Has anyone setup a 3rd gen as a winter car with good results? What mod.'s were done?

I.e.: all terrain tires on 15" rims, no ground effects,amount of additional weight added, location, std. or AT, v6 or v8 preferred?

I looking to buy a winter vehicle, but do not like driving a front-wheel drive car,
can't afford a 4wd, and other rwd cars (i.e.
heavy cadillac, buick) are gas hogs.

Any suggestions?
- Joe, in CT.

 

I've driven through two winters without even bothering with snow tires. I just kept the all-season radials. However, if it snows more than 3-4 inches, I'd be f*cked.

 

I didn't do this last winter because I liked staying home from work better but I thought of buying a bunch of bags of cat litter and putting them in the trunk. Having a bunch of weight there helps traction a LOT, you can dump the litter under your tires if you get stuck, and I have cats so when winter is over I can just use it all up eventually .

 

My preferred winter setup:

1. Goodyear GT all-season(245/50VR-50s)tires inflated to 45 psi rear/ 48 psi front
2. 150 lbs of toolbox in the rear
3. leave shifter in 2nd(AT) until 40 mph
4. go easy on the brakes and add 20 - 30% to stopping/following distances
5. be especially watchfull for the idiots that think having front-wheel drive gives them better winter traction than rear-wheel drive

3" - 4" of snow? LMAO, cuz I can't remember the last time we had a winter when the snow didn't reach the floorpan at some point. Up here we have a saying: "There are only two seasons: winter, and three month's of lousy skiing/skating/ice-fishing!"

Favourite winter activity: waving at all the folks with front-drivers, 4wd/suv's, etc., (most of them who told me driving an IROC in winter was dangerous and that I'd wreck it) as they try to figure out how to extricate their 'superior-traction' vehicle from the ditch/snowbank - while fondly remembering a time when the only front-drivers were anomalies like the Toronado or Austin Mini.


------------------
He who hesitates,... is lost!

 

I drove my Camaro the first the winter I had it. They have no traction whatsoever. I tried 50 lbs sandbags, all season tires, etc, etc... Get a beater for the winter. Preferrably front wheel drive or four wheel drive if you can afford it. By the way I did a lot of highway driving and the sandbags killed my gas mileage. You may want to get studded tires. That's about all I didn't try.

By the way even though Camaro's are bad winter vehicles Mustangs are even worse. The winter I drove the Camaro there was this guy who lived near me who had a rustang. On ice when we would stop side by side at a light I would actually get away faster than he did.

 

ran mine last year. didnt have too far to go but i had the hole in the back full of 50 pound sandbags. forget exactly how many but it was somewhere around 8. had it in neutral anytime i went around a curve or had to brake. and as mentioned above keep it in 2nd for awhile. actually i dont think i ever left second except for neutral. and dont drive to close to anyone. i had the all season tires on. too cheap to get winters.

------------------
87 Iroc-z and a 77 camaro currently being restored
http://satanzchild.isonfire.com

 

My only mod for the winter is making sure my tires have tread.

Altho, I usually don't do that mod, so sometimes hills are a pain. I've never lost control of the car tho- unless I was trying to

Oh if the snow's real bad I get a full tank of gas.

-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.v6fbody.com mailbags

 

I tried to drive my Camaro very little when it snowed while I lived in the Virginia moutains. Trying to go uphill could be a real adventure, with the rwd, the back of the car tended to kickout sideways.

My Z28 has a manual tranny, which IMO makes things much easier than with an auto. I like being able to disengage/engage the clutch to help control wheel spin, this is a little more tricky in an auto tranny car.

I liked to carry survival gear as well as tools in the back of my camaro during the winter. The added weight of all this gear helped out somewhat.

The best thing I did for my Camaro was buying a Toyota Tercel from a guy for $250 (car had zero rust, all I had to do was replace the radiator). I prefered driving this in the snow, because then I didn't have to worry about damaging my Z28, cleaning off tons of salt, etc.

I know you said you don't like driving a front-wheel drive car, but then you wouldn't worry about damaging it in the snow would you?

 

I think the bottom line is F-bodies have pi$$ poor handling in bad weather. Even with good tires and good driving skills the rear end of one can get away from you in the rain.....let alone snow....or dare I say it, ICE!!! I would definitely look for something else to drive as a beater in the snow and leave that f-body alone until the roads get dry.

 

88IROCs:
Thanks, Good info.
Did you choose your VR-rated tires because of the 45-48 psi, or because you are pushing the 130-odd mph limit of the VR-tires on snow??
I would have guessed to use a smaller tire width (205?) to cut in the snow, and a higher profile (60 or 70)to maximize tire diameter.
Do you consider your tire selection, with the 48 psi, as a major contributor to your snow driveability?
Anything done to increase your ground clearance? Necessary to remove ground effects, air dam or avoid use of lowering springs?

 

Modifications for a Mississippi winter:

1: Turn off the AC.
2: Roll up windows.

- And in extreme winter conditions -

3: Turn the heater on at about 1/4 power.

 

T tops that don't leak and tires that aren't bald.

 

I lived in Minneapolis, MN up until last March, in that time I owned 3 Camaros and drove all of them in the winter.
My '86 had snow tires on the rear, they were a HUGE help.
The '95 and '98 got 120lbs of sand in the back and nothing else. Never had any problems.

In winter of '98 my 3800 with a manual tansmission got me 21 miles to work in 8" of unplowed snow...took me an hour to make the drive, but I got there in one piece. I got to work only to cancel my shift because my work car, a '99 Grand Am with traction control, got stuck in the parking lot. So... trusty Camaro and I drove the 21 miles back home (couldn't get in the driveway when I got home though....damn plows came by and buried my driveway)

------------------
FL 85 Berlinetta
aka Susan 98 Camaro
1985 Berlinetta...a work in progress

 

dont be so cruel to a 3rd gen or any GM get an old mustang to torture in the snow and salt.

 

Modifications for a Florida winter:

Turn off A/C
roll down windows
:-)

Actually I am currently at school in Virginia. My experience driving in snow is that it is ver tricky. On snow covered roads, traction is minimal and if you get stopped on an uphill climb, you may not get started again. Plus most east coast states salt the roads wich is terrible for your car. This winter I'm just going to cover it up and wit for the roads to clear.

-Jeff

------------------
boca@vt.edu
1992 25th Anniversary Z28 305 TPI
Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering

 

Since I do not have the funds for another car, and I cannot bare to get rid of -4my T/A, this is my formula. The car is an 89 Trans am GTA with an L98, auto, and 3.27:1 posi, probably the worst 3rd gen combo for winter driving.
- Check for rust underneath, sand, paint, undercoat as needed, wash, wax in fall.

-4 15x7 American Racing black rims

-4 215/65R15 studded snow tires

-2 60lb. tubes of sand in the trunk

-Keep car very clean, especially underside, and wheelwells

I have used this combo for the past 2 years and never had a problem. The car looks great and has no rust. I have taken it to Vermont to go skiing, and commute back and forth to College and work. It has never let me down. Just remember that it is still a Camaro/Firebird and will not go anywhere, but with a little common sense it will do what you need it to.


89 Transam GTA, a few bolt ons

 

My car is a sled in the snow. I have a hard time keeping it on the road in the rain! Seriously though...if you baby the throttle, shift early, have tread on your tires, and some weight in the back...it is not all that bad. Just have to be more cautious. Remember...4 wheel drive is not any better on ice, just slides that much more, and the drivers seem to think they are invincible. I see more SUV's in the ditch than RWD cars. If you see more than 4 to 5", than you are basicly a snowplow with the front of your car. Common sense is the best thing to have...well...and a woman to keep you warm if you do ever get stuck! My car saw it's last snow covered road last year. A new 6 speed and all new paint will keep it inside on snowy days. I now have a beater FWD to wreck....I only paid $500.00 for it! Already even has brand new snow tires all the way around!

------------------
1984 L69 Z28 with 350 H.O., Hypertech ThermoMaster Chip w/ 160* PowerStat, Stock L69 Dual Air Intake w/ K&N, L69 Dual Plane Intake Manifold, Modified Q-Jet, 350 4 bolt main w/ Crane Energizer Cam & 1.5 Roller Rockers, Lunati Drop Forged Crank and Rods, 23 Degree Trick Flow Heads, Hooker Comp Headers, 3:73 Posi, T-5 (Soon to be a T56!), 4-wheel disc brakes, 3" Catback Exhaust...etc.

Wise man say....Man who jump on bedspring this spring....have offspring next spring!

 

Dunno if this will work but,,,
http://anzwers.org/free/gta/z.html

my pos camaro in it's winter gear


------------------
84 pos Camaro
87 Formula Firebird

4 out of 5 people agree that the 5th, is an idiot

 

I live in chicago, and the snow here makes driving a bitch. To make it worse, I got my bird for my birthday, and had to drive my first winter in a RWD stickshift car. Now thats a PITA. Yes, I did weight down the car, but the basic mod you can make is to yourself. During the summer, hot rod it! During the winter, dont be a dumb@ss! Take it SLOW, real slow. This winter im dropping on snow tires, but Im probably going to buy a POS honda within a year or something for the winter with front wheel drive.