Just wondering how my Ver 5 STi is gonna get on in the snow this winter?

(assuming it snows, probably won't now everyone is expecting same as last year!).

I'm hoping for some mega sideways action.

 

You can lose it and end up in a ditch just like any other car People tend to over estimate these cars handling capabilities in bad weather, i have done in the past and nearly paid the price!

 

they are crap in the snow. if you want mega sideways action in the snow buy a scrapper sierra and have fun in it. wont be taking mine out in the snow for "mega sideways action"

 

I thought so.

My car has open diffs I think right?

Reality is I would think twice about taking it out in snow.

 

You can go better thanks to the AWD but what you have to remember is you can't stop any better than any other car. Last winter in the bad snow people couldn't get onto the works carpark because of a slight incline, I was up there by myself in about a foot and half of snow doin doughnuts
You can use the power and AWD to get you out of trouble IF you have the room, but thats a big if.

 

as said, stopping is the problem. the sought after bridgestone re070 are not the best tyre either for these conditions (from experience lol) so some good winter tyres on a spare set of rims if possible would be handy to have. for fun though, if you can find a car park big enough and empty enough then put your diff right back and away you go, but tbh it is more fun and satisfying watching others spinning on the spot while you waft past giving the royal wave and smile on the way home from work.

 

Winter tyres, that is all that really need to be said on the subject. Fit the correct tyres for the job and you will be happy.
Do a search on here about winter tyres and you'll get the idea. I can highly recommend the Nokian WR G2's. Had them fitted to both the Mrs R32 and my Aplina B3. Had no problems on the hills in W.Yorks.

 

or watch this opened my eyes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlYEMH10Z4s

 

Actually I reckon they're pretty good in the snow. Just rememeber they have neither the tyres nor the ground clearance of a landrover. As has been said you won't stop any better, but for the most part you can get up the hills.

At a point last winter when many peeps didn't use their cars for 6 weeks up 'ere, I used mine whenver I wanted and only got stuck once for 10 mins (that pesky ground clearance, check how deep the snow you're driving over is, lol!)

 

That is a good link, cheers mate

 

This has been done to death

Tyres are everything.
Driving style too.

If you take safety seriously
You have two sets of wheels and tyres. Winters and Summers.

For a more detailed explanation - look at the pool of knowledge sticky at the top of this page.

 

I loved the snow, was in my wagon at the time with Toyo t1s's on. Loads of sideways action, big 4 wheel drifts. Went up to Dunstable to all the back country roads and had loads of fun. Just stay slow and there will be no problem. Had loads of grip off boost and stopped real well. Went up and down some gnarly steep hills and was well impressed. At once stage in the day we watched a Range Rover start sliding backwards down a slight hill, after he moved to the side we gave it a go and sailed past. Dont expect to have the grip of a WRC car in Sweden but it's loads better than anything i have ever owned.

Beware of ice! Ice and steel studs go well together, ice and rubber (even winter rubber) do not.

 

I don't have a fancy drivers controlled dif you see? Just a bog standard ver 5 Sti. Is it just gonna be **** on snow is my question?

 

Tony
As others have pointed out, a spare set of rims fitted with good winter tyres is the only way to go. My personal experience of this:
When the snow first hit, I still had my 17" rims with Toyo T1Rs, treads around half-way worn (down 4mm or so). I already knew the car was far from perfect on ice with those, and on the 2 or 3 inches of packed snow we had on some of the back-roads around here it was drivable, but only with quite major amounts of a caution and at quite limited speed.
A week later I ordered some Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds for my old 16" stock rims, which thankfully just cleared the 4-pots I'd fitted since I last had them on the car, and was duly served with another decent helping of snow another few days later.

Quite honestly the difference was night and day. I'm no Hannu Mikkola by any stretch of the imagination, but after some experimentation on suitably deserted roads, I realized I could drive comfortably at around 2/3 the speed I normally would on any given road, and still stop and steer perfectly well despite several inches of snow. Iced-up ruts take a little more getting used to, as they'll pull the car's steering all over the place without some quite forceful wheel input, but nothing even a standard-ish UK turbo can't handle.

Just take it gradually, and with the right rubber you'll have no doubts at all it's what these cars were built for.

 

In Czech Republic or Slovakia(probably in most EU states) you must have on Winter,winter tyres,if you causing damage or crash your car with all weather,summer tyres,your insurance its invalid.

 

Absolutely fantastic in the snow apart from one little thing, for several reasons they will not stop. Their tractive ability and accellerative prowess exceed the retardation ability. Apart from that, good fun. Unfortunately the defect will cause the unwary a shunt or off road experience.

Winter tyres make a big improvement just for starters. These cars are really good when you need traction but unless you are aware of how difficult they are to stop on Summer tyres at low levels of adhesion there is a high probability of a shunt.

 

Can you use chains?

 

EFA!

I had an STi V for six years and many times drove it in the snow. The car was fantastic.

There is a reason why these cars totally dominated rallies in the '90s and that was their ability to go fast on the loose stuff. Including snow.

Make allowances for not having proper rally snow tyres of course, or even get winter tyres - the modern versions are pretty good.

The main killer in the snow is that is exaggerates the car's natural tendency to understeer - but you can easily learn to deal with that by moving the car's weight around.

 

Forget chains mate, just buy yourself a pack of huskies as long as you take it easy you will be fine, as already been said these car offer great traction in the snow but summer tyres wont stop you in time when it counts

 

You mean by the scandinavian flick?

How's yer Porsche in the snow just out of interest?

 

Not a Scandinavian flick (unless you want to off course!).

To overcome understeer you either need to get more weight on the front of the car or less weight on the back.

You can get more weight on the front by careful use of the brake; or if you are cornering under throttle you can lift briefly which will release the back end. Many people on Scoobynet call this 'lift off oversteer' and think it is a handling 'flaw' of the Scoob. It is one of its great virtues!!

The Porsche is good in the snow on that there is traction over the driving wheels and it is has very responsive handling, it is bad in the snow, especially fresh, as the wheels are so goddamn wide so they have no chance to cut through the snow/slush to grippier tarmac or ice.

 

I thought my scoob was excellent in the snow last year

Multiple trips Aberdeen to Cairngorms for snowboarding and further north for family duties and the motor handled it all!

Parking got a bit tricky...

 

My STi 5 Wagon was rubbish on our untreated roads. 17" summer tyres (Toyos) are great when its warm, but once the temperature dropped the rubber stops working. The car accelerated ok, but would it turn or stop! Even got sideways in reverse doing a tentative three point turn...

Winter tyres and you're laughing, but tbh I think that probably applies to any car.


FYI: V5 Wagon has an open front diff, vicous centre lsd and Suretrac mechancial rear lsd.

 

 

i thought this would be fun so i took mine out but didnt realise how much ice was underneath the snow thats the problem even with awd once u hit the ice ur problems start especialy with stopping

 

Supposed to be snowing in September!!!!!!!!!

 

I must admit I didn't push it at all on the roads, as above hitting the iced up ruts is a fill yer pants moment!

I was running all year tires though, they still got me everywhere i wanted to go with only the highest snow stoppping me due to clearance issues.

Now in the work car park, thats different.......

 

Oooops, double post back = double post

 

i had no problems driving in last years snow due the fact i fitted winter tyres and didn't try to act like a rally driver. don't underestimate these cars, i also had a discovery at the time and prefered the impreza due to the fact that as it is lighter, it does sit on the snow better and not go straight through it on to the ice. plus if it does start to go there is not as much weight for you to try and pull up in an emergency.

 

^^^ looks like a winter version of a crop circle