Rear Wheel drive at winter???

[repnoy101]

I have a question for Northern People, New York and up. Do you people have any big trouble staying on the road during the winter time?
And if you dont do you think LSD (limited slip differential) would help?
I am just making sure if I want to drive 240sx as my all seasons car.
Thank u

[morpheus8486]

I'm not really in your area, but I'm from North Dakota and the winters here are harsh. Snow is on the ground for like almost 5 months. Driving them in the winter isn't that bad as long as you have the right equipment. Invest in some decent studded winter tires and put a couple sand bags in the back and it will handle fine.

[repnoy101]

I will probably use Subwoffer instead of sand bags and I cant get the winter tires cuz I dont have second set of rims yet. What about the all season tires will they handle the power???

[morpheus8486]

Before I got my 2nd set of rims I just had a shop take the summer tires off and mount the winter tires. Drove on the winter tires til it started warming up and then switched tires again. Only cost like $25. And I havn't had any experience with an all season tire. Maybe check out the toyo proxes something. I know they have a high performance all season tire.

[papershot]

I thought adding weight to the back would increase your traction, but if you slid you'd just have more momentum and wouldn't be able to recover as easily without weight...

[Tuned240]

I have se S14 wheels for sale..Ill even include 2 toyos for 170 shipped for 2, or 270 shipped for 2 tires and 4 rims..

[morpheus8486]

Originally Posted by papershot

I thought adding weight to the back would increase your traction, but if you slid you'd just have more momentum and wouldn't be able to recover as easily without weight...

True, but its not too hard to recover. The weight does help alot though. Last winter I put two 60lbs bags of sand in the back and under normal snow conditions I usually couldn't slide the rear end unless I was trying to. Just be light on the gas going around turns.

[repnoy101]

Aint got no money right now!!! Looking for a job...

[KiDyNomiTe]

Its been talked about, but you are bound to learn how to control it, get snow tires, it'll help.

[AutoDestruct]

You will need snows, or you will really have to be light on it and creep around. dedicated snow equipment makes a world of difference.

[KiDyNomiTe]

Its not that necessary, there are a whole lot of 240 owners out there with no snow tires and they make it every winter. I know of people with 2 ways coilovers and they survived. Just take it easy, and a diff might be good if you get stuck, I was stuck on open diff and azenis once (what a bitch), but I guess 2 way will make it a bit worse.

[ISTOTOSAO]

going around turns with elevation changes in the snow with a 2way is harder than if you hav an open diff. you try to accelerate up a hill while turning and the back just comes out. I had to choose my way home very carefully.

[Ghettokracker71]

Toyo proxes are great,thats what I run don't get me wrong. But those fuckers won't keep you on the road in the rain,I wouldn't get near snow in them.

[93DRIFT]

i drove on all season michelins last year, its not that bad, i just remember sometimes having troubles getting off the line, but after that its FUN

[SimpleS14]

I don't have winter tires....I just drive REALLY careful...pretty much like a granny or a little bitch. Driving on the highway with fresh snow on the road was a horrifing experience....just dodging crashed cars and looking out of speeding 18 wheelers.

[F3600]

if your know how to drive , driving in winter is fun .. i drove my coupe and my fastback 2 years ago in the winter with nothing in the the trunk ... just be safe ,with good tire .

anyway , no more winter for my 240...

[AAA240SX]

I'm alwayz sliding around in winter. My tires are bald as hell in the back.

But, if I get loose on a turn, I just dig through: pumping the gas a little bit at slow speeds gets you through snow all the time. Just don't floor it, you'll spin out and crash into some1.

I put my open diff. on for the winter, it just makes traction a little easier on uneven surfaces. 2-Ways SUCK ASS in the winter! It's just ridiculous! The LSD is for spring through mid fall. Be careful, drive safe, and enter turns at like -45 miles an hour.

[twitchy]

heres my take

i think im in the northernmost area on here, Sudbury Ontario. I deal with more than snow, also 40 degree below temps and blizzards too

Im finding I prefer RWD in the winter except for taking off, which is to be done very very slowly. The LSD helps big time, i dont think Id really go anywhere most of the time without it

dont use sandbags, as someone mentioned they make it harder to get out of a skid once you get into one, kind of useless. Its all driver skill-- i never run snow tires and dont usually have problems. If the weather is nasty and you can take a car better suited for it, then do so and wash underneath a lot! or the salt will get your floor like mine.

[nightwalker]

I don't know about snow, but when it rains in Sac, I run extreme camber and bald tires for fun. It's the shit! You can go down the highway sideways in your lane, and watch everyone move away from you! All the asshole drivers Ph3@r me because I'm squirrley in every turn. Taught me how to control the car though.
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Did I mention how fun it is?

[ledzeppelin240]

Snow with all-season tires is not bad, just starting off is a slow almost aggrivating process...But otherwise it is all driving skill. This is Canadian winters too...

[twitchy]

try 40 below (-40 celsuis = -40 farenheit)

driving in a foot of fresh powder

its great...the parka and mitts get in the way of shifting though

[ledzeppelin240]

Yeah same thing here twitchy...Same f*cking weather...

[BuudWeizErr]

i love it when it snows in socal. its rare, but happens once every other year or so. sideways down my whole street is awesome.

[BSeay]

I had BF Goodrich's on last year during some of the snows here in Va...they are pretty decent but like the other guy said...go slow and take your time...i slid my car in a ditch last winter and thought that i was never ever gonna get out....lol...

[sciamop]

If you want an all season 240sx:

-- Spare set of stock steelies with some 195/70 junkyard snowtires (or Blizzaks if you hit the lottery).
-- Make sure your suspension is in good shape. Blown shocks are very bad news in the snow.
-- 50lb bag of sand in the trunk. In emergencies, you can tear it open and dump some under your spinning wheels.
-- On the first snowfall, drive S L O W L Y to an empty parking lot and find the limit of the car's handling.
-- Don't panic.
-- Torque is your enemy in the snow.
-- Braking is your enemy in the snow.
-- Keep a large buffer between yourself and any other traffic. Most people do not know how to drive in the snow.

Last winter, I took my Z32TT out and got caught in a snowstorm (2+ inches fell in an hour). Since it had summer sport tires (SP9000), I drove home at a whiteknuckle ~9 miles per hour. Anyhow, I came to a stoplight and a 91+ white 240sx fastback was stopped in front of me. I thought to myself, "Cool, another jackass in a RWD car. We can do the slow caravan together!"

Unfortunately, he accelerated up to about 40 mph and disappeared pretty quickly... 15 minutes later, I was rounding a big downhill curve -- he was about 10 yards off the road and rotated 180 degrees. His car appeared undamaged and someone in a 4WD had already stopped to help so I just waved and continued on.

Todd
90 Coupe

[aznpoopy]

pnoy, i had the same concerns as you last winter. 5 months of rwd and first snowfall. key to success:

#1 watch for other idiot drivers
#2 delicate inputs (steering, throttle, braking)
#3 use lower gears then regular (no torque)
#4 avoid hills

in a turn i found myself rotating (very slowly) with the throttle instead of steering... it was much easier and surprisingly more predictable. besides that, take as straight a line as you can, whether you are braking, turning or whatever. straighter = less chance of losing control sideways. i found myself countersteering a tiny bit trying to go straight on some roads... be delicate with throttle and steering and you'll be okay.

i'm from northern NJ right by NYC. sandbags and winter tires / chains help alot if you feel like it. but you can definitely get by with shitty regular tires and good driving habits.

[Soulja]

I found that my LSD made everything alot better. There's a reason that all the canadian models came with an lsd stock. Especially when starting from a stop, and the road, driveway whatever is a sheet of ice. Like everyone said, just drive very carefully, and goto a parking lot and practice. Use engine braking to slow the car, and keep the revs low in all the gears.

[KoukiS14]

Originally Posted by repnoy101

I have a question for Northern People, New York and up. Do you people have any big trouble staying on the road during the winter time?
And if you dont do you think LSD (limited slip differential) would help?
I am just making sure if I want to drive 240sx as my all seasons car.
Thank u

I'll be honest. . you should get a decent set of snow tires. . sooooo much fun in the winter. . you WILL slide around, but I have never gone off the road. . and I've never gotten stuck with snow tires. .now, when it snows, I love going out on drives. The 240sx is even MORE fun in the winter with snow tires.

It helps having a good weight balance, I think. . the 240sx is very forgiving, you can slide around a corner without worry.


I THOUGHT an LSD would help, but my S13 had one stock, and I can say it doesn't matter. . it would help if you have one wheel on ice, and one on dry pavement, however.

[KoukiS14]

Originally Posted by AutoDestruct

You will need snows, or you will really have to be light on it and creep around. dedicated snow equipment makes a world of difference.

I concur. . I had a set of snows that I let sit the first winter I owned them. . mich. arctic alpins mounted on 95 Maxima SE wheels. . I figured "hell those won't help that much" . . WORLD of difference. . seriously, I've beat 4wd trucks off the line

in contrast, with summer and all season tires, you'll get stuck at stop lights, stuck in parking lots (flat surfaces) . . and if you live up a hill, you'll be leaving your car. . I got stuck so bad I couldn't go forward, and I couldn't back down the hill. . I just had to hope the plow didn't damage my car the next morning.

[s13Dr1ft]

i dont have a problem with driving in the winter. I dont like it but its nothin bad.