anyone know how bad a 350 in a camaro does in the snow i live in wisconsin and i was just wondering because i dont want to wreck it and does any body know what kind of maintenance i should put it through during the winter i put it in this post cuz im swapping motors and a v6 would most likely be a little less worse than a v8

 

Step 1: Leave it at home when there's salt on the roads; don't drive it in the snow

 

Are you crazy, these cars are wild in the rain, and you would even consider snow?!
Well, to be honest I have done it once. Just take it very easy, easier than you do in the rain. Don't ever get impatient or in a hurry, but really this is true no matter what the conditions. And of course salt can/will do bad things. Find out if they allow for chains/spikes. Could make a world of difference, but it isn't a means to speed, spinning wheels in chains or with spikes will do bad things to tires.
I will be livin in Harrisburg PA this winter and I understand they get their fair share of snow, so I have slippery conditions to look forward to too.......only not with an l98, w/ a LT1....

 

have you heard of a period???

anyway from what people say, these cars suck if the roads arnt dry, however, i have never spun the tires loose in the rain unless i meant to.

 

I got caught driving in the snow one year with nearly bald tires and a peg leg. There isn't one flat road in this town which makes driving in the snow fun. What usually took me 5 min to get from the school to home took me 20 min. I got stuck 5 times going up one hill till I finally made it up and over. 2nd gear the car would just start to go sideways so I just drove around in 1st being carefull not to let off too quick or hit the brakes too hard. Would I drive in the snow again? Hell yeah They don't salt down the roads here, just sand. Really have to watch out for black ice too in some areas. I spun out making a left turn and was going slow enough that an old lady in a wheelchair could keep up with me. Best thing would probably just get a winter beater car and save the Camaro for good weather days.

 

If it is neccessary for you ro drive in the SNOW with your 350 Camaro, one word of advice "TIRES" . You will need a good set of Snow tires on all four wheels and NOT the widest ones. Yes, it can be done.

 

I have been driving my car throughout the year since 1983. Maryland winters are not that snowy, we get average 2 big snowstroms a year. You need positraction rear, tons or weight in the back, and I use rubber spring spacers to raise the sag caused by the load of rocks,sandbags or bricks. I have a pile of rocks behind my parking space at work for emergencies. I load it to the point where the concern is having good enough tread on the fronts for steering. Only a 305 with manual, never stuck in 20 years.

 

I've driven my LG4 (305) camaro in the winter before and it's not advisable. Many a time my dad would have to follow me home from work or wherever to make sure I didn't get stuck. It is fun to play in parking lots though....

 

this is my first winter with my car. i an NOT looking forward to it. i was going to store it some place but i don't have the money for it and for a winter beater so i hope this is my first and last winter in my car.

 

get a 350 and you can go that in the summer when its all dry out

:-D :lala: :lala: :lala:

 

Ya, I'm working on that one... Just needs some funds....

 

If you do it, you're nuts. lol. I did it a few times last winter, and its is like an elephant walking on marbles.

 

I've got a 305 LG4 in my '86, and it's been a daily driver in Massachusetts winters ever since I got it.

Advice:
1) Get 4 studded snow tires, nothing else works. Gotta have studs or forget it.

2) Put lots of weight in the back. I flip the back seat down and put slate all in the back and in the rear well. Gotta get weight on the rear wheels.

3) Go slow.

That will at least give you traction. When the snow get to be 4, 5, or 6 inches deep, you'll probably start bottoming out, but up to that you should at least be able to move forward.

Good luck!

 

we get snow from thaksgiving to febuaray it's permanent. If you drive safe you wont have a problem. Just plan on going slow. The whole thing for me is not about taking off, but stopping. Any fool can make a car go in the snow, but it takes a good driver to get one stopped without hitting another car or a ditch.

I drove a 2wheel drive pickup wioth bald tires one winter. Belive it or not, their usually are less people on the road, so it makes for a bit more fun .

Best advice, plan ahead, don't go faster than you can stop.
Keep either four to five bags of kitty litter in the trunk, or tubes of sand. It adds weight for traction, then when you cant get up a hill, you lay out the litter or sand for traction in nice little lines, it works awesome.

All my cars now are 4 wheel drive, not for the snow but for the mountains in which i spend all my summers.

 

Just take it slow at first and get used to it. You will do fine.

I look forward to the snow!!!!!

 

Well I had to drive my car in the snow last winter. It wasn't all that bad. When I put my car in drive and let off the breaks I would just spin and go sideways. When pulling out wait until you get strait to accelerate. When accelerating, do it as slow as possible. I would be going 35 mph in the snow and hit the gas maybe a little bit less then an inch and the car would go sideways. Whatever you do just press the gas down as slowely as you can and you will be fine. Good luck.

Oh yeah and I only have a 305 and it was like that.

 

If you must drive it, and its a manual trans, always drive 1 gear higher than you would in good summer conditions. And forget about using 1st gear at any time, lol, you'll dig a pair of holes

 

get a beater... think about it...
cost of smashing your thirdgen= lots and lots plus it will suck
cost of getting a beater= way cheaper and most are way better on gas.

 

we use to live in ohio and my bro drove a 71 chevelle in the snow. we had about 200 lbs of free weights in the back. take it easy. he drove on p295 tires.

 

I live in Wisconsin and use to drive my Camaro (305 then) in the winters. As was mentioned before, the salt killed the car. I also use to look forward to winters. Currently, I'm in the middle of doing the 305-350 swap and do not plan on driving it this winter. One, because of the salt and two, I have wider tires on now and will have more power.. If you can, let your car be a summer crusing car..We don't need to take a chance on loosing another thirdgen to an accident..
BTW where in Wisconsin?

 

I live in ND, I had my car last winter but it wasn't running, but I have had a couple of friends that used third gen's throughout the winter, and it IS possible but it takes alot of getting used to. I plan on driving mine to a limited extent this winter, but if it gets too bad I just drive the grand prix. Granted our last few winters here have been very very mild (by ND standards anyway), but I do think it's possible to drive in the winter on a daily basis, there are alot of 3rd and 4th gen's you see around here driving in the winter, but some of what you see ain't pretty. I was leaving school one day and saw an IROC with the backend fishtailing back and forth about 4-5 inches all the way down the road and the driver didn't look like he was paying any attention to it, just driving as if it was 80 degrees and sunny out by the look on his face.

 

3 things you need to do...
1.) Put weight into the back
2.) Take it easy
3.) Get used to taking intersections @$$ first

It really isn't bad - Like everyone else said slow and steady. I never had problems onve the road was clear or the snow packed only when the stuff was still comin down. BTW rain traction is all in the tires. Good tires will make it fine in the rain. Bald cheepies and you get to do doughnuts.


Word to that. Now way I could get any of my auto 3rd gens up the driveway in winter the put the formula in 2nd and it creeps all the way up. That also works for non road experiences - Leave 1st for lawn jobs

 

How much torque is the 350 going to have? I dare say my LT1 wouldn't move in snow. I got it this past march. We had a late snow sometime after I got it, I went to move it in the yard just 15 feet to get it out of my dad's way and at idle it hit a skip of snow and the rear end slid down the yard 3 feet.

those tires really sucked though. I dont know what it would do now, but if I were you I wouldn't count on driving a 350 car in the snow. Put the 350 in your car and spend $400 on a cavalier for when it snows and you'll be much better off.

 

Last year, all I had to drive at the time was my 84 Z28 in the snow! It really sucked because I had just bought the car and it had bald tires and the rear brakes were shot. Everytime i would stop the back tires would keep going and I would start sliding sideways.

Just buy a beater with 4WD.

 

SWEET!!!!!


(p.s. then when you put it in "N" at the stop light)

 

here is the Z and the beater...

I just changed the plugs on the taurass and my gas milage shot up... im very happy.

 

the only think Ford are good for LOL beaters!

 

i got a 5spd sunfire for my winter car, i wouldnt call it a beater cuz i luv the thing and it is fast as hell......... they get GREAT gas mileage too, think about one of those!

 

Im from wisconsin too, and as far as I know your not allowed to run chains, studs or any other metal traction aid. You can run those cheep plastic snow chains which suck.

My advice buy a 4x4 truck to drive in the winter and keep the 3rdgen in the garage till the snow and salt are gone.

 

Here tire chains studs etc are legal from november to april I think, problem is I work across the river in minnesota and I think they're illegal there, but I'm not sure. I'm not too worried about it now seeing as how I can't get a day off of work when it isn't raining so I can get the car finished (garage is too small to work on this kind of stuff in). If I can manage to get the *** damn thing done before winter I will more than likely get snow tires with chains, if not studs.

 

First of all don't get chains. Get a good set of tires with studs.
Chains have tendency to harm car body (i know because i have been on the Alps)
Don't try to heat windshield as fast as possible, you'll break it that way.
Be prepared to add some extra in fuel consumption. You can decrease you fuel consumption and get lots of extra life time to your engine by using a proper engine heater. If you don't heat your engine it'll take some time to get oil flowing every time you start very cold engine.
If you have automatic tranny: Before start driving hold your shifter on every position for ten to twenty seconds, brake on and don't press gass pedal. This will get transmission fluids flowing better every cold morning.
Have proper coolant fluid and not just water, other ways bye bye engine (Ice inside engine block can and most usually will break it).
Have a real rust protection. I think these cars did not get any of that treatment by GM. Real rust protection paste and not anything which is made by mixing oil to some other stuff. That oil stuff just dissolve all remaining rust protection paste.

Drive smooth, no rapid changes in direction you are going...
I know it sounds like a lot of work but it is the only proper way.
You'll make it. I have made it with Ford Thunderbird SC '90 which was a stick, pretty fast thing. I made it with Thunderbird 5.0 LX , not bad either. I have also made it with several chevy sportside trucks, all have been rear wheel drive.
And last but not least: Show must go on...Go drive on slippin and sliding rear wheels

 

one thing nobody said was be careful at intersections. the car is very short and its difficult to see over snow banks.

i know this because i got in an accident this way.that was the first and last winter i drove my bird. beater cars are cheaper than collision work. mine is an 86 cherokee, not a beater, but ive had my share of one season cars.

 

Snow? What is this snow you speak of I drive my car every winter. When it rains it just makes driving more interesting

 

i live in janesville wi

 

I think i'm gonna break out my 86 grand am for the winter. Last winter i drove my 84 bird and the only accident i had was in my drive way. I lost traction and hit my garage. Anyone know if studs are legal in michigan?

 

LOL snow, i love arizona. i think the coldest it gets here in phoenix during the "winter" is about 55F maybe on a really cold day.

nothing like only having 2 seasons, summer, and inferno.

 

i live in chicago and we get some big snowfalls during winter.if it snows more than 2-3" my gta is totally useless.I remember one winter i drove to work ,there was no snow on the ground, by the afternoon we got covered with about 3-4" of snow.i barely made it back home that day(parking it was another story in it self).
my suggestion is get a beater like i did.or get some blizzacks tires and add some weight to the back ( sandbags , sewer cover,bricks etc.)

 

Just stick on some snow tires. The 90 is driven in the winter, and it does fine.

 

are you insane? even my v6 makes me sh*t bricks when its only drizzleing out. a 350 in the snow would just be deadly.

 

I drove my 350 camaro all winter long last year...and the year before. We get quiet a bit of snow here in the winter and its usually pretty icy all the time. Im only 19 and so far I haven't had many problems with snow. It isn't fun but its possible. I was running dunlop sr sport 5000 tires last winter LOL it sucked.

It would spin when put into gear. I got stuck in my parking space at my university for an hour trying to move.

I also drive through salt alot...I have no choice. But when they salt the road I spray the car off everyday. I make sure my rims get clean to...bare alluminum + salt = corrosion.

 

Forgot to attach my sig. The 90 is a ZZ4 motor. If your tires are bald, then you will have problems in snow. 215s all around are all you need. I would assume StreetRoc has trouble in the rain turning because of less weight in the front.

I just drove home from work in my 82 with 235/60. The front tires are fairly bald. I consider getting sideways on purpose fun.

 

As sig says, with 4 studded snows in winter.

Used to drive the '57 through the winter when it had a 350 in it, no posi. One of the best RWD mud/snow cars you've ever seen.

 

What did your car ever do to you, don't do it the salt will ruin your underbody and your paint. I live in Buffalo and I would never treat my car like that. Buy a beater please. If you really like rust and throwing away money for paint jobs than just take it offroading.

 

Some of us have no choice. I couldn't afford another car payment and insurance payment. Its impossible. Can't afford 2 cars when you work at advance autoparts part time and go to school

 

Inlong run your losing money because your ruining a car your laready spent all this money on unless your winter consists of only 2 days were it snows 1/2". Third gens are mostly metal bodies they can't handle salt like newer plastic and fiberglass cars.

 

Run it though a car wash with an undercarriage wash feature every once in awhile.

Don't fix oil leaks so the underside is continuously undercoated.

When your one income supports 5 people (4 of which are drivers, 2 in college), 2 dogs, a cat, 5 fish, a bird, a horse, and a drag racing habbit, you accept the reality of needing to drive your ride year-round in order to justify it.

Driving it year-round and having to fix things up once in awhile is still cheaper than a new car payment.

 

I ran several winters in the winter. I kive in northern Canada. We have snow from November until the end of April of early may. I used Bridgestone Blizzaks. I used the MZ-01 for a few years. They are the best tires you can buy. I went with the MZ-02 after because I wanted a diffferent size rim. I used sizes 205/55R/16, then I switched to 225/60R/15. I only got stuck if I got hung up. I would drive into my yard which is about 70 ft long with 3 ft deep snow. The car plowed and piled snow on the hood. Then I backed it up into it's place. I never got stuck at home. I have a 305, now 350 with a T5 and 308 gears. It went better than all 2wd pickups and fwd cars. It's was by far the best vehicle I've ever used in the winter. Too back they don't come 4wd with a bit more ground clearance.

 

damn rednecks LOLOLOL i'm just playing

 

I've seen it done before, and let's just say it's not pretty...

 

Simple. DON'T.

Get a truck, beater car, whatever. Camaros are NOT meant for the snow, let alone rain. I don't care if you use Blizzaks or whatever, Camaros are NOT winter cars.

If you have a Camaro as your ONLY car, then think about using the bus. Better yet, save yourself the $$$ of another set of winter tires, or studs, or ***-forsaken chains (???) and invest in the aformentioned beater car.

This advice comes after thinking I could drive my Camaro one winter, and I got stuck in a level parking lot!!! I drove the old farm truck the rest of the winter - no matter how bad it looked.