I got a job at a bar in a ski resort this winter and am now going to be driving my tiny FWD 03 Kia Spectra through a snow zone for the next 5 months or so. I already know the basics from working around the mountain last year(long following distances, carry chains, brake straight, slower but steady) and Im going to be carpooling with others with more suitable vehicles for the most part but I just wanted to see if I can get some specific tips for the times I do drive up.
Is there any other equipment I should carry besides chains, ice scraper, spare tire and shovel? Does anyone have a recommendation for a cheap but good collapsible snow shovel? Is there any preventative maintenance I should do on my car that will make it last better through the winter? The cost of a set of new winter tires is a 1/3rd of my cars value, are they truely worth it or is my set of All Season tires and some chains fine for the most part? Can I just buy winter tires for my front tires and leave my back tires alone? Are cables worth getting over chains?
Any other general tips y'all have would be helpful, thanks in advance.
Yes winter tires are worth it even on a shitty car, especially if you have to drive ski resort roads which can get nasty.
You can use winters on the fronts only, it's not ideal bit will work if you take it easy on the turns.
Ryder Davis
Snow tires are a must if you're going to be doing any real driving on snow. You should get all 4 done or not bother.
A bucket of road salt helps sometimes. Doesn't have to be huge, a kitty litter pale is normally more then enough for most.
Go easy on the throttle, a lot of people just mash the throttle when they take off like its a drag race and spin their tires. Spinning tires will more then likely just polish the snow into some seriously slippery ice. If you start to spin, get out and throw some of the salt in front/behind your tires and take it easy on the throttle.
Other then that, driving in winter is 40% watching what the weather is doing around you, and 60% watching what the road looks like and preparing BEFORE you get to it.
Josiah Green
when it comes to traction >awd>fwd>rwd so you are better off if than if your car was rwd.
as for WINTER tires (snow tires is a bad term for them) get all 4 biggest reason being you get a balanced traction on your car. imagine getting all suited up to go hiking in the snow and you decide to use your tennis shoes instead of proper snow boots.
other than that driving safe and the necessary equipment and you should do fine
Kayden Parker
> shitbox + cost of winter tires = 4x4 Buy a 4x4 over winter tires.
Then buy winter tires.
Practice putting your chains on in the driveway.
Have a strap and strap point front and rear. Know basic strap snatch recovery.
Carry non clump kitty litter or sand bags.
Cables are lighter and easier to put on, for emergency use there is no difference and you already own chains.
But again, an actual 4x4 trumps all and will likely save you ever having to put the chains on in the first place.
Evan Bennett
Thanks for the answers so far. For the record when I say winter tires im only talking about getting studless ones.
I saw in another thread I should WD40 my door hinges so theyre less likely to freeze. Is there any other small things like this I can do that will not make me hate life at the end of a long workday?
Ive had some friends tell me I should put some extra weight in my truck so I can get more traction on slippery roads. Is there any truth to this? Wouldnt this slow down my FWD car?
What would the road salt be for? To melt snow or to get traction if I cant move my parked vehicle? Doesnt it take a while to take effect?
Im not just buying another car becuase my vehicle gets great MPG and is reliable and I simply dont have the funds atm to get something good. Plus once the winter ends its purpose would be moot. Id be spending hundreds not to not pay thousands later if I got winter tires.
>Have a strap point front and rear
Do you mean know where the best place on the body to pull my vehicle is or get tow hooks installed?
Gabriel Johnson
> getting studless ones. depends on the condition i guess, i'd still get studded just to be safe >WD40 my door hinges so theyre less likely to freeze. never heard of this, can't really say >extra weight in my truck so I can get more traction Is there any truth to this? Wouldnt this slow down my FWD car? yes you are correct, adding weight to your vehicle only applies to rwd because of the drivetrain loss sending the power to the back wheels rather than transitioning directly below the engine like a fwd refer to me earlier
John Hughes
Exhtra weight in trunk helps RWD cars but probably not FWD FWD does not have better grip than RWD in winter
Have you seriously never driven a fwd in the snow? Have your even driven a rwd in the snow?
You put your little shitbox loop on the front before you drive and get another for the rear so a bro truck can snatch your dumb ass from a ditch or 6"drift or whatever you inevitably get stuck on. That easy you can contemplate what wonderful mpgs you're getting instead of siding around in the snow trying to find where you're recover point was.
Ryan Gutierrez
I have driven both FWD and RWD in the snow and RWD is miles better, not even close.
Parker King
This, if RWD oversteers or fishtails all you have to do is ease up on the gas a bit and all is well again, FWD with its 80/20 weight distribution understeers and you're just straight fucked. Handbrake will let you get the rear to kick out and MAYBE regain control, or just go out sideways
Aiden Cruz
Had first real snow this week, round 2-3 inches. Basically >don't accellarate, brake, turn aggressively >when you're turning only turn, don't brake accelarate. >get studded winter tyres, they are the difference between 360 spins at every corner and getting home in one piece. >if you're uncertain go slow. basically driving fast in snow is like driving in a slow f1 car with no downforce on cold tires.
Wouldn't hurt to practice to know how your car acts and where the limits are.
Also watch out for different types of snow and ice and black ice(which is literally invisible free 0 grip pickup)
Adrian Bennett
i also drive both, and i say the opposite.
whether awd, fwd, or rwd, when you start to understeer/fistail, you have to let go of the gas and softly brake. the difference is awd/fwd will get you going again much easier than rwd.
remember though, awd and 4x4 are designed to make you go, but not to stop
Cameron Lopez
Ask anyone involved in rally about this and you'll get a completely different answer. If you know how to properly drive a FWD car, you can drive much faster and safer than in a RWD car. But you're already set in your ways so there's no convincing you, since you're some kind of expert.
Jordan Miller
Real 4x4 with no center diff does actually aid in braking. It makes it so that your brake bias towards the front is neutralized, so that when you brake lightly on very slick roads your front axle doesn't lock up as easily.
Xavier Richardson
>Oversteer in a fwd Give it gas and steer in the direction you want to go >Oversteer in a rwd Let off the gas and hope the rear regains traction or you're fucked. Fwd is simply safer in snow.
Joshua Hill
I guess that's why FWD cars dominate all rally series' world wide It's understeer that's the problem with FWDs m8
Evan Long
In the real world >FWD understeers into a tree, uncorrectable >RWD oversteers which can easily be corrected The only advantage FWD has is traction off the line in snow
Adrian Green
rwd tips Look like a retard but have fun
Blake Torres
>FWD with its 80/20 weight distribution understeers and you're just straight fucked.
Not really, no. You just straighten the wheels out in the direction that it's pushing and gently put some steering back into it and you'll generally be fine. If the snow isn't all that deep and you're on pavement at a relatively low speed, flat footing it can sometimes help to pull the front end where you want it to go as well.
I've driven RWD, FWD, and AWD cars during Vermont winters, on night shift after the plows go home. They're all fine. AWD is the easiest, you can usually flat foot it and point where you want to go and you'll get there. FWD is easiest after that, if it's a standard transmission. Downhill in 6 inches of powder, just take it out of gear and it behaves just fine. Too much engine braking and it can go bad though. RWD with weight on the back is fine, steers like a FWD, but pushes less. RWD without weight is hilariously bad though. Can't even begin to count how many trucks I've seen round a corner and plant their ass in a snow bank.
Charles Moore
In snow oversteer is far preferrable to understeer.
Oversteer is easily controllable
Nicholas Hall
Do not cheap out on winter tires. Get some good vredestein or continentals. Check out the german ADAC reviews, they tend to give pretty good guidelines. Sand and salt is good, but you can also use some carpet scraps. Get the compact kind with rubberized or foam undersides. Just to get under your wheels when you need to get out of something. Driving-wise, I've found that working in one gear higher than you'd normally use is good to avoid most tire spin. So start in second gear and work towards fifth as quick as you can. (Disregard if you have an automatic.) Know your route so you can think a couple of steps ahead of where you are. Remember blankets, water and some food in case you get stuck. Investing in some mres with flameless heaters would give you a hot meal for a long wait. Otherwise it sounds like you're almost set.
Charles Phillips
If you know how to properly drive ANY car you can drive much faster and safer than any other car. Nothing to see here. I never said I was an expert, I simply shared my experience. >oversteer in a rwd Countersteer and give it a little bit of gas. What cars did you drive? I've driven an E36, Twingo and Audi 80 so maybe that's why I felt safer driving RWD than FWD.
Kevin Jackson
>You just straighten the wheels out in the direction that it's pushing and gently put some steering back into it and you'll generally be fine Yes I know that, the problem is there's not always room to do that and you'll end up going straight through an intersection or into a ditch
Benjamin Taylor
Winter tires are a MUST, putting chains on and off is annoying in 20 degrees of frost (celcius) All seasons perform worse than summer tires in summer and winter tires in winter, they are only acceptable in rainy winter climates, not in mountanious winter climates with feets of snow.
Get a coolant flush and put in the frost-secure coolant Make sure you have spent all your wiper summer fluid and put in non-freezing stuff Get your brakes checked and lubed, and never activate your handbrake once it gets to daytime frost, just park it in first or reverse gear. Clean the insides of your windows properly so there is less grease and stuff that water can cling to so you won't have ice inside your car (especially important if you smoke in your car) Always have an emergency kit with water and some packaged food, a serious fucking blanket that can also double as a means to get out of a dune and a couple of those heating packs athletes use you know the ones where you snap something inside them and they radiate heat for 30 minutes + a set of matches for emergency campfire. Get your battery checked and fully charged on your car. Get an oil change and put in the lowest viscosity oil your owners manual recommends
Levi Johnson
Actual dedicated winter tires are hugely different to all-seasons, to the point where you cannot compare them. They'll wear out quicker, do worse on tarmac, have a highe rolling resistance and feel softer, but your grip on snow and ice is leagues beyond what any all-season can offer
Its a cheap "insurance" for both your car and your life
4x4 doesn't help you stop
Parker Miller
> 4x4 doesn't help you stop
So much this
It also won't help for shit if the road is on an incline and is slippery compared to a FWD slushbox with winter tires
Julian Sanchez
>Yes I know that, the problem is there's not always room to do that and you'll end up going straight through an intersection or into a ditch No, the problem is if you get into that situation where you end up going straight through an intersection or into a ditch you're a retard.
Kevin White
I agree, FWDs are for retards who can not grasp the simple idea of throttle control
