Ryuske

Does anyone drive their FB in the winter? My biggest concern is being able to drive on more than like 0.5" of snow. Right now mine has KYB GR-2 shocks in the back, and Eibach lowering springs (lowers the car 1"). I'm gonna put some 15x7 wheels on, which I'm pretty sure will also raise it compared to the 13x6s that are on it right now.

Should I put the OEM springs on for the winter? I was also thinking about taking the bumper off, since that's the only thing that seems to be particularly low to the ground.

It's not uncommon to get 3-6" of snow overnight here. So, ultimately I just need the ground clearance to get on-top of the snow. My parents stock '06 Subaru Forester is a pretty good height - so if I can match that I don't think I'll have too many problems.

Thanks!

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

the FB is not a great winter driver. you should get snow tires and weigh down the hatch area with sand bags for the best traction. the car can be driven in the snow and i have driven an FB for many ohio winters but its not worth the risk of something happening to the car and its not worth driving on salty roads and rusting out my car.

Ryuske

Well I don't have another car I can drive haha. But yea, I'll get winter tires. I don't think we salt the roads here, but I may be mistaken. If we do its definitely not as bad as some other places.

What do you think about my ride height issues?

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

Your height will be ok, I think but you will need snow tires on all 4 wheels.

I used to DD mine back in the 80s in Pittsburgh PA all winter. I would swap
on studded, snow tires on all 4 wheels. If you knew how to drive in the snow
really well (meaning you grew up playing with your car in the snow) it always
got through. I remember driving it home one night from work in over 10" of
the white stuff.

dream36realms

iTrader: (4)

im DD'ng mine this year but i have a LS1/T56/8.8 so it will be extra fun. I have ridden sport bikes in snow no issues (well sorta, its a technique thing)

DreamInRotary

iTrader: (49)

I drove mine last winter one day on the stock 13's. Never again.

Could be done as stated though, just be careful.

SunRedRX7

Get some studs for the rear. Stick with the 13" rims as well. Little extra cushioning if you do happen to slide into a curb.

Used to daily drive my 1st RX-7 year round in Buffalo, NY. Never had an issue, except for the salt eating the body, which is why my 2nd one spends the winter parked.

Ryuske

Well, the 13"s that are on it now are Classic Enkei Apache Vs. So those definitely are not staying on the car rofl

Jibaro 12A

iTrader: (8)

I've driven mine a few winters in a few inches of white stuff. I'd at least upgrade your rear tires and add weight in the hatch

Kentetsu

The proper tires will make all the difference. Look for a really agressive SNOW TIRE (not all season).

If you have an LSD then it will help a lot. Still not a good car for the slick stuff though.




.

Ryuske

This isn't the right size or anything, but is this what you guys mean by snow tires?
Error - Discount Tire If that link doesn't work, here is a sample picture: http://www.discounttire.com/product/...hanss1.ang.jpg

I'm hesitant to get studded tires because I'm guessing if I drive with them on a non-snowy road the studs would just get ripped off, or some adverse thing.

What size tires would you need for 15x7 Minilites? I've never had to buy tires for a non-stock rim, so I don't know how to convert 15"x7" into the millimeters and aspect ratio that tires are sold in.

wahootee

iTrader: (50)

I had a SE as a daily driver back in the 80's and never had any issues with it in Nebraska winters which could get kind rough. Always stayed outside and always started.
Fast forward to the 90's and I had a automatic GSL, bone stock w/13" bridgestones ASR tires. One day commuting home from work, I got out on the interstate after they had closed the stretch I was on due to deteriorating road conditions (i.e a mess of snow and wind blizzard like conditions), so I'm wondering where all the other cars are . My radio was inop so I never got the word about the closure. Anyway, to make a long story short , that little auto, brown turd colored car brought me home safely @40 mph a distance of 60 miles in a blizzard. Took me doubel my normal commute time but hey... I took the overdrive off and stayed in either Drive or 2'nd depending on the road and speed. I attribute a lot of this to the mid engine design and excellent weight ratio of the car (and a little bit of luck). It squatted right down and got the job done. The snow was up to the bottom of the doors for most of the drive.
my last 85 GS I drove in the winter I kept a set of chains in the storage bin. One day we got a freak snow storm that was dropping snow like crazy. I live on a hill and there was no way I was going to be getting up that grade with the Cali tires I had on the car. So, I whipped on the chains for all 4 wheels and instantly my Rex was transformed into a little tank and would go ANYWHERE and up any grade! The next day after the storm was done and the plows had been out a few times, I pulled the chains off. That was the one and only time I used them, but again little rex made it back fine. I was passing 4x4's that were slid off the road even.
So, as it was mentioned earlier, proper driving techinque plays a huge role in how well you do as well as tires. Having driven in both automatics and 5 speeds in the snow, you have a little better control with a stick , but the extra weight of the auto helps and you can always "manually" shift the thing if need be. Don't be a ***** - you can do it.

Qingdao

iTrader: (3)

Instead of buying $400 winter shoes and $??? on a limited slip, buy a $300 Sentra/Civic/323 and drive it till it rots away.


ALSO, you can put dinner trays under the rear wheels of a FWD car and have a BLAST in a parking lot.

Ryuske

Umm, I already have 2 cars, unless you're gonna pay the insurance on 3 cars (2 of which are sports car) for me (I'm 18) then go for it. However, I don't have the money for that :P

The LSD is already in the car. And buying the $400 tires isn't a big deal because they should last 2 or more winters.

Qingdao

iTrader: (3)

Niether will the metal under your first gen.


Just call up your ins and swap out the coverage on the "new beater"

martineaucameron

Yeah these cars are not the best in the winter, I garage mine

nff

i drove mine last year right through a manitobian winter. just went and got a pair of 155/80r13 winter tires for like $200 for all 4 installed at walmart. and had no real problems asides from getting stuck once on a rutted solid snow drift that i should not have driven on.

tire

http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/nexen-ew...exen+Tires+Inc.

Ken7102

here in Ga we get ice which sucks.. I don't drive mine in snow/ice just doesn't end well

smuuthie

I drove right thru the winter last year without any problems, I bought a pair of Discount Tire snow treads the first day the snow started, and had an absolute BLAST dropping the clutch and spinning about thru the snow. The only concern I had was ground clearance in heavy drifts, but otherwise, I never worried about traction.

nff

agreed my findings exactly. as long as you know its winter and drive acordingly you shouldent have any problems.

elwood

iTrader: (1)

Tires are very important, and you want the skinniest ones that will safely carry the load, with a good tread pattern. If you want to see this taken to the exteme, check out the winter rally cars; some are running on glorified motorcycle tires. Some patterns are optimized for ice, some for snow -- choose according to your conditions.

155/80-13 tires with an aggressive tread pattern sounds like a good combination. Extra weight in the back won't hurt. An LSD is a mixed blessing. It will allow you to put down more power, but it is more likely to cause snap oversteer if you put down too much.

I drove a high HP 2WD 5SP manual pickup through one of the worst winters here in MI. I kept the bed loaded with firewood and had decent tires. It worked out OK . . . and by summer, the wood was cured!

Ryuske

Well, I put some winter firestones on it yesterday. They're one size smaller than what is "meant" for the 13" OEM Mazda wheels. I don't know exactly what size they are, I'll look later tonight.

I think the car will run fine through the winter here. We don't really get that much ice usually, and we don't use salt on the roads either. So the only concern will be ground clearance, but I still think that will be okay. My mom drives her Forster every winter, and it has about the same clearance as my car.

nff

.... did you seriously just compare a AWD subaru suv to a rx7 in winter driving capabilities? also did your mom drop the forester a few inches to have the same ground clearance..

Ryuske

No I didn't compare them. I compared ride heights. The mid 2000s were also shorter than the new ones. And my fb isn't that low, not compared to my Fc.

I also would not call a 2006 forester an suv...