This is not a winter car! Fed up! May end up selling...

[hmong337]

With my lifetime of Canadian winter driving experience with many different types of cars, I have never once gotten stuck in deep snow. That is until the frs! This first season alone I already have gotten stuck twice! Wtf! And its only January

The first time I got stuck, I got lucky and barely made it out and home.

Well, big snow storm tonight. A good 8-10 inches of snow. Got home from work safely then turned onto my unploughed neighborhood street. Stuck!

I never felt such failure in winter driving. No matter what I tried, the car just wouldn't go no more. The good thing is that I made it about 30 yards from my house. The bad thing was that I had to wake my wife up to help push the car. Imagine if I would've gotten stranded elsewhere... Fail!

The traction control is a fucking joke! Seriously, I mean that in that most sincerest way.

I got further with TRAC off than with it on doing it the old fashion way. If anything, TRAC is the garbage that got me stuck! There's a reason why I'm still kinned to old cars without all the nanny trash. Raw is true car control!

So the FRS is supposed to be my DD for the next 5 years and winter seasons. I'm feeling pretty upset at the moment. I honestly thought I'd be fine with car as long as it has winter tires. I've got a pretty bitter taste for the car's winter performance right now. Unacceptable.

What's more of a joke, I purposely chose to run 205/60r16's winter tires for more ground clearance. My car is 100% stock too.

I'm now having second thoughts on whether this is the adequate DD that's supposed to take me through these Canadian winters. It's sad that all my beaters in the past have never left me stranded. Including my college beater box 92 Toyota Tercel. But my sexy brand new FRS, complete shit.

I'm sort of considering selling this car come spring time. It just isn't good enough in snow. Hell, back then when my MR2 was non-turbo and my only car after college, it was a tank through the deepest snow on winter tires!

Front engine rwd FRS 53:47 is pure Canadian winter fail car. Never have I felt pretty helpless in snow. I just don't wanna be close to that kind of situation.


Now, the more I think about this, the new 2014 Mazda 3 hatch is looking awfully nicer these days.

/rant

[Guillaume]

FR layout is pretty much the worse for snow traction... I mean, what did you expect ?! I hear AT doesn't help, though I don't know what tranny you have.
Did you try loading the trunk? You can easily fit two or three 20l jerrycans filled with water in there.

[hmong337]

Originally Posted by Guillaume

FR layout is pretty much the worse for snow traction... I mean, what did you expect ?! I hear AT doesn't help, though I don't know what tranny you have.
Did you try loading the trunk? You can easily fit two or three 20l jerrycans filled with water in there.

I knew it was gonna be tough winter driving but didn't expect the car to be so pitiful. My car is a 6mt.

[acg2010]

The car has 4.5 inches of ground clearance and it's rear wheel drive and liiight. It was bound to be a fail. You've lived in Canada long enough, I'm surprised you thought it would be at all acceptable.

It's a cool car, but sometimes you just have to sacrifice and miss out on a cool car to have a car that works for you. I got rid of my Z when I moved to New England because I knew it was just going to be a joke and I couldn't afford to be stuck without a car because it snowed. I loved that car but with one car that had to be my DD it was just not happening.

I agree on the Mazda 3 hatch. The car is almost as fast as the twins if you get the new 2.5 skyactiv (it IS as fast as the twins AT) and the handling is pretty tight and right. It's not like it's huge either. It's 175 inches - 9 longer than the twins. Also, if you get the optional aero package it looks niiice.

This car uses ONLY oem Mazda parts for the exterior - pretty sweet looking practical car imo:

[lvlaxsurferben]

Yea, I live in NY and we just had around atleast 6inch of snow. I got stuck 3 times. One time 3 blocks away from my house when I was trying to be a nice guy and pull to the side to let a car pass. After that, I got stuck trying to drive up my driveway.... Stuck 2 times in a matter of 20 mins. I gotta start thinking about getting winter tires haha

[7thgear]

turn nannies off


learn to trust the car


it's not gonna be a tank like the others, but you should have known that.


This is my first RWD car ever and I'm learning new things everyday. This car has so much hidden potential is exhilarating!

[wparsons]

There's one big thing that hurts this car in deep snow (more snow than ground clearance), and it's the shape of the front bumper combined with the flat under tray.

My old jetta had less ground clearance, but the front lip was vertical and worked like a plow. The bumpers on these cars just lift up on top of the snow instead of pushing it out of the way. Fitting a small air dam up front might help, but it would have to be pretty strong to do any good.

Once you get past that, they're great in the snow. I've driven mine in 5-6" of snow lots and not gotten stuck once. The only time I've been stuck was in about 10" of snow in a parking lot where the rear wheels were actually spinning in the air while the car rested on the snow.

[whaap]

Originally Posted by acg2010

The car has 4.5 inches of ground clearance and it's rear wheel drive and liiight. It was bound to be a fail. You've lived in Canada long enough, I'm surprised you thought it would be at all acceptable.

Yes

[Dipstik-sportech]

Drove all last winter and never even came close to getting stuck. I don't get how people can't drive these cars in the snow, the weight bias can't be worse than a 2wd truck.

Sent from, The Frozen North

[Walla Walla]

i have a front bumper lip and it does wonder! there is less snow that can come under the car, and I haven't been stuck anywhere this year.

and like others said, turn the nannies off. It's great when it rains during the summer, but in winter, it's only giving you bad feedback and worse traction

also, to put that in perspective... 10inch of snow, you dont have that everyday during winter

[CBR600RR]

I think this car is equally as good in the winter as my old honda civic was. I have yet to get stuck in the FR-S even in snowfalls like OP talked about.

As for the Traction Control. You are supposed to turn it off if you get stuck. In a deep situation the TC on will actually cause you to get stuck.

[krayzie]

Yes because the traction control will limit wheel spin. If you leave it on, even a heavier FWD car will get stuck in deep snow. Be glad our cars have complelely defeatable computer trickery (alot of the newer cars from German brands and Lexus don't).

Seriously I thought that Mazda in the picture is some CUV lol!

[drewbot]

In before Suberman rant

[ZionsWrath]

4 inch ground clearance, 10 inch snow, mad at getting stuck