2WD or AWD? Which would you get?

[TBSS]

I'm going to try it again, this time keeping the questions very basic. If we stick to them, I think this could be a very informative thread.

(1) Would you get/are you getting 2WD, or AWD for your TBSS?
(2) Why? (please give all reasons)

:D

[Braves299]

I'd get AWD. Pulls hard off the line (even though it will lose a little in the top end) and it's actually functional in winter driving. All that power to a 2 wheel RWD SUV can't be good. LEAD SLED!

[westbayou]

I'll stick with 2wd myself. In Florida AWD isn't really a necessity for "winter driving", and this certainly isn't a vehicle that would see "off-road" action i.e. 4wd. Additionally, the 2wd is slightly lighter (150 pounds I believe) and is expected to get slightly better gas mileage. From what I have read, it will also be slightly quicker if you can launch it properly. A biggy for me though, is that the 2wd is quite a bit less expensive when all is said and done. Finally, the tests I have read have all favored the 2wd both for fun and performance. Call me a mullet wearing redneck, but there is something pretty sweet about a nasty burnout ;) Oh, and of all the AWD SUV's I've had, a big V8 engine coupled to an AWD transfer case has usually equaled broken parts over time.... Up the ante with 400 hp + mods, and I am not very hopeful.

[TBSS]

Well, I guess I should weigh in since it's my question. :D

I'm torn, but I'm leaning toward 2WD. Ideally, I'd like all the benefits of AWD (traction, safety) with none of the penalties (weight, MPG hit). Oh well, so much for the dreaming.

If I lived in the snow belt, or in the mountians like in Denver, or up in Oregon or Washington where it rains all tht time, there would be no question, it would be AWD. But since I live where it's nice 97% of the time, I don't need it.

Any power modifications and I bet you'll need to modify the exhaust (still can't believe there is an SS vehicle that doesn't have duals...:duh:). With AWD the transfer case will likely take up some needed room.

Looking forward to other people weighing in with their viewpoints and reasoning.

[jimmyjam]

I think the answer is to wait until they are available for test drive and find out which you like better hands on. Otherwise you're going on only inferences, I mean, the pros and cons have been beaten to death, which ones actually factor in and how much they effect the final product can't be determined by being theoretical. :m2:

btw I vote AWD. Its not practical, but neither is a 6L engine.

[ieatglue]

I would get an AWD because you never know what the weather will be like in toronto. It could be sunny 1 day and then we get a rainstorm the next day. We also get 6 months of snow here, so more traction - less sliding = lower insurance:D

[TrailblazerSS]

Personal preference depending on what you use the vehicle for.

From a GM Executive friend of mine: (he's been driving a shakedown TBSS for 3 months)

"Get AWD, stomp the accelerator and it just goes. The 2WD does have some traction issues when you do that."

I don't need AWD for the same reasons as westbayou, but I'm getting it. I think the traction will overcome the extra weight in the SOTP test.

[ylab]

Even in the fair weather states, it still rains.....get the AWD, way too easy for the back end to get loose with performance tires on a slick road.

[Greg]

I was leaning towards the 2WD model due to the mild climate we live in but I will sharing this vehicle with my wife and am concered with it being a handful for her to drive under certain conditions. If it is capable of this (http://www.frontiernet.net/~face440/Chevy_ballet.wmv) then I might have to look into the the AWD model. Hopefully I'll get to drive one in a week or so and can make a decision off of that.

[TBSS]

Well, the stock 255 tires are rather thin to be putting Vette power to the pavement. If I get a 2WD, tires would be among the first of the upgrades....285's, 295's, or maybe even 305's, if I can get them to tuck.

[Jman423]

My friend has an AWD SUV and he swears by it for the rainy conditions. I am not buying an SS (yet) but I if I was, I would have to agree with jimmyjam, test drive both models and see what I liked better. Of coarse the AWD is going to be better in the snow, or even the rain for that matter, and it rains everywhere.

[TBSS]

Getting an AWD vehicle and driving it 365 days per year, but having AWD only for those 15 days when it does rain, seems like somewhat of a waste to me.

I often think of my friend who had a completely tricked-out Jeep, when I asked her about 4WD vs. 2WD (which is a similar conversation, but slightly different) as it relates to road conditions. She (yes, she) said that a good driver in a 2WD vehicle with a locking differential will always out-maneuver and out-perform a less capable driver in a 4WD vehicle. Everytime.

I can't help but think that the same applies here. If you are an unsafe driver, AWD is not going to make you safer. If you are a bad driver, it will not make you better. It may save you a few times, it may help you get out of some scrapes, but at the end of the day I think it comes down to your driving abilities.

Can anyone guess which one I'm talking myself into? :)

[Envoy Fan]

Can anyone guess which one I'm talking myself into? :)



I'm going out on a limb here and guessing 2WD ;)

[Jman423]

Getting an AWD vehicle and driving it 365 days per year, but having AWD only for those 15 days when it does rain, seems like somewhat of a waste to me.
I can understand that. I'm not sure where you live, but here in Florida, we get rain almost everyday through certain seasons, so AWD does help. I am happy with my 2WD that I have now, no complaints here. So I guess I am neutral.

[FattyTBEXT]

I've been reading the pros and cons here for awhile. I think Tim, Tommy, Joe, and the other PA guys will tell you that the decision is a no-brainer here in PA. But even if I moved to a warmer climate, I'd still buy the AWD TBSS. :m2:

[ScarabEpic22]

I live in Seattle, so I would have to go with the AWD SS, so Im kinda biased. But, disregarding that, I think the AWD would help put the Vette power down to the ground, especially with some wider tires.

[04GMC]

Yeah like you guys have said....I live in Michigan so theres snow half the year. I have always had 4 wheel drive vehicles (no all wheel drive yet). I'm always turning on the 4 wheel high switch. So yes...I would get the All-Wheel Drive.

[a990dna]

Getting an AWD vehicle and driving it 365 days per year, but having AWD only for those 15 days when it does rain, seems like somewhat of a waste to me.

I often think of my friend who had a completely tricked-out Jeep, when I asked her about 4WD vs. 2WD (which is a similar conversation, but slightly different) as it relates to road conditions. She (yes, she) said that a good driver in a 2WD vehicle with a locking differential will always out-maneuver and out-perform a less capable driver in a 4WD vehicle. Everytime.

I can't help but think that the same applies here. If you are an unsafe driver, AWD is not going to make you safer. If you are a bad driver, it will not make you better. It may save you a few times, it may help you get out of some scrapes, but at the end of the day I think it comes down to your driving abilities.

Can anyone guess which one I'm talking myself into? :)

No I can't guess. But what I can do is add some value to your thread.

No antagonism intended, I'm sure your girl friend is talking about off-road, not on-road. I have a "tricked-out" 1991 Jeep XJ with Full-Time/Part-Time 4WD and Trac-Lock Diff.... and based on 32 years driving experience I can say that an AWD vehicle would be the best overall setup for an inexperienced driver for ALL conditions---especially in the slippery with 400hp.

Even the best driver with a 2WD LOCKED rear will NOT, I repeat, will NOT out-maneuver an inexperienced driver with AWD on slippery on-road conditions----you would be in a ditch while grandma drives around you with one hand on the wheel.

Have you ever driven a vehicle in slippery conditions with a LOCKER?

Not to pull rank on your girl, I'm a graduate of the British School of Motor Racing (aka Jim Russell).... I have credentials and enough lap-times on Laguna Seca to make this assertion... just in case you're wondering.

No need to get defensive, just the facts.

[a990dna]

Here's some "all-wheel-drive" stats...

Ford/Roush dominates...
Entering the Trans-Am Series in 1984, Roush Racing dominated for the next six seasons, winning 46 of the 83 races, posting 97 top-three finishes, winning 40 poles and recording 40 fastest race laps.

The Roush Mercury Capris proved unbeatable in 1985, winning 12 of the 15 races as the then 22-year-old Wally Dallenbach, Jr. won five races and became the youngest Trans-Am Series Drivers’ Champion. Ribbs, also in a Roush Capri, won more races (seven) and more money ($132,933) than Dallenbach, but finished second in the title chase for the second time in his career.

Chevrolet and Lincoln-Mercury waged a fierce battle in 1986, and the title came down to the last race. With victories in five of the first six races, it appeared Chevrolet was headed for the championship, but Lincoln-Mercury staged a comeback, and Roush drivers won four of the last five races to bring the automaker its third-straight manufacturers' title.

Also in 1986, Dallenbach left Lincoln-Mercury to become Chevrolet's lead driver, and he didn't disappoint. Dallenbach won four races en route to his second-straight title, placing him among the elite company of three other back-to-back Trans-Am champions up to that time: Tullius (1977 and 1978), Gregg (1973 and 1974), and Donohue (1968 and 1969).

The 1987 season saw a continuation of Lincoln-Mercury's mastery as Roush Merkurs won 11 of the 12 races to capture a fourth-straight manufacturers' title with Scott Pruett, who won seven races and his first Trans-Am title.

Audi AWD takes over...
The Group 44 all-wheel-drive Audi Quattros rolled on to center stage in 1988 as Hurley Haywood, Hans Stuck and Walter Roehrl combined for eight victories and 19 top-five finishes. Lincoln-Mercury driver Pruett won two races that year. Paul Gentilozzi won his first Trans-Am Series race that year, and earned Oldsmobile its first victory in the Series.

[TBSS]

Here's some "all-wheel-drive" stats...
If you would buy an AWD vehicle, just say so, like some of the other nice people here done. If you want to argue, or prove me 'wrong', or get into an altercation (or whatever it is you are trying to do), please go somewhere else.

Thanks! :D

[Jman423]

I have credentials and enough lap-times on Laguna Seca to make this assertion... just in case you're wondering.

No need to get defensive, just the facts.
I think the question was about 2WD or AWD, not your credentials in another country... :laugh:

And I don't see anyone getting deffensive :confused:

What is it about this subject that everyone takes so passionately? :raspberry

[venom blk]

i'd go with (2wd) so that means less power been ate up no transfer case so that is 200 lbs less and far as the spin, the profile of the tire or a taller tire will help that and you will be a beast. look at the old RT's durango AWD and dakota 2WD 5.9 the dakota was beating the brakes off of the durango.

[Z06 Tom]

I went with AWD. Mine will be my DD, and I live in Columbus, Ohio... I'm also in construction, so she'll be going out on a few job sites.

[Dave]

Well, the stock 255 tires are rather thin to be putting Vette power to the pavement. If I get a 2WD, tires would be among the first of the upgrades....285's, 295's, or maybe even 305's, if I can get them to tuck.

255s are wide enough for Vette-like power. I would want AWD because of the non-Vette weight.

My CTS V has 245s and it has excellent handling and it is around 4000 lbs with driver.

A lot of people link AWD and snow together when some of these sunny warm states get more rain then we do in Utah. A lot more rain. There is no comparision for AWD in wet conditions. The SS will not be as good as say an Audi because of its height but it will definitely be better than its RWD cousin.

[4DRvette]

I'm going to try it again, this time keeping the questions very basic. If we stick to them, I think this could be a very informative thread.

(1) Would you get/are you getting 2WD, or AWD for your TBSS?
(2) Why? (please give all reasons)

:D

We went with AWD, but only partial for "bad weather". The bigger reason is indeed power management. The AWD system in the SS is completely different than a run of the mill "full time 4WD". Specifically, the transfer case uses a Torsen LSD to meter torque F to R. The Torsen is a system that was developed in the early nineties and was used in the Audi Quattros, Porsche 944S, MAzda RX7, Hummer H1 the Olds Achieva SCX. It's a mechanical torque transfer system that constantly redirects torque based on the amount of slip detected on either output shaft.

The beauty is that it requires no electronics. The design of the gear set (way beyond my understanding) does the job mechanically. The result is a 40/60 F/R distribution under normal conditions that can swing from 10/90 to 90/10 almost instantly.

So, most of the time, it drives like a RWD vehicle, but adapts to conditions as needed. Throw in Stabilitrak and you have truck that really puts the power exactly where you need it in any driving condition.

The one down side: no smokey rear wheel burnouts!!!

[ScarabEpic22]

...The one down side: no smokey rear wheel burnouts!!!
Yea, but you will still smoke all the little ricers and their big wings!:yes: :D While they are trying to go with their 1.4L I4 engines, you will be a block ahead in no time with your big 6.0L V8 putting out more than 2-3x the hp they are.