If you drive in the winter...

[Jersey Mike]

Got winter tires on your fbody? what's it like?




I have a Bolt-On LS1 with the A4 transmission; Will I be fine with just a set of Bridgestone Blizzaks, or should I invest in a $1,500 Jeep?


Do the Blizzaks make that much of a difference? Or does the RWD & HP/TQ negate the winter tires?


discuss!


*edit*
I don't plan on driving through anything heavy, but just to work or something.

[LTb1ow]

Avoid driving in the winter?

Public transportation/friends with cars ftw.

[sweetbmxrider]

its doable. i had all season tires. just don't be a douche.

[Savage_Messiah]

The more i did to my car, the worse it was in winter

I think the 4.10s were what really killed it... i was always on all seasons, too

[maroman88]

i forget wat kinda tires i have for the winter, ive driven alll my cars in the snow and ice tho... the TA was the first i ever had a problem with and it has the most power of the cars ive owned

[NjbadSS]

definitely not winter cars. Get a cheap winter truck or suv rather than winter tires for the f bod. You can find like an older 4 wheel drive s10 or something like that dirt cheap.

[MonmouthCtyAntz]

Im rarely going to drive this car in the winter...when i did years ago when my 97 LT1 was my daily driver believe it or not I thought Nittos dr's were better then the stock goodyears.

[DaSkinnyGuy]

if you can afford the jeep then do that

[NJ346]

I DD mine, but down here at the shore we don't get too much snow. If you have to go to work and theres 6+ inches of snow on the ground, your not getting there in the f-body. Mines a m6 and this will be the first winter with 4.11's and I'm actually in the market for a Jeep right now. F-body and snow doesn't go well, especially early in the winter when the first inch or two turns to ice on the road.

[thunder]

ehh i drove my firebird all winter. drove it in the snow 2. ur gonna be fine as long as you keep your right foot off the floor

[LTb1ow]

Took mine out of the garage once, tried to get somewhere, kept sliding backwards or just going nowhere.

Was cool to hit like 40mph while not moving. ;)

I stick to bumming rides or walking.

[bad64chevelle]

Its probably safer to find an inexpensive winter alternative if you can afford it.

[91chevywt]

For me the safety of driving with power is a factor, but for me its more the road salts and the snow and other crap that gets caked in the undercarrage. i prefer driving something else when it snowy just to keep the car nice

[Little G]

I ran four blizzaks and 200lbs of sound in the well and was truly amazed at how well the car did.

Perhaps due to the power (around 200whp), it never had any problems at all. All-season's are crap - you really can't compete with a good set of super-soft snow tires.

g

[xrelapse13]

i ran blizzaks last winter and drove through 5 inches of pa snow multiple times with no problems. Its an m6 i dunno how it would be with an auto since you dont have as much control off of a stop. Im gonna be doing it again this winter now that the car is cammed.

[JL8Jeff]

Don't bother trying to drive it in the snow. I couldn't even get up my driveway with only 1/2" snow. And if you have the 275/40/17 tires it's even worse! I slid down my driveway almost into the street 10-15 times before I was able to keep the car on the sidewalk and out of the street. You're better off getting something else for snow if you really need to be at work. I worked from home when it snowed but I'm looking at something in a 4wd beater now.

[FlyingDutchman]

I ran bfgoodrich a/s and i really didnt have a problem, got caught x2 in snow only about 1-2" worth drove super slow. thats about max id drive in, was able to get around hills/on/off ramps etc just fine
although its an m6 so i had a bit of control. of course i avoided snow as much as possible and washed it x1 a week (including the undercarriage) to remove salt an what not

[Tru2Chevy]

If you don't want / can't afford to get a second vehicle (like the Jeep you mentioned), getting a set of good snow tires for a set of stock 16" wheels should get you through all but the most severe winter weather.

- Justin

[Jersey Mike]

It comes down to 100 bucks for snow tires (3.23 gears, mid 300s WHP) or $1000+ for a mid 90s Cherokee...
what would you guys do here? I'm very on the fence

[Jersey Mike]

Thanks didn't see the last two replies because it takes forever to type on this iPod

[Little G]

Get skinny tires too - 215-60-16 work best.

g

[NastyEllEssWon]

youll be fine with a ls1 a4. ive driven fbodies in the winter for the last 3....two in a 86 lg4 and once in a 98 z28. i plan on driving the z28 i have in the snow if it doesnt sell before hand.



dont puss out! :-P


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i125/Jsaul83/HPIM0644.jpg

[gotmudnj]

i got a question also do you guys let car sit for winter as not starting it or do you start it time to time and clean it i got a car cover but mine would sit outside so im not sure what to do incase of snow this will be first season with this car and i dont want to drive it in snow...i got myself a jeep before this car so i got that to drive but just wondering on how to prep for snow if we even get any this year.

[MonmouthCtyAntz]

If you have an auto car traction control could be a bitch in the snow ...It took me about a half hour to get my old 97z of my parents block....I was making a trip to meet a girl from Oakhurst to TR in a snow storm, I wouldnt reccomend it lol....power of the poon...:rofl:

[firebirdcrazy]

Nope dont drive in the snow. I learned that the 1st year I drove my 2001 Formula. Got stuck in front of my own house several times on just an inch or more of snow. Same went for my older fbodies. Bought an suv the following year and have had one ever since. If you cant afford a second car best thing I would do is go to your local junkyard or tire guy. Get some 15 in rims with studded snow tires for your rear. That will push you through anything lol.

[LTb1ow]

i got a question also do you guys let car sit for winter as not starting it or do you start it time to time and clean it i got a car cover but mine would sit outside so im not sure what to do incase of snow this will be first season with this car and i dont want to drive it in snow...i got myself a jeep before this car so i got that to drive but just wondering on how to prep for snow if we even get any this year.

Garages ftw. I start it and drive around every nice day I get.

[Tru2Chevy]

....Got stuck in front of my own house several times on just an inch or more of snow. Same went for my older fbodies. ......... Get some 15 in rims with studded snow tires for your rear. That will push you through anything lol.

Exactly. Snow tires make all the difference in the world. IMO, no need for studs in NJ, not enough ice.

- Justin

[deadtrend1]

dont puss out! :-P



your car in the pic wasn't driven let alone cleaned off. Weaksauce.

I drove my 91 for years all year long. No traction control or ABS sissy crap. Weak ass motor, stick shift and posi rear.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r34/deadtrend1/misc/DCP_1436.jpg

[NastyEllEssWon]

lol that pic was pre cleaned off. it was just this year. i have other pics of it in my broken digital camera i cant get out :-x




but yeah i drive my fbodies in the snow :nod:

[BonzoHansen]

IMO a beater is preferable to driving a camaro in the snow. Simply due to road salt, if no other reason.

It comes down to 100 bucks for snow tires (3.23 gears, mid 300s WHP) or $1000+ for a mid 90s Cherokee...
what would you guys do here? I'm very on the fence
Where are you getting 2, no less the highly suggested 4, new snow tires for $100? Try $500+.

If another DD is not an option, then get 4 beater wheels, 16s if you can, and do 4 mounted snows. Much easier than mount/dismount/balance twice a year, and cheaper if you use them a few years. Little G is on the money, go 4 and go narrower. Maybe 235/55/16 or something, I'd have to look. Why 4? Balance. With rear snows only it'll push like a bitch in the wet and oversteer in the dry. It will be even worse if the tires are also skinnier in the rear.

All season tires are poor compromises that do everything OK but nothing well.

[qwikz28]

personally Mike, it would depend on how badly you need to be where you are trying to go. for example, i as a commuter (actually I still am) and it snowed one day i had an exam. Rutgers doesn't close, ever. I got stuck. I dug and dug and eventually made it, but any normal car would have made it. granted I still had summer tires on (this was early December!) but I still wouldn't take that chance again, especially now in grad school. that is how my old isuzu happened.

In any event, take that in to consideration. Before I commuted and had no where to be, it was easy sufficing with all-seasons even. Even now that my school is close enough to walk, I put tires on my saturn that supposedly sacrifice snow prowess for dry and rain handling. its all about the driving style you do. But then again, my camaro now has a big cam, gears, and a ridiculous clutch that would make snow driving a chore. cars that are closer to stock are much easier to deal with.

[JL8Jeff]

Think about it this way. If you have 4 snow tires on another set of wheels, you'll want them on if the forecast is for snow. But the other 95% of the time when it's dry or rain the car will drive like crap with the snow tires and you'll want to put the stock wheels/tires back on. Just do a search on here to see how many people bounced off a curb or got into a fender bender trying to drive in bad weather. The LS1 with an A4 is not good at all in the snow. If you do $1000 worth of damage and jack up your insurance then the beater 4x4 is a better solution. Or just find a friend with 4x4 when it snows or stay home. :nod:

[BonzoHansen]

Also note good summer tires normally suck <50* outside :p

[JL8Jeff]

Also note good summer tires normally suck <50* outside :p

Yes, when most 275/40/17 tires are <30 degrees they tend to be rock hard and spin easily on cold, dry pavement let alone cold, snowy pavement. :lol: And they act like taboggans as they sit on top of the snow. 315's are even more fun!

[miketa95]

I drove my 95 daily in any weather to and from school (marlton to philly) daily. I had 4 season tires, and I can think of two situations where that car met snow and it was bad. One was that it began snowing in the morning and they decided to let us out at like 1:30, so my entire ride home was a mess. The car would not stay straight over 30mph. I remeber going over the ben franklin scared to death. Then the next day, they decided to have school, even though they dont plow the streets in philly. I was unaware of this, so I drove to school and as soon as i got onto a back city street with a slight hill my car stopped and started going backwards. Def. never drove in any snow after that. Rain was bad enough, Def. would go for the cherokee. Plus it's nice to have a beater for other occasions as well.

[91chevywt]

yes the benefits of having a beater are great...just besides the fact you'd be much better off in the snow. You would actually have space to carry things, not have to swerve potholes and bumps, the list goes on. If you list it as your DD it will cut the insurance cost of your f-body.

cherokee, s10 blazer, exploder, bronco, there are plenty models out there i'm sure you could find a decent ride for a grand.