If this helps any... I own a 2000, RX300 that is FWD. I live in upstate NY, near Syracuse... You probably see us on the news because of all the snow we get. When the schools are closed, no one seems to be in a hurry to plow the roads in the morning. I end up driving on a lot of un-plowed roads in the mornings and slushy ones at night. I grew up with a father who always used snow tires on his big Buicks so I do the same thing now. Every winter, I put on the 4 Blizzaks and wheels that I purchased from tirerack. I can't say that the control is as good as someone with AWD (since I do not have one) but I have never had any problems. I do drive cautiously though. (Oh, by the way, I change my tranny oil every 15K and I now have about 70K on it without any transmission problems.)