So I live in Minnesota, just the other night it started raining really bad. The temp dropped and it started snowing like crazy, now I'm in my 98 A4 1.8T quattro 5 speed, with snow tires...I'm going like 45 on the freeway and I can feel via the steering wheel the car is pivoting on it's center of gravity sort of like none of the tires had a reasonable amount of traction...

So all of a sudden a super tiny ancient BMW that's rear wheel drive with TINY shitty tires came baring past me at about 60 cutting through the snow like it nothing, my head hurts...someone help me out here?

 

Narrower tires are beneficial in snow because of the smaller contact patch, cutting through the snow more easily.

Regardless, I would take your situation over his from the sounds of it.

 

My car was seriously ready to spin out with the slightest amount of oversteer, I've never had that lack of traction...not unintentionally anyhow. blows my mind

 

I wouldn't worry about it too much, I'll take Quattro over RWD every time. Just because he was driving like an idiot doesn't mean he had more traction than you.

 

FWD, RWD, or AWD, none of it matters when it comes to the brakes... So going too fast in bad weather is dumb, regardless of what you drive...

 

^ All comes down to the tires at that point, not really sure why people say that only in bad weather...

 

Are your tires worn?

I had a set of tires before that worn on the inside from bad camber and I had similar feeling like you described during a bad rain storm. When I got home I got under the car and noticed that the insides of my tires (the actual part touching the roads) were shot. But obviously from the outside it looked like I had brand new tires.

Just a thought

 

Agreed, but much more pronounced in bad weather where traction is significantly reduced.

 

...just a thought, but could it be a tie rod issue? Before I replaced mine, my A4 felt verrry loose going down the highway.