Torch101

Can you get a ticket for trying to drift in a empty parking lot?

SonicRaT

iTrader: (6)

No, however you CAN get arrested for trespassing/destruction of private property (if the owner of the lot wants to be a REAL ***), etc. Since it's private property, the owner of the lot has to press charges/etc.

dcrews

iTrader: (2)

I just realized that when I posted it said I was from Springfield, MO. The winters that I drove my FC I was living in Wheeling, WV. I drove the 7 in up to 5 inches of snow. The car's a lot more predictable than the Grand Prix, which is quite sad.

When the debate comes between do I drive the Trans Am or the 7... I'm taking the 7 hands down.

TrevorsTII

as for letting them warm up let them warm up a few minutes then you can go but keep the rpms under 4k so you dont slip a seal...i drove my FB last summer!..not good news..Bald tires and only 185sno wheight in the back and the car is a 50/50 weight balance but in winter you want rear end to be heavy..so i put in my weight set from my bench press..hahha...but i still stun cookies turning a corner at like 10 mph..and i was driving in the rain once took a corner at like 20 not sharp but ******* no traction at all..slid everywhere..i suggest a cheap fwd or a awd your better off..i bought a 86 ford tempo for winter for 200..its the winter car..haha

MPLSrx7

so what do you guys do besides spraying the bottom to protect it from salt. my car has no rust now and i dont want it to start.

mrslysly

so anyone know where to get a block heater for an 86 GTU?

<3FCRX

Mazda dealership. They install the one they're using on the RX8's.

jono20

I undercoated my s5 as best I could while it was up on stands for the engine swap. i got the wheel wells coated, but some of the underside didnt get much. hope itll be ok. Ill startbodywork and paint in the spring and have a winter beater for next year.

I currently have my rears @ 20psi. would lowering the pressure help with traction at all or am I jsut being an idiot. I dont care about tire wear, theyre just some of my throwaway drift tires anyways.

LookThatsMe

well my car is non turbo and i took it out one day last year in the winter and never again... since now its going to be turbo... well put it this was ur going down a hill like 15 mph and all of a sudden u hit ice and your doing 360's down a hill with cars parked on the side and end up going up the curb and not hitting one thing... next time i might not get that lucky knock-on-wood" but yea im going to store my 7 and get a Honda Crx for like 400 lol and **** *** it if i crash it take it to a parking lot, and take the plates off and leave lol

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Please take a winter driving course, don't drive too fast for conditions, and get a set of snow tires.

ViperBart

iTrader: (3)

Drove the 86 rx-7, standard w/ summer tires all winter last year. No problems, except when you dry to do high speed drifts at 80+km/h (50mph) on the highway at 2 in the morning and get in a spin-out. LOL. Man was it ever a pain to get out of that! probly 15 feet off the side of the road in about 2 feet of snow. Had to get someone to tow me out.

But that was just a stupid "wanna try this out" mistake.

The 7's are very hard to drive in the winter no doubt, but I can drive. I can't tell you how often I freed other cars that were stuck in the snow just by hoping in the drivers seat and driving it out of there.

Point being... If your not confident about your driving... get yourself a AWD. If you've been there and sone that, drive whatever you like, its fun. Just dont forget about the others on the road.

Syonyk

*quirks* I'm confident in my winter driving, but you can have my Subaru when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers (or give me a newer one in exchange). A good 4WD car will outperform anything with 2WD in the snow. A good 4WD Subaru with ice tires will be one of the last vehicles able to move in a blizzard. And if you get a lifted 4WD Subaru with good snow/ice tires stuck, you're on your own, because nothing short of a snowmobile will be able to get anywhere near you.

And... it's been said before, but get some good snow tires. They're worth it.

-=Russ=-

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

AWD just helps you accellerate, it will not help you stop or prevent you from sliding off the road.

I've said it before and I'll say it again (not directed at the author of the post I just replied to): If you are having trouble driving your RX-7 in the winter, and you aren't on bald tires and an on/off clutch, then YOU CANNOT DRIVE. After drivng my 2nd gen for three years in the winter, and my 1st gen 2 years after that, I am fully convinced that an RX-7 is no problem in the winter IF YOU KNOW HOW TO DRIVE.

I'm not saying that I'm the worlds greatest driver, but all you need to know is how to modulate the clutch and accellerator, proper braking techniques and have the common sense to not drive too fast for the conditions.

If you have problems like not being able to accelerate without the rear end sliding around, you do not know proper pedal control. If you cannot avoid sliding when you brake, you do not know how to brake properly. If you slide off the road, lose control or otherwise hit something, you were driving too fast for the conditions.

Last Friday we had about 8-9 inches of snow dumped on us in a period of hours. I watched in great amusement as people got stuck, slid through intersections and put their SUVs into the ditch while I merrily drove around in my 1800 LB Insight on crappy all season LRR tires without a single problem...

Rant over.

jkimbro

iTrader: (3)

I totally agree with Aaron here. I've never had an issue driving the my rx7 in the winter....I mean, if I drive like an idiot I expect to get idiotic results. But damn, the car is SOOO predictable, it's rather easy to drive. Granted..if we get more than 6-8 inches, I'd rather drive my explorer for ground clearance issues...but as far as easy to drive on a slick surface...the 7 does quite well.

mrslysly

Sweet, one issue, the nearest mazda dealership that isn't a backwater shop is over 100 miles from me.

jgrts20

um I would buy a beater for the winter, the last time I drive a 7 in the winter(my 1st generation one that I had) the underneath just rotted big time with just one winter. Moral of the story that was the end of that car, even though the cars body itself was fine. BTW it was undercoated too. From thenst on I swore I would NEVER use a 7 in the winter. The winters here in VT are hursh too. If you must drive it, keep it well cleaned, put some nokias or cooper weathermasters on and hope for the best. My car I currently have is always stored and I purchased it down in Georgia(south). The bodies in perfect condition ant thats the way it gonna stay!! Thats my 2 cents, goodluck

chris

Syonyk

I'm going to have to disagree slightly. Depending on the car & drivetrain, AWD can actually stop somewhat faster, due to slowing the rear wheels with the fronts. Brake balance is set up to prevent the rears from locking before the fronts, on dry pavement, with weight transfer. On a car without antilocks, a 4WD setup with no center differential will stop faster in 4WD than without, in some cases significantly so. The tradeoff is that if you lock the wheels, you lock all 4. I suspect a vehicle with a good 4-channel antilock system would be better, but... sadly, good antilock systems seem to be sorely lacking around here.

Also, having 4 wheels driving reduces the load on each wheel, giving more lateral traction under acceleration and normal driving. Every 2WD car I've driven in snow has been somewhat squirmy at speed (same thing goes for gravel). It gets a vague wandering feeling. 4WD eliminates that almost completely. The tracking difference is much greater than you'd think just turning 2 more wheels would provide.

Finally, in the event that the car does start sliding, 4WD/AWD is much better at "clawing it's way to traction", and at least in my experience has significantly better control in a slide than either FWD or RWD - you can use power to rotate the rear around if needed, but it's nearly impossible to snap it around like a RWD vehicle.

Out of curiosity, Aaron, have you had a chance to drive a 4WD/AWD vehicle in heavy snow/ice?

-=Russ=-

skir2222

If you guys want to drive your FC in the snow/winter go for it, its your car do as you please with! Others have advised though tires... undercoating... things to help prevent damage to our cars. Just stay on top of things and be careful!