So the snow is here :(

[Nuclearjack]

I know how to drive in the snow. I drive in the snow alot. I delivered pizzas in the snow for 7 or 8 years so I was out in the worst of the worst during snow storms.

But the new thing for me is the rear wheel drive. I have always had front wheel drive and unusually compacts. This will be my first year for a rear wheel drive and traction control.

I have two worries.
First is driving on the highway when the roads are snow covered. Any time something goes wrong on the highway its the back tires breaking loose and the car 360 ing off the road. So I wonder what the 300 will be like.

The second is up a slippery hill. From what I have seen if the back tires are spinning trying to make it up a hill then the back end will start to slide left and right. I followed a car/truck once that had the curb on one side and another lane of traffic and every time he touched the gas his back-end headed toward the next lane. This made it hard as hell for him to get anywhere.


Oh one more question. Whats the deal with Sandbags in the trunk? I know the old timers are used to this with their pickup trucks but what about the 300? and how much weight would you need to add to the trunk to make a difference? I expect anything less then 200 pounds wouldnt even be noticed

[chance6384]

Yep...snows either here or on the way... with luck though... wont get a heck of a lot... hate driven in it.


Tell you what...if you got the right rubber... it makes a lot a difference. I used to drive a pontiac trans am V8 through the winter.... as long as you use your head... you should be fine... but like I said..right rubber makes a world of difference. I actually took a car back that had tread patterns that were strictly for wet and dry...not snow. They sucked in snow.

Rear wheel isnt bad... what do you think they got around with when rear wheel was the only?

just realize...at least til you get the feel of it... youre driving a big car... lot more of it to control.

[lafrad]

Keep 50% to a full tank of gas, a sand bag or two, and a couple water-softener bags of salt... (40 lb-ers) and it will keep the rear tires biting in great, and give you resources to use if you ever really need em.

Remember, too much weight makes it harder to STOP.

Also, all 4 snow tires will let the car handle almost anything that is over a paved surface.... so, its a good investment.

[Token]

That's the best advice right there.

Get 4 actual winter tires. All the difference in the world.

[lafrad]

Oh yea, my 392 made it though all last winter and I NEVER had a problem ANYWHERE... and I was still able to drive up my steep driveway with 3" of snow on it.

I did what I listed in my last post....

[Nuclearjack]

financially Im still reeling from the $4000 kick in the face for the new transmission so winter tires are not going to happen. Luckly I have almost new all seasons.

Ok so if I have my math right the V6 is 3776 pounds and the split is 54/46 so the front is 2039 and the back is 1737 which means I need 302 pounds in the trunk to make it 50/50

[FOHN_JARGO]

I would be surprised if you had to add any weight at all.

I know Arkansas winter can't touch a Canada winter but the snow we did get last year and the year before caused zero problems.

The only time I got tire spin was when I turned esp off and did doughnuts in the grocery store parking lot! :)

[gn300]

Snows, a couple of sandbags ,or a body!


Steer into a skid ,there are lots of empty parking lots around go play get som confidence with the big car.

Coution! stay away from light poles.

Does it have traction control?

[MikeEast]

Always LOOK where you want to go and the chances of that happening are better. Traction control can be a real pain in some scenarios - the ex's Olds Alero wouldn't even make it up the driveway when it was snowing, it sensed a little wheelspin and clamped on the brakes - disconcerting when that happens.

I put Bridgestone Blizzaks on my 92 Thunderbird and gained a whole new respect for the 4 good tires concept, that little car was better in the snow than my 4x4 F150, even the ex thought nothing of going to town in a blizzard with it and that's saying a whole lot. They are worth the bucks.

Mike

[Jaak]

These cars are pretty good in the snow and really good if AWD.

I'm in no rush to see the stuff, but even so, it's usually not bad even with all seasons in good shape, here in Toronto.

You will need to retrain yourself though. Where gassing a FWD will help pull you out of a slide in a corner, on an RWD it will help put you in to it...

When it snows, find a big parking lot (empty) and get to know it.

The ESP is pretty smart on these cars as well.

Get the snows as soon as you can afford them. Cheaper than body work.

[GoofyTimL]

Got two snows for the rear of the 300C last winter. Will be getting two more for the all around this season.

Going to go with the stock RSAs on the Magnum for this season... we'll see about next year.

[hemicanucksfan]

i'm jealous. i can't wait for the snow. i have both a fwd compact and the magnum. i'll take the magnum in the snow any day. much more predictable with rwd imo. when it snows, i'll just go for a drive for the heck of it. unfortunately toronto doesn't get good snow falls like i grew up with in bc (or you'll get in halifax). like a few people have said, find a big open lot and go find out what your car can do. they're a blast. remember too, that if it's slippery you may want to disengage esp sometimes. if you're trying to accelerate and the wheels spin, the car puts on the binders. kinda counter-productive. i once saw a guy in a g35 literally take almost two minutes to drive past the store i was working at because whenever he hit the gas, the car hit the brakes.

[Deuces]

Steer into the power-slide and enjoy the ride!!! HAL sets some pretty set limits, so unless you are getting really crazy or disabled the traction control, you should be good!

[bigjim]

My Magnum is the best snow car I have ever had, bar none! 4 Blizzacks are worth their weight in gold. I was departing Toronto for Mass two winters ago in 8" of fresh powder that had NOT been plowed, it was the first fall of snow, so NO sand or salt at all had been put down and no snow banks to see where the road really was! 80 mph (130 kph) on 407 at 3:30 am on a Saturday with HAL busily at work constantly flashing the yellow skid marks at me and the ABS pump buzzing its heart out doing individual braking. I had to see how much was HAL and how much was me, I slowed to 25mph and pushed the esp button. I couldn't get over 35mph with it off. I reset it and went on my way at 60mph with the skid marks flashing away! I think :roll: I saw a white Malibu come down the on ramp at one point with its lights going but he showed the headlights - taillights - headlights and dissappeared.:loser::Na_Na_Na_Na:

Get the snows and enjoy the car!

[Nuclearjack]

Blizzaks would be sweet I have no doubt. I still rememeber the time I went from 1/2 worn all season to 4 blizzaks. It had actaully snowed the day I got them. They are amazing.

I didnt know about this though

The Blizzak's Multicell tread compound comprises the top 55 percent of the tires' tread depth, with a standard winter tread compound comprising the remaining 45 percent.

[Ella C SRT]

I completely agree with what you guys already said
A couple of additions:
Big bags of Cat litter also work wonders (instead of sand) for weight and come in handy if you happen to get stuck.

I find rwd a heck of a lot easier to control in snow because I feel like I have more control over what the rear end's doing. It's just a matter of getting used to it so find a good parking lot and play around.

Also, beware- ESP does a pretty junky job when there's ice on the road.

I spent my time in Illinois on Goodyear F1s and lived to tell about it... lol

[SlammedSXT]

I keep rock salt to weigh my back down. That way if I get stuck throw some salt uner the tires:)2 birds 1 stone 8)

[pudcan]

Two 20kg bags of kitty litter made all the difference, even with stock All-weathers. First time I haven't had an AWD vehicle in over 10 years. I wish my Magnum was AWD, but the rear wheel drive is okay...just can't do any crazy moves.

We got a ton of snow around Vancouver today and I was a little unsure at first, but the extra weight right over the axle helped a lot.