[cwl011]

Alright, I was going to post this as a separate thread but this one is suitable. This past weekend I ventured up to my parents house in North Central PA and to my surprise I woke up Saturday morning with 2 inches of fluffy snow. I have a 2SS with the summer tires on and I pay very close attention to the weather due to this but mother nature fooled me. Typically my car will sit during the winter and I take public transportation. Unfortunately I had to drive in that unexpected snow and it wasn't all that bad for the 10 minute drive i took, however it got hairy when I reached my parents half mile dirt/shale driveway that was barely plowed and no salt with half the driveway an s shaped hill. I have had plenty experience with this hill and rear wheel drive cars (95 camaro v6, 07 rx8) in the snow and am comfortable attempting to get up it and not too prideful to park at the bottom if I can't. Now I know the car is not meant for snow however I was very disappointed with how the car acted on the hill. I got a manual car for the experience and the control in these situations, however I was left with no control over this car half way up the hill. The car literally shut itself down and I was perplexed. I though maybe it was due to the mode i was in and tried again in both the snow/ice and tour mode but the car would not corporate. Let me further explain what happened. The hill has many different grades and the first part of the hill is the steepest with a quick turn, in order to make it up this you have to get some speed on the flats. Usually second gear works. The speed part was not problem, quarter mile straight allows for a gradual climb in speed. After the first hill/turn you have to feather the throttle so you don't lose speed and lose grip in the turn. This is where the whole thing when to hell. I noticed the wheels slipped a little, no big deal slowly let off the throttle but the car had a mind of its own. I immediately lost all my throttle, it didn't matter how much throttle i gave it, it was gone. Eventually once it was to the floor throttle came back with full force. Wheels start spinning, let off the throttle and the cycle starts over again until you loose all speed and are standing still. By the way once stopped hill assist kicked in and it was over. I was thoroughly perplexed on how much the technology takes over and actually hindered my ability to control the car. I don't expect to drive in the snow nor do i want to but if i have to i would like to have control of my car, especially a manual trans. Being new car I made multiple attempts to try different modes and settings and nothing worked. Snow/ice mode had no throttle and limited slip killed the speed. Same for tour mode, didn't realize a difference between the two. I tried traction control off and the throttle was on or off but no control, mostly the wheels just spun. I wish i had more time to play around but my advice let the car sit. It is like a teenager and thinks it know more than you but sometimes technology can't trump experience.

[Bells]

Last storm was ~6 inches on the freeway. Took 45 min to drive 15 miles home in white out blizzard. Made it over a mountain pass, intersection that turned into an ice rink and 0 snow plows in sight before getting stuck on my own driveway .

[merlin803]

Originally Posted by cwl011

Alright, I was going to post this as a separate thread but this one is suitable. This past weekend I ventured up to my parents house in North Central PA and to my surprise I woke up Saturday morning with 2 inches of fluffy snow. I have a 2SS with the summer tires on and I pay very close attention to the weather due to this but mother nature fooled me. Typically my car will sit during the winter and I take public transportation. Unfortunately I had to drive in that unexpected snow and it wasn't all that bad for the 10 minute drive i took, however it got hairy when I reached my parents half mile dirt/shale driveway that was barely plowed and no salt with half the driveway an s shaped hill. I have had plenty experience with this hill and rear wheel drive cars (95 camaro v6, 07 rx8) in the snow and am comfortable attempting to get up it and not too prideful to park at the bottom if I can't. Now I know the car is not meant for snow however I was very disappointed with how the car acted on the hill. I got a manual car for the experience and the control in these situations, however I was left with no control over this car half way up the hill. The car literally shut itself down and I was perplexed. I though maybe it was due to the mode i was in and tried again in both the snow/ice and tour mode but the car would not corporate. Let me further explain what happened. The hill has many different grades and the first part of the hill is the steepest with a quick turn, in order to make it up this you have to get some speed on the flats. Usually second gear works. The speed part was not problem, quarter mile straight allows for a gradual climb in speed. After the first hill/turn you have to feather the throttle so you don't lose speed and lose grip in the turn. This is where the whole thing when to hell. I noticed the wheels slipped a little, no big deal slowly let off the throttle but the car had a mind of its own. I immediately lost all my throttle, it didn't matter how much throttle i gave it, it was gone. Eventually once it was to the floor throttle came back with full force. Wheels start spinning, let off the throttle and the cycle starts over again until you loose all speed and are standing still. By the way once stopped hill assist kicked in and it was over. I was thoroughly perplexed on how much the technology takes over and actually hindered my ability to control the car. I don't expect to drive in the snow nor do i want to but if i have to i would like to have control of my car, especially a manual trans. Being new car I made multiple attempts to try different modes and settings and nothing worked. Snow/ice mode had no throttle and limited slip killed the speed. Same for tour mode, didn't realize a difference between the two. I tried traction control off and the throttle was on or off but no control, mostly the wheels just spun. I wish i had more time to play around but my advice let the car sit. It is like a teenager and thinks it know more than you but sometimes technology can't trump experience.

It's not the car, it is the tires. The stock SS tires are terrible in cold weather and snow/icy conditions.

I picked my car up in the winter and couldn't even drive up my driveway that had a little snow on it (just a small incline).

I replaced the tires with the Continental all weather's and am in my second winter with them with no problems in snow/ice/cold conditions.

The only restriction really is the low clearance of the car, so like 5+ inches of snow and you are going to be pushing snow.

[cwl011]

Originally Posted by merlin803

It's not the car, it is the tires. The stock SS tires are terrible in cold weather and snow/icy conditions.

I picked my car up in the winter and couldn't even drive up my driveway that had a little snow on it (just a small incline).

I replaced the tires with the Continental all weather's and am in my second winter with them with no problems in snow/ice/cold conditions.

The only restriction really is the low clearance of the car, so like 5+ inches of snow and you are going to be pushing snow.

I completely agreed that the tire are crap in the snow, I was just blown away with how little control I had over the car.

[merlin803]

Originally Posted by cwl011

I completely agreed that the tire are crap in the snow, I was just blown away with how little control I had over the car.

Yes, those tires almost turn to plastic in cold weather.

[63falcondude]

Originally Posted by cwl011

I completely agreed that the tire are crap in the snow, I was just blown away with how little control I had over the car.

Obviously tires are the main factor here. With your summer tires, if this happens again, try taking traction control off when you need to do some slow maneuvering. Sounds counterintuitive but traction control cuts throttle when it senses the wheels slipping and you will have no control of the car. When you get moving on a road put traction control back on.

[merlin803]

Originally Posted by 63falcondude

Obviously tires are the main factor here. With your summer tires, if this happens again, try taking traction control off when you need to do some slow maneuvering. Sounds counterintuitive but traction control cuts throttle when it senses the wheels slipping and you will have no control of the car. When you get moving on a road put traction control back on.

Absolutely, if the car is always slipping/sliding then the nannies could play havoc with your throttle.

The other side of that coin is when you have decent traction, it does a great job of making sure that you don't lose control/get your car sideways.

With the nannies on, I have tried to take a corner fast in snow and kick the rear end out with no one around and the car always straightens out and cuts power to the wheels to keep/get the car straight. Couldn't do a doughnut with the nannies on if I wanted to, lol.

[SPARTAN sui]

This morning I had an interesting experience, my traction control button seems to be stuck down. I've been turning traction control off to see how much it helps when I'm stopped. It helps immensely, however my button seems to be stuck down. I might have to take it to the dealership. I have a plastic spudger I use for phone repair I might try prying to see if I can get it unstuck. I'm not sure what happened.

Edit: button is stuck due to the cold weather. It's now unstuck but sticky lol

[CAM-FIFTY]

Originally Posted by cwl011

Alright, I was going to post this as a separate thread but this one is suitable. This past weekend I ventured up to my parents house in North Central PA and to my surprise I woke up Saturday morning with 2 inches of fluffy snow. I have a 2SS with the summer tires on and I pay very close attention to the weather due to this but mother nature fooled me. Typically my car will sit during the winter and I take public transportation. Unfortunately I had to drive in that unexpected snow and it wasn't all that bad for the 10 minute drive i took, however it got hairy when I reached my parents half mile dirt/shale driveway that was barely plowed and no salt with half the driveway an s shaped hill. I have had plenty experience with this hill and rear wheel drive cars (95 camaro v6, 07 rx8) in the snow and am comfortable attempting to get up it and not too prideful to park at the bottom if I can't. Now I know the car is not meant for snow however I was very disappointed with how the car acted on the hill. I got a manual car for the experience and the control in these situations, however I was left with no control over this car half way up the hill. The car literally shut itself down and I was perplexed. I though maybe it was due to the mode i was in and tried again in both the snow/ice and tour mode but the car would not corporate. Let me further explain what happened. The hill has many different grades and the first part of the hill is the steepest with a quick turn, in order to make it up this you have to get some speed on the flats. Usually second gear works. The speed part was not problem, quarter mile straight allows for a gradual climb in speed. After the first hill/turn you have to feather the throttle so you don't lose speed and lose grip in the turn. This is where the whole thing when to hell. I noticed the wheels slipped a little, no big deal slowly let off the throttle but the car had a mind of its own. I immediately lost all my throttle, it didn't matter how much throttle i gave it, it was gone. Eventually once it was to the floor throttle came back with full force. Wheels start spinning, let off the throttle and the cycle starts over again until you loose all speed and are standing still. By the way once stopped hill assist kicked in and it was over. I was thoroughly perplexed on how much the technology takes over and actually hindered my ability to control the car. I don't expect to drive in the snow nor do i want to but if i have to i would like to have control of my car, especially a manual trans. Being new car I made multiple attempts to try different modes and settings and nothing worked. Snow/ice mode had no throttle and limited slip killed the speed. Same for tour mode, didn't realize a difference between the two. I tried traction control off and the throttle was on or off but no control, mostly the wheels just spun. I wish i had more time to play around but my advice let the car sit. It is like a teenager and thinks it know more than you but sometimes technology can't trump experience.

Your experience would have nicely added to the discussion in this thread...
http://www.camaro6.com/forums/showth...=474944&page=5

[fastball]

Originally Posted by Genesis7

Obviously is not wise to drive a RWD car on the snow.

Yet somehow, for 90 years until most cars went front wheel drive, us brave souls in the snowbelt areas of America survived.

I learned to drive in a 1985 Buick Regal and it was my car for almost 3 years. For people my age and older (I'm 39) it's a very good chance we did learn to drive in winter on a rear wheel drive car.

Think about this: my '85 Regal had no stability/traction control, no ABS, front disc/rear drum brakes, a solid rear axle with no control arms, and about 70% of the car's weight was up front.

The Camaro is near 50/50 weight distribution and has all the electronic safety controls.

A good set of winter tires on even the Camaro SS and you'll be fine. Just drive smart - it has 460 hp. Your right foot controls all of them. Easy on the gas, easy on the brakes. With a good set of winter tires you can even make it up a hill with 8" of snow on the ground. In a Camaro SS.

No big deal.

[SPARTAN sui]

Originally Posted by fastball

Yet somehow, for 90 years until most cars went front wheel drive, us brave souls in the snowbelt areas of America survived.

I learned to drive in a 1985 Buick Regal and it was my car for almost 3 years. For people my age and older (I'm 39) it's a very good chance we did learn to drive in winter on a rear wheel drive car.

Think about this: my '85 Regal had no stability/traction control, no ABS, front disc/rear drum brakes, a solid rear axle with no control arms, and about 70% of the car's weight was up front.

The Camaro is near 50/50 weight distribution and has all the electronic safety controls.

A good set of winter tires on even the Camaro SS and you'll be fine. Just drive smart - it has 460 hp. Your right foot controls all of them. Easy on the gas, easy on the brakes. With a good set of winter tires you can even make it up a hill with 8" of snow on the ground. In a Camaro SS.

No big deal.

I drove my '83 Grand Prix for one winter in 2009. I had studded snow tires in the rear and 300lbs of salt in the trunk. I managed to get around okay. The biggest disadvantage I had was no LSD or posi track or whatever you want to call it. If one tire got buried all the power went to the tire without traction. I only got stuck once but what a PITA!

[whiskeyfed]

This will be my first RWD experience in the snow. I do have A/S tires and I have only heard good things about them.

I do agree with most of you in this thread. You can drive a ferrari in the snow with A/S tires as long as you're not trying to get silly around every corner. "with great power, comes great responsibility"

I live in CT so we could get 15 ft this winter, or we could get 15 inches.

I decided on this car, living in the northeast because i wanted a badass ride. I didn't want to be dissuaded by the fact that it "might" snow a lot. Listen, if there is 3 feet of snow on the ground, your 4X4 land rover ain't going to work either. Mush!

[Whis]

I backed my car out to program my garage door when only a pocket of 1/4th inch of snow was peppered throughout my driveway. When I went to pull back in my car would not move and I had to back out into the road and "launch" into the driveway to get inside the garage. Winter tires on the way

[freddyD]

Some cool pics-I love the beauty of snow-but I live in Florida now!