[QUESTION] 2017 Toyota 86 In Canadian snow?
 

Hi, im new to the forum :D. I've already read the "New Member & have question? Read here first!" and well, I'm thinking of purchasing a Toyota 86 (manual). I'd like to know if anyone here has ever driven the Toyota 86 in Calgary/Edmonton/Fort Mcmurray.

If so, lets say you have good winter tires on, whats the chances of getting stuck in snow? Is it easy to get out of the snow? are there things I should do to make winter driving more relaxing? I plan to daily drive the 86. I know the Toyota 86 can be driven in snow, however the amount of snow is not really specified in the "New Member & have question? Read here first!" (Canadian winters are typically worse than American winters).

Lowered 1.5 inches.
In the snowbelt dead center of all the great lakes.
Daily driven for 3 winters.
Drive minimum of 1,300 kilometers a week.
Have never been stuck.
With good snow tires zero the thing is a tank in the snow.
I have had to stop to help push AWD cars out of my way several times.
Do it!

I got stuck twice in 3 winters. Once I parked on pure ice. Other time I was leaving a parking with 2-3' of snow and an Impreza got stuck in front of me. Had to push him, then when he left I got stuck. The car is pretty good otherwise.

I only had a scary moment with this car though during a lane change, but the variables were not in my favor. Rainy winter day, slush, black ice, very windy, etc... You name the bad conditions, it was there. The drive train is not the reason for this scary event, I wasn't even pressing the throttle during this lane change because I know better.

Finally, I've reached an age when I can shake my head at all these people who never learned to drive what everyone in my generation learned to drive on in snow- RWD with heavy front ends and bias tires.

Trust me, you spend a few years driving a '72 Charger with almost bald recaps in snow and ice on a regular basis, and you'll have a different perspective on what the 86 can do with proper Nokians and all the nannies.

(Didn't hurt my skills that the last 4 miles to my house were dirt at the time, either)

I spent 2 winters in the mountains of Utah and Sundance with the FRS and it all comes down the quality of the snow tires. DO NOT get cheap snow tires. Like @Tcoat mentioned, I've had to assist stuck AWD vehicles to get out of my way when heading for the slopes.

LOL AMEN to that!


Like my first winter driven car:


http://wwwcdn.oldcarsweekly.com/wp-c...a-SS-main2.jpg


The same as the car that was the hardest to drive in the winter (I think we had the same tires):


https://assets.hemmings.com/blog/wp-...7/IMG_4092.jpg


And let's not forget that for decades little old ladies used to drive around in the winter in RWD cars with not a single powered assist in the whole thing. Get back pre 1955 and a heater was a luxury.


http://theoldmotor.com/wp-content/up...-1940s-Car.jpg

Hard to believe for all you young wiper-snappers, but back in the Olden-days ALL cars were RWD, and people actually survived winter driving.

With snow tires, the FRS will drive through the same snowfall as any other daily commuter car sold by other companies be they FWD or RWD. The Posi rear end actually puts you in the top of this group since it is rare in a FWD vehicle.

I live around the corner from TCoat and hence the same driving conditions. Never been stuck.

Hey Tcoat...you missed the inaugural run of my new winter beater ;)

I love the look on peoples faces when they figure out this is a Miata! Apologies to the OP for hijacking the thread.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrLF1IWVXps"]WP 20170723 004 - YouTube[/ame]

I have zero issues driving in the snow, another tip, is go up on the bias on the tires. I have Blizzaks WS80 215/50/17 instead of 215/45's and that gained me some extra ground clearance.

16 inch wheels help as well. That little bit more sidewall makes a difference in the snow.

Yes! tires are cheaper too! But that wasn't an option for me, with the PP brakes...

Ya that would be a problem. I got 16 inch sleelies so I don't even have to worry about ice freezing between the spokes of an alloy wheel.

from edmonton- just had snow tires and no problem the whole winter, yeah it can get crazy if you let it but just be smart while driving and extra aware of others more than anything

question for the collective, since we are talking about winter and the temps are already dropping here. :( Do any of you put sandbags in your trunk?

No sandbags in the trunk. If you're going to put sandbags, put them on the back seat. But that's really not needed.

The only time I got stuck in the 2 winters driving the FR-S was after the freezing rain turned the snow bank into icy tire cups.
Other than that as long as you stay cool and smooth with your inputs, it's going to be alright

Sand bags are for pickup trucks and RWD cars with a serious front weight bias. We do not have that bias to have to balance out. In fact (and this always gets debates by somebody in Texas or California that has never seen a flake of snow in there life) by putting weight in the trunk you bring the bias way back. Great for getting unstuck in deep snow but a total nightmare if the rear end starts to slide out on you. With the rear bias you will just start to spin in ever increasing circles and there will be nothing you can do about it.

With close to neutral balance with a 200# payload in the passenger space, the main effect of excess weight in the trunk would be to give it the balance of a hammer. If I wanted that, I would have bought a 911 ;)

Thanks for the info guys :D. I'm less worried about winter driving the 86 now :D (now back to trying to get the 86......)

Get good tires and you're all set.

Something to note: A Honda CR-V has only 1.3" more ground clearance than a stock twin.

Speaking of good snow tires. Anybody has some experience with Hankook Winter iCept Evo snow tires? I am looking to buy a set of snow tires for coming winter.

The iCept Evo seems to be really really expensive and from the reviews they seem to perform just as well as the much cheaper iPikes. At their price I might as well get the Nokian Hakkapelitta 8, the top rated tire or the Blizzak WS80s which is just as good for a bit more.

I went with the Gislaved Nordfrost 100 for the value choice. Its a lot cheaper than the top tier tires but is not far behind in performance. The 100 is gone now, I'm not sure what changes were made to the 200.

this is my first rwd car, put on some x-ices and to be honest it does really well, not as good as my accord but keep the rpm's low and just be mindful of where/how you drive and its just as good as any other car

I have some nice 16" forged wheels in the classified section for sale. Like this example, smaller can be better then a larger wheel (also smaller will be lighter in general, over the same make/model wheel.). Lower weight will always be a high performance desired modification that hasn't got any down falls of doing the change (especially when you're not sacrificing strength in the process).

…… but some people want to do turbos… SC ….. more $$, lowers engine durability….. I digress.

I prefer the solid steel wheels for winters. We get a lot of freeze and thaw cycles so the roads can be very slushy. The slush can build up and freeze in spoked wheels and you end up bouncing down the road.

I feel as if the OP has never driven in snow before. lol

It's pretty much like any other car in the snow.

I've been driving an Auto CRV AWD (2002) in snow for a few years now (the car is now beyond repair, rust, busted engine, sketchy tie rods, signal lights no longer worked properly, breaks were sketchy, ebrake no longer worked, took 2-3 tries to crank over in the winter when it was working). Which is why im upgrading to the Toyota 86 :D. I just wasn't that confident with driving a RWD in snow, because all my life i've been told that AWD is "NEEDED FOR SNOW". All that changed when I drove a bud's M3 in the snow, however that was for like 15 minutes with not that much snow on the road, hence my hesitance.

@milkydude12 Watch this video.


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKBdOE2z4O4"]RWD in a Snowstorm - Are we Crazy? - FR-S Long Term #3 - Everyday Driver - YouTube[/ame]

Not sure about US/Canadian specs but the UK 2017 86 has an added e-diff. So if one wheel spins the ABS fires to stop it momentarily to allow torque to transfer to the other wheel with grip.

No Problem
 

I have been Driving in Calgary and Saskatoon for the past few years. The car is easy to drive and I have never been stuck.

I drive it in the winter, if I can find it :lol:

http://i.imgur.com/jKNGrXr.jpg

who buys a white car in Canada anyway?

https://i.imgur.com/XfkNCK2.jpg

Respect the conditions, get good, thin winter tires, respect the conditions. Take time to practice when nobody is around, it'll be much safer than learning when everyone in their AWD SUVS has their butthole clenched as tight as it can go is driving alongside you. That's how it is here in Vermont, I've been driving low RWD cars (mostly e36 BMWs) in the snow since 2008 and have yet to get into a situation that could have been avoided with another driveline choice. (getting body hung because I want to get into my driveway without shoveling 2' of snow is my choice, not the car's fault)

I have a heavy foot, so ill try to work on that before winter hits (After much delay, I've decided to get the Toyota 86 this friday :D), for sure, ill definitely be getting some good winter tires (ill put them on the OEM prius rims).

OEM Prius rims? I don't believe the twins come with Prius rims. Or wheels, for that matter.

Ah, nvm, I see that now XD https://i.imgur.com/CTKYR0w.png it looks better now than when the FRS was still in production (I just absolutely hated the stock rims on those), however im still going to use the stock rims for my winter tires :). Im planning to use a set of these https://www.ft86motorsports.com/whee...-red-opal.html for summer use. :D

I'm not in the Great White North, but given we had 130" of snow just two years ago and regularly are over the 100" mark for the season, I think that qualifies as 'real' winter...lol. I DD my car and provided you invest in a full set of good snow tires, and use some common sense when driving in poor conditions, the car does just fine. In fact, it's a hoot...just drive it like you would any lightweight rwd car in low traction conditions. The only drawback to the car is the ride height; traction generally isn't a problem, but clearance is obviously restricted compared to most other vehicles, so stay away from the sloppy berms left by plows between lanes and at intersections.

What is this common sense you speak of? If I look at the average Joe here, you have to mash the accelerator in desperation if you're stuck. Try to enter a busy street from a dead stop as cars are speeding past you and force them to brake hard. If anything, common sense is the last thing you want to use when driving in poor conditions. :bonk:

On a serious note, take it slow. Too much gas and your tail will kick to one side when one of the sides loses grip. The car will let you know, you will feel it. It also behaves really well when you want it to, it is very responsive and communicates very well.

wat.... du u evn kno wut dis kar iz?

btw, don't go to a car meet (or anywhere a enthusiast could show up) then call your wheels rims, true enthusiasts will avoid you like the plague

aww, but I want to freak out those SUV drivers on bald all season tires as I drive by them doing the speed limit because they are afraid to go over 40. It only takes a little slide and they think the world is ending!