as some of mebers if not all do not know my DD is my lovely 83 gsl
so as winter is sneaking up ive been getting my 7 ready to do battle with the snow and ice.

fixing rust holes and sanding off surface rust and getting the under body coated with a nice coat of under body paint is the task i'm currently working on before it gets to cold out.

within the next month i have a few goals id like to get done before snow hits

• Coolant flush and install a winter thermostat.
• Electric fan
• Fix my rear hatch defrost (one of the wire clips soldered to the hatch snapped off)
• Winter Tires Hankook i*Pike 195/70 14 (pepboys has a buy 3 get 1 free tire sale, i can walk out the store with tires installed for $68 per tire
• Figure out how i can raise the ground clearance

any input and suggestions would be sweet

 

Better off saving up a few hundred more and get a beater, or you will be getting more rust off
than you can shake a stick at!

 

Well, I don't condone driving any Rx7 in the snow and ice but to each his own. If you have the car on the original springs you could probably gain some ground clearance just by replacing them. The stock springs wear out over time and can start to sag by as much as 1" over 25 years. You might try finding a new set of stock height springs and installing them.

Jamie

 

thanks for the info on winter storage. I will work on that ASAP.

oh wait, there is no winter in Socal lOLLLLLLLL

 

Someday I'm going to overnight you a 5 gallon bucket of brown snow and salt. LOL.

 

Yes buying a beater would be the best idea. but lack of storage and cash will prevent me from doing so.

what is the stock "ground clearance? might be wise for me to see how much im sagging befor i think about new oem springs
i know on trucks, if you tighten up the torsion bars you can lift the front end a lil bit, will this work for the 7?

 

195/70r14 are too tall, I assume this is a gslse, you should go with 185/70r14

 

Height can be found in the FSM. In my signature is the link.

 

The Rx7 is actually really fun in the winter.

 

Put a couple 60LB bags of sand in the hatch also for traction.

 

I used to drive mine in the snow in Pittsburgh. I wouldn't worry about weight in the
back, it just makes it swap ends easier.

What I used to do is put studded snows on all 4 wheels, yes even the fronts. The rear
studs helped with traction and the front made steering possible. Only issue
really is ground clearance, once you get to about 8 inches of snow the car is
gliding across it like sled with little or no grip.

Get the tallest, skinniest tires you can find. The 195 are a bit wide, I'd go 185 if
you can or go to a taller tire as well.

 

I don't know why you had a swap out issue with sand bags in the hatch area? I drove here with them in the hatch. We also have a lot of black ice. The weight is for traction. Also if you run studded tires it is always recommended you run them on the front and rear. :-)

 

I'm just relating my own experience. Extra weight wasn't needed, the car had great
traction without the added weight and the one time I did use weight it was harder
to control.

 

nope its just a GSL with a SE rear end. when i purchased the car it had 195/70's on it. and wouldn't you want the biggest diameter tire?

that's not a bad idea

 

studded tires are not allowed on Michigan roads

 

Ah Ha. buying a 94 Mitsubishi Mirage from a guy at work for $300