[cellsafemode]

I suggest learning how to drive in the snow in a crappy rwd car first. Otherwise have fun now because you will not be come winter. Not at all.

Driving in the snow in a rwd car with power that is low to the ground is completely different from fwd and AWD. Very different.

[trboxman]

3 of my last 4 cars have been turbo Subarus, still have a stage 3 Legacy GT wagon, the 2SS without 1LE suspension will out handle, out accelerate and basically just outclass every one of them in most scenarios that involve pavement and decent weather. Don't hold out for the 1LE just to get more than you're used to, you'll do that with a 2SS.

[IOMike]

Originally Posted by Pigdog

Snow.... RWD V8.... not advised

As to getting close to ZL1 hp with supercharging and add ons. Be cheaper and wiser to buy the ZL1

I see you're in Memphis. I saw a news clip a few years ago of a snow storm in Tennessee, or maybe it was Georgia. Anyways, people were abandoning their cars in the road, doors open and all. They were recording a guy in a rwd explorer who even though he wasn't moving, had a speedo that probably said 120mph.

If the OP is familiar with driving in the snowy icy conditions, he will be just fine in a rwd car with snow tires. I've always found manuals make it tougher though, for me.

A set of blizzaks, a few bags of sand, common sense and experience will get you anywhere in a rwd vehicle come winter. I've never driven a Camaro in the winter, but I've lived in MN my whole life and have plenty of rwd snow experience.

[EMTNLSS]

I live in Utah which gets a good amount of snow and I daily drove my 2SS in the snow on 18" wheels with Blizzak WS80's and had no problems. The nannies also helped because if you used too much power in a turn on snow it would cut power so you wouldn't slide out. Snow/Ice mode also helped.

Just get a good set of snow tires and drive smart and you'll be fine.

[SplorgFlorgman]

Thanks guys. I have just about convinced myself to get a ZL1, I'll post up some pics once I've made the final decision! Appreciate all the input - I'm not too worried about the snow, I've been driving in it for 15+ years in a variety of cars, both awful and sturdy, just never done it in RWD before. Already planning to go the dedicated snow tire route, and I work from home, so it's not like I can't ride out the occasional blizzard

[Pigdog]

To be fair here in Memphis all we get is ice. Cant justify snow tires because we don't get much freezing weather.

So driving a v8 on summer tires on ice......well different experence.

I have tried a 05 Thunderbird and a 09 g8 GXP both with traction control, and it was scary

[IOMike]

The big thing between AWD and RWD in snow is just avoiding coming to a complete stop. Roads with lights tend to be plowed well enough where it's not an issue, but it always takes longer to clean the side streets with stop signs.

[zeekle]

Originally Posted by Pigdog

To be fair here in Memphis all we get is ice. Cant justify snow tires because we don't get much freezing weather.

So driving a v8 on summer tires on ice......well different experence.

I have tried a 05 Thunderbird and a 09 g8 GXP both with traction control, and it was scary

Yeah TN snow typically has half an inch of ice under it. I know so many people from the north that balk at the half inch of snow till we get a bad one and they quickly convert to staying home during a storm. Add to all that we have enough people that freak out with even a snow forecast to make the roads dangerous.

Here I pretty much take a snow day when it snows.

[Sub]

Originally Posted by SplorgFlorgman

Do you have dedicated wheels or just separate tires?

I didnt like the stock rims, so I used them for winter tires and bought aftermarket for summer (see my thread link below for pics/specs )

[Atomic Ed]

One of the other things you will miss is how simple it is to get a clean hole shot with AWD. I still have my 400 awhp Audi TT and it was a lot easier to get rolling cleanly. This combo will take some practice and finesse.

As far as slapping on a supercharger, yep, it's that easy. 16 months now on an Edelbrock E-Force kit with the tune Edelbrock supplies and nary a hiccup. 560 rwhp from the dyno.

[Marty McFlew]

Originally Posted by SplorgFlorgman

Hey guys,

I have been a 100% import car purchaser for the last 15 years, my last car was a 2015 Subaru STi. I can't really tell you what has brought me to waiting on a 2SS 1LE, but I've been deciding what car I want for the last few months, and I've come to the conclusion that most of the Japanese manufacturers don't really have anything to offer that interests me anymore in my price range, and the Camaro is the car that appeals to me the most right now.

I've been used to high revving, small engines with big turbos, and I'm pretty excited about making the switch over to a RWD V8. I was all set to order, but after finding out there's a real 1LE package coming to the 2SS, I'm going to wait a little longer.

So, onto my real questions..

This has to be a yearly driver for me, and I live in a state with a lot of snow. I always put snow tires on my Subaru and felt fairly invincible with a good AWD system and Blizzaks. I'm slightly concerned about driving a Camaro in the snow, but I've struggled through many years with shitty, light, FWD cars in all seasons, so I'm not THAT worried about it. Since I probably will end up getting a 2SS 1LE towards the end of the year at this point, I need to get some snow tires/rims. Does anyone have a recommendation for some 18 or 19" rims that will fit over the Brembos? Don't need to be anything fancy, I just want a full set of wheels to swap out.

I've been doing some research about performance mods. Seems like there are guys just slapping on superchargers and gaining 100-150+ HP. Is this for real? To gain 100 real horsepower on an STi, you need to do some serious work. Are there any 'must do' mods for daily driving, or is it pretty good out of the box? From searching around, it seems like most people are keeping their car pretty stock (which is cool with me, since it seems like there's already a lot of good tech in it.) The possibility of slapping a supercharger on down the line and getting close to ZL1 HP levels is pretty tempting though - is the engine and drive train really that strong that it can take it?

Any other hints or advice for a first time American sports car owner? Thanks!

Going from a Subarooooooooo to a Camaro is like going from a go kart to an automobile. Glad to see you wising up and getting a real car.

[IOMike]

Originally Posted by zeekle

Yeah TN snow typically has half an inch of ice under it. I know so many people from the north that balk at the half inch of snow till we get a bad one and they quickly convert to staying home during a storm. Add to all that we have enough people that freak out with even a snow forecast to make the roads dangerous.

Here I pretty much take a snow day when it snows.

Ice with snow on top is a tough one. The difference between rwd and awd is mostly starting from a stop as it doesn't help with stopping or turning (well awd does help some with turning, not a ton though). Snow tires help a lot on ice, but you still have some pretty long stopping distances.

A few years ago we had a ice storm up hear that left 2-3" of ice on major highways and for whatever reason it froze very bumpy, so driving on the freeway was like driving on a unkept dirt road covered in ice. It was months before they were clean. I drive a rwd service van for work and I can typically do 5-6 calls a day, but that month was 2 -3 a day. Took forever to get anywhere.

[SplorgFlorgman]

Well, I am hoping all you guys claiming you jam around all winter in Blizzaks aren't bullshitting me, because I'm just waiting to hear if my dealer can get allocation on a ZL1.

[SplorgFlorgman]

Originally Posted by Marty McFlew

Going from a Subarooooooooo to a Camaro is like going from a go kart to an automobile. Glad to see you wising up and getting a real car.

I had a lot of fun in the Subaru, but I am pretty hyped about the switch!