just a quick question, do f-bodys do any good in winter?

i got my first 87 z28 in august, for a daily driver to school, and i wanna know if i'm gonna be crying cause i'm stuck riding the cheese wagon(school bus)

 

They do fine as long as the roads are dry. I haven't had much luck with them on ice or snow... they're too light in the rear end. But I've got a couple of 4WDs, so I just park it after the first snow and wait for the spring thaw! I start it up every so often to keep the battery charged, though.

 

Same here,I park it when snow falls.I have 2 4runners.I have put chains on my old 84 and I still slid off the road onto the sidewalk.Even with sand bags in it the car will be more like a sled.

 

it is kinda fun to find a snowy parking lot and do donuts, tho i wouldn't do it if your car is fixed up or means alot to ya.....
seriously tho they are not that good in the rain or snow, if you must drive it get a set of spare 15" camaro rims and put snow tires on them, and keep some weight in the back, and a full tank of fuel, and a ow rope bcuz you'll probably be gettin towed out no matter how careful you are

 

I like to think they do ok at best in the snow. Even last winter when there was quite a bit of snow on the roads and the plows didn't get to them, I was still able to get around pretty well. Probably wouldn't happen now though, my tires' thread is getting pretty low now.

 

Umm.....NO, but they are very fun. I drove my 89 RS for 5 years in Chicago and as long as you know how to handle your car, you'll do OK. If you have another option, pick it, however just make sure you're prepared to have the back end sliding all over the place. One cool thing about that car, it was so low to the ground that if we got more that 4" of snow, it acted like a snow plow.

 

Yeah, it's almost time for me to park the f-bodies for the winter time and break out the thunderturd. Not that it's much better, but I worry less while driving it around in the snow.

 

Man it December 1st!! park that thing already!..lol..


i cant talk tho, my T/A is gonna see winter driving this year...

 

my rs was excelent in the snow.. infact i drove it rather than my beet up truck because it would always get stuck.. the rs never got stuck.. i also had 300 lps of system and had on ly peg leg. wouldnt hink twice to do so if i have to...

-T

 

I try to avoid winter driving whenever I can. I have 4 bags of sand and 4 winter tires, but it's still a sled. Donuts are fun as heck, but it stops and turns like an elephant on rollerskates.

When I'm on the ice, even with the brakes on pretty hard, it still spins the wheels. Really annoying.

Bottom line: If you can avoid it, do so. If you can't, just be careful as heck. (or just steal your dad's Bora and drive that )

 

my uncle drove his in the winter. im gonna drive mine in the winter once i get my license

 

I am not offending you in any way, I'm just speaking from expierience, if you have a nice car, which i'm guessing its' a 87 Iroc, it is nice but I would not drive this car in winter untill you get used to normal driving conditions, like on a rainy day, you want to "practice" in a safe area of slidding, fishtailing and trying to regain control etc. Snow is no joke, rain is bad, but snow is rain x 10. The way I kinda "taught" myself was doing just what I mentioned, parking lot practice, taking corners fast and swinging the rear end out and then getting down the whole concept of countersteering, my friend had a 90 RS and he decided he would do a long *** U burnout around my old school, well he locked up and got scared and didn't know how to counter steer, let's just say his car almost became part of the school if I wouldn't of grabbed the wheel. All I'm saying is you need to practice out of snow conditions with these cars so you can get a feel for them. I had about 3-4 inches of snow the other day, and this was my first time driving in snow with my bird. let's just say I was going over a freeway overpass and it looked like I was in a drifting race, back and forth 3 or 4 times before I could get the back end back straight, it's some scary shi*. If you don't want to listen to me disregard this but I just thought I'd let you know before you messed up your car, some one elses car, or yourself. Oh and by the way, i'm 18, will be 19 in Sept, so it's not like I got my license yesterday, rear wheel is fun as all hell but it can be dangerous at the same time.
Good Luck

 

danwaite thanks for the advice, it didnt in any way offend me. it helped

 

If they didnt put all the CRAP (salt, spray, etc) I'd drive my Camaro all winter. Snow/Ice is major fun in a RWD car. But I park it to save it from rusting to death. You'll be glad you did too in a few years.

 

Even with snow tires and chains on my 84, as soon as I let off the brake,the tires would spin.Not a good idea at all but if yuo're going to do it then load up the rear cargo area with sand bags or something heavy.

 

get a set of 15" camaro or firebird rims put some aggresive tread snow tires on them, weigh down the back but not too much, or you won't stop. and drive very slow, it worked for me , and ive owned 9 f bodys, drove most of them in the snow, it can be done

 

IF you know how to handle a car...

RWD is no worse than anything else.

Ice...well...4WD won't help you there either.... you'll just have a better view as you 360 down the road...

The main reason people don't driver their "hot rods" in the Winter weather is the salt and other crap they put on the road during the winter that end up making cars look like Swiss cheese.

I actually prefer RWD in wet conditions...as FWD can be REALLY nasty if you hydroplane at speed and don't realize it.

 

4wd can get you going fast but ive never seen a 4wd stop faster in the snow than any other car. i usually are pulling out 4x4s in snow from the dummys hauling a!! and getting in a ditch.. (i dont pull em out with my mero, but in my taho)

-t

 

ya i use my 02 tahoe to play in the snow now,....but back when i only had a fbody i used to drive it in the snow, i love snow, means chance to make money

 

yup, dont foget about me, call me when the snow hits the ground

 

Snowdirving takes practice practice practice and practice...

One tip though, drive slowly and careful if you have to use your F-Body or any RWD vehicle in the slippery stuff (including rain), and always remember, if things begin to get hairy, get off the gas (hitting nuetral or pulling it out of gear may help) and don't lock up the brakes! But, before you try any of this you must be absoulutely familiar with the way your vehicle handles in low to no traction conditions. Wide empty parking lots with little to no light poles to get in the way are ideal @ 3AM... Just don't get in the plow guys' way! Another suggestion would be a performace driving school that teaches vehicle control. There are a few basic theories and techniques that all off us can benefit from and can use in every day situations...

Either way, good luck and be sure to keep that car clean from salt if you do have to drive it in the nasty stuff...

P.S
Did I mention practice ? Trust me, I speak from experience...

 

JMD83 i think alot of us on here will use what you said

 

Just trying to help...

And please, if I ever steer anyone wrong and give out incorrect info, definately call me on it. I would hate to spread mistakes onto others so absolutely correct me when I'm wrong!

Anyways... I have had plenty of snow driving around here... There was one winter that seemed like we had a storm every week. That was the winter when I first started working at the security company I now help run. I had to drive 200+ Miles per night in the heavy snow. I did this in a cheesey Ford Contour Security car... Each site I checked on had a parking lot for my to learn all sorts of interesting things... Then the highways were all empty so I was able to test how to effectively bring the car to a stop in both ice and snow conditions. Later on I was cross trained in another patrol route which is done primarily in one town driving around all night... This one was done in a Ford Exploder... This is where I cultivated my RWD skills. Let me tell you, no one can really explain how to drive in the stuff, you just have to go out and do it!

 

on a side note.. in a 4x4 ... and in an EMPTY parking lot (do this at your own risk) drop it in 4Low (usually locks the axels).. chose a side to turn to.. and mash the gas.. you will spin like a top because of the 4x4.. be care ful not to get spinning to fast as it will throw off the balance and will tip over the truck/suv. it happened to us once.. as said above by JMD get in lots of practice in a empty area and use a car or truck you dont mind banging up.. it will happen sooner or later if your goofing off..

infact there should be some video of a bunch of us last winter when we went up to jullians. we all got in a parking lot and did donuts and drifting .. i dont remember who all was there but was MAD MIC (spelling) he has a vette.. burgandy i think
MDformula.. black formula..
a couple of 4th geners.. was fun if any one has the vid it would be cool if it could be posted..


-T

 

To repeat what twolfe said:

Definately use a bang-upable car to learn! I whacked one "security Contour" rim on a curb in one lot and had to go junkyard hopping to replace it...


That 4X4 thing sounds fun though!

A safer way to get the same result is with a FWD car...
Put it in reverse, turn the wheel all the way to either lock, then hit the gas pedal... As long as things are slippery enough you will spin like top until you hurl!
(I let go before I hurl though..)

 

huh.. never tryed the FWD thing..might try...

-Tony

 

It is easier to control a rwd car in a slide rather than 4x4 because the front wheels are not spinning.When I make my 4runner slide while in 4 wheel drive it won't steer,tires just spin.If I do it in 2,then I can steer it and correct it.We just got 2 ft of snow last night and I'm driving my lifted 4ruuner.There were 5 cars on the way to work stuck in snow burms in the middle of the road because they didn't have the clearance or the traction to get through.My 4runner can go through burms 2-2 1/2 ft high with no problems.4x4's are fun off road but pretty much are just as,if not more dangerous if driven improperly.

 

I had to move my trans am into the driveway so I could use the garage for my other 4runner and as soon as the rear tires hit the ice in the driveway(foot still on brake) they started spinning.

 

I know that I live nowhere near you guys, but I do live in a snowy climate. My 82 V6/5sp car was the BEST car I have ever driven in the snow. That includes my 90 4x4 Chevy truck, my 2000 Silverado, my 87 Accord, all of them. My GTA, however, is a raging bitch to drive in the snow. Too much torque and the tires are ultra performance dry tires. The answer that I have come up with is this, it depends on the car. The only way to find out is to give it a shot and see how it goes. Good luck. My GTA was on the raged edge of control at 15MPH the last time it saw snow. In 4 years with the 82 as my only car, I never got stuck or spun out.

 

i know what you mean. i only drive my tahoe in the snow, the other rides dont even get the snow cleared off them

 

i love my tahoe in the snow.. my jeep was fun but the transfer case got cracked while 4wheeling and.. well it ended up with a hole in it you can stick your hand in.. water is not suposed to be in transfer case... i usulaly make some money in the winter by pulling dummy's out of the ditch..

 

I can't even count how many people I've pulled out with my runner.I even had to pull my t/a out of my moms driveway.The roads were dry so I took the t/a to her house and pulled into the driveway and boom,stuck.Had to get a ride back to my house to get the runner and my tow starp and pulled it right out.

 

yes i love snow, i do residential snow removal, sidewalk/driveways you know. plus pulling people out, so i make pretty decent loot . but the fbodys stay in the garage or driveway.

so if you need snow removed pm me, i need the dough

just be careful , i pulled out a s10 last year the guy put so much snow in the back that it was three times higher than the cab, but he had bald tires, so he got stuck again 100 feet away, when i pulled him out the second time his bumper came off

if you don't got good tires best to stay home or you'll be lookin for a 4wd to bail you out $$$$$$$$

 

I never had a problem with my 88 V6 either. It had great tires and caution made a big difference. I got caught in an ice storm once and with SUVs sliding around I didn't lose control.

I'm not going say practice isn't a good idea... its probably a great idea. I had none but just knowing what my situation was I kept my speed down, enough distance and made no sudden moves (which are common sense, even in rain)... and kept out of trouble.

Of course I have yet to take my TA out. I rolled it around in the driveway last year and even with slight pressure on the brakes it would slide sideways. Eagle HPs suck in anything but dry weather.

IMO, they do no worse than the rear drivers than our parents and grand parents drove for years with no ABS or traction control, many of which have never had an accident to date.

Unfortunately it seems that its believed nowadays any car without FWD/4WD, ABS and traction control is unsafe in poor weather. It just means you have to exercise self control and watch out for the morons (like my friends) who believe ABS and tractin control allow you to drive 60mph in the snow.

 

i cant wait for the snow

 

and he lost a brake light harness. lol damn chain sliped