and being able to go faster come in the same sense, (actually I do, but you have to have a really crap car before being able to go faster makes you safer).

I've got one question for you...
since your dad is buying this car, is he going to be happy about you modifying it?
I assume that he's paying for the insurance as well, will he be happy about you pushing the cost of that up?

you said that you'd want the car so that you could get home from schol quicker and get on doing our homework and stuff. where will you find the time to modify this car if your day is rammed tight with that much stuff to do?


Finally on the AWD topic.

a few posts back you said something like "I need AWD, and if you don't think I do you've clearly never driven in the snow in Buffalo"...

but clearly you don't your friend (?) gets along fine in his FWD VW golf, your teacher gets along fine in their Civic, (again FWD).

but you can't drive FWD in the snow?

 

[superman22x]

Actually, 4wd will probably stop better then anything else. Most cars use an 80/20 or 70/30 brake system, where 70 or more percent is applied to the front breaks, and only 30% or so to the rear breaks. If you had 4wd on, it would be 50/50 I think.

 

[Rubber314Chicken]

Actually, 4wd will probably stop better then anything else. Most cars use an 80/20 or 70/30 brake system, where 70 or more percent is applied to the front breaks, and only 30% or so to the rear breaks. If you had 4wd on, it would be 50/50 I think.

No, the drive sill not change the brake distribution. And you can only stop as fast as your tires can grip which means get winter tires for the snow diving.

 

[freestyler105]

root, I NEVER said that AWD gives you better turning ability or better braking. It is a safety net because of the improved traction. If you drive the same way with AWD and FWD, where you may have slipped with FWD, AWD may not slip.

I want it closed because it is far off topic, and you guys aren't just disagreeing with me, you're not listening to anything I have to say - it's just automatically wrong.

I CAN drive a FWD car in the snow just fine. But as I've said multiple times, AWD is FAR more convenient, so I would prefer that. My father agrees with me.

 

[Teny]

I want it closed because it is far off topic, and you guys aren't just disagreeing with me, you're not listening to anything I have to say - it's just automatically wrong.

The best way for a thread to go away is to stop replying and ignore it.
Isnt this thread only kept on going because you keep replying back to what they are saying. You are disagreeing with their disagreement. Its kind of like an infinite loop.