Around here, when we have a blizzard, most of the cars one sees off in the ditch are 4wd.  It's not that they are worse in the snow than 2wd, they are actually better.  But the most important piece of equipment on any vehicle is behind the wheel.  mcneely

---- Mark Dearing <VWBrain@AOL.COM> wrote:
> In a message dated 2/8/2011 3:23:20 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
> mcneely4@COX.NET writes:
>
> So far  as 2WD, the physics of the situation is not dependent on how many
> wheels drive  the vehicle.  It is a matter of surface area vs. instability of
> the  surface.  Increase the surface area, there is more friction surface
> and  less ability to "dig in."
>
>
> I have done a lot of sand driving on the outter banks of north Carolina  ,
> mostly in old jeeps, some in subies and some in an old 66 VW  westy.  we
> would lower the tire pressure down to about 12 lbs.with the  2wd  bus I would
> have to stay in the tracks or get on the hard edge of the  ocean.   There
> were some guys who drove old VW bugs out there,   big old ball tires lowered
> pressure and would stay out of the deep stuff. I  never saw them have a
> problem.  I have seen others bury the car up to the  axles  LOL. I saw a syncro
> westy vanagon that was out there for a week.  meet the guys in town at the
> store , only reason they came in was they ran out  of beer.  Saw a CJ7 jeep
> some fool drove on top of the dredge dune hill and  sink it so far he had to
> step on the back of the seat to get out of it. saw  another get trapped on a
> sandbar with 20 foot deep channel between him and  shore, only had 365 miles
> on it. it was fubared    later   mark d

--
David McNeely