whofarzed

I was wondering if I should buy a car for the winter ( I know someone that has a 86 Audi quattro turbo 5000cs, ugly yes but it is 4 wheel drive and supposidly it does 0-100 in 8.2 sec)

I have a feeling that the seven is not going to be the best in the snow, also I bet the choke is going to suck in the cold weather.

Do any of you drive your 7's in the winter months?

clean

Hey farz,
I've never driven my RX in the winter, but I can tell you my opinion. A standard is usually quite good in the winter (I'd assume you rex is a standard). I had a little mustang that I drove in the winter, and I had no problem, even though it was rear wheel drive like the RX. But the problem is, these cars are more than just your average a to b car, they're sports cars, which you normally want to take GOOD care of. I personally don't think you'd have too much trouble in the snow, if you know how to drive it, but you don't want the salt eating out the bottom of your car, you want to avoid salt at all costs! Here's my opinion, don't drive it in the winter, just cause you'll rot the bottom out. It's a beautiful car, you want to treat it well!
(Don't think for an instant that the salt isn't a big deal.. it's a MAJOR problem!)

whofarzed

The bottom already had some rust holes that I patched to get the safety check. I have a feeling that they are going to get bigger as I patched them just with sheet metal and pop rivets. I should get metal welded on I guess.

clean

Yeah, it'll only get worse, the only way to stop rust is to get rid of all of it. Even a little will spread. If you do end up driving it in the winter, make sure you get it oil garded.
The lady I bought my car off of actually drove it during the winter, and let it sit during the summer (she could ride her bike in the summer). Unfortunately, the bottom is all rusted out. When I bought the car, it actually looked really good under there, but now that I've been under there a few times.. I find it's not so good.. Oh well.
Anyway, I'm planning on storing my car for the winter. Not sure where yet though.

rotorhead

i tried to drive mine in the snow.... i don't think i'll try that again! i got stuck backing out of the garage! i guess it depends on your car's setup. my tires apparantly stink in the snow, my heavy clutch and limited slip make those tires break loose pretty easily. and now i've got more HP than last year, so i don't even want to see how that'll turn out. that said, if you are going to drive it, get some sandbags to carry in the hatch area. it makes a LOT of difference in traction. if you can get snow tires, do so, or perhaps a really good all weather tire. if it gets really bad, you could put snow cables(not chains) on it for sure. me? i think i'm gonna find a beater car for the winter. it'll be cheaper to run a $200 clunker than repair the underside for rust on the seven........ or you could get a subaru WRX and not even slow down your driving!

Denny

Gotta agree with the 7 Cowboys....

Sevens are Sports Cars. They can be driven in snow, just be real careful....Take care of that undercarriage! Take 'er to the wash once a week and spray the underside completely clean. The narrower the tire the better in snow.
We don't get much snow down here. I can remember two times last Winter when I had to drive in snow, otherwise it was wet, and salty. No, I didn't drive my Sevens, that's what Deerslayer is for...The front wheel drive Protege with 3 deer heads painted on the fender. And Momma drives the Honda Accord....Get yuh a front wheel drive beater, that way you can work on, or get parts for your Seven, then show off in the Spring!

Denny, from the 'ol corncrib...

SilverRocket

These cowboys are all correct... don't drive it in the winter!!

I tried it once and did a 360 about 5 feet from my driveway. Any kind of a hill and the car won't even move. Granted with snow tires and sandbags you might do better, but I can't really imagine it being a very good winter car. My opinion is its really too light and powerful (with mods anyways...) of a car for that stuff.

Just get a beater, it's pretty much impossible to keep your 7 really nice if you drive it on wet salty roads. I drive a 91 civic in the winter, and my rex (stored all winter) still looks almost as good as the day she was new.

If you're on a cheap budget, I recommend hondas as winter cars (gasp....), they required very little maintenance and start up fast everytime, even when it's -40. They are slow as all hell, but they're more 'sporty' than other cars I could think of...

peejay

What are you guys smoking? My SA is the next best thing to my 4wd Subaru. Actually now it's THE best thing because the Suby is slowly but surely getting parted out. (Parting out junk cars is FUN - just cut and hack until you get what you want out)

I mean, yeah, you won't be flying up hills covered with 3' of snow, but it'll go where 95% of the driving public can go. The low polar moment of inertia means that the car will rotate easily, but it also means that it will recover easily too - in other words the car will do exactly what you want it to do, and if you start to screw up it's easy to get sorted out again.

Last winter I had lots of fun driving up and down NE Ohio's (very) gentle freeway grades at about 70-80mph in a few inches of snow and slush. Power on, feel the back end start to get loose, back out a little and it comes under control. The trick is trying to pass all the SUVs going 40.

It's been a long time since I've touched my website, but click my www link - the opening page is from last February's most excellent snowstorm. It was just me and the truckers that night, and they were puttering along so it was like I had the road to myself. All of the roads in Columbus were coated with ice and I guess they have no clue when it comes to slippery roads, so I was down there hangin' the tail out everywhere, banging 1st thru 4th before going half a block, grabbing the handbrake and sliding sideways, perfectly into a parking space, etc. (Eeeee-like a glove!) Everyone else freaking out going 10mph in Explorers fitted with studded snow tires. Hahahaha...

There is a price to be paid for this much fun, though. Rust. (The reason why the Suby is getting parted out...)

clean

Hey, buy a small front wheel drive car for the snow, if you really know how to do it, the rear wheel drive cars are awesome in the snow, and peejay's right, they're a lot more fun, but they can be way more dangerous if you're not accustomed to driving in snow and if you try to drive like you do in the summer (spinning the tires every chance you get)
And, the worst part, you will pay for it in rust. Body work is.. a lot of work, and a paint job is really expensive.. try a small honda or something.

If you do decide to drive the RX in the winter, and you haven't driven much in the snow with a car like that, ask around, you'll get some tips (probably some accident reports too :p )

great white north

Don't listen to all these yankees and wannabees. I grew up in Saskatoon, and drove my 81 year round. Get the block heater plugged in and it's alot of fun. Put a two sandbags in the back hatch corners for some traction, and presto, your doing power drifts all day. The heater is fine. My started even at -40 celsius!!! Canadians are tough, what's a little snow and cold.

great white north

!!!

7addict

I too lived in Saskatoon and Edmonton with 7s. Not worth the hassel in the winter. First if it's a beater than it probably does not run perfect so it'll be worse in winter. 2nd you need blizzaks if you do and they are $800.00 a set or if your me you can have your father in law waiting around the corner with a shovel every time you visit. I also owned a Audi 5000 and it was the best!! winter car I have ever owned, very stable, starts well and rides great. You can also buy them cheap but repairs are a killer!

smnc

I used to drive my old -SE in the winter, and I plan to drive my new one too. Like everyone says, you gotta take care of the underbody, but if you're a good driver, a rear wheel car is perfectly safe to drive in the winter. I had a nice set of Blizaks on my old car and I never had a problem.

It's not the car! It's the driver! I see TONS of AWD SUV's in the ditch all the time. Actually SUV's are the first to go off the road. People who drive the damned things think they're invicible, and always get a nice suprise when they take a corner too fast and slide right off the road.

rxtasy

i drive my '85 SE all year long , and have for the last 6-7 years. you need a good set of winter tires and some wheels you don't care about. i get my car oil sprayed at Crown every year just before the snow hits. the car was also undercoated before i got it. there is still no rust under the car! (even the dreaded wheel wells haven't rusted on this one) i have never gotten stuck on the road, and last year was the first time i couldn't get out of the driveway, but thats because there was so much snow in one night and my street must be the last one on the list for plows so NOBODY (including the Cherokee's n' 4Runners) was getting out that day. i also take it through the no touch car was to blast the underside about once a week in the heavy salt season.

here is a pic of the nasty day....notice the front wheel drive civic stuck, and behind it just barely in the pic, a 4wd tracker (or something like that) that tried to help and got stuck too. that was the only day i couldn't go anywhere.

Richard Miller

Go for the quattro. and the type 44 audis are not ugly. a bit practical but compare them to their temporaries. I own a 5kT andI love it as much as my FB. My recomendations are with the Audi is the main problems are in the automatic transmissions. If it is a manual you should ahve a very reliable ride. just make sure the timing belt is good. if you can not verifie the age of the belt bite the bullet and replace it. a competent shop or intelligent home mechanic will replace the front oil seal and the waterpump at the same time. from 86 on up the bodys are galvinized and are very well built. mine has 180k on it and the body is more solid than my full sized Pontiac Parisianne (like a caprice) with only 50k. I had my head reworked and left the lower engine stock and I am still within factory specs for compression. The trunk is huge, the doorhandles break and the blower motors seem to fail on high milage cars. but the engine is indistructable and capible of over 300hp. what would you do with a 300+ hp AWD @ 3000 car in the winter. I see a lot of fun ahead. check out www.audifans.com this is a group that no older audi driver should be without.

PS. NSU was part of Auto Union which is now Audi so the 5000 and the 7 are distance cousins.

whofarzed

yeah the audi is a standard.

Last year I drove a 87 Jetta gli and I think my friends 2gen rx-7 with a few bricks in the back had better traction (I guess the 50 50 weight dist. helps out) I think the Jetta is just too damn light even in the front.

clean

Hey farz,
smnc's right, it's the driver. I'm a canadian, and I've driven every winter for the past.. 9.. I think.. something like that. My greatest fear in driving in the winter is other drivers. Most of the time people around here are pretty good, they're used to driving in the winter, but occasionally you get someone that's.. scary. If you know how to do it, and you don't mind the rust, go for it, but an Audi, or something other than that beautiful rx-7 is always a better choice ('cause you don't have to worry about your rex rusting!). A rear wheel drive vehicle is a blast in the snow, but you have to decide if it's worth it. Besides, a big selling point for an RX-7 is that it's never been winter driven, keep that in mind if you plan on selling it someday.
Clean

GSL-SE

Now that i just seen that pic i want winter to come, duno why tho i just do

White84SE

Don't drive it in the snow? Come on guys... you're denying yourself a crap-load of fun if you don't... My old '82 GSL had most of the rear quarters rusted off, but was solid underneath when we bought it. It was my first car, and I drove through my first winter in it. Never had a problem, granted, I had winter-treads on the back, but they weren't anything special, just a mini-pickup tire. No sand or ballast in the back, just straight-up. The LSD was functioning, and I accredit that as part of the reason why it was so good in the snow. Car was a blast in slush. If you wanted, the car was smooth and sedate while driving with traffic. However, when there was no traffic around, the car would drift so effortlessly. Ever seen a 12-minute long single drift? I've got to find a way to get that video off of my friend..... My opinion? If the car is a cream-puff, don't drive it in the snow, but only because it's nice. Don't be afraid of their "uncontrollable nature".. it's just not true.. pay attention to the car, and listen to what it's doing.. more fun than any FWD I've driven in the snow...

--Danny

Jeff20B

iTrader: (13)

My bro got a GSL-SE in december in Fort Collins CO, and it was really great in the snow! The days were either sunny or snowy. It was several months before he actually drove it on a wet road!

The tires were 185 75R 14 and they did fine in the snow. However he once got stuck in 1 inch of slush on level ground. How'd he manage that one? If it's up to the door jambs in powder, and the exhaust heat shields are leaving nice marks in the snow, no prob at all. If it's almost that deep and at an incline, still no prob, but 1 inch of slush?

He also had a bad 1st gear that would not go in unless the car was at a complete standstill. But he found a way around it. He would simply lock up the brakes on a patch of black ice or compacted snow, and it would go into 1st every time, regardless of how fast the car was actually going

Sterling

I'm currently building up a slightly rusted 82 for a winter car. I'll slap some big *** snow tires on, and maybe even jack it up! Throw some sand bags in the back...What the hell; it's certainly no showpiece, but what cooler "winter beater" is there?. Last year I drove my "good" Rx-7 in the snow a few times...You know; no snow on the ground, go to work, and there's 6 inches on the road when you're on your way home. (Where the HELL are the plow trucks!!!?)
Well lemme tel ya- if you CARE about your car, you'll feel like beatin' yerself with a bat if you kiss a guardrail.
And the salt...My God the salt!
Just get a rusted out **** box Subaru for $200. Hit all the deer, pedestrians and guardrails ya want. You'll get out of your crapper-car with a big smile on your face knowing your Rex is nice and safe.

bylinepjw

I drove my 83 GSL through three Ohio winters and it was a disaster. I was running Comp TAs, and they were like driving on ball bearings in anything slippery. RWD, high power-to-weight ratio and performance tires are NOT a winter machine.
Now I put the 85 GS in the barn and drive the Rodeo in Wisconsin winters.

bennett

I've been driving my 83 GSL back and forth from Denver to CO springs for 2 winters. Before that, it was driven in Manitou Springs some of the (biggest hills you can find) in populated COlorado. That did kill the clutch, but other than that the car works great down to -10F.

The great thing about CO -- NO SALT. Not a bit of rust. Everybody should bring their 7's here... they would all last a lot longer!

--Just my comment for the day.
Bennett

rotorhead

not the car, it's the driver? i'd like to find that out, except the rx buried itself five feet from my garage. no traction at all. my driveway has a 5degree incline and there's no way to get up it. i know how to drive smooth, and i know how to drive in snow.... i learned by drifting 4wheelers all around the place. but.... 205 series tires, 2500lbs, 150hp, and a touchy clutch.... it ain't happenin' . of course, maybe my tires are partly to blame... they suck in the rain too. they sure do last though! 3 years and they still have most all the tread(35kmiles). btw, never buy regul sport challengers, they sacrifice performance for tread wear.

Suparslinc

Had my '84 out in the snow a couple of times. I think the LSD is a big help on these cars.
Went around a turn too fast, rear end came out on some salt or gravel, and slid down about a 10 foot embankment into a little field. There was about 6 inches of snow on the ground and high grass. Well I put my chubbly little friend who was with me in the hatch, backed up over a couple of tree roots, and let that thing roar. It climbed the embankment in 2nd gear. I was amazed.
Parking lots are alot of fun. Just don't get caught.
Once i was doing a skidpad test around a little circle street, whipping the back end out, and I got the front right tire off the road, only about a foot or so and I could not back out even with two tires on fairly dry pavement.
Then there was the time I was wiping my window because it was misty on the way to my gf's house. We won't get into that one. Luckily it was a busy street and some guy with a Explorer had a hoist.
I say go for it. Just so long as you have decent snow tires.