Q: Ira, I’d like to offer a rebuttal to your recent response regarding the benefits of all-wheel drive over front-wheel drive. You seem to think that all-wheel drive vehicles are better than front-wheel drive vehicles based on your response to someone who was looking to purchase a new vehicle.

I disagree. I don’t think it’s necessary to buy a vehicle with all-wheel drive. As a truck driver for 47 years, I generally see people driving these all-wheel-drive vehicles at least 10 mph over the speed limit.

Most of the drivers driving all-wheel-drive vehicles don’t realize that going faster means they’ll need more distance to stop when driving on slippery pavement. I think that people driving all-wheel- drive vehicles have a false sense of security and don’t it. All-wheel drive is just a more expensive option (adding about $8,000 to the sticker) and requires more expensive - maintenance. Front-wheel drive vehicles with anti-lock brakes should be more than sufficient.
- B.H., Alsip

A: B.H., we obviously have a difference of opinion. And it is probably unfair to say that mainly drivers of all-wheel-drive vehicles drive too fast.

Regardless of whether the vehicle powers the front, rear, or all four wheels, I’ve seen all sorts of vehicles going over the limit or faster than they should on slippery roads.

And over the years, I’ve lost count of the number of 18-wheelers that have whizzed by me on snow-covered highways. Regardless of which vehicles/drivers may be driving too fast for conditions, I have found that all-wheel-drive vehicles offer much better traction than front-wheel-drive vehicles.

I have formed that opinion by driving hundreds of vehicles over the past 14 years while reviewing them for various publications. There are conditions when powering two wheels is sufficient and there are conditions when being able to send the power to all or any one wheel is advantageous.

Vehicles with all-wheel drive detect wheel slip during acceleration and they can send the engine’s torque to the wheel(s) with grip.

In most cases, the cost difference between all-wheel drive and two-wheel drive isn’t as significant as you mentioned. And while cost of maintenance, like everything else, has risen over the years, the frequency of maintenance for today’s cars has dramatically declined thanks to improved technologies and long-life fluids.

There’s good reason why more and more manufacturers are offering all-wheel-drive vehicles. For a long time, I have favored systems like Audi’s Quattro and Subaru’s Variable Torque Distribution (VTD), but now there are others entering this arena.

Obviously, having all-wheel drive doesn’t mean that one should drive faster than conditions permit. But when faced with a buying decision between front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, I’d take all-wheel drive.

Q: I own a 2004 Mitsubishi Outlander and I’m having trouble finding a shop manual for this vehicle. I checked all the auto parts stores and the Mitsubishi dealer. Could you please help?
- D.D. , Monee

A: D.D., I searched on the Internet and found several sources for an electronic version. As a cost-saving measure, most manufacturers have gotten away from hard copy versions.