I have an opportunity to purchase, very cheap, a very fine 1989 740 Turbo wagon. My only concern with this vehicle is how it might perform under winter driving conditions: I live in a high mountainous area with plenty of icy roads and a significant winter. Will this car perform adequately even though it is a rear wheel drive? I figure the Swedes would not design a car which was incompatible with wintertime driving conditions. Thanks. Russell in New Mexico.

Thank you to everyone who posted replies to my inquiry. Your information was quite helpful.

Most of the advantage of front wheel drive lies in two places

1. Ease of manufacturing

2. Drivetrain compactness that provides more interior room in smaller vehicles

There is in addition a lot of "hype" out there to the effect that fwd provides better traction, handling and fuel economy. It's hype.

It's not surprising that many report fine winter driving capabilities from their rwd Volvos.

There are numerous disadvantages to FWD

1. Reduced turning circle
2. Torque steer
3. Complicated drivetrain not as easy to service

It's also not surprising that the "real" cars of the world, i.e. BMW and Mercedes and Porsche and Jaguar and Rolls, have never gone to FWD and that others, including Cadillac, are moving away from it.

Clearly the best Volvos for winter traction must be the new 4wd models.

I have 3 rwd volvo, and I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. We have real winters here, includeding the famous Icestorm in the late 90s. 4 Snow tire is a must, especially the two back wheels. I find that with 4 good snow (especially the back,the front is not as critical) I have confidence to go almost anywhere even during snow storms especially my 91 745t wagon.in the cities and hiways.

The only problem ocassionally I have is going up steep hill on very icy surface at dead slow speed,or Like you have to come to a stop and turn left and go up an icey slop. I guess having studded rear tires will resolve the problem,but I don't like the noise that comes with it.Also local laws is studded tires are only allowed during winter in quebec and I cannot go to ontario at all.

All I can say is the 745t wagon handles well with 4 snow tires even in heavy snow. Only problem is going up slowly on icy slops especially with sharp turns.
I am speaking from experiance of driving in these conditions for over 20 years. Have the rear wheel studded if you want extra confidence. Remember you can only have the snow tires studded when they are brand new. The front is not necessary. And when the snow tires are more than half worn out, use them for summers and then buy new snow tires for the next comming winter.

Good Luck.......

I live in Buffalo, NY and we usually end up with tons of lake effect snow. For 2 years now I have been the proud owner of a '88 745 and have not had any problems in the snow yet. I dont have positraction/locking diff. or 4 studded snows. I use simply 2 snow tyres in the rear and leave it at that. It is a given that you will have some wheelspin, theres no way around it. In my opinion the 745 is a very predictable car, moreso than my parents 854 and 855. Thats right, I prefer RWD even in the winter. Basically, it comes down to driver skill/experience and knowing your car.
Peace
Aaron
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'88 745 188k

Hello I can tell you from experiance there are 2 ingredients that make a Volvo an excellent winter car, good tires and driver experiance. I have 5 Volvo`s on the road during the winter(3 teen age kids) and i wouldn`t have it any other way. My best suggestion is to find an empty parking lot and practice(get the owners written concent to avoid problens with police) slipping and sliding. As far as tires go the best I have had (as they wear-out others are being swithed over to) Toyo observe. Hope this helps

Yvan (At the foot of Mont shefford in Quebec Canada
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73 1800es/80 262c(350ci v8)/86 740t/87 780/89 240/89 740t

Any of my old 240 wagons were great in the snow, especially with a little added weight in the rear (I used 2 80lb bags of sand). I've recently been driving a 92 740 wagon with Nokian Hakkapeliita 1 snow tires in a typical New England winter. Just got hit with 27 inches of snow, in fact. I've found that with good snows, the 740 performs quite predictably well, in fact, better than my wife's 240 with Gsavald tires. The 740 will handle as well as the skill of the driver allows.

ja!
My 88 744T with summer tires in the winter can't get out of its own way. Good winter tires and a couple extra lbs's in the back are a must

JS

here you go, i bookmarked this a while ago :-)

http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=568083
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Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'

We've had 3 months of snow here in rural Ontario this year. I have 4 snows on my 87 745 and love the stabilty and predictability. I imagine it will not pull through deep snow like a front wheel drive but I have no complaints. Our old 240 wagon went through 3 Ottawa winters with no snow tires and never got stuck and never left me feeling out of control. I drive slowly and safely all the time though and usually have the car loaded with kids so weight distribution is probably better than driver only in a sedan. Also, the b21, b230 powered Volvos I have driven warm up in cold weather faster than any car by far and the defrost and defog work great.

My 2 cents,

Ron Lynes
near Brantford, ON, Can

My 940 Turbo Wagon (basically the same car) is quite good in the snow (and I'm in Maine, so we get snow). But it has the locking differential, and 4 studded snows. If it didn't have the locker, I'm sure it would be a different story. You said your getting the car cheap, right? My suggestion would be take some of the money you're saving on the car, and install a locking or limited slip differential -- and get 4 studded snows. You will be very happy with the results.

Jeff Pierce
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'92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver), '93 945 Turbo (a kickass family car), '53 Willys-Overland Pickup (my snow-plow truck/conversation piece)

You will need to run four GOOD snow tires and install a positraction unit in the rear end. FYI the 240 sedan is a far better snow car. I was out today in the snow with little problem. I have a 87 745T with 4 snows but no posi.
The posi would have been nice. I still have never been in a RWD car better than my 81 242 turbo in the snow. That car would go anywhere in the snow. If your looking for a Volvo snow car take a good look at a Cross Country. All the Volvo techs I know rave about this car in the snow.

My 740 wagon is terrible in the snow. Steering and stopping are ok. But trying to control wheelspin is rediculous. I imagine it's acceptable with some snow tires or chains on, and some wieght in the back, but without any modification it's pretty bad.
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'91 Volvo 740 wagon. A big comfy box.... and a '90 Mazda 626 GT turbo. Heavily modded, really fast.

I agree with George. The 740 wagon is a big box which loses grip and slides sideways easily in snow and ice. You need studded tyres or, if it's icy on most roads, perhaps you should carry chains (or do you anyway?)
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BillB

Winter driving in New Mexico? I say, I did not know that! Anyhow, Volvo 700s are NOT good in the snow and on icy roads but let that not deter you. The main reason is that the rear end is too light and therefore makes the rear end pop out when you least expect it. Now, the estate is better than the saloon as the rear end is heavier. More importantly, get proper winter tyres. In Sweden, many people use sand bags in the boot and some have even moved the battery to the rear.
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George Holmer, Belgium, Europe, 1987 745 GLE Turbo Diesel Intercooler (D24TIC/M46) 200k; 1988 745 Turbo Intercooler (B230FT/M46) 290k; 1988 745 GL (B200E/M47) 190k

Wierd, I would say that the wheelspin is probably unavoidable in any car without traction control, however I wouldn't say that the rear end sliding in my 740 is unexpected... I know if and when and how it's going to slide... But, I also have the B234F, which is probably one of the least off the line torque motors that there is in the 700 series... exact opposite to the Intercooled TurboDiesel...

Cliff Scott
89 DOHC 740