Snow ability

[Carshopper]

I am currently shopping for a new car. I am trying to compare the Edge to the Grand Cherokee. The reason I am looking at the GC is because of its ability in the snow. I live in the country in MN and we don’t get plowed quickly. I have to go to work so I don’t have the option of staying home. I currently drive a 2014 Fusion that is horrendous in the snow. I’ve never had a car so bad. I am looking for personal experience with the awd edge in unplowed snow. I like the edge better than the Jeep but don’t want to get another car that’s bad in the snow. We have a wrangler if it’s super bad but I need to be able to take my car 99% of the time and be able to get home from work if it gets bad while I’m there.  Thanks!

[ben senise]

in my experience, the greatest factor in snow performance is the choice of tires. i remember people complaining that their BMW X5 sucked in the snow and i found out that they were using summer tires. four-wheel drive or not, summer tires do not work in the snow. neither do all-season tires.

 

what kind of tires did you have on the fusion? if they weren't winter tires then that is why the car was horrendous.

 

i have a 2016 edge Ti AWD 3.5 with michelin latitude x-ice and the car performs fantastically in the snow. we had a very big dump of snow last winter and the small roads don't get plowed. there was a good 20 cm of snow on the road and i just cruised right through it on curvy roads and hills. no problem at all.

 

of course one has to adapt their driving to the conditions. 

[Perblue]

1 hour ago, ben senise said:

in my experience, the greatest factor in snow performance is the choice of tires. i remember people complaining that their BMW X5 sucked in the snow and i found out that they were using summer tires. four-wheel drive or not, summer tires do not work in the snow. neither do all-season tires.

 

what kind of tires did you have on the fusion? if they weren't winter tires then that is why the car was horrendous.

 

i have a 2016 edge Ti AWD 3.5 with michelin latitude x-ice and the car performs fantastically in the snow. we had a very big dump of snow last winter and the small roads don't get plowed. there was a good 20 cm of snow on the road and i just cruised right through it on curvy roads and hills. no problem at all.

 

of course one has to adapt their driving to the conditions. 

 

This ^^

 

Modern cars can be bad if the ground clearance is not enough, but otherwise if it sucks it is because of the wrong tire for your conditions. Also hear the argument "I've always run all-seasons." Not all tires are created equal so unless you are running the exact same tire as your previous cars you can't compare. I find the edge great in winter, but I also found my 97 camaro quite capable way back when I used to drive it in winter, along with any other car I owned. They all ran winter tires though and granted the edge has been the most capable.

[Carshopper]

I have all seasons on the fusion. I also have the 19” wheels so wasn’t sure if that was the problem. I did better with the traction control off. When it was on, it would just cut all the power. Can’t go anywhere without power! I figured with whatever I get next I’ll do winter on it. Anyone know if size makes a difference? We will probably do the 20” on it. Is it ok to do that in winters or should I drop to 18” for the winter? Would they still fit?

[Perblue]

It's not so much the rim size when it comes to winter traction. Going with a smaller rim size in winter helps with ride quality and the tire can take more abuse, because of a larger sidewall and so can the rim, smaller diameter is less likely to bend or break due to the tire being able to absorb the impact of the ruts, heaves, etc caused by winter and packed snow.

 

When it comes to traction in winter it's the width of the tire that matters. A narrower tire puts more weight on the contact patch of the tire to the road. On ice this increases traction. It also helps going through snow. A narrower tire will cut more through snow than a wider tire that may float more on top of the snow, decreasing traction. Winter tires multiply this effect with sipes for gripping ice and a lug meant for cutting through snow. Just make sure the tire is a similar height as the factory size if you go narrower or your speedo will be out.

[14AWD3.5]

What Perblue said.

My son has a 14' AWD Cherokee, it's a beast in snow.  My AWD Edge is ok enough, doesn't match the Cherokee though.  Course my wide 20" rims/tires don't help, and as other posters have said, it's more the tires than most anything else (other than driver experience). I have legit "snowflake rated" Pirelli Scorpion tires on it, just not much ground clearance. His are 18's with a taller height.

[jamie1073]

I have a 2019 Edge ST with the stock 20's with the stock high-performance all season tires, that is what they are classified as on tire rack.  They were great in the snow and I live in Northern NY near the Canadian Border/1000 Islands Bridge region.  We get over 140 inches of snow a year and sometimes 12 or more in an evening.  The Edge did fine in the snow.  I mean I grew up driving just FWD cars with all seasons on them in this weather so I may just know what I am doing as well but I thought they were fine.  It was a nice upgrade, winter wise, compared to my Focus ST with dedicated snows on it.

[Carshopper]

Thanks for your input.