Damn it, well my winter beater is gone now and cant afford another one at the moment, i hate to do this but it looks like i have to drive the 98 TA in the snow and im sure as hell not getting rid of the car, anyone know what the best set of winter tires are and any suggestions? besides not driving it at all aha, im so pissed

 

Many years ago, when I was still driving my 94 Formula on the street, I bought a set of four Bridgestone Blizzak Winter/Ice tires. They have a hydorphylic (sp?) tread compound that is excellent on ice and water. They work fairly well, but with "snow tires" on all 4 corners, it looked pretty sad. I used a set of 225/55-16's, mounted on "takeoff" Camaro salad shooters... whole setup, mounted and balanced was about $500 from Tire Rack.

Only downside was that as good as they were in snow and ice, when you put them on dry pavement, they had little traction at all. It was embarassing when you pulled away from a light spinning, and mom-n-pop in the Buick Century left you in the dust.....

 

I agree with everything that Fred has said... My Camaro was a year-round daily driver until recently, and I used Blizzaks in 215/60-16 size during the snow and ice season. As Fred stated, it looked goofy as hell, but it worked good in the white stuff. I'd describe the handling on dry pavement as equivalent to a mid-70's Cadillac, though - downright spooky!

The tread compound is very soft and porous, and is designed to stay flexible at frigid temps (which is why they can get a grip on ice) but as a consequence they doen't wear well on dry pavement. So you don't want to keep them on any longer than necessary. Mind you, the "theoretical" nature of the car's handling with those tires on dry pavement will have you switching to your good weather set as soon as you can.

One thing to bear in mind: with Blizzaks (and other winter tires, too) you have a choice of tread designs. Some are meant for snow and ice, while others are more oriented towards ice only. Make sure you pick a set based on conditions you're going to use them in.

 

hmmm thanks ill look into those then, as far as weight goes would you suggest putting any weight in the back of the car, i was thinkin about putting acouple sand bags in but i dont know how my rearend will take it

 

100lbs in the back is what i use(sand bags) and highly recommend Michelin Artic alpin or bridgestone blizzak ws-50, they work awesome even in noreaster storms with blinding snow drifts, and the traction control is quite useful(?) in helping your rear end stay straight.

 

People have different opinions as far as traction control goes. I personally found it to be VERY useful - takes some of the guesswork out of driving the car, i.e. you don't have to worry about it instantly going sideways if you happen to encounter a slippery spot. I don't want to get on a rant here, but I just don't think that some of the people (in another thread) who don't like using the TC in these conditions have really had enough experience with this matter. You just turn it off when you want to have fun, or need to dig out of or get through some deep stuff. So I agree with (the other) Dave on this. 7 Canadian winters, over 100km (60 miles) daily, at various times of the day (plowed/unplowed roads) have given me a lot of experience.

All that said, however, ASR (traction control) is definitely not essential - just helpful.

The tires are the critical item here, and while "wider is better" in good weather, the opposite is true in snow, hence the skinny tires that I (and Injuneer) used.

Having some weight in the back is a very good idea as well. In my case, having a couple of amps and 4 subs in a heavy enclosure back there meant that I didn't need to add any. Bags of sand (or cat litter) work well, and you can use the sand/litter if you get yourself really stuck somewhere.

As I said, I've even driven my car with the 383 in winter (a bit). You just need to be careful. And as far as people with 4x4's go (I have one of them too, now)... 4wd and Fwd might help you accelerate better than a Rwd car like the F-body, but every vehicle is "4-wheel-stop" and "2-wheel-steer". It all comes down to the tires.