Winter Driving?

[Kfresh23]

Originally Posted by Suberman

Because the weight distribution is already fairly close to 50/50 I do t think weighting the trunk will help this car. The issue is straight line stability and adding weight in the trunk could just make that worse.

It makes a HUGE difference!! 50/50 weight distrubution is ideal in IDEAL conditions, but when you need more traction in the rear, you need weight. ANY Rwd vehicle (car or truck), it is reccomended that you add weight in the back to give you added traction in snow. I have 4 50lb sandbags in the trunk, and it has made a very noticable difference this winter. Also can be opened and used under the wheels to provide "extra" traction if stuck, especially on ice. (kitty litter also works just as well).

[mabviper]

I'd be more concerned of the tire width than sidewall. I think 225 is too wide for snow. I'm running 215s and I think I can go narrower for more snow digging grip.

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[wparsons]

^^ I'm running 205's for that very reason, although the 205 snows are actually wider than the 215 stock tires.

[Kfresh23]

Originally Posted by Suberman

Finally got stuck today, twice. Had to reverse out to get clear.

I will say one thing in this car's favour for driving in winter, that Torsen just keeps the tires digging. If there's traction available the Torsen will find it. The Torsen also works well in reverse.

I'll be putting two 20kg bags of traction sand in the trunk soon and see if that tames this beast.

This BRZ is definitely the worst winter driver I've ever tried to drive in heavy snow.

I do find second gear starts beneficial. The TC is also very competent. Even the fully on TC allows some wheelspin in these severe low traction conditions.

Definitely not the tires. The Sottozeros are more than up to the task. Stopping just isn't an issue and neither is steering. Straight line traction is just pathetic. There's no other adjective more suitable: pathetic.

If you're wondering what severe means, check the snowfall for Calgary since December 1.

I live in calgary and have been more than impressed with this car in the snow. It was just as good, if not better than my old bmw 330i....better than my Fwd drive mazda protege.....and almost as good as my Awd eagle talon.........I have ZERO problem with straight line traction.....If you can steer/stop, why can you not drive in a straight line? I'm not trying to say you are wrong, I just don't get it? Like I said, I do not have this same issue as every time I am a stop sign, or red light, the car takes off fine in a straight line....with the exception of ice....but ALL vehicles, even 4WD traucks have issues on ice.....and we both slowly accelerate....in a straight line.

[wparsons]

^^ You're wasting your breath, he's an expert and the car is 100% of the problem...

That said, I would bet quite a lot of money that proper ice/snow tires would make a world of difference over the performance snows he currently has. Just because a car stops fine doesn't mean acceleration issues aren't related to the tires.

My $0.02, get proper ice/snow tires and practice throttle control.

[krayzie]

Actually I think ESP using ABS will sense a slip before the Torsen Diff. can. Going straight on ice or snow with the rear hanging out is normal to me (this is my 2nd car with ESP and also 2nd time I'm using ultra high performance all seasons on winter weather), as long as the car is still tracking straight on the lane.

I don't like driving sports cars in deep snow and I hate the handling of deep snow tires on such cars. I honestly don't understand why someone would drive a BRZ in deep snow lol!

[Snowball]

Originally Posted by wparsons

^^ You're wasting your breath, he's an expert and the car is 100% of the problem...

That said, I would bet quite a lot of money that proper ice/snow tires would make a world of difference over the performance snows he currently has. Just because a car stops fine doesn't mean acceleration issues aren't related to the tires.

My $0.02, get proper ice/snow tires and practice throttle control.

That's pretty much how I'm feeling regarding the snow tires as well. I'm running stock sized Blizzak WS70's and while the road feedback and dry/highway handing characteristics definitely seem a step behind (it was manageable) the deep snow performance was better than I could have imagined. Road clearance aside...with some plowing, I was out pacing (in a safe manner) a fair number of cars this past weekend on the GTA. Throttle control and snow mode are king 👍


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[aghuman]

I was a little worried about my first winter with this car as well. A couple decent storms into it I can say I have been very impressed and comfortable driving the car. It is always composed but never afraid to let loose and have fun on my command. I feel like I can always tell what the car is doing and make corrections accordingly. The preparations I did were as follows.

205/55/16 Continental Extreme Winter Contacts (fantastic tire)
16" Black OEM steelies
Weathertech mats
Disabling window auto up/down

As for cleaning snow of the car, the sound of a brush on the paint makes me cringe so what I do is use a microfiber sponge to remove 80-90% of the snow off the body of the car trying my best to leave a fine , non-agitated layer on the body and clean off the glass as best I can. This way I am not a douche who blows all the snow off his car as he drives but at the same time i minimize damage to my paint but using a soft material in the odd event I do accidentally touch the paint.

Also I drive a lot, and in different locations from the 401 & city driving to driving on non-plowed country roads far from the city. So far I have nothing but good things to say about the car.

[Kfresh23]

Originally Posted by aghuman

I was a little worried about my first winter with this car as well. A couple decent storms into it I can say I have been very impressed and comfortable driving the car. It is always composed but never afraid to let loose and have fun on my command. I feel like I can always tell what the car is doing and make corrections accordingly. The preparations I did were as follows.

205/55/16 Continental Extreme Winter Contacts (fantastic tire)
16" Black OEM steelies
Weathertech mats
Disabling window auto up/down

As for cleaning snow of the car, the sound of a brush on the paint makes me cringe so what I do is use a microfiber sponge to remove 80-90% of the snow off the body of the car trying my best to leave a fine , non-agitated layer on the body and clean off the glass as best I can. This way I am not a douche who blows all the snow off his car as he drives but at the same time i minimize damage to my paint but using a soft material in the odd event I do accidentally touch the paint.

Also I drive a lot, and in different locations from the 401 & city driving to driving on non-plowed country roads far from the city. So far I have nothing but good things to say about the car.

Question: How do you disable the auto-window up/down function? I really dont like when its super cold and the window "attempts" to roll down and doesn't! Then the window function is in "alarm" and the button light flashes. I know how to re-set it, but I would rather just have it disabled.

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by Kfresh23

Question: How do you disable the auto-window up/down function? I really dont like when its super cold and the window "attempts" to roll down and doesn't! Then the window function is in "alarm" and the button light flashes. I know how to re-set it, but I would rather just have it disabled.

Pretty sure this is a Techstream thing, or can be done by the dealer.

[drewbot]

Originally Posted by 7thgear

thicker is the wrong word

the taller sidewall is softer, providing the much needed compliance to an otherwise stiff car.

the narrower cross-section creates for a balanced contact patch for straight line and cornering, as well as aiding the car to cut through the snow and slush.

For next winter i'm even considering going down to 195.

I was thinking the same thing with 195-65-r15's, however, I read somewhere here that someone had issues with clearance.

[7thgear]

Originally Posted by drewbot

I was thinking the same thing with 195-65-r15's, however, I read somewhere here that someone had issues with clearance.

yeah, i've tried, 15X6 subaru steelies didn't fit

[Suberman]

Don't buy a cheapo snow brush. Quebec still designs the best snow brushes even if they're now made in China. Picked up a good one at Rona yesterday along with a compact snow shovel and 40 kg of traction sandbags.

The bristles need to be distressed on the ends, they look pre worn when new. The other plus is a two part ice scraper. Those rigid one piece plastic blades don't bend enough when its cold out. This new design fits a softer pliable blade into a regular plastic ice scraper.

Check out Rona: pink or blue.....

[Kazuya]

What's the difference between a shit brush and a good one? I think my mom bought me a shit one and I really don't want to deal with paint/windshield issue in the summa.