mpe488

I live in Miami so I don't know much on the subject of rough winters. Exactly what effects would rough winters have on a car? I might be getting an SS soon, the only reason I'm not looking to buy one right now is that I might go to college in Chicago. I'm assuming most schools don't have closed parking and my baby would be outside in the snow. This might sound stupid, but please remember I'm from Miami... would it help if I covered it with a cheap cloth thing?

Mr Incredible

The big thing about winters with snow is the salt on the roads. It rusts any bare metal it can attach itself to. Rock chips are a favorite place. Small places where paint may not have covered or covered very well are another. I'm parking mine and driving the truck during the winter. It's going to be a drag, but I'll feel a lot better about it.

A car cover wouldn't help much unless you washed and dried the car before you cover it, and never get salt dust on the inside of the cover.

2K2WS6TA

iTrader: (2)

The biggest thing will be rust, tho living near the ocean you should be familiar with that,
Second traction, as you might expect a 300+ hp RWD car with summer performance tires isn't the best thing for driving in snow, the traction issues can be helped with the selection of winter tires
Covered parking (forgive me) BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (sorry), you won't get covered parking at college, the best you can hope for is covered parking at whatever apartment you live in
Then since you won't get covered parking, you'll need to scrape the ice/snow off the windows before driving off.
There's alot to think about getting an SS and driving it in winters, if you're used to the climate and weather, it's not a big deal, but going from Miami to Chicago, you'll be a real fish out of water.
Best advice I can give you, don't get an F Body, buy a FWD/ AWD/ 4x4 vehicle for Chicago
The car cover (the cheap cloth thing you spoke of) would help a little as you can just peel it off and the snow should come off with it, but the frost on the windows will still be there

mpe488

would it be so bad if I was able to cover it with something like this

http://www.carcoversdirect.com/car_c...eferrer=Google

(one that fits the Camaro of course) and I didn't drive it? I know an SS isn't the most practical car to buy in my particular situation, but I'm a huge fan of F-bodies especially late 4th gens, and I would really love to get one.

audiophil3

I drove in Chicago for 10 years so here's my advice:
Newer cars are able to handle salt much better. You will see alot of pre-1990 rust buckets out there. Wash your car 2-3 times a week when salt is on the roads. Give it a good wax in early fall.
Get a dirt cheap beater for winter driving. Multi car insurance discount will pay for the car in the long run. Get an automatic and install remote starter. Crank up heater to high so the next morning the car will be remote started, toasty, and frost free (not in enclosed areas).
FWD is good enough all long as you don't need to drive during a 4inch+ deep storm. 4wd will help if you absolutely must be somewhere when the heavy snow is falling. Just make sure it has all-terrain tires and not typical SUV wannabe street tires otherwise the truck will want to push forward when you want to make a turn when its in 4wd.
I had a Z24 for winter/commuter use and a 94 Trans Am for pleasure driving. I made the mistake of taking the TA to work one night and it decided to snow about 2 inches. It took me 1 hr to get 7 miles to my house when it usually takes 10 minutes due to traction problems. I even had 150lbs of weights in the back which usually helped. I also did a 360 in a cemetary at 5mph when the car hit a patch of ice. I only stopped spinning because I slid into the grass. I also had to pull my brothers stuck Subaru out of 5 inches of snow 500 feet from his garage because he thought AWD would make him invincible.
If you will be living in Chicago or within 20 miles of the city then snow will only be a temporary inconvenience due to the improved IDOT plowing frequency.
I hope you enjoy the two Chicago seasons: Winter and Construction
For all this help I only ask for one sausage and pepperoni pan pizza from Pizzeria Uno's in downtown Chicago. Chicago food is the best.

2K2WS6TA

iTrader: (2)

I second the beater suggestion, I did the winter F body driving thing (in Boston), and tho it did alright, with the snow tires, and weight in the back, I wised up, and got an 4x4 pickup for cheap, so if you really want the SS buy it leave in Miami (for when you're home on school breaks) and drive a beater at school, plus if you have the beater you won't care if someone dents the door, scratches it, or it gets rock chipped, and it's less likely to be messed with by some *** who's jealous of your ride

OverLord

Here in ny, i see people haveing problems early in teh moring. But by 9-10 am the roads are ussaly cleared of. I am also wanting to get a F-Body in NY, i was thinking of just leaveing it parked in the snow and takeing the bus to school, but i am not realy to sure what to do.

glennhl

The car cover should help, but it's tough to see through while you are driving!! The snow & salt get on the car while you are driving.

Sgt. Spuds

iTrader: (1)

We always parked our cars outside for the winter with a healthy coat of wax on it, then let the snow fall.

in 86-91 my father drove a iroc year round, never hurt it, but he kept it clean

PS, why the **** are you moving to the midwest!! This is the single most miserable place in the us! steamy sticky sweaty humid hot in the summers, nut-ragusly cold in the winters! STAY HOME!

skywatcher

<---Illinois here and I agree completely midwest is
Edit: Have you ever driven in the snow before?

ZeeQuick

iTrader: (2)

My car has been through 3 winters that I know of, and it hasn't suffered at all, excecpt for one minor accident. Paint looks okay, underneath looks good too. I usually take it to one of the DIY carwashes with the high pressure spray once a week, get all the grime off.

Get a set of snow tires if you are gonna be driving in the snow....especially with those 275s on the SS. I tried keeping my all season KDWS's on last year........1/4 mile from my house I was doing 10mph when I hit a patch of ice, went into a 360, and clipped a tree.......yeah, I was pissed. Snow tires make the car MUCH more managable through light/moderate snow.....hills still suck, and forget about heavy snow. If you need snow tires I have a set of Blizzaks that are already mounted and balanced....good for at least one more winter...PM me if interested. Good luck!!

99 ss

iTrader: (12)

well the snow cant hurt your car if you have a car cover and a car port

RDISADEIFAN

Beside all the salt n sand beating on your car Im more paranoid about someone tboning me.I would think living in a city area you are either going to sideswiped by a car or plow.Thats why I just drive a 4x4 beater,cheaper to come by and I would just hate to hurt my baby.

akcuda

Here's an obvious newbee Q: Does traction control help when starting from a dead stop on ice?

02 Camaro SS

iTrader: (4)

When starting on ice with these cars the traction control will hurt you because you WILL get wheelspin before you start moving. A couple of times I had to do what looked like a 2 minute 60mph burnout to get up my 40 foot driveway. I've never driven an f-body with snow tires though so maybe someone who has can give you a better answer.

dailydriver

One suggestion on snow tires; if you are going to live and drive in the midwest (or any other northern tier state/area) in the winter, then go radical on the tires. With our cars, regular, everyday readily available snows (Michelin, Pirelli, Bridgestone, etc.) barely cut it. Get a smaller set of wheels (16x7 steel, or 16x8 alloy) and put a set of Nokian Rsi winter tires on them (225/55 16 on the 8s or better yet 215/60 16 on the 7s). Remember, you want the narrowest footprint the car can handle in the snow/ice. These tires were developed to handle conditions near the Arctic Circle and our rides need all the help they can get to handle any winter conditions. Just know that the car (or at least the car's power) will be useless when the roads are clear and dry with these tires on (you don't want to "burn them up" in those conditions anyway, especially for what they $$!). I would not even consider any "all season" tires in that area.

ULTIMATEORANGESS

iTrader: (4)

last winter was the one my SS is seeing.


it has some small rust spots underneath it which will be taken care of soon but thats it.the best thing is to go to a car wash that has an under carriage cleaner and go once a week.



i never did it because i live close to work but some type of all season tire should help.


i always drove with DRs or F1s which really suck *** in snow.

badhoopty

i dunno where you would be going to school in IL, but if its in the city close to downtown just parking would kill your car mucho faster than the weather. people here pretty much use other cars as bumpstops while parking. it aint pretty...

mpe488

hmm, well I was thinking University of Chicago or Northwestern University. Other options are UNC at Chapel Hill and UF. I just don't want to be limited on my choice of schools because of what car I'm driving. If I wax the car and leave it parked and covered for winter should it do ok? A lot of you have said it gets messy when you start driving, but how about if I just leave it alone for a few months?

SporkLover

iTrader: (2)

You must not have over paid for college.

At Washington University (STL Missourri) There is covered general parking, and covered parking for those that live on campus. Covered parking is available mainly because its in the city, and space is a premiuim, so like every other building in the city, they built upwards.

Since you are looking at places like UNC Chapel Hill, where you are going to pay a crap load of money, you should look at Washington University as well....covered parking, and lots of great programs if you can afford it. That Washington University name goes a LONG way with companies hiring in the midwest. It is where I hope to get a Masters from.