I never had a problem driving my C5 in winter with the summer tires and I don't think I'll have much more of a problem with the Xfire with the all season Contis. Last winter wasn't bad at all. Just take it easy and don't try to break any speed records. Remember, there's more one car accidents with jerks with SUVs who think they can avoid the laws of physics than there are with cars.

 

The sarcastic beatings will continue until your moral improves.

As for the sand bag trick... Being a MN native, and drove a plow during college, the sand bag trick seemed to work best in cars/trucks that did not have a near 50/50 front/back weight distribution. I loaded my S10 with about 300 lbs of sand in the back and the fronts acted more like rudders through the snow vs. making any progress. Plus, it whipped sh!itties better, but it wasn't good for driving. I settled with one 50 lb tube of sand and accepted the 2WD's crappy performance. Then I bought a real truck.

On the XF, I don't know the weight distribution, but I bet it's close to 50/50. Put too much weight in the back and I bet snow and ice handling will suffer. 18" narrow snow tires I bet would be the best bet. Studded would be good if the state allows it.

 

last time I had to drive my XF in the snow was the day I picked it up, 110 miles home. It did fine...common sense works, if its snowing slow down, leave yourself plenty of room to stop. I have a 'vert, so putting weight in it, isn't an option, the weight would be too far back...but a little weight over the wheels would be fine, very seldom will you be in deep snow, and if you are...well watch that front end, not much clearance for plowing snow...good luck...mine is stored until late March...then the Dragon run.....

 

parked mine in early november with the first snow storm and my srt6 won't see sunlight till april. Dorve it one time in the snow, that's enough.

 

Or, you can put less weight farther behind the rear axle to make sure you are only adding weight to the rears.

 

I have Blizzak LM 25's on a set of regular Crossfire rims that I use for the winter on my SRT-6.

 

The beater car is a good suggestion if you have: the bucks, the parking space, the extra insurance costs and a fund for the obvious repairs that come with the beater.

That said, I bought my car in winter in a Cleveland Ohio blizzard and drove it home to St Louis on factory Conti's. Handled just fine.

The spin out issue with the transmission in lower gears is an issue with the auto but the stick lets you "feather" the torque going to the rear wheels. Start in higher gears and brake with the clutch as much as possible. Manuals are best! They do exactly what you tell them, exactly when you tell them to do it. ( sorry guys, I just had to plug it).

Forget you have a cup holder. Not being sarcastic. Use both hands to drive, one on the wheel and one on the trans, even if you have a worthless auto. No coffee to concern your mind as you steer out of a skid.

The weight sacks need to be over the axle or in front of it. Be sure not to place them too far back in the trunk as this will amplify forces in a skid, not help your control. In the coupe, I would lean it against the bulkhead near the back of the seats. In roadsters, I put mine under the top box and secure them so they stay forward.

I would even suggest one in the passenger foot well. Remember the weight limits (425#) of the car so too much sand would be a bad idea. Just keep it balanced. Keep the tank ( it's located over the rear axle) full.

Remember that the car has a "belly" pan and will bob sled in deep snow.

Snow tires are a good idea if you can afford them. Separate rims are a good suggestion as mounting and demounting can give a wrench jockey the opportunity to provide you a damaged set of rims.

Remember also that downshifting puts more force on the front wheels, without slowing the front tires, giving you more control than the best ABS brakes (which we have BTW). In snow, I touch my brake pedal when I enter the garage. Just about no other time. Which means I drive fairly slow in the snow, using the engine for a majority of the control of the car. Including the steering. It helps to have experienced the sport of "drifting"

Rule to remember. The brakes are the least effective device on your car in snow and ice. Use them LAST. It is better to steer out of a situation that hit the Pause(?) pedal. Cars don't come with "reset game" buttons!

OK, No sarcasm. These things worked for me when all we had were rear wheel drive cars. In the snow, my Xfire handles better than many of the cars I've had so I wouldn't fear winter. Just respect it.

And I drive like everyone else is the enemy. 'Cause they are!


roadster with a stick

 

Franc you can put the auto in winter mode, takes off in 2nd...feathers itself...LOL...

 

Honestly, Forza (and daily driving a 73 mustang) really taught me how to control skids, and regain control in emergency situations, that's why I bought the wheel. I think you said you always use tcs and stm.. turn them off and get used to it! I would go to a nice open parking lot when it snows, and just get comfortable with the car, theres no better way to learn. If you can control the car to the point where you won't lose it you'll be fine. A driver mod is the best way to improve on any car , tires are usually second and more expensive.

 

enemy.....I drive like everyone else is a dumba$$. 'Cause they are!

 

i was planning on using turf tires like they do in the rally races i think there for like mud and dirt i've seen them up close they look alot meaner then snow tires and look like they can go over anything im pretty much screwed i cant afford snow tires so i have no choice but to drive my roadster with summer tires in the rear and all seasons in the front

 

Leave it in the garage and take out the wrangler

 

The last few years, we've had some unusually heavy blizzards here. And you would not believe the number of 4-WHEELERS that are stranded on the sides of the roads around here. The reason? About 1/2 of the residents of Seattle and it's vacinity are from California. They get stuck in snow with their Land Rovers. Okay. No more insults to Californians. I'm sticking to my Expedition in the winter. I will not play the hero with a big dent on his rear.

 

Take it from someone who has driven this car thru 4-5 inches of snow, on solid ice, thru blizzards, driving rain, very high winds, poor visibility, and has never had a problem. This car, for what it is, handles and performs much much better than you would expect in the winter... granted you have A/S tires and you know what you're doing.

I've been trained for this. As a member of the SCCA, as many others in this and other organizations will tell you, what we've been taught by our racing and the experiences and techniques we've learned from it, there is no more valuable an asset.

Tip- first, take some high-speed, high-intensity driving classes. They will teach you a lot that will benefit you for the rest of your life, whatever car you drive. Second, get out there an experience it, granted that you have the A/S tires. Drive in snow, ice, blizzards. Just do it safely. Feel the car and feel the road. Know the warning signs. Third, don't be stupid. Don't drive faster than you should. Just because you have the experience, techniques, whatever, doesn't mean you're invincible. The car is what it is. Just know how to handle it, in all conditions.

Also, TURN TCS OFF.

I've found it useless in most low traction situations. Car goes nowhere and gets stuck all the more often with it on. At high speeds, I recommend then turning it back on.

Also, just like you, I usually keep my wing up in these kinds of situations- snow, ice, heavy downfall of any sort. Make sure it's up.

Sand bags are not a bad idea either for deeper snow. I personally don't, but I think if you do it right, it wouldn't hurt.

Also, if you don't really have to drive, I recommend you don't. After all, it is a sports car, not a Jeep or a H1. It's meant to go fast and look good.

And if you have the automatic, god be with you.

Hope that will help you somewhat.

 

Oh, and to answer your question, I just put 4 new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S's on mine for about $1000. Torn through the original Conti A/S's in less than a year. Plus one had a leak in it. Ran over a screw, got it patched, but it never really was fixed.

 

Unless you intend to drive at high speed, the wing is a waste of time. The wing gives 40lb of downforce at 80mph I believe, as the speed decreases the down force will decrease at a greater rate. Speed and slippery conditions do not mix well.
The sand is a real good idea, even better would be to add more. You can always shovel some of it under a tire when you get stuck.
Do not drive in deep snow or you will get snow packed under the car and lose traction.
Always carry a shovel to clear away deep snow if you get stuck. If snow is packed under the car it will be tough to get out.
Carry an emergency kit in the car, thermal blanket, flares, food.
Remember to keep the tank full of gas, the extra weight is good.
If you go off the road and cannot get out, you could be there a long time, if the engine is running for warmth, keep the windows open a crack, as when they find you you want to be alive and not gassed.
Sometimes it is best to stay with the car, rather than walk into a blizzard and get lost and freeze.
Keep the cell phone handy and charged up.
Be smart, keep warm and do not panic.
We get lots of snow here in Canada, more of us should do what I have said, we don't and people die every year ... go figure.

 

I was going to stay out of this....but I can't help myself.

Shapeshifter has it pretty much right.

My routine on F1 A/S tires......turn off the TCS if you're in deep snow (ie. subdivisions), then turn it back on on the main roads. Take your time and learn to drive the car in the white stuff.....you may be surprised.

I've driven mine in deep enough snow that the belly pan left an imprint in the snow as I went over it.....it's pretty funny to look behind you and see a perfect impression of the bottom of your car.


As far as the wing.......it serves no purpose to put it up in winter driving. The wing is only meant to break up the airflow over the back of the car in a low-pressure zone. Think of it this way......Crossfire with the wing down = airplane wing.....Crossfire with the wing up = airplane wing with the airbrakes deployed. More about this topic can be found here..... https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...hlight=laminar

 

After 5 winters on PS2's finally put on a set of Toyo Proxes 4. One nice thing about the PS2s is that when it was icy out you didn't have to worry about going to fast. The main worry was moving at all.

The Toyo's are speed rated, all season tires and go for about $1100. That is about $500 less than a set PS2's They claim to have just as good dry weather performance as PS2's. We'll find out at the Tail of the Dragon this spring.

I really agonized over this decision. Hope I did good. Now that I have them on we have no snow to tell if they do any good. Not that I'm complaining.

 

I drive like everyone else is a not only an enemy, but also a dumba$$. 'Cause they are!

 

I live in Minnesota. I drove a Pontiac Firebird for three winters with no problems. My Crossfire has given me no problems in the snow. If we get a foot or more, I'll leave it in the garage and drive my FWD vehicle. Stay tuned.....