Best/Worst Winter Vehicles!

[diymirage]

diymirage,

That car looks bad, did you come out OK?

That was cool, thanks for sharing it!

not a scratch on me

or the wife for that matter

airbags didnt even deploy

i really wasnt going that fast

25 maybe ?

musta just hit the car at a touchy angle

BOTH the front fenders were as perfect as when the car first rolled of the line, not a scratch on them

[Harold]

Any car can be made to drive in the snow. It all comes down to two things- proper tires and weight balance. People always complain about Mustangs and Camaros not being worth a darn in the snow, but here's a hint- ditch the Garorbacks or any other performance tire (they're only good 3/4 of the year) and get som all seasons for the front and mud and snows for the back. Keep the gas tank full, and carry about 50- 100 # of sand in the trunk. I had to laugh a few years ago when I was driving my cab. I stopped at a house to let my passenger out and there were two Flint cops trying to get their cruiser (a Crown Vic) moving. I got out to help push, and when I saw the Gatorbacks, I asked why they were running those tires in the winter. They didn't have an answer. I grew up in rural Michigan, and when we had a major snowstorm, it would be several days before you saw a snowplow. So, you either had to learn to drive in the snow or you stayed home. I could make that 330- powered F-85 go through anything without spinning or geting stuck. You just have to set your car up right and exercise some common sense .

[dptydawg]

I have to agree with Harold. You need good snowtires and an educated right foot. I had a 68 cuda ffastback 383 4gear and a 70 Challengers 440 sixpack and both cars were excellent in snow. Both had posi which helped conciderably. The Wife's Grand Cherekees are good snow goers but my pickup trucks have all been 2 wheel drives with posi and snows (my preference is Blizzacks). They will get me through any snow that I should be out and about in.

The best vehicle I have ever seen in snow was an old 53 Dodge Power Wagon with a big old welder in the bed. It would wallow through anything with or without roads.

Carl

[my name is nobody]

The best snow vehicles?

Well, I just bought a '09 Hummer H3, and yesterday I drove thru some scary stuff

driving all the way from Colorado home to Montana, and it handled the slick/icy roads wonderfully.

I have owned several ZR-2 GM S series pickups, and they NEVER left me stranded.

and I've had them in situations that most people would just curl up and go fetal, probably crying.

Just traded in my latest one on the Hummer H3.

Had a '74 CJ 5 Jeep that would climb a wall if I aimed for it.

climbed an ice covered clear cut mountain in Colorado with it one time looking for a bathroom outside of Central City Colorado. didnt know I had an audience from a casino watching the whole event, until my wife and I were going in,

and the crowd outside were talking about the maniac who just went UP the side of the mountain.

my wife still smiles about that story.

or the time I ran into a traffic jam in the streets of Denver during a blizzard, the streets were blocked, 2-3 feet of snow on the streets, people involved in the accident were fighting and crying about the situation, I jumped out of my Jeep, Locked in the hubs and drove up into some peoples yards and drove around the whole mess.

Worst Vehicles in the snow?

My '70 Dodge Super Bee (440/ 4 speed) with L60-15 rear tires was just worthless.

Any moisture on the roadway made it a white knuckle thrill ride.

Of course, if you dumped the clutch on dry pavement, sometimes it was a white knuckle thrill ride, too.

[Jon Cole]

I can vouch for that. I had a 79 Formula Firebird with a SBC and in the rain the rear would break loose on the highway. That was probably my worst snow car ever, too. Even my Novas were better in the snow than that car.

The RX 8 was pretty bad with the factory Potenzas it was stuck on flat ground in a 1/4 inch of snow. It's the tires that make all the difference in the world, and it's not tread... it's compound.

A front wheel drive with good tires have always been the best and I have had many. I have only owned one all wheel drive and it was a horrible piece of junk: Jeep Grand Wagoneer.

Cal,

Was the Jeep GW a junk overall, or "junk" in the snow? Because it is a big 4x4 (yours was 4WD, yes?) and tips the scales about the same as a Navy Frigate, it should go through snow like a knife through butter.

Perhaps the tires?

I'm just curious. Other 4WD owners here have similar stories, and quite unexpected.

[Nick F40]

Best: 85 GTI

Worst: 85 GTI

[FordWagonNut]

Any car can be made to drive in the snow. It all comes down to two things- proper tires and weight balance. People always complain about Mustangs and Camaros not being worth a darn in the snow, but here's a hint- ditch the Garorbacks or any other performance tire (they're only good 3/4 of the year) and get som all seasons for the front and mud and snows for the back. Keep the gas tank full, and carry about 50- 100 # of sand in the trunk. I had to laugh a few years ago when I was driving my cab. I stopped at a house to let my passenger out and there were two Flint cops trying to get their cruiser (a Crown Vic) moving. I got out to help push, and when I saw the Gatorbacks, I asked why they were running those tires in the winter. They didn't have an answer. I grew up in rural Michigan, and when we had a major snowstorm, it would be several days before you saw a snowplow. So, you either had to learn to drive in the snow or you stayed home. I could make that 330- powered F-85 go through anything without spinning or geting stuck. You just have to set your car up right and exercise some common sense .

I agree on snow tires. Wish I could have afforded them when I was in college.

Worst cars I had in snow: My '04 Mustang, she thinks its play time when its wet, dry, snowy, windy.......

Best cars I had in snow: '76 Ford LTD four door, '78 Thunderbird, all my Volvo 240 wagons ('79, '81, and '83), '79 & '96 Lincoln Town Car, the one that seemed so LOVE snow and saved me from being late for class, my '77 LTD Country Squire.

[Aaronw]

There you go.

Yours is a little prettier than mine, but I'm working on that. Just did the brakes so it will stop, and ordered a rebuild kit for the carb so it will go.

My neighbor has a plow for a Landcruiser he is trying to sell me, I haven't decided yet.

Edited December 13, 2009 by Aaronw

[Nick F40]

Those are some nice FJ's, that FJ55 is sweet! I have a soft side for nice Toyota 4X4's.

[Joe Handley]

To be honest, I've yet to own a vehicle that was actually bad in the snow. Tire choice did make a difference in how things worked in the snow though.

'94 Grand Cherokee Larado; Never owned it long enough to find out, but it did use the 4.0l/42RE/242 (Selec-Trac) drivetrain and Wrangler GS-A tires (in 245/70/R15), which would have made it pretty nice to have in the snow!

'88 Dodge Shadow ES Turbo Coupe; It was competent in the snow. Even though it was stock, it sat too low and the tires were too short (205/50/R15 all season performance tires) to be of much use if the roads weren't plowed. I did run it one winter with almost completely bald tires on the front and while it wasn't good, I made it the whole winter like that and the only thing that I hit was a small deer that ran infront of the car at night, with about 5 feet to stop, during a snow shower on a slick road at 30mph...........so needless to say, even if I had fresh snow tires with spikes, ABS, and clear visibilty, I couldn't have avoided that incident unless I had stayed home! Amazingly the car sustained only minor cosmetic damage in the incident too!

'85 Lebaron GTS Turbo Sedan; When I first got it the 205/60/SR15 Grand Prix Radials were worthless on anything but dry pavement (and not worth much more there either ), but after I totaled the ZJ I used some of the insurance money I recieved to get some 205/60/HR15 BF Goodrich Touring T/A's from Sam's Club and car went from barely usable to fantastic on the snow and far better everywhere else including dry pavement! One thing that's kinda funny about that car though is that it's about the only front driver that Dad actually trusted enough to run hard and fast!

'98 Cherokee Limited; Main reason I bought that one is that it has the 4.0l/AW4/242 (Selec-Trac) combo and didn't have the Anti-Lock brake option. When I bought it Carmax had stuck 224/70/R15 Toyo Open Country AT's on it. It worked well with those tires, but I ended up replacing them after 30k or so with 235/75/R15 Goodyear Wrangler Silentarmors (I'll never know why 235/75's weren't atleast a factory option on those things ) and over the last 45k I have found that those tires on this truck have made for an outstanding year round combo for this area. I was kinda stupid and didn't rotate the tires for about the last 15k and the front tires are probably ticket worthy right now but still work frighteningly well in what we've had around here lately so long as I drive accordingly

So far as I know, the only Bad snow vehicle any of us in my immediate family has owned was Dad's '86 Pontiac 6000 LE. That car was just an absolute "piece" from the get go and the only way it wouldn't spin out when trying to stop was if it was completely dry out. Dad even spent some money and put one of the better tires he could find on it and that made no difference in how it drove when damp or worse out! FOrtunetly that thing was totalled and replaced with a '88 Cherokee that was equipped with the 4.0l/AW4/242 combo and with the exception of my ZJ, all of the Jeeps we've owned since then have all had the same combo in it

[Lownslow]

Is it just me, or weren't Mustangs and Camaros slippery as stink even on dry, summer roads?

i never had a problem but then again i run a lower psi when its cold out for traction

[Joe Handley]

Is it just me, or weren't Mustangs and Camaros slippery as stink even on dry, summer roads?

IIRC Dad said one of my uncles (#2 of the of them) had an early '65 Mustang, even after comepletely reworking the suspension on the car about the only place it was drivable was on dry, paved roads.....and if you went on gravel...well let's just say that's how the car died

[JamesW]

i never had a problem but then again i run a lower psi when its cold out for traction

You get uneven wear that way though.

[Lownslow]

You get uneven wear that way though.

true but i dont use my summer wheels in the winter, and shady tire shops are dime a dozen here. how you think i got winter wheels lol

[JamesW]

true but i dont use my summer wheels in the winter, and shady tire shops are dime a dozen here. how you think i got winter wheels lol

Good point, I'll be runnin 18's or 20's on my truck hopefully next summer, then swap the stocks back on in winter.

[diymirage]

i never had a problem but then again i run a lower psi when its cold out for traction

i should try that on the 'sat

drop my 18 pounds back to the stock 7

should kill the wheelspin

[Jason Vandergriff]

worst i drove in the winter

82 s-10 swb 305 with th350 hated cold weather no heat and did move in the winter.

89 s-10 blazer 350 th350 has heat but suffers from wont hook syndrome year round.

best

83 s-10 4x4 2.8 5 speed un killable was rough as .... but did what was required when it counted.

[Greg Cullinan]

Best for me is my current 01 Ford Expedition,it has 4 wheel drive but I've never had the need for it. The most snow we've had lately is barely 6 inches.

Worst for me is my current 08 Ford F150 and various other years F150's and Chevy 1500's. Also had a 93 Lincoln Mark VIII that I couldn't get out of a parking spot with 2 inches of snow. I have a 03 Mustang GT that I won't even consider to drive in rain or snow she barely wants to stay on dry pavement!

[Aaronw]

I could make that 330- powered F-85 go through anything without spinning or geting stuck. You just have to set your car up right and exercise some common sense .

My Dad had a mid 60s F-85 when I was in high school. He got it from an elderly neighbor who sold it to him cheap in return for the many favors he had done for her over the years. That and the fact there wasn't a piece of sheet metal on the car without a dent, she probably should have given up driving a few years earlier than she did. That car was a blast to drive, it was a big old boat that looked like hell, but it ran great. Sadly it met its demise when a guy made an illegal left in front of my brother. It might have survived but to add insult to injury it got stripped while parked in front of the police impound lot.

It's too bad they don't make a kit of that, it was a fun car, it would be nice to build it in all of its dented, cruddy paint glory.

[Chuck Most]

i never had a problem but then again i run a lower psi when its cold out for traction

That was the only way my '81 Lincoln Town Car (can't believe I didn't mention this one earlier) would budge. It didn't matter what tires I had, or how many sandbags I had in the trunk, if I aired the rear tires down a bit, she'd plow though all but the worst drifts. (Oddly, though, I drove my buddy's '81 LTD Crown Vic quite a few times over the winter, and it didn't seem to notice the snow!)

I have to wonder about 'proper winter setup', though. (On some vehicles.) My Jeep Cherokee's 4wd crapped out about a year after I bought it, it had crummy all-terrain tires on it, and I never had any weight in the back (not even the spare), and it was a great winter car. I think it may have had more to do with low gearing and a gutless engine (2.5 Iron Duke that bled fluid from every orifice) than anything I could've done to prep it for winter.

A good set of tires will help- I've had good luck with the 'Winterforce' tires. My '85 Ranger had much trouble in snow until I had a set of Winterforce tires installed. Poor little truck thought she was 4x4 after that! A local guy drives a Miata all year (true story!), and he runs Winterforce tires on the back all winter and says they're great. "With them, it's no problem. Without them, the car just wants to wiggle sideways.", sez he.

I actually saw an '08/09 Challenger R/T out and about a few days ago, in some pretty hairy blizzard conditions. I wasn't too surprised at seeing a RWD muscle car out in such conditions... I was more surprised in seeing a forty thousand dollar RWD muscle car out in such conditions! Wonder what kind of tires he was runnin'?

Oh, Aaron... I think they did make an F-85 kit. I think it was a Jo Han kit, so it may not be easy to track down, or cheap once you get it!

Edited December 14, 2009 by Chuck Most

[Rob Hall]

The original factory Goodyear Wranglers on my Grand Cherokee were good in snow overall...went through 2 sets of those. I now have a set of Goodyear Fortera Triple Tread tires on it now, very good in snow and nasty weather. In the past, it was fantastic in driving in heavy snow...in 4 wheel low or high (depending the speed and depth of snow). I store away my RWD fun cars for winter.

Not such a necessity in AZ, but I'll always have a 4wd SUV when I'm living in the land of snow and ice.

[Chuck Most]

Another thing I've noticed, those big ol' honkin' Super Swamper TSLs may not be the best choice in snow! They tend to kind of ride up on top of the snow. I've had the best luck with somewhat skinny tires. They seem to slice through the snow like a treaded, rubber pizza cutter!

[Lownslow]

I actually saw an '08/09 Challenger R/T out and about a few days ago, in some pretty hairy blizzard conditions. I wasn't too surprised at seeing a RWD muscle car out in such conditions... I was more surprised in seeing a forty thousand dollar RWD muscle car out in such conditions! Wonder what kind of tires he was runnin'?

i see Maseratis and Bentleys running around here all the time covered in salt they are meant to be driver as one owner told me at the gas station, funny thing was the other car he owned was his first car a 78 delta 88 that after it was reconditioned it has never seen rain or snow.

[charlie8575]

i see Maseratis and Bentleys running around here all the time covered in salt they are meant to be driver as one owner told me at the gas station, funny thing was the other car he owned was his first car a 78 delta 88 that after it was reconditioned it has never seen rain or snow.

I love the poetic justice in this....

Charlie Larkin

[screwhead]

Another thing I've noticed, those big ol' honkin' Super Swamper TSLs may not be the best choice in snow! They tend to kind of ride up on top of the snow. I've had the best luck with somewhat skinny tires. They seem to slice through the snow like a treaded, rubber pizza cutter!

i can vouch for that. my worst car was an 84 firebird with stocks on it (cant remember what size)

best is my 95 police package caprice. my stock wheels for it got stolen. im a lowrider so it sits on wire wheels all year round. i drive it 365 days a year on 175/70/14s and it NEVER slides, unless you want it too. im sure the abs and posi help too but it just seems like no matter what kind of conditions i drive it in, those skinny tires just cut right down to the dry pavement.