johnegg Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 south western VA missed the last 2 snow storms that pelted the NE, but not this time. they are calling for 10 - 12 inches, and i live on the side of a mountain, well more like a hill really. i hope everyone is prepared for bad weather and is home safe. if you have to go out, drive slow, use 2nd gear most of the time, use the trans to slow down, brake early, and be careful. just because you can drive up the hill with AWD, does not mean you can drive down the other side. be careful. and happy motoring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted February 12, 2014 I Donated Share Posted February 12, 2014 I've been itching to drive in the snow. I was thinking about taking a trip up north -broknindarkagain My Current Project - Click Here COME AND TAKE IT "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp71ss Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 I've been waiting for this for a long time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stang70Fastback Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Took the wagon out for some fun. Ended up pulling a Chevy Cobalt SS into a parking lot when he got stuck in the middle of the road. Then got into my rental car that I picked up this morning for the 650 mile drive to and then back from Chicago tomorrow morning. God damn, that thing is terrifying in the snow. It's a brand new Ford Taurus. I actually just spent 30 minutes rotating the driver's side tires on it, because I discovered part of the reason I wasn't getting any traction at the front was this: What WAS on the rear: What WAS on the front: Again, this perfectly new tire was on the rear (the two on the passenger side are like this): But this u-shaped and worn out tire was on the front. Looks like the tire was seriously over-inflated: I wonder if they will re-imburse me for doing that. The tire on the front is pretty much down to the wear bars. I don't even think it would pass inspection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo F Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Doubt I'll take my car out in the 12" we're supposed to get at least until they plow us. I'd like to practice more in the Leggy, especially downshifting the 4EAT. I also want to get the new Impreza OBS out there and 1. Make sure the AWD is in working order since I've never had it in the snow (or any other precipitation for that matter) and 2) I'd like to see how the 5 speed manual does in the snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasLegacy2.5GT Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 My 5 speed manual rocked in the snow. Used it to brake everywhere. It's so much fun to drive that car!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo F Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 The OBS replaced my trusty old Nissan Hardbody 4X4. That 5 speed was good to drive in the snow, but the truck was showing it's age (26 years) and I was not sure about running through snow on an 80 mile round trip to work anymore. I sold it to a coworker and he is happy with it. I still did want a manual shift for the snow, so we got a good deal on the OBS as no one else who came to the used car lot wanted a manual, so it sat there for 6 months before we came along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 i was out yesterday afternoon, 4:30 ish with about 1 inch on the ground. i was driving down a slight hill with the engine idling and the auto trans in 1. all of a sudden i was side slipping. i had to shift up to 2 to regain control. then i had to use the brakes to stop. the brakes and the A.S.S. (automatic steering system). it was like driving on wet ice. today i'll drive my outback instead of my GT. it has better tires for snow. say what you will about ABS and how bad it is i'm glad i had it yesterday as i approached that stop sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stang70Fastback Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 i was driving down a slight hill with the engine idling and the auto trans in 1. all of a sudden i was side slipping. i had to shift up to 2 to regain control Please STAHP. I've driven in every kind of condition under the sun, and I never had trouble just leaving the transmission in 'D'. You guys seem to make it sound as if you will be helplessly out of control if you don't know how to work the transmission in the snow. If you are having that much trouble controlling the vehicle without rowing gears - especially in the auto - then either you don't know what you are doing, or you REALLY need to put different tires on the car. Yes, using engine braking does make things smoother, but I feel like these are things that are technically true, but not too effective in real life. Just use the brakes. If the ABS comes on, you're braking too hard, or the roads are too slick. If the ABS causes you to slide through an intersection (or into another car), guess what, you were driving too fast, or following too closely for the conditions. Bottom line is, you guys make it sound like you need to have the car properly set up before it is "safe" in the snow. Some people insist you need to have it in '2' or '1' because engine braking is the only way to maintain control. Others insist you have to pull the ABS Fuse because ABS is too intrusive. I say bull***t. The car does just fine in the snow, and it does what it is supposed to. Slap a good set of all-seasons on there and you'll be okay. Put winter tires on, and you'll be unstoppable. *puts on flame suit* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisty Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 its going to be in the 80s this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasLegacy2.5GT Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 70's for me! Thank God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 Please STAHP. ??????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennyfvholla Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Please STAHP. I've driven in every kind of condition under the sun, and I never had trouble just leaving the transmission in 'D'. You guys seem to make it sound as if you will be helplessly out of control if you don't know how to work the transmission in the snow. If you are having that much trouble controlling the vehicle without rowing gears - especially in the auto - then either you don't know what you are doing, or you REALLY need to put different tires on the car. Yes, using engine braking does make things smoother, but I feel like these are things that are technically true, but not too effective in real life. Just use the brakes. If the ABS comes on, you're braking too hard, or the roads are too slick. If the ABS causes you to slide through an intersection (or into another car), guess what, you were driving too fast, or following too closely for the conditions. Bottom line is, you guys make it sound like you need to have the car properly set up before it is "safe" in the snow. Some people insist you need to have it in '2' or '1' because engine braking is the only way to maintain control. Others insist you have to pull the ABS Fuse because ABS is too intrusive. I say bull***t. The car does just fine in the snow, and it does what it is supposed to. Slap a good set of all-seasons on there and you'll be okay. Put winter tires on, and you'll be unstoppable. *puts on flame suit* Uhhhhhhh in John's defense.... He was going DOWN a hill from a stop. I'm sorry, but if you're going down a hill slowly, and attempting to remain in control when driving in less than ideal traction situations, you most definitely DO put the 4EAT selector in 1st and not leave it in drive. How could he know that he'd start sliding while creeping forward? And well, as the smart person he is, he knew to drop the gear when he started sliding. He didn't just brake like a moron and crash. I understand your rant when it comes to what some other people have said, but come on now... John didn't imply that anyone SHOULD be doing something specific while driving in the snow, he just told us what he did. That's all. Also, I should say, that in snow, no matter what you are doing, "rowing" down to lower gears as you slow down, or want to start off slow and stay slow, say, down a hill, is a good idea. It keeps you in control, and much more so than just using the brakes. It keeps you out of an emergency situation, and may help you avoid one. And if it doesn't? Well, I'm sure the outcome would have been much worse had John started rolling down that hill in "D" with the brakes and his only decent control. You can say all you want, and you make good points, but I don't see how anything has to do with what John just said. No one technically HAS to do anything to there car to make it "safe" to drive in snow, but there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with taking preventative actions so you are better able to control the car!! Now, please don't make me go on, I really don't feel like arguing today... I've made my point, and if you feel the need to argue, then you really haven't gotten my point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasLegacy2.5GT Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 ^^^Daaang, you know Kenny hasn't gotten his Valentine card yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted February 13, 2014 I Donated Share Posted February 13, 2014 Who pissed in your Cheerios this morning? -broknindarkagain My Current Project - Click Here COME AND TAKE IT "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennyfvholla Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 John, Ruben, you both know me very well. Are you at all surprised at me saying all that? lol Stang, please don't take any of that personally. Sometimes I over react to things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo F Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 On another note, since I did not want to drive anything I have through 12" of unplowed snow today, after the clearing the driveway (which goes straight uphill from garage to the street) and then with 2 new inches of snow on the ground, I backed the Impreza up the hill to test the functionality of the AWD and it didn't flinch, and went right up with no problems, so it looks like everything works when I do choose to drive it out in the snow. On the other hand, my wife's Sienna AWD only seems to have AWD in forward gears, so we end up backing that one in, so we can pull it out and up the driveway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 ok, the snow stopped around 10 am thursday morning. we had 12 inches on the ground. my GT was on the street so i tried that. it would drive down hill, but not back up. it was snowplowing about 6 inches of snow. i left it down at the end of the cul-de-sac. around noon it started snowing again, by dinner time we had another 10 inches, for a total of 20 inches of snow. no way i can drive in that. this is a once every 10 years event. but as soon as the snow stopped the temp rose. the low over night was 31, but most of the night it was mid-30s. i went out around noon to start the shoveling. still no snow plow on our street. i dig out my outback at the top of my drive way and wait. by 4 pm, the 20 inches of snow has settled down to 8 inches. and off i go. it turns out that the rest of the city has been business as usual, only my neighbor hood is still snow bound. there are 2 ways in / out, and both are only one track wide and no plows . i go to the store, restock the adult beverages, (cabin fever can be hard on your liver) and then start home. i'm driving my 98 outback back up the hill to home on a beaten track one car wide. i come across 2 pickups backing down with a suv above them driving down the single track. i pull over into the tall snow to let them pass (because of the hill, i'm pretty sure i can always back down to where i came from.) and as soon as i hit the tall snow, my wheels start to spin. so i shift from D to 2 and my tires grip and i continue up the hill, in the tall snow. the 2 backward trucks and 1 frontward suv go on down in the single track. once they have passed , i pull back into the beaten track and go home. i have NO experience with other 4x4 or AWD vehicles. but the ability of the subaru AWD 4eat in 2 is amazing. not enough torque to spin the tires, but plenty enough power to drive up hill in the tall snow. imho, this is without a doubt one of the greatest capabilities of the subaru 4eat AWD trans. unbelievable. let it snow. happy motoring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennyfvholla Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Yeahhhh driving up a steep hill in "2" is awesome. When I go to the mountains in the winter, my Subaru's are the only thing that can get up to the mountain side house when it's been snowing. No 4x4 or AWD trucks could make it up besides a Jeep Cherokee with a lift. It's pretty great when people ask me to shuffle them and their stuff up and down the mountain because their vehicles are incapable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Yep, the 4eat in snow is awesome in 2! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJay03 Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Had lots of fun with the 5MT in the snow today with my crappy tires I just had to make sure to slow down really early and be easy on the brake. The main thing is to not over drive the tires. I really wanted to do some donuts somewhere but only did one in the Meijer parking lot lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivant Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I bet you guys can't wait for winter to be over. They tell us about your horrible weather most nights on the news here. That and the shootings. I can't imagine what driving in a foot of snow must be like, we only get a bit of frost on our worst days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo F Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 We had a total of 15" of snow the other day. I wasn't going to attempt it in either of the Subaru's until the plow came through. We get plowed out fairly quickly and there's nowhere it's that important for me to be, so I didn't have to drive in too much of the snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishLt Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Welllllll.......I'm approaching a good 3 feet here in the mountains of PA. I can always find my way home by following the trail my exhaust I-pipe leaves in the snow haha. Figured I'd throw a tire report on too, seeing as when I researched tires I couldn't find anything online of guys using my tires on a car that wasn't like a fwd in a place that didn't really see snow. No offense to texans and the surroundings, but reading reviews of tires from guys in the south about snow handling is tits on a man for me. Running continental DWS on the gt.......they're great, never once have I said "I needed to go with dedicated snows" I mean I know i really SHOULD have, but i've yet to run into issues. And as far as the how to drive in snow thing.....don't wreck. You didn't wreck.....you drove right. Besides that, comes down to preference I'd think. More snow on the way fellas, Safe-driving -LT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boattlebot Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 On another note, since I did not want to drive anything I have through 12" of unplowed snow today just for laughs i went to a parking lot today that still had about 2 1/2 feet of snow in thier one corner. with bald tires it just plowed through that stuff i honestly was suprised that it made it through that stuff. the snow was up to my knee's and up to my grill and on bald tires it just went though so a foot of snow is nothing to these cars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.