Winter driving?

[Wraith2097]

I have yet to experience a MN winter, but if its anything like a NH winter it won't be fun. I'm unsure about being able to get a beater in time for the snow because of financial stuff. Seeing as how I got my bird after last winter ended, I have no idea how it handles in the snow. Does anyone here actually use their birds during the winter? I have no friends/family here and am more or less on my own for the first time, so my bird is all I got.


Any tips,suggestions,warnings? This would be the one and only winter my bird should see.

[95fbirdkid]

i used to drive the bird in the winter, actually better than my truck is now. Just be gentle w/ the gas, and always leave yourself plenty of room in front of you to stop/turn. Just use your head basically.

[BLLDOGG]

suggestion.....just chill and take your time. i drive my camaro with a LSD every winter everyday no matter what and have never had problems

[vanbibber]

like said above. taking your time is key. i didnt have any problems last year with the 3.4 or the lt1. even though the lt1 only saw snow for about a week.

[vanbibber]

oh and a warning.... watch out for idiots in suvs.

[Dominic]

I'm going to be running dunlop winter sport m3 tires this season (google it and find them on tirerack [img]smile.gif[/img] )

[96RS Alex]

Im in CT and anticipating the worst winter beating in years here. I was in sunny CA when my family got buried in the winter of 1995-96, so we're due here. ( 10 yr storm cycle pattern I believe )

For my Camaro, I am currently preparing:
1~ Inspected and found my front brakes shot. I'm working on replacing them right now as of this moment. Good for stopping power, duh!
2~ Wiper blades, of the 3 major auto parts stores, I could not find a listing for winter blades specifically designed for the F-body, currently I use the summer Trico Blade 24-9R. I even used them computerized catalog systems in the wiper isle to select my application but feared their choice of blades would not clear the lower windshield of ice. So I'm toying with the idea of masking the wiper blade frame w/ black duct tape away from the actual blade to duplicate the mechanics of a winter blade. Rain-X on the windshield too. Results posted in January lol.
3~ Snow Tires. While doin the brake inspection, I noticed my tread wear on these Goodyears about 80% gone. I decided to get 4 decent M+S ( mud & snow ) tires with serious bite to handle the icy / snowy roads. Lowering tire pressure a few psi may aid traction when you need it.
4~ Windshield De-Icer fluids. I use the Prestone brand in my resevoir, superb in overnight frost conditions. You may want to consider a case ( 6 cans ) of de-icer aerosol for tough icy blizzard conditions. 1 aerosol can will make you a believer to de-ice windshield and wiper arms.
5~ Fuel additives worth a try for every tankful. the idea is to resist fuel from freezing up in the lines.
6~ I'm going to take another years chance with my existing Dex-Cool inside my cooling system. No overheating issues yet this past summer but keeping an eye on the temp gauge when frigid weather arrives.
7~ Battery. I bought an Optima recently so no troubles expected. Die Hards are great too. Clean off any unusual corrosion found on the terminals. They might cause a no-start or weak battery issue.
8~ Motor oil. I am switching from Mobil Synthetic 15W50 to 10W30 for easier start-ups. Maybe someone here can explain the benefits of 5W30 in extreme cold weather.
9~ Door lock cylinder de-icer fluids make key entry a breeze.
10~ Snow scraper and brushes that extend are great. A better kind would be the bottom of a pushbroom to clear away snow in giant sweeps. Remove the broom handle and stash the sweeper in your trunk. Keyword 'Pushbroom' in Home Depot or Lowe's website for a pic.

That's all I can think of, coming from an experienced fellow Northeaster.

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

on first snow i find a empy parking lot and get the car up to about 35 and slam on the brakes make sure its going to stop in a striaght line

then i do it again and make sure the car responds to steering inputs... if the abs is working you should still be able to turn the car... fit not the car will go striagh till you let the brake off

also gas it and see what happens...... hehe

[loser]

what viper is saying is go play a little in a EMPTY parking lot. i loved when my brother had his old firebird. i was young, maybe 10 when he had it. i loved doing donuts and sliding all over in the empty mall parking lots. i think he had 80lbs in the hatch, good ( studded )snow tires and he never got stuck. i plan on going out with my car at least once to play in the snow. good luck.

[3.4 slow to go]

Originally posted by vanbibber:
oh and a warning.... watch out for idiots in suvs.

he forgot the BIGGER idiots in their BAH GAWD!!!!!! 4x4 trrucks, because 4x4 means I cain still tailgate your asz in snow/ice and not need additional stopping distance.

[SpeedingFirebird]

Originally posted by 96RS Alex:
Im in CT and anticipating the worst winter beating in years here. I was in sunny CA when my family got buried in the winter of 1995-96, so we're due here. ( 10 yr storm cycle pattern I believe )

Why do you expect a bad winter?
Where in CT are you? I am 10 mins from Danbury

Originally posted by 96RS Alex:


2~ Wiper blades, of the 3 major auto parts stores, I could not find a listing for winter blades specifically designed for the F-body, currently I use the summer Trico Blade 24-9R. I even used them computerized catalog systems in the wiper isle to select my application but feared their choice of blades would not clear the lower windshield of ice. So I'm toying with the idea of masking the wiper blade frame w/ black duct tape away from the actual blade to duplicate the mechanics of a winter blade. Rain-X on the windshield too. Results posted in January lol.

Personally, I think winter blades are a gimmick. I have never seen them perform any better, and no blade can remove ice. I also do not see the point of rain-x for the winter, but I don't believe in the stuff anyway.

Originally posted by 96RS Alex:

5~ Fuel additives worth a try for every tankful. the idea is to resist fuel from freezing up in the lines.

20 years in Maine, and I never heard of lines freezing. Do not buy gas from shaddy stations (they add water), and throw in some dry gas every couple of months. Additives per tank is a waste of money.

Originally posted by 96RS Alex:

6~ I'm going to take another years chance with my existing Dex-Cool inside my cooling system. No overheating issues yet this past summer but keeping an eye on the temp gauge when frigid weather arrives.

You can buy a tester for like $2 that will tell you the temps your antifreeze can handle. Then there is no taking chances.

Originally posted by 96RS Alex:

8~ Motor oil. I am switching from Mobil Synthetic 15W50 to 10W30 for easier start-ups. Maybe someone here can explain the benefits of 5W30 in extreme cold weather.

The first number before the W is the winter weight. The smaller the number, the easier it will flow when cold. Your owner's manual will tell you what to run in the winter. 10W-30 should be fine.

Originally posted by 96RS Alex:

9~ Door lock cylinder de-icer fluids make key entry a breeze.

This is good to have if your car is prone to it. 16 winters, and I have never needed it. My wife had a car for a while that did.

Your suggestions are not bad, but a little over the top. A lot of products are gimmicks or are baded on fears. The big things to do are check the antifreeze, get snow tires, and put some weight in the back.

[4thgenowner]

Originally posted by viper04af:
make sure the car responds to steering inputs... if the abs is working you should still be able to turn the car... fit not the car will go striagh till you let the brake off

also gas it and see what happens...... hehe

I agree, ABS works WONDERS on icy/snowy roads. My stepdads Sierra handles like a champ on any snowy/icy road.

[96RS Alex]

Hi SpeedingFirebird, A little over the top? Ha!

I haven't seen any brutal storms in 10 yrs that dump snow and paralyze a state to shut it down. I'm stating my belief that roughly every decade, we will experience a seasonal shift in weather patterns that resemble conditions like those in Wraith's state of MN. It's documented in the NOAA webpage. A severe winter anomaly that attributed to 300 deaths and $3-4 billion in total damages.

While us East Coasters get our infamous Nor'easters here, a state like MN may experience more accumulated snow over a longer period of time and make it difficult to drive.

I'm expecting conditions to be dismal come next month in December, wet and snowy. We're getting unbelievable weather around the nation and I stated that I was in CA when CT was getting buried 10 yrs ago. I have yet to experience the decadal phenomenon with an F-body, that's all I was saying to help out those who are not fortunate living down south.

I'm in central CT past Litchfield County, last week we got early signs of winter here but it's going to top out at nearly 70 degrees on Nov 1st. Unreal.

[ October 31, 2005, 01:52 PM: Message edited by: 96RS Alex ]

[SpeedingFirebird]

I heard you guys got snow last week. Luckily we only rain (LOTS of rain).

I have never heard of this weather anomaly, but it would take a a lot of snow to shut down a place like Maine. (They did shut down during a major ice storm...um 8 years ago?) When I lived there, some winters were just flat out evil. I was just stating that in that time, I did not need many of things you mentioned. Perhaps in MN, Wraight might need them.

[JusFlyinBy]

Im not trying to be an *** or anything, but Im willing to bet if you searched winter driving, you will find thousands of posts on this, technique, experience, opinions, everything. Its the time of year where you get one of these posts once a week, and it always looks like the same people respond and say the same stuff. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Here, I'll save you from looking. My firebird is my official winter beater. Buy a set of skinny studded snow tires all around. You'll be fine.

Winter driving should be a sticky... heh.