prep me for driving in the snow
10-05-2012, 08:27 PM
#1
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prep me for driving in the snow I just got an awesome promotion, and will be relocation from florida to st paul, minn, and taking the TA with me. Give me some tips on driving! Also, I will most likely drive up there and pull a small trailer. Is a hitch going to require pro installation. Thank guys!
10-05-2012, 08:54 PM
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snow tires snow tires snow tires and just becareful these cars rally arent that bad in the snow. they stop and turn pretty good which is just as important as being able to get moving. im going on my 5th winter in mine no accidents yet but after winter 1 i bought me some snows and have been great since
10-05-2012, 09:10 PM
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I have C6 wheels. Do they make snow tires for the big *** 19s? The other option is to store it, and buy a winter beater. If I went that route, should I just try to snag a civic or integra or something? Or is front wheel drive in the snow a terrible idea?
10-05-2012, 09:19 PM
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Snow tires can't be run all year long so I avoid them for that reason. I opt for highly rated all weather tires which have served me well. Since you have a sports car with the wheels that you mention you will be looking at probably no less than $700-$800 maybe even more just for a set of all weather tires for any 18+ inch rim has been my experience and since they're corvette wheels the products available are going to be few in comparison to more common 19 inch wheels that aren't as wide as those wheels.
I like your idea of getting a beater. Save the car for all the fun in the good weather. Why risk wrecking it? I purchased a 93 Camry xle (v-6) for 1800 and it gets down the road just fine.
Roach
I like your idea of getting a beater. Save the car for all the fun in the good weather. Why risk wrecking it? I purchased a 93 Camry xle (v-6) for 1800 and it gets down the road just fine.
Roach
10-05-2012, 09:31 PM
#7
snow tires snow tires snow tires and just becareful these cars rally arent that bad in the snow. they stop and turn pretty good which is just as important as being able to get moving. im going on my 5th winter in mine no accidents yet but after winter 1 i bought me some snows and have been great since
This. Pick up a cheap set of 16" salad shooters and some cheap snow tires in a 215/225 size. I still say that my 6-speed Z28 was the best car I've ever driven in snow. Clutch + TCS + ABS + narrower snow tires = absolutely amazing in snow.
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10-05-2012, 10:36 PM
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I use the store it and drive a beater method. But I don't like salt and I'm more afraid of other crappy drivers sliding around. Drove a V8 RWD car during the winter for years, just choose not to use my LS1 for that.
10-05-2012, 10:55 PM
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When it comes to snow tires, you want them skinny. I used a 225/55/16 Blizzak on 16x7.5" wheels for winter duty, and not even Chicago winters would get in my way. I also kept an extra 100lbs of weight in the trunk (bags of gravel), and always kept the tank 1/2 full or more for additional weight. With this combo, unplowed lots were no problem, packed snow on unplowed roads was no problem, and ice was no more of a problem than it would be with any other car.
I found that it was easier to drive without the traction control. A bit of controlled spin on packed snow was easier to deal with than the constant acceleration fluctuations of traction control.
10-05-2012, 11:11 PM
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If you have 1k-1500 to spend, buy a winter beater with liability. A small truck or whatever you prefer. Much better risk-wise and cost-wise.
That said, I drove my 93 T/A 2 winters and a 91 Firebird as well. The thing is to just really calculate stopping way ahead and to not do anything stupid. Put a bag of sand or two in the trunk area. Any steep hills with ice on it don't even try or you will get stuck halfway up for awhile or roll back. Had All weather tires on.
Imo it is always pretty nerve-racking driving these cars in the snow/ice. It isn't just about your car, but all the idiots driving around you and running lights or slamming their brakes at a light. So if you can, get a beater, but if not, take it slow and easy.
That said, I drove my 93 T/A 2 winters and a 91 Firebird as well. The thing is to just really calculate stopping way ahead and to not do anything stupid. Put a bag of sand or two in the trunk area. Any steep hills with ice on it don't even try or you will get stuck halfway up for awhile or roll back. Had All weather tires on.
Imo it is always pretty nerve-racking driving these cars in the snow/ice. It isn't just about your car, but all the idiots driving around you and running lights or slamming their brakes at a light. So if you can, get a beater, but if not, take it slow and easy.
10-06-2012, 12:59 AM
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That said, I drove my 93 T/A 2 winters and a 91 Firebird as well. The thing is to just really calculate stopping way ahead and to not do anything stupid. Put a bag of sand or two in the trunk area. Any steep hills with ice on it don't even try or you will get stuck halfway up for awhile or roll back......Imo it is always pretty nerve-racking driving these cars in the snow/ice.
With a true, good quality snow/ice tire, it's a very different experience. I tried all-weather tires too; they didn't come close to the winter performance of a real snow tire.
Of course, you still have to be careful in bad weather, just as would be the case with any car or truck. What you can do safely on a 70° sunny day isn't going to be the same as what you can do safely on a 20° day with heavy snow. But, that would be the case with any car (even a 4x4 truck).
Having said that, I choose not to drive this F-body in the snow any longer only because I don't want to expose it to any further salt damage or the general increased risk of being hit by others in snowy conditions.
10-06-2012, 07:34 AM
#15
I don't drive mine in the winter other then getting stuck in a parking lot one afternoon with a couple of inches of slush.
But get real snow tire as narrow as you can fit. Put a little weight in the truck using a sand bag (use sand under tires when stuck) and turn the traction control off. If you get stuck trying to pull away and the tires just spin go to a higher gear.
But get real snow tire as narrow as you can fit. Put a little weight in the truck using a sand bag (use sand under tires when stuck) and turn the traction control off. If you get stuck trying to pull away and the tires just spin go to a higher gear.
10-06-2012, 08:10 AM
#16
Right? My wife and I moved to FL from Chicago last year, and one of the biggest reasons was to get away from snow so we'd drive her T/A more.
I went up to St. Paul/Minneapolis two winters ago from Chicago to buy a GTO. On the way into the twin cities, there were literally dozens of cars that had slid off the road. I was taking bus lines to get up there, and my connecting bus from the twin cities to North Dakota couldn't even make it into the cities. After waiting in the bus station for 6+ hours with no promise of another bus coming soon, I hopped on the next one back to Chicago.
If you've got 19's on that car now, really your only two choices are to pick up a set of 16's for a couple hundred bucks and then throw some snow tires on it for a few hundred more OR pick up a winter beater. I had a '95 Civic with snow tires while I had my C5 (no way was I going to try any snow in a lowered C5), and that also worked well. Honestly, I still preferred my Camaro in snow over the Civic (155 width tires on it too!), but it was definitely easy to drive.
I went up to St. Paul/Minneapolis two winters ago from Chicago to buy a GTO. On the way into the twin cities, there were literally dozens of cars that had slid off the road. I was taking bus lines to get up there, and my connecting bus from the twin cities to North Dakota couldn't even make it into the cities. After waiting in the bus station for 6+ hours with no promise of another bus coming soon, I hopped on the next one back to Chicago.
If you've got 19's on that car now, really your only two choices are to pick up a set of 16's for a couple hundred bucks and then throw some snow tires on it for a few hundred more OR pick up a winter beater. I had a '95 Civic with snow tires while I had my C5 (no way was I going to try any snow in a lowered C5), and that also worked well. Honestly, I still preferred my Camaro in snow over the Civic (155 width tires on it too!), but it was definitely easy to drive.
10-06-2012, 08:14 AM
#17
) after heavy road salting and maybe it won't rust. 
10-06-2012, 04:56 PM
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Agreed ^^^^^^^They salt the hell out of roads here in Ohio during winter season. I see soooo many nice cars here but with rusted out quarter panels/doors. I have alot invested in my GTO to see it go up in rust a few years later. Even my Camaro has fun in the snow with sudden rear kickouts! So I bought a cheap FWD hooptie for the winter months with just liability insurance to keep me covered in case plus I don't need sum jerk sliding into my $36,000 car and totaling it!! Stays nice and warm in garage till Mar/Apr.
