Winter Driving? [Merged 12-6]

[TalonRacer024]

Ok after reading tons of posts about winter beaters and the such i am have come to a question. Is it bad to run your car in the winter? And if so why?

 

[Korndogg]

[ which you shouldn't run more in the winter anyway ]

why not? ice? or because the cold air has more oxygen in it and what-not = bad for engine?

 

[dsm4life]

well not to get off the topic but i dont really care about the racing part in the winter what i care about is that having the SAFC set to default , will that cause a problem at all when im beating on her here and there. Thats all. Reason asking is because i havent really had time to read up on the AFC and dont have time to get someone to tune it right now (school & work)

 

[TheTSiGuy]

why not? ice? or because the cold air has more oxygen in it and what-not = bad for engine?

The theory is that colder air is more compressed air. air molecules compress alot more when colder. therefore you will be shoving more compressed air into the motor. if you dont fuel cut, i imagine that you'd be running a bit leaner than you'd like, and possibly detonate.

 

[blcknspo0ln]

TSiguy exlained it well...

but i for one turn down my boost in the winter because full boost + FWD = not good on ice

 

[Andrew7DG]

Hi i am new to this forum

My question is (and i live in minnesota) how are the DSM first generations cars handel in the snow? I didn't see this question posted when i search for it so i think i am safe for askng it. I just got reasently introduced to these cars and the more i look at them the more i fall in love with them. I haven't yet bought one yet but considering one for daily commuting and a little fun project on the side. I have a project car (or truck S-10 with a V8) already but i tend to make every car that i buy a project car. It is a bad habbit. ANYWAY
I know i shouldn't be asking this but
How much is it a benifit to have an AWD then a FWD in the snow? Just wondering if anyone has had any problems of sliding, like for the AWD all of the wheels would slip or the FWD wouldn't have any traction?
Also how do people like these cars for commuting or on very long trips? (like do people get sick of sitting in them)
And one final question that i know people won't like because this is more street performance but is there a roof rack for the car? i have a canoe and would like to go camping with it and to hall bikes. I know they look horrible.
What i want this car is for kind of a multipurpose car for traveling, commuting, hall my bikes, and plus I would like to get the car to the 250hp area if not more. is this the right car for me?
Thanks for your time!!!!

 

[94TalonKid]

Might not want a DSM if you are looking for a long trip commuter, and a car to take on trips and such. DSMs are notorious for problems, especially the awd models (turbo.)

 

[illeagle_talon]

Hey as far as safety goes, AWD is a great benefit. I rarely have any traction problems, but there is the occasional... . As a trip car, I really wouldn't recommend it because once you start changing your fuel setup and turning up the boost the gast mileage goes out the window. There have been some cases though where some people achieve better than stock mpg. i.e Scott Gray (dsmporn.com). As far as the roofracks go, a friend of mine has the factory option ones on his GVR4 and I gotta say I love em'. hmm I don't know about on a DSM though. Overall, I say go for it. God was having a good day when he made DSM's.

 

[luv2rallye]

Hey Andrew7dg I live 5 mi. down the road from you in Eagan. I drive my 99 GST year round (only car) and I'm sorry to tell you in Minn. don't bother to go in the snow in a dsm without awd and Hakkapeliitta Q snow tires on it or you will be screaming mad. It slides all over the place, has almost no control, and is an accident waiting to happen. PM me if you want more info.

 

[kyledykstra]

If you can find a nice 1G do it

I kept my car pretty much stock for the first 2 years I had it. Roughly 30K miles a year, lots of road trips, 40 minute one-way commute to work. My Talon was the comfiest long-haul car I've owned yet, seats are great, driving positions great, hell, you don't even have to take your hand off the shifter to change radio stations) I've got an adjustable bike rack that goes on the hatch for my bikes... not sure about hauling a canoe tho.. I'm sure you could just pad the top of the canoe and strap it down.

As for AWD in the snow.... simply put, it's amazing. I had Dunlop snow tires on mine, and you can do anything. When it was snowing out, and the roads were un-plowed, when every else was staying inside because they couldn't get anywhere, I went out and had fun. My sig pic for example, there was about 2 inches of snow on the roads when I took that. And in the attached picture, a friend of mine's Bronco II died, no one else's car could get enough traction to even move, but AWD + snow tires = win.

If you take care of it, your DSM will give you years of reliable service. Change your belts and fluids on time, don't beat the ever-loving piss out of it, and you'll be good to go

(had 178K on my car when it got rear-ended and totalled, I never had anything fail on me, I did the timing belt and water pump when I got it, clutch shortly thereafter, and big brakes about 6 months after I got it. Motor is now in my '93 with a rebuilt head and ARP head studs, and still runs like new )

 

[vteg]

I love that picture of you pulling the bronco out of the snow :laugh:

If you are not planning on modifying the car, and don't mind spending some money on maintenance items initially then I would get the gsx as a winter car. It should be fairly reliable in stock form if you don't beat on it. But then I have a thing for awd cars.

 

[HokieDSM]

As for AWD in the snow.... simply put, it's amazing. I had Dunlop snow tires on mine, and you can do anything. When it was snowing out, and the roads were un-plowed, when every else was staying inside because they couldn't get anywhere, I went out and had fun.

I'm completely with you on this one - my Talon with my Dunlop Wintersport M2s make for some of the most fun I've ever had in a car. The grip is incredible - so much so that driving the car in the snow makes you feel like a pro drifter with the amount of control you can have when powering around a turn.

I spent three hours in the wee hours of the morning last year learning how the car drove through the snow - I never once lost control of the car, and never once got the car stuck. Anyone who has an AWD DSM and doesnt drive it in the winter weather is doing themselves a disservice.

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[luv2rallye]

For anyone interested, the undisputed best snow tires in the world has always been the Hakkapeliitta snow tires (http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/tires_popup.cfm?id=25&w=1). They are made in Finland (and avail in U.S.) where there's snow 9 months of the year and I believe the government even requires them on it's vehicles. Try them (especially the Q's) and you will be amazed and never go back to anything else. We use them in ice racing and snow rallies here in Minnesota as well as on normal street cars in winter only. They are directional and extremely soft with thousands of spiral sipes.

 

[Andrew7DG]

Thanks for all the replys
I had another question about the car in the winter.
It looks like it isn't the most reliable car out there and was wondering do people have problems with any of the car during the winter. Like is there a part that keeps breaking?
I am a little worried about the car having 169,000 miles on it however i don't know all about the cars history. I am kind of use to high miles because i have a truck with 526,000 miles. Are these engines pretty easy to rebuild? Thats probably too general of a question.
How high miles do people usually take these cars? I can rebuild engines rebuilds. It sounds like i should replace the timing belt and generals stuff before this winter. Are O2 sensors a problem? thanks again

 

[dsmRemy]

maybe its my tires ... i just got my awd dsm onto the road yesterday and it hates cornering, front tires lose traction really easy and make corners while being on the gas at all near imposable ...winter tires on teh front and all season on the back

... granted they are supra tires so they are dam thick

ill look into new tires for next winter ... just thought ide share =) i still love my car,

 

[staticbrainwash]

so it started snowing in mid michigan. about a week before thanks giving. the tires i have right now are yokohama sport tires that are about. . . 2 years old. so yeah, needless to say, it's time for new tires.

my question is, what kind of tires are you all running for snow? winter tires, or ultra performance all seasons? what kinds and models of tire?

i want to get something nice for winter. but my debate is if i really want to go get another set of rims for winter tires. or hastle with swapping them out each season.

for all season tires the kumho ecsta asx, goodrich g-force t/a kdws, and continental contiextremecontact's all got really nice reviews for winter and summer driving. that was from tirerack.com.

 

[MyBeatGSX]

I'm running BFG G-Force's, Z-rated UHP summer only tires. It takes some concentration but it handles ok. Its still better than my fwd Saturn running on Kumho Ecsta's last year.

IMO this car sucks balls in the snow. It understeers like crazy and will only get sideways with throttle abuse, and then when it does it snaps around fast. Not what I was expecting...

 

[staticbrainwash]

isn't it good not to go sideways in the snow? and also isn't it good the it will snap back straight, as it should in a awd car.

i guess i don't understand what you mean.

more opinions would be nice, i DON"T want to slide around. thats the whole point.

 

[1LE]

I've got some old Dunlop Graspics. They are a snow/ice tire. I've had better before, but they get the job done. Only downside to the DSM in the winter is the horrible braking.

 

[bloody_angel111]

from working with tires everyday, i think the bridgestone blizzaks are one of the best to go with, if you want a name brand tire

 

[staticbrainwash]

any good all seasons work well in snow?

i think at this point new tires period will make a huge difference.

 

[toutsuu]

I have the G-Force KDWS and they are decent in the snow, but the Talon does have a tendency to lose the rear end around turns a little bit (overstear), but it will snap back around when the front wheels pull. I haven't really experienced any understeer in my car. Still even with those tires I can feel the back end sliding a little bit over 35MPH on packed snow, and it's a little scary.

 

[greytalon26]

I use the all-season Firestones that came on the stock rims, when I get more money I should get some winter tires.

 

[Lordpaxin]

My own expierence driving skill and common scense actions work the best.

it doesnt matter if you have v-bar chains on all 4 tires if you cant drive for shit and handle the weather responsibly your screwed.

back when i was a poor bastard i ran on balogna skins all winter, taking it slow and easy, never had a problem, sure a little slickerage here and there,

i like kuhmo asx, on my 3kgt and it goes like a tank, but theres a lot more weight there.

 

[suncad03]

i was running toyo zr4's and they did good
i had 235/45/17

 

[94Jettameowpsst]

I once jacked the car up about 3 inches over stock with the coilovers i had and ran truck tires. Got A LOT of looks and laughs, but the damn thing went anywhere