2019 Tahoe vs 2019 Expedition. Which one should I buy.

Dumbest fucking saying. Might as well yell YOLO and “I had to lay it down to keep from crashing” while you’re at it.

 

Pretty much. He's in Texas though so ignore the 4wd comment In the Great White North when the roads get a good layer of ice then 8 inches of snow on top of that, the 4wd is 100% a win!

 

Captains chairs in the middle row ftw. Makes third row access easier and for when kids aren't in the car way more comfortable for passengers.

 

Exactly!!!

I bought a 2WD truck, because I figured I could deal with a few months of winter. WRONG! Even with BFG A/T’s, it’s useless in the snow. Meanwhile, my GF’s Ridgeline AWD marched through an 11” overnight snow, on OEM Michelin LTX’s, on unplowed roads. That thing was unfazed.

 

but did you have snow tires on the 2wd truck? IIRC BFG A/T are not winter rubber

 

They are snowflake-rated and are known to be the best A/T snow tire, without going to a studded winter tire.

Having the front axle pulling, where all the weight is carried on most vehicles, is SO beneficial.

 

The used market on Tahoe's and suburbans is nuts. We looked for months and every good deal sold within a day or two. The one we bought was posted online and still with the manager when we called the dealer. Came the next morning ready to buy and we had no room to negotiate because of it.

A used one with around 100k on it will still cost you about 20-25k depending on options and year.

 

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=125

 

The BFG A/T KO2's are a true snow tire as they have the little snowflake marking on the sides.

From the BFG site: EXCEEDS RUBBER MANUFACTURER ASSOCIATION (RMA) SEVERE SNOW TRACTION REQUIREMENTS

 

I totally get that. We got 11” overnight and 50°F, later in the week. Winter tires are for sustained cold temps and icy/snow-packed surfaces, which we don’t have. I’d be swapping wheels setups 3-5 times a winter. Even with winter tires, it’s still going to be an issue on unplowed roads, around here. I live in township, which means only two plow trucks and a grader for the majority of the area. They may not get to our road for 24-36 hours.

 

A true snow tire does not last long in temps > 40F. Can you use those tires in the summer? If so, they are not a true snow tire. Says so in the tire description

"Note: While non-winter tires featuring the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol provide additional longitudinal snow traction beyond what all-season (M+S) tires not bearing the symbol can deliver, they do not match the capability of a true winter tire in all adverse weather conditions."

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=All-Terrain+T/A+KO2

 

It’s all a compromise, man.

 

yep.

but, so is having AWD all year. 99% of the time it's not necessary, wastes gas, etc. But AWD like in the Golf R or Evo sure is fun hitting an apex and just laying the throttle on a corner exit.

Oh we talking "Sport" Utility vehicles :\

 

The OP is looking at a vehicle that weighs ~5800 pounds and has aerodynamics of a tool shed, so fuel mileage differences are negligible, between 2WD and 4WD/AWD. In fact, manufacturer claims show only ~1-2mpg difference. Driving habits, weather, and terrain will have a bigger effect on mileage than which drivetrain configuration one chooses.

You, I, and most others on this board probably have a pretty good understanding of vehicle dynamics. The average person does NOT. There’s no denying the OP’s family will be safer in something with 4WD/AWD. There’s something to be said for the vehicle having the “AWD” option on the dashboard and it being able to automatically adjust to the conditions encountered, especially in Philly and other areas they’re likely to travel. If they want to take a ski trip to the mountains, go to family Christmas events, or whatever, they’ll be able to safely do that and not be so worried about road conditions or terrain. If his wife has to get out in the winter for something, he won’t have to worry about her making it.

I’m a 48-state, OTR driver and see it all out there. 2wd/FWD people are the ones who are always stuck or off the road. When I and the 2WD/FWD people are chaining up, the 4WD/AWD people are driving right on by.

 

YOLO! Unfortunately or maybe fortunately I don’t own a Harley so to avoid crashing I typically stick to attempting to actually avoid a crash.

Aren’t the KO2s kind of Shit in the snow? I did some reading and right before a trip to Steamboat CO I put on a new set of AT2s...3 days of minimum 8” of snow with no issue in 2wd.

I’ve made a living on dirt roads for the last 11 years. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve actually needed 4WD when I wasn’t screwing around...but when I did I was damn sure glad I had it!

 

Which A/T2? Michelin or General?

 

Michelin. I think the smaller tread blocks do better in the snow. I’ve also done better at the beach with them than friends with chunky mud or A/T tires. I just got back from Steamboat and the tires have about 45,000 on them, they still did pretty well but 4WD was necessary this time.

 

My brother has a Denali truck with the AWD system. The truck determines if you need the extra traction. I don't like it. I want to be able to operate the 4wd system and know whether it's on or off.