This car scares the hell out of me in snow

[gravitylover]

I'm running 205/50/17 winter tires. Love 'em.

[Jymrv]

Continental Extreme Contact DWS. Car drive really well with them even in fairly deep snow. Turn off the traction control and it was a nightmare.

[PandaSPUR]

So I had a bad (or fun? scary fun..) time this past Sunday.

Weather predicted 1-3" of snow max. Roads were not preemptively salted and plows did not seem ready to come out ASAP. Likely because of the low estimates.

Also because of the low estimates, I figured I would be fine driving. Made it to dinner. Getting back was a different story. Ended up coming across a hill in Bayside, Queens where the road was completely unplowed and there was around 4-5" of snow.

Going up the hill, my back wheels lost traction and slid towards the right, I managed to correct/stop before I spun completely. Ended up turning off traction control and rocking myself up the hill at a 45degree sideways angle to the lane. Even when I got to the flat part, my rear wheels gave away again and I had to stop before regaining control and moving forward.

Sigh. Definitely need to avoid the snow until I get winter tires.

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by PandaSPUR

Sigh. Definitely need to avoid the snow until I get winter tires.

Dude, seriously? And you live in New York? I have no other words.

[PandaSPUR]

Originally Posted by HunterGreene

Dude, seriously? And you live in New York? I have no other words.

Yes seriously. I don't commute with my car and I don't require it to get to work or anywhere. I get to choose to only drive it in good weather. Hence I did not bother to get snow tires yet.

My downfall was trusting the weather forecast this past weekend, combined with unplowed roads. But as long as you're not a complete retard when driving in bad conditions, you'll make it home.

Planning to get new wheels in the summer after I get more use out of OEM tires and then I can use my OEM wheels for snow tires next winter.

But thanks for your helpful post.

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by PandaSPUR

Yes seriously. I don't commute with my car and I don't require it to get to work or anywhere. I get to choose to only drive it in good weather. Hence I did not bother to get snow tires yet.

My downfall was trusting the weather forecast this past weekend, combined with unplowed roads. But as long as you're not a complete retard when driving in bad conditions, you'll make it home.

Planning to get new wheels in the summer after I get more use out of OEM tires and then I can use my OEM wheels for snow tires next winter.

But thanks for your helpful post.

Your first mistake was trusting the weather forecast. And has been discussed in this thread (among every single other one discussing winter driving) driving on summer tires in temperatures under 40*F is just not a good idea, even if the roads are clear. You can be driving safely and still lose control of this car. That's how important the tires are.

I'm glad you are safe and lucky in this instance. But I am assuming you read this thread and others, the "Guess I shouldn't have driven my car in snow without winter tires" statement is almost cliche at this point. Hence the sarcasm.

[BRZnut]

MORE SNOW COMING FOR THURSDAY!

[MTCRX]

Originally Posted by teamturbo

Yes stock summer tires. Will have a set of rims and tires for next season. I got FL tags on my car, that's my excuse.

That is just plain crazy. You shouldnt have even attempted to drive in the snow without snow tires. Very dangerous.

[stugray]

Originally Posted by PandaSPUR

But as long as you're not a complete retard when driving in bad conditions, you'll make it home..

I have >30 years experience driving rear-wheel-drive cars (without TC or ABS) in the snow. In my entire Life I have never owned a set of snow tires UNTIL NOW.

I took my BRZ out in the beginning of a snow storm on the stock tires.
It was PURE LUCK that I did make it home.
I disabled the TC/VSC system before I left and when IT RE_ENABLED ITSELF at 50 MPH on the highway, it spun the car directly into oncoming traffic.
If the car coming straight at me had not been able to go around me on the shoulder it would have totalled both of our cars.

DO NOT TAKE THESE CARS OUT IN THE SNOW WITH THE STOCK TIRES. PERIOD. EVER. PERIOD.

Originally Posted by HunterGreene

driving on summer tires in temperatures under 40*F is just not a good idea, even if the roads are clear. You can be driving safely and still lose control of this car. That's how important the tires are..

The Primacys might as well be made out of granite below 40 deg F.

[PandaSPUR]

Originally Posted by HunterGreene

Your first mistake was trusting the weather forecast. And has been discussed in this thread (among every single other one discussing winter driving) driving on summer tires in temperatures under 40*F is just not a good idea, even if the roads are clear. You can be driving safely and still lose control of this car. That's how important the tires are.

I'm glad you are safe and lucky in this instance. But I am assuming you read this thread and others, the "Guess I shouldn't have driven my car in snow without winter tires" statement is almost cliche at this point. Hence the sarcasm.

Originally Posted by stugray

I have >30 years experience driving rear-wheel-drive cars (without TC or ABS) in the snow. In my entire Life I have never owned a set of snow tires UNTIL NOW.

I took my BRZ out in the beginning of a snow storm on the stock tires.
It was PURE LUCK that I did make it home.
I disabled the TC/VSC system before I left and when IT RE_ENABLED ITSELF at 50 MPH on the highway, it spun the car directly into oncoming traffic.
If the car coming straight at me had not been able to go around me on the shoulder it would have totalled both of our cars.

DO NOT TAKE THESE CARS OUT IN THE SNOW WITH THE STOCK TIRES. PERIOD. EVER. PERIOD.





The Primacys might as well be made out of granite below 40 deg F.

I get both of your points, it's not like I'm saying going out in the winter with these tires is a good idea.

And I didn't even go past 30mph (even on the highway) when I got caught out in the snow. Basically limped it home as safe as I could. I did leave all the TC/VSC safeties on except for when I got stuck and had to rock my way out of it though.

I'm well aware of all the risks of driving in the snow with this car thanks to these forums. So was it stupid? Yes it was, and I figured I'd share my experience here to further reinforce how stupid it is for future new drivers. I figured that's what the thread was for. Which is why I didn't appreciate sarcastic comment, regardless of whether or not it was warranted.

I can't say I regret it though. No one was hurt, nothing was damaged, and its something I wont ever forget. So luckily I can take it as a learning experience.

EDIT: Kinda scary that the TC/VSC would re-enable itself... I didn't think it'd do that.

[DAEMANO]

Gonna re-post the whole thing because it's apparently not common knowledge.
From TireRack - http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=273

Don't Drive Summer Performance Tires in Cold Temperatures

Whether you blame it on climate change, a polar vortex or what seems to be the beginning of the next ice age, there's no doubt recent weather patterns have exposed many drivers to freezing temperatures and wintery driving conditions. In anticipation of the next time Mother Nature extends her cold reach, drivers with vehicles equipped with summer performance tires need to know those tires are not designed for near- or below-freezing temperatures on clear roads, nor in slush, snow and ice.
When faced with near- and below-freezing temperatures, drivers should leave their summer performance tire-equipped vehicle at home and drive a vehicle equipped with all-season or winter tires.
Summer performance tires feature tread compounds engineered to provide traction in warm to hot ambient temperatures. They were never intended to experience near- and below-freezing temperatures, nor the wintry driving conditions that often accompany them.
As ambient temperatures get colder, typically in the 40-45° Fahrenheit range, summer performance tires lose a noticeable percentage of traction as their tread compound rubber properties change from a pliable elastic to inflexible plastic. The tire industry uses the term "glass transition" to describe the temperature where a summer performance tire's grip/slip performance changes dramatically. This means the summer performance tires that provide predictable traction in warm to hot conditions will be found to be very challenging to drive in cold to freezing temperatures. This is especially true when the tires first begin to be driven or if the driver aggressively applies gas pedal pressure with today's turbocharged fours or high-torque sixes and eights. Fortunately, glass transition is a reversible condition that allows the tires' normal traction to return as the ambient temperatures climb.
If ambient temperatures drop to near- or below-freezing, driving or rolling a vehicle equipped with summer performance tires risks the possibility of tread compound cracking. Tread compound cracking is a permanent condition that requires the tires to be replaced. The other condition that can be caused by running summer performance tires in cold temperatures is the possibility of chipping away the edges of the tread blocks.
Since both of these conditions only occur as the result of what's considered improper use or storage, they are not typically covered by the manufacturer's warranty.

[AznBRZer]

^Best part of that post is that you pasted it twice for people that will just skim it!

[DAEMANO]

Originally Posted by AznBRZer

^Best part of that post is that you pasted it twice for people that will just skim it!

Copypasta error - fixed

[AznBRZer]

Originally Posted by DAEMANO

Copypasta error - fixed

You should've left it in!