I wanted to ask this before the first snow hits, which doesnt look like it will be too far away.

Ive got 4 witermark studded snow tires new for this year and since my camaro is my only car im going to be driveing it in the winter. Its supposed to be a bad one this year too. Ive also got about 5 sandbags. Im wondering what the best way to get around in the snow would be. Like if i should put weight in the back and if so, how much, and what are your guys' experiences with ASR in the snow. Normally i turn mine off, but im wondering if i should leave it on since i have some tires with grip this year.

Last year i was on bald stock tires and i got stuck about 1 block away from my house about 3 times in the same night. In my defense, I live on a huge hill and there was ice under the snow, so it was slick as snot.

Also what tire pressure should i be running in these tires. I think they are 215's.

 

My Camaro (stock) was my year-round daily driver until recently. I drove it 65 miles a day through the winter for 7 years (1 with the 383!) until I bought my 4x4.

I never had a problem getting anywhere. I used 4 Bridgestone Blizzaks (215/60-16, 35psi). As far as weight goes... I didn't add anything other than the 100lbs or so of stereo equipment thats already in the back.

With the Blizzaks, the car's dry weather handling was weird - the car wanted to wander around the road, but it was stable and predictable in snow and ice. I generally left the ASR on. ASR doesn't improve your traction, but it makes a powerful rear-drive car practically idiot-proof. You'll want to turn the ASR off, though, if you're trying to crawl through deep snow - a little wheelspin will help you there. Also, the ASR needs to be switched off in order to perform "stunts".

I haven't used studded tires - they're not legal here (but there's talk that law may be changing). I've heard that they can be kinda spooky on dry/wet pavement, but are great in snow/ice.

I'm old enough to remember when front-wheel-drive was a new "fad". Everyone managed to make it through winter back then, and everything was rear-drive.

A Camaro with proper snow/ice tires is better prepared for winter conditions than most other vehicles on the road with all-season tires. Sure, you won't win any drag races with 4x4 SUVs, but with your tires you could outbrake and outmanoeuver them. Just drive sensibly, and realize that sometimes you need to keep a little momentum to get through really deep stuff.

 

Thanks.

I know ASR doesnt "improve" traction. If anything it maintains traction. I was just wondering if you want a little wheels spin to get throgh some of the tough stuff.

 

Yep, that's right!

 

If you add the weight don't put it in the well in the rear because if you do start to sway it'll act like a pendullum and swing you on around. I've seen plenty of trucks have this happen to them.

 

I'll add my $0.02. I almost got into an bad argument w/ one guy I knew...-ASR helps prevent spin but it can not prvent you from sliding or going sideways when the road is very slick.

Take your time and think ahead. Brake WAY earlier than you have to. You should be at a dead roll 100 feet before the stop is actually required. Stay in high RPM's to let 'engine braking' help you.

Other than that, Blizzaks and weight (about 100lbs) in the rear should be fine.

 

I highly, highly disagree with you on that one!! When you're driving in snow / slippery conditions, you want to keep your car balanced, and all of your actions very smooth. Think about this, why do they tell you if you're in a skid to bang your car into neutral? So that there is no influence from the drivetrain, and all you rely on are the brakes and the steering.

Here's a short story for ya . When I had my '81 Z28, I was driving in the snow (nothing much, a couple inches) and I geared it down while I was coming to a stop. That made the back end pull a little bit, but nothing major . Then I made a right turn, and as I was accelerating, the back end started to drift out. So what's the natural (effective) solution? Let off the throttle ..... which I did, and because it was still in 1st gear, it had "engine braking" alright, and it totally over-compensated for the drifting, and it put me ~90* sideways on the road, between 2 deep ditches, and somehow I was able to pull it around (another 90*) and get straight on the road, facing the other way! DON'T use/rely on engine braking in the snow!!!

Take if from the Canadian boys here . Good snow tires (215/60/16's are perfect) and smoooooooooth operation are all you need to successfully navigate your Camaro/Firebird (or any other RWD vehicle) through the snow. And as Dave mentioned earlier, which I totally agree with, you should find that your Camaro can actually "out handle" almost any other vehicle in the snow! I noticed it the first time I was on the road with mine ~4 years ago ... it braked and steered far more accurately, predictably and smoothly than any other vehicle I'd driven in snowy/slippery conditions. Just be easy on the right pedal!! And you don't need ASR (my car doesn't even have it).

 

QFT.

 

Get A Old Beater 4x4.

 

Right now i dont have the money to get another vehicle. Besides the cost of the car, I would have to pay for licenseing, registration, insurance and you know its going to cost alot to either make it, or keep it driveable so it wont leave me stranded. My experiences with cheap beater cars is that they cost more in the long run than it would have cost to just get a little bit nicer car to begin with.

So until i can afford that, i will stick to snow tires, driveing skills and a little bit of luck.

 

keep your gas tank full

 

Mash it

 

Iam very very surprized on the amount of people on this board that drive there cars through the winter. I could never see myself doing so, or buying a winter driven performance car.

 

Its not as bad as people thing. Tires play a huge part in traction. I was rolling around on 70,000+ mile stock tires on snow covered ice going up a rather large hill so thats why I got stuck.

 

Keep the rpms down. Buy new tires if you have something real high performance or bald. Be easy on the gas, take your time and let the 4x4 trucks pass ya.