Mr_j_rod

Okay peeps. This may not be the most odd request for help, but it is certainly different I'm sure.

Subject: I need wheels and tires that will provide excellent traction in very icy/snowy conditions.

Why? I'm a nurse in an ED and I dislike my profession enough I plan on going back to school. I have several cars and won't have time/money for all of them. My Trans Am is an extremely sentimental vehicle to me and I just don't have the resources to leave it parked or maintain multiple older cars at once. Selling this car is not an option and I live in Hudson, Wisconsin. That being said our winters are long, extremely cold and very snowy/icey. So now all of you see my dilemma.

What I need help with: I will be driving this car everyday for unknown distances, but at least to work 50 miles round trip. First I plan on protecting the frame of this car with some professional undercoating to prevent rust and further damage. Any recommendations? I plan on having this car until I die lol. So far I have bought it, sold it and then bought it back 2 years later lol.

I also need a recommendation for tire/wheel sizes that allow for extreme traction. I'm talking possibly mounting small truck tires with offroad tread. I know this is embarrassing, but I feel with this cars torque and diff it is necessary. Anyone disagree? Any recommendations?

Car facts: 99 Trans Am, LS1, 6 speed, and factory rear end. Non-WS6 package. The car is 100% factory except for an exhaust and tick adjustable master.

Thanks everyone for your time and consideration!

metalmilitia606

iTrader: (8)

snow tires on V6 wheels or steelies is what most people run. I DD'd mine for 3 years with just all season tires in Ohio and I was fine.

Mr_j_rod

I lived in Ohio for 27 years. Grew up there. You have not experienced winter until you've been in the midwest. This ****....is absolutely......crazy. Here, many cars don't start because of the cold. A vast majority of larger vehicles come with block heaters. It gets so cold here that you WILL get frostbite within 5-10 minutes of bare skin exposure. Vitamin D deficiency here is extremely common due to the inclimate weather. And the snow, Jesus Christ Monkey ***** is there an insane amount of snow. And Ice. That's why I'm kinda worried it won't work. I might just have to suck it up and deal with it though. I'm not seeing many other options online.

savage388

I ran my 94 z28 all winter here in pa this year and I can say it's the worst thing I could've ever done. Even with undercoating your floors will rusr, just be prepared not to be horribly upset when they do, mine are gone after only 1 winter on an otherwise clean car. That said get some v6 wheels with winter tires( most people like the blizzaks) and about 100 lbs in the back and you'll be fine. I have used winters in the back and all seasons up front and have made it so far so you'll do alright. But for the money of a good undercoat and good winter wheels and tires you could get a little beater and store the trans am until spring.

99Bluz28

iTrader: (35)

Go with a set of the V-6 model steel wheels and run a set of 205/60/16s or 215/60/16 tires. with the wider 16 x8 wheels a 215/60/16 or 225/60/16. You'll want a narrow tire since it offers more bit, so if you can get the narrower tire size if possible for wheel you'll be using.

98CayenneT/A

Recommendation- rent a storage unit for the T/A and get a beater

Z28 6spd

iTrader: (3)

A reliable beater preferably AWD or FWD would handle the snow much better and safer. I know you said multiple cars would be tough, but even with snow tires, these cars just aren't designed for winter weather. Plus, no matter how much you undercoat and wash, that constant exposure to salt and moisture will eat that car alive.

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

I agree, but to the OP, isn't it a little late in the season to be thinking about snow tires??


If you need something that will work year round, find a Nokian tire dealer, and ask about the WGR3s....

WS6ICK2k

Best advice so far. My FAST Intake setup cost more than the car I drive on a daily basis.

Grimes

iTrader: (3)

if you HAVE to drive you car, get a set of 4 snow tires and put 50lbs of sand in your trunk. REAL snow tires make a crazy difference. I was plowing out of situations that were giving SUV's with 4WD problems this winter.....

xBrandonx

iTrader: (11)

I daily drove my Firebird this Winter in PA and mine's not rusted out.


If it's an auto, the Start in 2nd Gear button works wonders on my car when pulling out in the snow.

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

And how many winters had it been driven in previously? Does your area use salt, sand, or that chemical/beet juice mix for de-icing? I recently saw a late 90s Camaro on a lift at a local shop. This car had been driven through a number of winters in this area, and the undercarriage was in really sad shape....

xBrandonx

iTrader: (11)

I've had it since 2011. There is surface rust but nothing that is destroying the integrity of the car. The roads here look white lol. The cars from New Jersey and Pennsylvania according to the car fax.

savage388

How much highway driving do you do? Around here penndot used nothing but that evil liquid chemical **** that eats everything

calgary_z28

I've driven my 98 Z28 through 3 winters and my under body is still in fantastic shape - no rust. The only surface rust I have is on my steel driveshaft and the control arms, bolts etc. But I've seen surface rust on these parts on Arizona f bodies that have never seen a winter..

Here in Calgary we get a ton of snow and ice. And the city uses calcium chloride spray as well as pea gravel. My car has a full 3M bra, winter floor mats and it gets a Krown rust proofing treatment every Spring. I run 225/60/16's - studded on the stock 16's.

My car still looks great. I wax it before winter hits and I have heated parking at home and work. Also have a car sprayer at home. Best advice I have is to wash it often, especially the wheel wells and underbody. Keep your distance from pick up trucks without mud flaps, and run real winter tires on the stock wheels or steelies and you will be fine!

Keep your traction control "on" and go easy on the gas. When you lose traction it happens really fast and unexpectedly. Get a feel for it in an empty parking lot at night before you hit the roads.

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

I wonder whatever happened to the OP.....

mjs1012

iTrader: (36)

Died in the snow.

Mr_j_rod

HAHAHAA. Sorry guys. I haven't had a chance to respond. I think my beast is going to stay in the garage. If it boils down to it, I'll find some rims and tires and slap some good snow tires on it. I'm pretty certain that I will end up keeping the car garaged. The only thing that bugs me is that I barely get to drive my car Winter here is so damn long and brutal. She just sits in the garage. Moving it past 6 feet out of my driveway becomes a 30 minute ordeal trying to get it back in lol.

All of you provided good advice. I'm just to nervous it's going to rust apart, or get damaged by some fuckstick on the road. I don't know if anyone here has ever driven in Minnesota, but they are quite possibly the worst drivers in the world.....

mjs1012

iTrader: (36)

Why dont you sell all the other cars you said you have and buy a cheap beater that you could care less about.

Mr_j_rod

Beater are expensive! I have 2 beaters lol. I fix my Wife's escape and I have a 98 Tahoe with 260k on it lol. They are pretty much constant work. The poor Firebird gets little to no attention cause I'm alwayss fixing the other cars lol. I seriously bought a tick adjustable master last July and have yet to install it. Sigh....Being an adult sucks.