Hey everyone.

There seems to be a lot of talk on these forums about the ability of the RWD coupe (or non AWD sedan) to get around in the snow. Well, when I woke up this morning and looked out my window, this is what I saw:





Is it sad that I was excited to see this? Not really because it meant that I could test out all of my winter gear!

Since late August/September I have been getting my car ready for winter. I bought some weathertech floor mats, got my car sprayed with a rust proofing undercoat and bought some ws-70 blizzaks with 17" sport edition rims.

Now, after taking a cruise around my neighborhood here is what I have come up with.

YOU CAN DRIVE THIS CAR IN THE WINTER!!

Thats right everybody. It is not nearly as hard as everyone makes it out to be. I live in upstate NY and have all of my life and as long as you KNOW how to drive your car in winter conditions you will be more than fine. Just be easy on the gas and you are good to go.

For all of you that doubt that it can be done I took a video to prove it



Yes the video is a little boring but it's meant to just demonstrate that I had no trouble starting or stopping in some slushy conditions. I was purposly braking harder than I normally would in snowy conditions to test the responsiveness and braking distance of the tires.

Now granted this wasn't a snow storm but it was more than managable. Like I said I live in upstate NY and we get plenty of snow here (1-2 feet of snow is not unheard of at all in one night) and I plan to repost as I drive in some more serious snowy conditions. But for all of you that are worried about this car in the snow all I have to say is just get some snow tires and take it easy. You definitely can not run summers in the winter, but with the proper tires you can drive a RWD car.

 

I think the blizzaks are the reason why its doing so good in the snow.. They are great snow tires.. Nice neighborhood btw!!

 

I live in south Jersey...the winters here arent nearly as bad but they can be sometimes, but despite that I just cant justify buying winter tires. When I think of houw often I drive in the snow and how often (not much) it snows badly here versus the amount of money spent on the tires, I cant make up my mind. Yes it's safer...but my ride to work is two miles, if its snowing out I really dont go many places anyway. This will be my first winter with a RWD car. blaaaah.

 

+1 ...

 

setup is everything.
Props for doing it right with proper snows instead of all-seasons.

 

Yeah I definitely wanted to do it right. The way I look at it is if my snow tires save me just one time from slipping out of my lane or off of the road, then they have paid for themselves. One accident could potentially cost me way more than how much my snow tires cost. Not to mention that the tires save me the hassle of getting stuck!

But as far as your situation goes viventi, I say you might be good with some solid all seasons. I bought my coupe this past august and the previous owner said he drove the car in a chicago winter with a set of continental dws's. They are a very good all season tire and he got through it but you definitely do better with the winter tires. All I know is that it is necessary for where I live, but for you it might not be so bad

 

Nice video and neighborhood.

What did you have sprayed on your car that wouldn't have already been on there and how much did it cost? I am going to be buying an 07-08 sedan next spring from a southern state/out west and I am not sure if those cars are treated the same with the rust protection and stuff as a northern state car.

Anyone care to chime in?

 

hahaha props for snow driving
i always thought about doing this.. but never had the ***** to

 

How does it perform on steep grades with blizzaks? going up and down...

 

I don't know why this is such a big deal, people have been driving RWD cars in the snow for decades . Tires make a huge difference, as multiple folks have said. The G won't climb as steep a grade as an AWD car if it's real slippery since it's only got 40-something percent of the weight over the drive wheels, but it does pretty well. If you've got traction problems, throw a hundred pounds of sand bags in the trunk and you're golden. The reason FWD is considered better in snow is simply because it has more weight over the drive wheels. As for going downhill, it doesn't matter if you've got FWD, AWD or RWD, just don't go fast enough so that you can't make a turn or stop for lights and signs and such.

 

^ People say sandbags are horrible. If moisture gets in the bags and starts to leak your going to have rust city.

Play Sand is what people say to get

 

Decorative "river rocks" used for landscaping are what I choose when I need weight. They don't retain any moisture, so you can keep them year after year. Just hose them off and let them dry before putting them in the car.

 

were getting 14-20 inches tonight in MA

 

just throw your wife in the trunk if you want some decent traction. works for me!

 

my 06 X was great today in the snow here in NYC. i gotta say i did get stuck once in a big pile of snow. But after a lil bit of help from neighbors i was able to get out without any issues.

i have to say the vdc gets a lil bit annoying sometimes, gotta turn it off and go easy on the gas.