Driving in snow, snow tires

**greyfox** · 10-12-2004, 12:36 AM

My 300C RWD arrived in July and I do not have any experience driving it on ice or during snowy winter conditions. (I did have an 1969 Olds 442 in the early 70's that was horrible in the snow even with studded snow tires). I could not find any other threads addressing this issue. Some of the reviews suggest that the ESP will handle winter conditions with no problems. Any real life experience out there? I am no tire expert, but the tread on the Continental all season tires don't look like they will be great in snow. Any observations, research, or recommendations for winter driving or snow tires?

**67alecto** · 10-12-2004, 02:14 AM

Originally Posted by greyfox

My 300C RWD arrived in July and I do not have any experience driving it on ice or during snowy winter conditions. (I did have an 1969 Olds 442 in the early 70's that was horrible in the snow even with studded snow tires). I could not find any other threads addressing this issue. Some of the reviews suggest that the ESP will handle winter conditions with no problems. Any real life experience out there? I am no tire expert, but the tread on the Continental all season tires don't look like they will be great in snow. Any observations, research, or recommendations for winter driving or snow tires?

What keywords did you use when you searched the threads? :D

Try this one: http://dodgemagnum.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2593

and scroll down to the video links for some footage shot last February.

**henry** · 10-14-2004, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by greyfox

(I did have an 1969 Olds 442 in the early 70's that was horrible in the snow even with studded snow tires).

I'm not surprised at all.

The tire technology in the 70's was so poor by today's standards that even today's mediocre all seasons perform better than 70's snow tires in the winter.

If you had outfitted your 442 with good winter rubber like Blizzak or Michelin Arctic Alpin you would have been able to drive around properly.

You should have absolutely no problem driving the Magnum or 300C in the wintertime provided they are outfitted with proper winter tires.

Henry

**Mikeyjohn** · 10-14-2004, 01:02 PM

You should have no problems driving this car in snow whether you have snow tires or not. If you feel uncomfortable then take a winter driving course FROM any number of driving schools and you will save a bundle of money.

**shiltz** · 10-14-2004, 02:16 PM

I agree that you should have no problems driving it in the snow, the whole RWD are bad in the snow is so blown out of propotion, that was mostly FROM back in then 70's when tires sucked for snow traction, my vehicle before I got my magnum was a dodge dakota R/T which falls INTO the worst catagory for snow driving,RWD high HP/torque truck, a set of snow tires and a sand bag and I had no problems with that truck in the snow, had driven it durning a blizzard that dropped 2 feet of snow even with no problems.

**greyfox** · 10-15-2004, 01:26 AM

After the first snowfall I will head for a large parking lot to get a feel for the car and how the systems function. I have had a lot of experience driving in snow in many different vehicles with good results, but every one has different handling charachteristics. The videos for the ESP and traction control look great, but I was wondering if anyone has had any real life experience with these systems and the continental tires. All the electronics don't help when your traction fails half way up an icy hill and the car starts to slide back down. Does anyone know what ABS does when travelling backwards?

All season radials differs radically in their winter performance, wet snow, dry snow, ice, and I can't find any ratings on the net for the Continentals - I will find out with experiece or feedback on the forum. The availability of tires for the 300C FROM the major suppliers that match factory specs, as noted in other threads, seem to be almost nonexistant. Winter tires with these specs (P225/60R 18 ) do not seem to exist. Has anyone else done some research on the availability of winter tires?

**shiltz** · 10-15-2004, 11:17 AM

for winter tires you will have to go with either 235/55 R18 (28.2" dia) or 235/60 R18 (29.1" dia), those are the closest to the stock wheel dia (28.6" dia), tirerack recomends the 235/60 R18's but I know others have said there is an issue with clearance of a bolt on the suspention when using larger dia tires so i'd probably go with the 235/55's, they are a little closer to the stock dia too, though the one thing to note is the 235/55 snow tire avaliable is only Q speed rated (99MPH), the two 235/60 snow tires are H speed rated (130MPH).

**Anonymous** · 10-15-2004, 01:03 PM

Here is what I thought was a pretty cool rightup on the LXs in the snow.

http://www.policedriving.com/Magnum.htm

However, I'll be holding onto my old crusty 89' 4x4 Dakota until I make it through my first winter in the Mag. I'll tell ya though even in the cold rain I've been pretty impressed....so far....

**bigjim** · 10-24-2004, 11:20 AM

I will be using 4 Blizzack WS-50s
235/55-18 Diameter is 28.3" Q(99) rated. Read the reviews on Tirerack.com for your selves and you will love this tire before you get it. At $135 each I will keep the speed under 100 for the winter. I have been using Dunlop Graspics on my Intrepid and they make it actually usable in the snow and ice here in the Berkshires!

Jim