On road, you would never need 4wd. Someone with awd will probably have it engage but honestly, if you're driving so hard that you need 4 wheels to move forward you're probably driving too hard.
I have never been stuck with fwd or rwd. My mother in law got her 4wd nitro stuck last year, tire choice is hugely important and not necessarily snow tires.
From what i have noticed, typically tires that perform well in the wet will do well (relatively) in the snow.
Cooper discoverer htp, khumo solus kr21, general gmax as-03. After a few snow falls i will know if the michelin latitude are any good, should be.
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