Fc good in snow?
B.G.O.B.G.A.I.
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 626
Likes: 0
From: EUROPE
get rid of the all seasons and go full winter tire and you wont need 150lbs in the back....i had a 300+ hp vert that rocked in the snow...it outperformed our FWD station wagon by far!
Originally Posted by wotnartd
My winter setup:
My nice and soft 40,000 mile all season radials at 28 psi.
100-150lbs salt or sand in the back.
A gentle foot.
Spun out once, due to too much weight in the back, showed me that I needed to use an even more gentle foot. Tires need to be nice and full, so they are more narrow, so they have less surface are, so more weight is on a smaller surface, it makes traction in the snow when you're moving. Make sure your tires have good tread, that's very important. Even take some time in an empty parking lot, see what it takes to spin out, skid, whip around, all are very important.
I've driven in a lot of snow, and I've not crashed yet. And like I said, I spun out once, in a parking lot, during a freezing rain storm.
I've also only got an open diff. It's not what you've got, it's how you use it.
Also, eliminate 1st gear. Watch for "grease" too, that will make traction disappear.
Digging it out is the hardest part.
My nice and soft 40,000 mile all season radials at 28 psi.
100-150lbs salt or sand in the back.
A gentle foot.
Spun out once, due to too much weight in the back, showed me that I needed to use an even more gentle foot. Tires need to be nice and full, so they are more narrow, so they have less surface are, so more weight is on a smaller surface, it makes traction in the snow when you're moving. Make sure your tires have good tread, that's very important. Even take some time in an empty parking lot, see what it takes to spin out, skid, whip around, all are very important.
I've driven in a lot of snow, and I've not crashed yet. And like I said, I spun out once, in a parking lot, during a freezing rain storm.
I've also only got an open diff. It's not what you've got, it's how you use it.
Also, eliminate 1st gear. Watch for "grease" too, that will make traction disappear.
Digging it out is the hardest part.
Originally Posted by Travelintrevor
get rid of the all seasons and go full winter tire and you wont need 150lbs in the back....i had a 300+ hp vert that rocked in the snow...it outperformed our FWD station wagon by far!
Originally Posted by wotnartd
Snow tires cost money I do not have. I'd buy them if I could, I can't afford it, though. that's why I have such a low mileage tire, much stickier.
Originally Posted by jeremy
um, that doesn't mean **** on snow. sports tires only good qualityin the snow is that you can't get moving so you can't get yourself into trouble.
If the tires I used never worked, I must have had one helluva dream, beause in the winter, I drove home 6 times, 225 miles both ways, snow both ways, and lots of it.
when i had my phone dials on my n/a i was running some sigma regent all season touring tires on it. the car was excellent in the snow at moderate speeds.
i had it out in a parking lot one night messing around in a couple inches of snow and was able to control the car very well in the event of lost traction. i was trying to put the car sideways and the rear end never really got away from me. a little e-brake fixed that... damn that was a fun night.
i later got an wreckless driving on private property in the same abandoned lot. dropped to improper driving w/ $500 fine, so don't try this at home.
i had it out in a parking lot one night messing around in a couple inches of snow and was able to control the car very well in the event of lost traction. i was trying to put the car sideways and the rear end never really got away from me. a little e-brake fixed that... damn that was a fun night.
i later got an wreckless driving on private property in the same abandoned lot. dropped to improper driving w/ $500 fine, so don't try this at home.
Originally Posted by alexdimen
when i had my phone dials on my n/a i was running some sigma regent all season touring tires on it. the car was excellent in the snow at moderate speeds.
i had it out in a parking lot one night messing around in a couple inches of snow and was able to control the car very well in the event of lost traction. i was trying to put the car sideways and the rear end never really got away from me. a little e-brake fixed that... damn that was a fun night.
i later got an wreckless driving on private property in the same abandoned lot. dropped to improper driving w/ $500 fine, so don't try this at home.
i had it out in a parking lot one night messing around in a couple inches of snow and was able to control the car very well in the event of lost traction. i was trying to put the car sideways and the rear end never really got away from me. a little e-brake fixed that... damn that was a fun night.
i later got an wreckless driving on private property in the same abandoned lot. dropped to improper driving w/ $500 fine, so don't try this at home.
I totally agree on it being hard to kick out, skinny tires make a heck of a diffrence, though. In that video, I was in total control. I actually have an easier time doing donuts on dry pavement...
Originally Posted by Rotaryterror
superstock2 hows your gtu looking now?did u notice more rust on the body or under the car?ill take that into consideration to just drive with some sense wouldnt driving in the snow actually help with skill also?
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 286
Likes: 0
From: indiana
I've got a 86 auto that i drive around for winter while my vert and tII are parked. I tried driving my first tII in winter that ended badly driver side first threw a stop sign 4*4 phone line marker then finally stoped when the driver door hit the utility pole. but the auto even mildly moded does real well think it has to do with the 390 rear end gearing and the power delivery of the torque nice and smooth.
MattB
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,124
Likes: 0
From: Haverhill, MA
My FC had 300 whp and i drove it through a whole winter without any problems at all... Dunlop Graspic winter tires, undercoating, and a quick wash at LEAST once a week kept it clean...
BTW i live in New England...
it can actually be lots of fun in the industrial parks...
BTW i live in New England...
it can actually be lots of fun in the industrial parks...
If you car is in good shape and you want to keep it that way park it for winter. I dorve mine for 5 years straight in manitoba winters and it got destroyed by the salt. Don't believe the guys who say if you clean it every time you take it out in winter, you can wash the salt off. First the salt gets into areas you don't even know about, you can never get it all off unless you use a hoist and spend a lot of time, second car washes in the winter suck. Eveytime I washed my car the locks freeze solid among other things. If they only use gravel on your roads it's less of a concern.
Other than salt completely ruining these car, they perform close to average as far as driving in the snow. The main issue is traction - it doesn't have any. I drove with good tires, bald tires and a couple sections of railroad in the back for extra weight. The car is too light to grip the slippery stuff but any edge you can give it will help. You can't drive in deep snow either as the clearance will cause you to bottom out and get stuck easily. The main plus of the RX-7 in winter is it has good handling once you figure out how it handles on ice, you can drive like most of the other cars out there. Ice driving in these things are more like controlled sliding rather than driving. I did fine after 5 years of winter driving, never hit anything, and was only stuck in the deep snow couple times. In those five years though my car looked like it aged 20 years.
Other than salt completely ruining these car, they perform close to average as far as driving in the snow. The main issue is traction - it doesn't have any. I drove with good tires, bald tires and a couple sections of railroad in the back for extra weight. The car is too light to grip the slippery stuff but any edge you can give it will help. You can't drive in deep snow either as the clearance will cause you to bottom out and get stuck easily. The main plus of the RX-7 in winter is it has good handling once you figure out how it handles on ice, you can drive like most of the other cars out there. Ice driving in these things are more like controlled sliding rather than driving. I did fine after 5 years of winter driving, never hit anything, and was only stuck in the deep snow couple times. In those five years though my car looked like it aged 20 years.
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Edmonton, AB
Part of it is what tires you have, part of it is how you drive. I had a set of brand new Blizzaks last winter and no extra weight in the car at all and outdrove my roommate in his Dodge 4x4. The one good dump we got (12-14") I got out and he got stuck. As for the ice - well, find your "local" racing club and do a "winter performance driving school" AKA Ice Racing School. You'll need it, but if you know what you're doing, you won't notice much of a difference at all in when or where you go.
