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

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 :cry:

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

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.

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:

http://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/im...ept-sema-1.jpg

http://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/im...ept-sema-1.jpg

http://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/im...ept-sema-1.jpg

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

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!

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.

Yes

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

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 ;)

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.

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!

In before Suberman rant

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

WTF did you think was going to happen? You realize that you're whining that your light, RWD "sports" car isn't the greatest in the snow, right?

I remember when I was 16.

someone donate me money so i can haz GoPro and make educational snow videoz

I found it pretty fun to drive in the snow...

Except for when I almost got stuck at an uphill red light... but then again, the hyundai accent beside me wasnt moving any faster than I was up the hill...

I turn traction off when I try to get moving in this car, then turn it back on when I'm moving at speed.

Get Winter beater or trade 86 for AWD fun to drive car.

I cannot wait until a mazda 3 wagon or mazda 6 sedan makes its way into my life.

Also, of course the FRS sucks nuts in winter.

So do you get mad when you cant take your corvette off-roading?

The RWD part for me just means don't floor it while turning.

The lightweight part helps for quick steering, but doesn't help with confidence at speed (IMO).

The ground clearance is what got me today. RWD or FWD or AWD, a low car is a low car. Almost got stuck on my street since the snow plows did a piss poor job at this one turn. My parents took the CR-V and totally conquered that snow mound while I couldn't.

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

This is with winter/snow tires?

Yea he said he got 205/60/16 winters

wow, look at this guy

Location: Canada
Posts: 439
Thanks: 545
Thanked 124 Times in 77 Posts
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)

lots of posts and many thanks and now everyone suddenly is crucifying the poor guy! He will figure it out, he is just super frustrated right now as we all are with this crazy cold weather :)

No but seriously, no one tried loading the trunk? It's an old school trick for FR drivers, dating back from when FR layout and live axle were the norm. See #4 : http://www.wikihow.com/Drive-a-Car-in-Winter-Weather

time to buy one of these
http://cartoscreen.com/stockwall/304...wallpapers.jpg

Sounds like an issue of not disabling traction control to me. This car won't go anywhere with TC on. Turn TC off, and you'll have a much easier time in deep snow.

I've been having a blast driving around in deep snow with my Blizzak LM-32's and TC off.

EDIT: 16 inch steelies (205/55R16).

shovel in trunk
 

for digging out car and use sick leave for storms above 8 inches depending on time of day. Having said that, stuck twice in driveway over past 2 winters. Car is fine in snow.

I gotta be honest for a low clearance, RWD sports car this is a pretty beastly car in the snow...My mazda3 was completely useless in the winter I would slide out and end up in a snow bank with 1+ inch of snow

I have been passing trucks in the majority of snowy/slushy driving as the TC keeps the car in line even when the back end gets a little happy...I have been more than impressed with the capabilities of this car in snow.

Now you throw 7-10 inches of snow at it and OBVIOUSLY you're going to have difficulties...The only time I've been stuck in this ridiculous Canadian winter is when there is more snow than clearance...Makes sense right? Doesn't matter if you have the worlds best snow tires, AWD/4x4/whatever...If you have more snow than clearance, your car is going to get stuck.

With that said, a helper to push the back and a bit of kitty litter with some shoveling and I was free. Saw my neighbour with a low pickup truck in the exact same situation. It's the downside of driving a car that can corner at ridiculously high speeds

If they made this thing to drive in the deepest of snow storms, everyone would be complaining that it's a total sh*t car for handling and on the track...and that wouldn't be very wise, would it?

A RWD sports car isn't a good winter car?!

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WpuYGqCEHD...mind-blown.gif

I think you're talking about VSC, not TC. VSC kicks in when the car starts to slide. TC kicks in when you are experiencing wheel spin.

this.


second winter with the car, i have never driven it through snow without turning everything off.

I haven't been stuck once (i use the car as a daily driver), althought that may be sheer luck. But I also wouldn't drive into an unplowed street....

I slide as a result of wheel spin...So isn't it a little of both?

Sure. Wheel spin starts, TC kicks in and reduces the wheel spin by limiting power to that wheel(s) by applying the brakes.

When you start to slide, VSC kicks in and limits power to the wheel(s) by applying the brakes in a variable way to control the slide and get it to straighten back out.

TC might help reduce the amount you slide initially, but VSC is correcting your slide and bringing you back in line.

In deep snow and at low speeds, you need wheel spin to move the car. Limiting power to the wheels will get you stuck at low speeds. This is why you want to turn TC off. Once you are above 31 mph, TC will turn itself back on... but by 31 mph, you're no longer going to get "stuck," and it should help reduce the chance of the car sliding out... but again, it's VSC that fixes the situation when you do start sliding.

I hope this explanation helps somewhat.

If you're serious, you can borrow my gopro...

nah, i couldn't (mainly cuz i wouldn't give it back)

i should just man up and buy one, been planning on doing so since the dang thing came out

the Hero3+ "black" is an impressive piece of technology.

You guys are funny... You'll remember my words when you meet you match with winter one day.

Look, I was fully expecting this car to be a tough winter car to live with like my old e30 325is and my 89 240sx coupe. Both sports cars (or sporty rwd cars). But even those cars made it through the deepest of snow and never left me burried once! The 240sx being lowered too.

This is the first newer type car I've owned with any sort of "driving aids". What I've learned so far is that those aids can be quite a hindrance when it comes to real situations like deep snow.

No problems so far, but I have 205/55R16 Continental Extreme Wintercontacts and two 20kg bags of sand in my trunk.
It also does help that I haven't actually encountered truly deep snow yet...

Hmong, did your SW20 fare any better?

For sure - that's what I thought. Thanks for clearing it up though

I think you need to lower your expectations a bit. On really snowy days like today where the residential roads are not plowed and there is 7+" of fresh snow on the road, the FRS/BRZ is not going to make it. Most small cars have trouble with this weather, let alone ones with 5" of ground clearance and light weight.