AWD vs RWD
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 17
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From: Boston, MA
C300 Sport 4matic
AWD vs RWD
I have so far been very impressed with the quality and quantity of response that I got from this community!
So, I'd like to draw on your expertise one more time: Does anybody live in a state that gets lots of snow (like MA) and drives RWD? Is really AWD is a must in winter or one can do without? It mostly concerns me as the C350 comes only in RWD version ...
So, I'd like to draw on your expertise one more time: Does anybody live in a state that gets lots of snow (like MA) and drives RWD? Is really AWD is a must in winter or one can do without? It mostly concerns me as the C350 comes only in RWD version ...
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From: Boston
2020 E63s Wagon, 2012 C63 AMG Coupe, 1989 560SL, 2023 911 Carrera T
I'm in boston. my parents insisted on me getting the 4matic model, but I honestly dont think its needed. I know the 4matic on the 08 models is not full time all wheel drive and I have done two winters and now approaching the third, and I have not had a single problem. I dont know how to tell if the 4matic system is working or not but I've never had the yellow caution lights come on even in terrible icy conditions on my steep driveway. Infact, my dad's jeep grand cherokee had trouble getting up my driveway one day while I got up perfectly fine. Im on stock wheels with stock all season tires. I personally believe I wouldn't have been much worse off had I gotten the RWD model.
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From: Southwest USA
Another round of ICE
I'm in Michigan and very successfully negotiate our midwest winters with rear wheel drive. The key is the tire selection. I run Blizzak WS60 (now its WS70). With the original tires, the car was undriveable...with Blizzak, the performance is excellent. My wife has a 4MATIC E350, also with Blizzaks, and the difference is less than one might imagine.
I prioritized the manual trans over the 4MATIC, and also saw no reason to carry all that weight around, reducing fuel economy, handling, and performance, and giving what I consider a less desirable heavy feeling to the steering.
I prioritized the manual trans over the 4MATIC, and also saw no reason to carry all that weight around, reducing fuel economy, handling, and performance, and giving what I consider a less desirable heavy feeling to the steering.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2010
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From: Boston, MA
C300 Sport 4matic
Arjy, Sportstick, Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Arjy, the fact that you have gone through several winters without any troubles with 4matic would actually suggest that it is a useful option even if it is hard to tell when it is on and when it is off. I gather from Sportstick experience that one can use RWD but good winter tires are a must. Standard all season tires with RWD would not cut it.
Did anybody drive C350 with automatic transmission RWD in snowy winter?
Arjy, the fact that you have gone through several winters without any troubles with 4matic would actually suggest that it is a useful option even if it is hard to tell when it is on and when it is off. I gather from Sportstick experience that one can use RWD but good winter tires are a must. Standard all season tires with RWD would not cut it.
Did anybody drive C350 with automatic transmission RWD in snowy winter?
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2008 C350
Arjy, Sportstick, Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Arjy, the fact that you have gone through several winters without any troubles with 4matic would actually suggest that it is a useful option even if it is hard to tell when it is on and when it is off. I gather from Sportstick experience that one can use RWD but good winter tires are a must. Standard all season tires with RWD would not cut it.
Did anybody drive C350 with automatic transmission RWD in snowy winter?
Arjy, the fact that you have gone through several winters without any troubles with 4matic would actually suggest that it is a useful option even if it is hard to tell when it is on and when it is off. I gather from Sportstick experience that one can use RWD but good winter tires are a must. Standard all season tires with RWD would not cut it.
Did anybody drive C350 with automatic transmission RWD in snowy winter?
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Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Saskatoon, SK CANADA
W205 c400 sport
We got 4 inches of snow last week. My 4matic has be incredible. Im running michelin alpin pa3. I love launching at lights while everyone else is hittin the limiter at 2kph. LOL.
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From: Southwest USA
Another round of ICE
The 350 would not have any noticeable difference in behavior versus a similar 300 (rwd to rwd comparison). The issue is really the traction to the ground, which is controlled by the tires. Even with 4MATIC, unless you tire the car properly, you can just have 4 wheels losing traction versus 2....remember Bambi with four hooves on ice? Yes, 4 wheels increases the odds of gaining traction somewhere, but the far overriding factor is still the ability of the tire contact patch to hang on with a rubber compound which doesn't freeze and a tread designed for snow/ice, neither of which all season tires can offer.
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Joined: Dec 2007
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From: Toronto, Ontario
C300 Sport 6-spd
I am in Toronto, and I have not had any major problems with RWD. As mentioned earlier, a set of good winter tires is the most important factor in getting excellent traction in snowy and icy conditions. My car is fitted with Blizzak LM-25 tires.
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From: Dix Hills, New York
2012 C250 Coupe
Who told you that 4matic is not a full-time awd system? Because I am fairly sure that it is... This is the reason why your traction light has never light up. The 4matic system is great, but like any car, can be held back by the tire type/quality.
As a general rule of thumb, even with decent "snow" rated all-season tires, 4matic will get you around, but rwd will not. With dedicated winter tires, rwd will get you from point a to point b, and depending on your driving style, either fairly well, or give you a heart attack along the way, but you will get there. With dedicated snow tires and 4matic, your looking at the best possible setup and will leave others eating you dust.
I would personally go with c300 and 4matic over c350 if you live in a "snow region". The c350 is faster, but not by much, and putting winter tires on is a pain in the neck that I know I will never do. Between getting separate rims, storage and swapping them out, it ends up costing more than just getting 4matic within the 1st year (most of the time). As opposed to just getting all-season snow rated tires for constant year-round use on 4matics.
If you can wait, I would wait until the 2012 roll-out. Rumor has it that they will be coming out with new engine that are turbo-charged, better fuel economy and more power. FYI, the c350 4matic is available in Canada if your willing to import one...
As a general rule of thumb, even with decent "snow" rated all-season tires, 4matic will get you around, but rwd will not. With dedicated winter tires, rwd will get you from point a to point b, and depending on your driving style, either fairly well, or give you a heart attack along the way, but you will get there. With dedicated snow tires and 4matic, your looking at the best possible setup and will leave others eating you dust.
I would personally go with c300 and 4matic over c350 if you live in a "snow region". The c350 is faster, but not by much, and putting winter tires on is a pain in the neck that I know I will never do. Between getting separate rims, storage and swapping them out, it ends up costing more than just getting 4matic within the 1st year (most of the time). As opposed to just getting all-season snow rated tires for constant year-round use on 4matics.
If you can wait, I would wait until the 2012 roll-out. Rumor has it that they will be coming out with new engine that are turbo-charged, better fuel economy and more power. FYI, the c350 4matic is available in Canada if your willing to import one...
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Joined: Jan 2009
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From: Southwest USA
Another round of ICE
Who told you that 4matic is not a full-time awd system? Because I am fairly sure that it is... This is the reason why your traction light has never light up. The 4matic system is great, but like any car, can be held back by the tire type/quality.
As a general rule of thumb, even with decent "snow" rated all-season tires, 4matic will get you around, but rwd will not. With dedicated winter tires, rwd will get you from point a to point b, and depending on your driving style, either fairly well, or give you a heart attack along the way, but you will get there. With dedicated snow tires and 4matic, your looking at the best possible setup and will leave others eating you dust.
I would personally go with c300 and 4matic over c350 if you live in a "snow region". The c350 is faster, but not by much, and putting winter tires on is a pain in the neck that I know I will never do. Between getting separate rims, storage and swapping them out, it ends up costing more than just getting 4matic within the 1st year (most of the time). As opposed to just getting all-season snow rated tires for constant year-round use on 4matics.
If you can wait, I would wait until the 2012 roll-out. Rumor has it that they will be coming out with new engine that are turbo-charged, better fuel economy and more power. FYI, the c350 4matic is available in Canada if your willing to import one...
As a general rule of thumb, even with decent "snow" rated all-season tires, 4matic will get you around, but rwd will not. With dedicated winter tires, rwd will get you from point a to point b, and depending on your driving style, either fairly well, or give you a heart attack along the way, but you will get there. With dedicated snow tires and 4matic, your looking at the best possible setup and will leave others eating you dust.
I would personally go with c300 and 4matic over c350 if you live in a "snow region". The c350 is faster, but not by much, and putting winter tires on is a pain in the neck that I know I will never do. Between getting separate rims, storage and swapping them out, it ends up costing more than just getting 4matic within the 1st year (most of the time). As opposed to just getting all-season snow rated tires for constant year-round use on 4matics.
If you can wait, I would wait until the 2012 roll-out. Rumor has it that they will be coming out with new engine that are turbo-charged, better fuel economy and more power. FYI, the c350 4matic is available in Canada if your willing to import one...
- Getting separate rims is quite easy. One quick session on line with tirerack.com results in Blizzaks mounted, balanced, TPMS sensors installed, on your choice of well-priced winter rims, and shipped to your front door or one of their network of local installers.
- Swap is quick and easy....20 lug nuts, and its done....just had both our cars swapped out and it was about 10 minutes each, including torque wrench tightening.
- Not even an extra heartbeat with Blizzaks and rwd through two winters. But, our E3504MATIC is not that much better. Blizzaks really shrink up the difference between rwd and 4MATIC.
- Keeping all season tires year round is ill-advised. The rubber compound freezes and the traction loss can be very significant. 4MATIC assists acceleration...the so-called "eating your dust" part. BUT, if the front all season tires are unable to maintain traction, braking and turning are not helped by 4MATIC.
Lastly, drive both rwd and 4MATIC back-to-back. The cars feel different and the 4MATIC is not more nimble!!
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2008 C350
Years ago I had a Cadillac Catera which was RWD and in fact quite a bit heavier than the C.
It sucked. I lived in Ohio then (FL now
) and I wouldn't have bought another RWD car if I had lived in a snowy climate.
Putting winter tires on did help. Quite a bit in fact. But it was still the case that a light would turn green and somebody in a 30 year old Toyota would cruise past while i patiently, gently apply the gas
It sucked. I lived in Ohio then (FL now
) and I wouldn't have bought another RWD car if I had lived in a snowy climate. Putting winter tires on did help. Quite a bit in fact. But it was still the case that a light would turn green and somebody in a 30 year old Toyota would cruise past while i patiently, gently apply the gas
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Joined: Aug 2004
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From: MA
'24 Porsche Macan
I decided on 4Matic for the C300, since I can only have a single car now. My previous RWD cars were outfitted with snows all around and did well. My FWD cars only had all-seasons and did fine. I expect the C300 to behave well with all-seasons, although clearly not the optimal setup. I have a floor jack from past wheel/tire swaps but am getting to the point where I just want to have a single solution for all seasons. We'll see how it goes. If the snow gets that deep or the ice that bad, I'll just work from home that day (something I have the option of doing once in a while).
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From: DC 'burbs
2016 C300 4Matic Lux w/ P1, P2, Lighting Package
So true! My previous C was a RWD and my new one is 4MATIC and no way is the new car as nimble. Completely different driving feel and while a joy to drive, not in the way that my RWD was.
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From: Framingham, Massachusetts
C300 Sport/G35S
I have a 2007 Infiniti G35 Sport RWD 6MT, and my wife's car we ordered is a C300 RWD 6MT. We live outside of Boston and our previous cars include an RX-8 and 350Z. As long as you get a good set of snow tires, you'll be OK. Just remember to be careful and pick your battles - if it's really nasty out, just don't go out.
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From: Dix Hills, New York
2012 C250 Coupe
I had a G37S coupe for 2 years and had it during the terrible snow storms last year. I had the 19" rims with Summer tires. It did OK in the snow. I was fine when I was going, but it was the stopping, turning and starting that was the issue. I never got stuck, but the tires would spin and the lights would come on, needed to be a very careful and conservative tire; definitely kept me on my toes. BUT, without winter tires on a rwd, don't expect to conquer any slopes. I got stuck in my driveway in my G37 on what I would consider to not even be a hill, but a steady grade... Haha.
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From: Illinois
'08 C300 4Matic Sport, '02 530i
Having owned AWD in the past (A4 quattro), and now C300 4matic as well as 530i (RWD), it is my opinion that proper winter tires are more important than AWD. Surely, proper winter tires + AWD will give you the most confident winter driving, but RWD with the right tires does just fine. I haven't gotten stuck yet and we do get our fair share of snow and ice here in Chicago suburbs.
Also, I'd rather take RWD + winter tires than AWD + all-season tires. AWD helps you get going, but it is the tires that help you stop.
Also, I'd rather take RWD + winter tires than AWD + all-season tires. AWD helps you get going, but it is the tires that help you stop.
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From: Homeless
'20 Targa 4 DD, ' 18 Volvo S60 T6
Consider that 80% or so of the vehicles on the road are 2WD and running all seasons - there really is not much practical benefit unless you need to go up steep inclines very slowly with no momentum. You will be stuck behind everyone else anyway.
Mine is fine with 245 / 17 snows on the rear and a couple sand bags plus > 1/2 tank. I actually enjoy the rear wiggle just before esp modulates and sometimes I turn off the ESP for extra fun where appropriate.
If your wife or kids will drive the car, have limited skills and no appetite for the slightest abnormal movements get AWD because it is Zero drama. Must get snow tires though to realize much benefit.
Either way the best traction will be achieved with the narrowest snow tire wheel combo you can get on the car.
Mine is fine with 245 / 17 snows on the rear and a couple sand bags plus > 1/2 tank. I actually enjoy the rear wiggle just before esp modulates and sometimes I turn off the ESP for extra fun where appropriate.
If your wife or kids will drive the car, have limited skills and no appetite for the slightest abnormal movements get AWD because it is Zero drama. Must get snow tires though to realize much benefit.
Either way the best traction will be achieved with the narrowest snow tire wheel combo you can get on the car.
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From: Atlanta, GA
2008 C300 Sport 6 Speed Manual, 1953 Chevy Bel-Air, 2015 Audi allroad, 1963 Chevy Apache
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From: Alexandria, VA
2005 320 4Matic
RWD vs. AWD for winter driving seems to be a regional thing.
I have family that grew up on Connecticut that could easily drive in snow and ice with RWD cars, but my current crop of friends are absolutely useless when it comes to snow.
I think AWD really helps to get up snow covered hills and to avoid accidents with other drivers that have little to no experience in the snow, but I don't think it's 100% necessary.
I live on a fairly steep hill, that gets little to no love from the dept. of transportation when it comes to plowing. Last winter there was a line of stopped/stuck cars in the middle of the hill, and I easily went around them in my C-4matic.
Above all else, I think going into winter with good tires (with a decent amount of tread) and a small shovel in your trunk is more key than AWD.
This.
I have family that grew up on Connecticut that could easily drive in snow and ice with RWD cars, but my current crop of friends are absolutely useless when it comes to snow.
I think AWD really helps to get up snow covered hills and to avoid accidents with other drivers that have little to no experience in the snow, but I don't think it's 100% necessary.
I live on a fairly steep hill, that gets little to no love from the dept. of transportation when it comes to plowing. Last winter there was a line of stopped/stuck cars in the middle of the hill, and I easily went around them in my C-4matic.
Above all else, I think going into winter with good tires (with a decent amount of tread) and a small shovel in your trunk is more key than AWD.
This.
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From: Southwest USA
Another round of ICE
Having owned AWD in the past (A4 quattro), and now C300 4matic as well as 530i (RWD), it is my opinion that proper winter tires are more important than AWD. Surely, proper winter tires + AWD will give you the most confident winter driving, but RWD with the right tires does just fine. I haven't gotten stuck yet and we do get our fair share of snow and ice here in Chicago suburbs.
Also, I'd rather take RWD + winter tires than AWD + all-season tires. AWD helps you get going, but it is the tires that help you stop.
Also, I'd rather take RWD + winter tires than AWD + all-season tires. AWD helps you get going, but it is the tires that help you stop.
Also, ao125 wrote that AWD helps going up hills. But, actually, the steeper the hill, the less it matters, as the weight transfers to the rear tires going up hill...unless you're backing up the hill
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From: Alexandria, VA
2005 320 4Matic
Perhaps on paper, but in a real world situation where there are random patches of ice, various depths and consistencies of snow & ice, and having to navigate stopped & backwards sliding vehicles, AWD would provide you an advantage... particularly if you have to stop and lose your momentum.
Though in a straight line, up an evenly plowed or partially plowed hill, I don't think I'd argue that AWD has relatively no advantage.
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From: Southwest USA
Another round of ICE
I respectfully disagree.
Perhaps on paper, but in a real world situation where there are random patches of ice, various depths and consistencies of snow & ice, and having to navigate stopped & backwards sliding vehicles, AWD would provide you an advantage... particularly if you have to stop and lose your momentum.
Though in a straight line, up an evenly plowed or partially plowed hill, I don't think I'd argue that AWD has relatively no advantage.
Perhaps on paper, but in a real world situation where there are random patches of ice, various depths and consistencies of snow & ice, and having to navigate stopped & backwards sliding vehicles, AWD would provide you an advantage... particularly if you have to stop and lose your momentum.
Though in a straight line, up an evenly plowed or partially plowed hill, I don't think I'd argue that AWD has relatively no advantage.
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Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Hartford, CT USA
2013 C300 Sport 4Matic
I had a RWD c230 in the past - I live in CT and we get a decent amount of snow. I'd never buy another RWD car that I had to drive in the winter. You have to turn the traction control off just to get out of a parking spot.
