Snow!?!?

[ZonaLaxCats]

When I get my 96ti next week the snow should be melted by then. But I am wondering how ti's drive/handle in the snow. Winter is 8 months long where I live and I need a car thats dependable. Anyone have any advice/experience for driving in the snow? I would imagine rear wheel drives aren't the best. Thanks

[nick_hegel]

Originally Posted by ZonaLaxCats

When I get my 96ti next week the snow should be melted by then. But I am wondering how ti's drive/handle in the snow. Winter is 8 months long where I live and I need a car thats dependable. Anyone have any advice/experience for driving in the snow? I would imagine rear wheel drives aren't the best. Thanks

I used to think it was impossible to handle rwd in the winter. But in all reality as long as you drive carefully you won't have any problems. On the average people drive too fast anyway in the snow. I've been through two winters in my car without any major cause for concern(and mine is lowered).

[needle332rur]

it's fun....

One night time storm last winter i went out and drove through all these parking lots w/ a bunch of my friends with subies. So fun.... AWD donuts are realy fast in a 310 WHP STI. My car couldn't keep up. I would just spin my tires every where, plus i have LSD so at speed if they spin it's instant fish tale.

[CirrusSR22]

It's all about the tires

Invest in some Blizzaks for next winter.

[luckyboy984]

Originally Posted by CirrusSR22

It's all about the tires

Invest in some Blizzaks for next winter.

Tires man, definitely tires. I have Nokian Hakkapelitta's. Work like a dream. I have to pass hondas and toyotas going uphill in my town during snowstorms in New Hampshire, they don't know what they're missing.

Snow tires and the traction control do they trick as long as you keep it sane during rough weather. Another simple trick is this: tube-sand. 3 bags of 75lb tube-sand puts more than enough weight on your back tires to let you plow through a foot of unplowed snow.

If you need the utility of the trunk, try this:

-Take out the carpet liner in the trunk.
-Buy some cheap carpet from a carpet store (4'X4' is good), to match the color of your interior, you can get this cheap if they have it as scrap, just ask.
-Use the original liner as a template and make a duplicate liner out of the carpet you bought
-Go to Home Depot and buy a 4x4 sheet of plywood
-Use the liner as another template, cut the plywood in the same shape

Now, what you have is a new trunk floor when you need to use the tube sand. Just line the tube sand bags in the trunk, place the plywood cut-out over them, and then the new carpet liner over that. Hey, you lose about 6'' of trunk depth, but no one can tell if they look. It's a lot of work, but I like keeping it clean.

[aceyx]

snow tires are also a nice excuse to get alloys, if you don't got 'em.

they help a lot, but realize that it doesn't make you invincible. in really bad conditions, even awd or a 4x4 can make you go, but they sure don't make you stop any better. it takes some getting used to, but the general rule is that if you can't make your car go forward, stay home--you won't be able to make it stop either.

that said, the ti is pretty decent in snow thanks to the weight balance. up hills you'd need weight in the back, but i've gone through crap (read: dozens of cars slid off the road) and the ti has served me well with snow tires.

[cali-ti]

snow, snow, freakin' snow! i hate it, but i've seen a lot of it. i've driven RWD almost all my life and prefer it. manual trans and traction control help. snow tires are the ticket. i put a 75 lb weight plate in the back for awhile one winter and HATED the effect it had. i didn't feel it really gave me much better traction and it threw off the whole feel of the car, imho. i think it gets around very well with snow tires and a good head on your shoulders. if you've never driven RWD in snow and such before, just be sure to go out and get some practice in a big parking lot and take it easy until you get used to it. it certainly will be different than FWD/AWD/4WD, it's just a matter of learning/adapting.

[ZonaLaxCats]

Thanks everyone for the very informative feedback. Now I have an excuse to drive it all year.

[aceyx]

i would go out in the summer and get the ass end out in the summer too. obviously, you'll break traction faster in snow, but you'll get used to that feel and how to react.

it's impossible to predict or prevent all slides, so it's best to get your m@D sKiL1Z down now.