I'll try to simply. (open to corrections, from those in the know)
1.) Tires. Tires that are young, and befit the driving conditions are the most important for traction. The compound in All Seasons, can't possibly adapt to the wide variance of temperatures in Canada, vs a specfic seasoned tire. (the "gumminess")
Essentially, if a Canadian car is driven year round, all seasons are a cheap way out. WINTER TIRES SHOULD BE LAW in all, but a very select regions
A studded winter tire, on AWD/FWD/RWD gives the most dramatic, positive traction result. Exponentially.
And conversely, Summer tires turn into hockey pucks in cold weather.
I shouldn't actually identify the drive system as "second", but to give an accurate depiction, it should be, 6th or 7th.
2.) For winter, it's understanding how your car will react when it loses traction.
All AWD systems, have a bias, whether it's Front or Rear.
FWD vs RWD -- each behave differently under lose of traction.
RWD will oversteer. FWD will understeer.
Yes, for conversation purposes, AWD is surely best. FWD is "usually" easier to anticipate, and RWD following last. This is of course, with all things coming equal.
The ultimate problem I see, is that tires are such a disposable and often replacement product on a car, that they will cheap out on arguably the most important traction piece on the vehicle.
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