winter driving

Topic: winter driving (Read 2786 times) previous topic - next topic

winter driving

January 16, 2007, 10:17:50 PM

I've always had front wheel drive cars, and never had this happen before. I've been experiencing spinouts with my 88 Cougar in winter conditions. I put weight in the trunk and fill the tank. I don't drive fast. I have trouble getting going when stopped and 2 times now I have started spinning when going down the road, with no warning. Are these cars no good in winter, or is it me? Thanks

winter driving

Reply #1 – January 16, 2007, 10:47:10 PM

It's not you. These cars suck in the snow. A good set of winter tires will help bigtime. A traction-lock rear plus snow tires actually makes these cars pretty good - I drove my old '87 Sport two winters in some really deep snow and only got stuck once.

BTW - to make having a RWD car worth it in the winter, find an empty parking lot and do some donuts/pirouettes/power slides. Guarantee you'll come back with a grin on your face :D

winter driving

Reply #2 – January 16, 2007, 11:10:30 PM

I about wrecked my '82 5.0 Mustang 1/2 doz times the first winter I had it after driving FWD Sciroccos for a few years..... There were several times I went spinning down the road.....

It took a little bit to eventually get the hang of it...

winter driving

Reply #3 – January 16, 2007, 11:13:05 PM

Quote from: Thunder Chicken;124235

BTW - to make having a RWD car worth it in the winter, find an empty parking lot and do some donuts/pirouettes/power slides. Guarantee you'll come back with a grin on your face :D

I did that today near my house. Just a few little ones to get a feel of the car in the snow. I have to say, it made me smile. I even think I have pics.

winter driving

Reply #4 – January 17, 2007, 12:26:42 AM

Bah I drove an 89 Crown Vic one winter with no T/L and I did fine and didn't even spin out once. I actually find it easier to get a rear wheel drive car out of a skid than a front wheel drive car. If you go into a skid with a rear wheel drive car you can use the throttle to steer the car which is something that you can't do in a front wheel drive car.

winter driving

Reply #5 – January 17, 2007, 01:51:39 AM

Here is how I see it:
FWD seems to be better...until it begins to slip, then it is very difficult to control
RWD slips sooner, but it is easy to bring it back under control

All I've owned in MN, IA, and now NE has been RWD. I may get there sideways, but I'll get there. So far I haven't gotton stuck this winter, but we haven't had much snow.

As said earlier, extra weight and snow tires help alot (maybe I should take my own advice and actually do this, lol)

winter driving

Reply #6 – January 17, 2007, 06:34:42 AM

I have bald tires... this is gonna bite.

But yeah, fwd cars are easier to drive in the snow because all the weight is in the nose. where as..... our cars are nose heavy... and light as a feather in the back.

winter driving

Reply #7 – January 17, 2007, 06:46:26 AM

This thread timing was perfect. I just drove home in an ice storm on 2/32 tread. It sucked but I made it. It's a good thing it was 5 am with very little traffic.

winter driving

Reply #8 – January 17, 2007, 07:07:38 AM

They both suck without the proper tires.

winter driving

Reply #9 – January 17, 2007, 07:42:50 AM

Tires make a huge difference. My old Yokohamas were almost deadly in the snow. The WORST snow driving experiences I ever had were on those tires. The Pirellis I now have are preety good and they have a W speed rating to boot.

Speaking of traction here's something interesting: http://www.offroaders.com/tech/limited-slip-lockers-differentials.htm

winter driving

Reply #10 – January 17, 2007, 09:33:25 AM

I used to drive my old '90 mustang 2.3 (3.73 open rear diff) every winter for 5 years, and I never wrecked and never got stuck so bad that I couldn't extricate myself (and one of the worst times happened in my own driveway). I'm sure it helped that in the hatch area of the car I had the battery, a full size spare, and 50 lbs of sand every winter, but I also always had good snow tires on it.

Since I used to drive 35 miles one-way to work, there were several times where I had to drive home and I couldn't see the road because of the snow. Also drove on some poorly (or not) cleared backroads pretty often.

Only problem I ever had was one night where I wasn't thinking, and was doing about 70 in Feb. and hit a patch of ice coming around a corner, and spun out.

winter driving

Reply #11 – January 17, 2007, 10:29:12 AM

Thanks for the feedback. I'll get the snow tires, but where do I find a traction - lock rear?

Thanks for the feedback

Reply #12 – January 17, 2007, 10:36:15 AM

Thanks for the feedback. I'll get the snow tires, but where do I find the traction-lock?

winter driving

Reply #13 – January 17, 2007, 01:12:17 PM

If you have a 7.5", then pre 87 T/c's, some rangers and areostars. If you have an 8.8", any V8 mustang, 88 T/c's, Maybe even some trucks.

winter driving

Reply #14 – January 17, 2007, 01:24:44 PM

Yeah, my Ranger on 255/55-17s sucked balls this morning. :rolleyes: Literally could not make it up a local hill, no matter how I feathered the clutch and throttle. Had to turn around and go around the block instead. That's pretty bad.