I just went through a snowstorm last night from Duluth to Minneapolis, MN.
3+ hours of blowing, wet snow at night! The CRV stayed on the road at
speeds of 35 - 50 MPH. I passed quite a few trucks, Blazers, vans and cars.
There were vehicles in the ditches right and left. I felt the CRV handled
VERY well, if not pushed over what conditions allow. I am happy to be home!
It is still coming down.

Raelene:

We had our first "real" snow down here on the flatlands of Colorado last
evening.

Driving to work this morning was comfortable and solid in the CR-V. I didn't
notice if it actually went into 4WD or not on the snowy
roads and streets. Is there any visual or audible indication from the CR-V when
it's actually in 4WD mode? My understanding it that
the "shifting" is done when the front-x slips 3%, but don't know if that's true
or not.

BTW, glad you made it home alright.

(They had three feet of fresh powder snow in Steamboat Springs last night. Those
folks are delighted!)

Rick
Colorado

Rick,.
The only thing different I noticed was when one of the tires slipped and I
could tell that the 4WD was compensating for it. I can't really describe
it, just sort of felt it. I have a 5-speed, and just stayed in 5th the
whole way, believe it or not.

This season is why we bought our '02!

Saltman: Wanted to comment that we have the same hard cover for the spare.
We put the large purple "CRV" decal on and it looks super!

Hi Rick,

No visual indicator...which is too bad...I'd like to have a little
light come on when the rear wheels engage. It could be a warning
letting you know the road conditions are bad.

When the rear wheels kick in, you can hear it and usually feel it
too. Nothing dramatic, just a little more mechanical noise in the
back, and lots more traction for the rear. It's almost impossible to
tell when it kicks out.

If there's an icy and empty parking lot nearby, you might take the
CR-V out and do some experimentation with the 4-wheel system. Test
what it takes to get it to kick in and how it behaves while turning.

Not a bad time to test the braking too...whether you have abs or not.
I'm in Colorado too and have driven 4-wheel drive vehicles for over
30 years. When the weather starts getting icy around here it's not
unusual to see brand new SUVs, many with the temporary tag still on,
in the ditches. I believe many people are fooled by the go-power
4-wheel drive gives them. You step on the gas, and the vehicle goes.
What 4-wheel drive doesn't do is improve your stopping or cornering
when not under power.

I think it is a natural expectation that something which obviously
goes from a standing start so much better than a 2-wheel drive
vehicle should also stop better. Ain't so. In fact the higher center
of gravity and wider tires make SUVs worse for stopping and cornering
(generally).

I'll get off the soapbox now, but would like to share one story...

I had an old Land Rover for 12 years. It had one speed...slow, but it
would go that speed no matter what the weather. Gobs of
traction...4-wheel drive all of the time...no unlocking front hubs or
anything. One day we had a snow storm in the morning, bright sun at
noon, and a sudden cold front come in mid-afternoon. The city streets
were covered with black ice. The Land Rover handled just fine...I had
no clue it had even gotten icy. That is until I came to a hill where
there were cars stuck every which way. When I got out to help, I
promptly fell on my butt. I could hardly even walk on the street, yet
driving in the Land
Rover seemed perfectly normal..no hint as too how bad it was. The
Land Rover had so much more traction than power it was hard to get
into trouble with it.

Take care.

Karl
(some CR-V stuff at: http://members.macconnect.com/users/k/karl/karlindex.html)

>Raelene:
>
>We had our first "real" snow down here on the flatlands of Colorado
>last evening.
>
>Driving to work this morning was comfortable and solid in the CR-V.
>I didn't notice if it actually went into 4WD or not on the snowy
>roads and streets. Is there any visual or audible indication from
>the CR-V when it's actually in 4WD mode? My understanding it that
>the "shifting" is done when the front-x slips 3%, but don't know if
>that's true or not.
>
>BTW, glad you made it home alright.
>
>(They had three feet of fresh powder snow in Steamboat Springs last
>night. Those folks are delighted!)
>
>Rick
>Colorado
>

Rick, I have a 98 CRV (5sp) and there is no indicator to let you know
its in 4wd mode... The times I've been to the snow, its been hard to
tell when its in 4wd mode and when it isn't. It made me a little
concerned at first but it handles so well that now it makes me more
confident when driving up in the snow.

Once I was driving on the freeway at night on worn tires as a heavy
storm had just passed. Well, the puddles were deeper than I thought
and the 4wd kicked in at 65mph... Their was a deep whir and a sudden
loss of forward momentem which took me by surprise, it felt like a
blown engine at first but then I realized it was just the 4wd kicking
in. It definately kept me in control the whole time though...even so I
stayed in the slow lane the rest of the way home!

Thanks for the 411.

Now to find some more snow, and maybe an early, morning slalom drive in a large
parking lot to get the feel of the subtle beast.

Rick
Colorado