Driving your FRS/BRZ in Winter

[D_Thissen]

Thanks for calling me an idiot, I don't have the luxury of a garage to store my frs and buying a beater

Anyway, I drove my FRS last year here in Thunder Bay ( Im from S. Ontario but am up here for work) with no problems. The cars on 205/55/16 general tire altimax arctic's. The car is a lot of fun in the winter .

As long as you take your time, you wont have any issues. Drive like a moron, and well you might end up in a ditch like others have said. I don't know how many lifted trucks I saw go of the road last winter.


This picture was taken in late March or early April when we got 20cm over night

[Kuros]

I plan on getting another set of wheels to slap the blizzaks I had on my STI on to the FRS this winter. I live in Reno, NV. So, some winters we barely see a couple inches, some winters we get 5+ feet at a time.

I also head into the mountains and a ski racing coach on the weekends... so I may still end up getting something a little more suited for true snow driving for that. But I do plan to daily the FRS with blizzaks in the snow, summers when its dry.

Two sets of wheels makes it really nice.

[Pbrown]

have been through 2 winters now with 0 issues. Have a set of winter tires on the original rims and it has been fine. only time I have gotten stuck is in my driveway.

[MVJ1975]

We don't get a ton of snow around here, but I drive mine year-round. I swap winter wheels (my OEM wheels with Wintersport M3) on in November and then back off again in March.

[Autocon]

But its only like 60 degrees out during winter time. <3 soCal haha

[VuDism]

I DD mine all year in MD. when it snows... the only issue is getting out of neighborhood roads that are unplowed or partially plowed... other than that, the main roads are plowed really quickly and I have no problems getting around. Just have to take my time in the neighborhoods and not try to be Takumi chasing a Celica GT4 in the snow in 3rd stage...

awd/4wd is really not needed unless you live in a state/province that is snowing every other day.

[BRZZZZZZZZZZ]

Drove mine part of last winter, have to watch out for how much oversteer it has even with traction control fully engaged, otherwise business as usual.

[FiReStorm2013]

Bought my FRS in December and survived a Syracuse winter. I had 4 Blizzaks that were a must and and the traction control always seemed to take control when the car slipped too much. It was one of the worst winters we'd ever have, and some days, it was a necessity for me to take my parents Camry. Making a turn at any speed always resulted in the back sliding out and be prepared for all-wheel drive vehicles to tailgate you always. The all-weather floor mats definitely saved the interior of some wear. Some common sense reminders: drive slower, avoid deep snow, and have a plan B for a commute. If you can't afford a winter beater like myself, then I guess your stuck driving the FRS regardless, but it should get you through the winter without too much trouble. Save travels mate

[Maritime Storm]

I don't buy garage queens, and Henry didn't mass produce the car for it to sit on a trailer. Of course mine will get driven this winter, real bad weather it can stay home and we'll just drive the truck. The biggest thing to driving in snow is common sense, good winter tires. Never go cheap on tires, you do not save in the long run. The best thing you can do for your car to help it survive a Maritime winter is have it undercoated.

[HeadBanger]

I've driven a semi-stripped RB20 swapped 240sx in winter.
Only got stuck once and it was in my driveway - driveway got super icy and in my 3-point turn I became stuck in ruts.


Good tires, be aware of your surroundings, and you're ok.
This will be my first winter with my BRZ, so I have no first hand experience. However, what do you think they did in the 60s? Everything was RWD. Did they even have winter tires back then? Even if they did, it was crappy bias-ply tires anyways lol.

[Walle]

Drove with it all winter and had no problems. It is very predictable. One thing i did notice were the the paint is very thin. I got quite a few stone chips i had to fix.

[grodenglaive]

Originally Posted by Snowball

Its fine as a winter daily driver I did it last year with little regret if any. As long as you're aware of deep snow (or areas that haven't been plowed after a large snowfall) You can get through pretty much anything as long as you keep moving and play with the throttle. Just make sure you have weathertech floor mats in your car and scotch guard the HELL outta your carpet in the fall to somewhat control the salt going in your car from your shoes/boots.

Definitely get the weathertech floor mats. The stock winter mats don't do anything to protect the carpet from salt stains.

[Ubersuber]

You need winter tires for safety in winter, on any vehicle. Just because it is possible to drive without doesn't mean you should. This can be easily proved objectively. In fact, if ambient temperatures are below freezing for any length of time where you drive fitting winter tries is safer. This too can be objectively proved.

The FRS/BRZ have traction issues in winter that are more serious than the usual rwd set up.

By all means drive it year round, I do. Be aware that the car can be a bit of a joke in slippery corners (even in the wet actually) and you will likely get it stuck occasionally if the snow is deep (six inches will present a challenge).

[Kenshiki]

Originally Posted by grodenglaive

Definitely get the weathertech floor mats. The stock winter mats don't do anything to protect the carpet from salt stains.

this is true. the outside of my floor mats still have the salt stains