Winter Car Prep

[dem00n]

Just snow tires and hide your ego.

You don't need to add rear in the back, we're not doing the quarter mile are we?

[roddy]

Originally Posted by mwjcyber

FT86 is already rust proof, and you might want to read below thread before you proceed with that.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44681

I checked out that link...that's just nasty. That looks like a wax based product. Neither of the two I mentioned will look like that. The road salt and brine sprays that they use up here are brutal on car bodies, and the factory stuff just doesn't cut it. The two I mentioned work well for our winter conditions (I'd give the edge to Rust Check though). They are a light oil based product, and will drip for a few days, but will not make anywhere near the mess in that link, and are easy to clean off if necessary.

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by roddy

I checked out that link...that's just nasty. That looks like a wax based product. Neither of the two I mentioned will look like that. The road salt and brine sprays that they use up here are brutal on car bodies, and the factory stuff just doesn't cut it. The two I mentioned work well for our winter conditions (I'd give the edge to Rust Check though). They are a light oil based product, and will drip for a few days, but will not make anywhere near the mess in that link, and are easy to clean off if necessary.

Incorrect. Factory rust proofing is just fine, even for Ontariario.

The "brine" spray you refer to is actually a methanol/ water spray (windshield washer fluid) that is sprayed onto the road before the snow starts so as to make plowing easier. Where are you getting your information?

Most important upgrade for Canada is a more powerful battery. The standard one is truly hopeless. Even Subaru fits a better battery to some models.

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by roddy

We got a lot of snow in Southern ON last year. I am a big fan of the Bridgestone Blizzak WS series of tires. I ran a set of the WS-60s last winter and they served me well...very well. I have a bit of country driving though, so being from T.O., you may like the LM series better. The WS is an all-out snow tire and gives up some handling and dry road ability to achieve this. The LM is a little more performance oriented.
You could go with the X-ice, as they're a good tire. If we have snow like last year though, they may not be enough for you.
WeatherTech mats are a good idea...the OEM Scion rubber ones don't really cut it.
Rust proofing...I've been using Rust Check for about 20 years on various vehicles, and it works great! Crown is good too.
Reprogramming the windows... I didn't know they could do that. It would save me having to reset the window every time it gets some ice on it. I should look into that. Do you have a link to this, 'cause I'm pretty sure my dealer isn't aware of it.
Lubricating seals... I'm not big on Armor All, but products like that work well for keeping the door and window seals clean and stick-free. I have been using Autoglym Vinyl and Rubber Care. You can get it at Canadian Tire.
You shouldn't need to add weight. This car works really well in the snow. Just leave the nannies (traction/stability control) on, and have at 'er. I say leave them on because this car is very lively in the snow, but the nannies do a really good job of keeping things pointed in the right direction.

Edit: I meant to mention sizes as well... I went with a 16" winter tire for a couple of reasons. 16" tires are less money than a 17. Steel wheels are cheap. I think mine were about $50 each, but others were talking like $40 at Costco. You could get more than that for your nice clean stock wheels, then put that towards your choice of aftermarket wheels for spring. A 16" tire of the same O.D. at the stock size will flex more and help bite in the snow. If you consider this, the closest size to the stock O.D. is a 205/55/16. If you don't, I wouldn't blame you, they're kind of fugly. Functional, but fugly.

Continental Extremewinter Contacts are a much better tire than any Bridgestone winter tire. Nokian makes great winter tires as do Pirelli and Michelin. Bridgestone has great marketing but their winter tires are terrible.

While it is true that smaller wheels with taller tires work well in deep snow they are awful on bare pavement. Also, taller tires don't brake as well on ice as wider lower profile tires.

Aerospace 303 is a very good product for lubricating rubber seals.

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by aghuman

Im leaning towards just mounting winter tires on the stock rims because I plan on getting slightly wider rims next year to mount summer tires onto. Anyone have experience or comments with that?

Pretty much a no brainer decision in my opinion. Stock wheels are 17x7 and weigh 20lbs, very rugged. Very good quality and durable paint protection so great for winter wheels. I particularly like the brake dust coloured parts!

A set of Pirelli Sottozeros go onto my car on the factory wheels at the end of this week as the snow can fly here anytime after September 1 and ANY summer tire, even the pathetic Michelin Primacy HP (gotta love that High Performance HP acronym, really?) Is truly hopeless in snow or even on cold roads. Those stock tires lose grip if you so much as look at them funny.

Even though I think 17x8 are perfect for this car for summer tires the 18x8 is a reasonable upgrade if you can find light enough wheels.

I'm planning on some OZ Formula HLT in 17x8 with Michelin Pilot A/S 3 all seasons for summer use.

Remember those ultra high performance summer tires don't deliver until the tread gets hot. Most of the time they are a complete waste of money for summer driving in Canada.

[aghuman]

You could be right since I havent done a ton of research yet but the clearance of the body note seems off. If the windows freeze and dont roll down the car door still opens and closes just find so I dont think it is a clearance issue. I have been reading its an air vent think that prevents a pressure build up when closing the door. In other words it allows air to escape the car before sealing by the window going up. I still have to read more into it but those are prelim results. It would be silly if it were a clearance issue cause that would mean if the motor fails or the window is frozen, window wont seal.

Originally Posted by Zagmeister

I can assure you that this design feature - in all coupes - is necessary for the frameless windows to clear the body. It is certainly not an option for the dealer to deactivate.

As you put it, just add some sort of lubrication around the seals to avoid damage

[Books]

I had Blizzaks on stock rims, worked wonderful.

[dem00n]

Originally Posted by Suberman

Pretty much a no brainer decision in my opinion. Stock wheels are 17x7 and weigh 20lbs, very rugged. Very good quality and durable paint protection so great for winter wheels. I particularly like the brake dust coloured parts!

A set of Pirelli Sottozeros go onto my car on the factory wheels at the end of this week as the snow can fly here anytime after September 1 and ANY summer tire, even the pathetic Michelin Primacy HP (gotta love that High Performance HP acronym, really?) Is truly hopeless in snow or even on cold roads. Those stock tires lose grip if you so much as look at them funny.

Even though I think 17x8 are perfect for this car for summer tires the 18x8 is a reasonable upgrade if you can find light enough wheels.

I'm planning on some OZ Formula HLT in 17x8 with Michelin Pilot A/S 3 all seasons for summer use.

Remember those ultra high performance summer tires don't deliver until the tread gets hot. Most of the time they are a complete waste of money for summer driving in Canada.

Anyone running summer tires during the winter shouldn't even have a license.

That rubber will be harder then a 70 year old on Viagra.

[campy]

aww yeah drifting season

would rust proofing help at all if the car has already been through 1 winter?

[roddy]

Originally Posted by Suberman

Incorrect. Factory rust proofing is just fine, even for Ontariario.

The "brine" spray you refer to is actually a methanol/ water spray (windshield washer fluid) that is sprayed onto the road before the snow starts so as to make plowing easier. Where are you getting your information?

Most important upgrade for Canada is a more powerful battery. The standard one is truly hopeless. Even Subaru fits a better battery to some models.

I will agree to disagree. 20 plus years of driving in this climate has proven this to me. Calgary is much colder than Southern Ontario, and that changes salt use and effect.

Sorry if I repeated what the roads dept told me when I asked about the spray. I guess I should have asked someone who knows batter than them .

My little 390 CCA battery served me just fine last year. Oh there's that different climate/temperature thing again...

[roddy]

Originally Posted by Suberman

Continental Extremewinter Contacts are a much better tire than any Bridgestone winter tire. Nokian makes great winter tires as do Pirelli and Michelin. Bridgestone has great marketing but their winter tires are terrible.

While it is true that smaller wheels with taller tires work well in deep snow they are awful on bare pavement. Also, taller tires don't brake as well on ice as wider lower profile tires.

Aerospace 303 is a very good product for lubricating rubber seals.

Again, I disagree. I'm not attacking your choice of tire. I have tried many brands of winter tires, and keep coming back to the Bridgestones. Yes many others are better on dry pavement, and yes they wear quickly, but for ultimate traction in snow/slush, I have not found better. It's just personal preference. I'll gladly give up some handling to get the traction I need.

303 does work good.

[frs10]

im thinking of going with stock rims and blizzaks too, is anymore really needed in the tri-state area?

[chrisl]

Originally Posted by Suberman

Continental Extremewinter Contacts are a much better tire than any Bridgestone winter tire. Nokian makes great winter tires as do Pirelli and Michelin. Bridgestone has great marketing but their winter tires are terrible.

For pure ice and snow traction, I have not tried anything that comes close to the Blizzak WS series. I've used the Michelin X-ice (mediocre), as well as the Continentals (a bit better than Michelin, but not nearly as good as the Blizzaks), but I keep coming back to Bridgestone for snow tires. I haven't been terribly impressed by any of their other tires, but if all you care about is the absolute best traction on snow and ice, the WS-70s are the way to go (I haven't tried the Blizzak LM-60 "performance" winter tires though, so I can't comment on them). I would like to try the Nokians sometime though - I've heard great things about them.

[thill]

I really like the Blizzaks, but found Firestone Winterforce tires on sale for about half the price and they did a great job last winter with my Gencoupe. Wheels and tires fit my BRZ so I will be using them again.

Outside of that, I may throw some salt bags in the back to add weight over the rear wheels, and will try to hit the car wash at least once a week to keep salt off as much as possible on the paint. Car is garaged at home and at work, so it is only exposed to the elements to and from work.

Looking forward to finding an empty parking lot after the first snow hits and do some fun stuff

Oh, and thans OP, I need to order some Weathertech mats!