RIPjeep2002 Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 What is the deepest snow you guys have driven in safely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattg Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 8 - 10" on the road 12 - 14" in a parking lot at the mountain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 8 - 10" on the road 12 - 14" in a parking lot at the mountain ain't that snow depth taller than the ground clearance ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meliaant Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 about 8" on an unplowed road, 6" UP a long steep hill, passing fwd cars & minivans, and about a foot in an unplowed parking lot...yes, well above ground clearance - if the snows the right consistency, you can watch as it pushes a loooooong pile ahead of the car If you ever catch on fire, try to avoid looking in a mirror, because I bet that will really throw you into a panic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetiger Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Ive driven in 12" but that was fresh soft fallen snow. 12" of snow thats sat for a while and hardened would trap the car due to lack of clearance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattg Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 ain't that snow depth taller than the ground clearance ? yes. why yes it is. you've heard of powder snow before? That's what falls here. I'm on STi springs BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Great, until a covered ice boulder takes off your front lip Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattg Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 been there, done that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapnJack Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 We got a storm last year where we got about 23" of snow. I had to drive home 23 miles from work in 8"-10". I could hear the bottom of the car drag most of the way. When I got home, my driveway had about 18"-20" in it. We got about 110" of snow total last year, well above average. This year we are predicted to get 140". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 I've driven through a drift up to the sideview mirrors and miles in well over a foot. But I got 3" on most of you. My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSFW Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 I've dragged the undercarriage on snow a few times, but mostly that only happens going through isolated heaps of it. I once decided to go down a road that had snow well above the car's clearance, but chickened after about 75 feet and reversed out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 The unsafest snow condition isn't when the snow is deepest, it's when you have a thin layer upon blank ice. Too much snow will only result in the hazard of getting a heart attack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBad Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 About 8" or so coming up my unplowed driveway one winter. My driveway is long, just under 1/4 mile and the under belly scraped and made a nice path behind me but the car got through it with flying colors and this was not powder... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendite Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 16-18 inches and it wasn't really an issue. Probably not a good idea to stop on a hill but certainly able to rally through it. Like Matt said... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrCloud Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 There's no right answer, because depth is only half the equation; the other half is consistency -- this was hinted at previously. Light, dry, cold-weather power is much easier to drive through than heavy, wet spring snow. It doesn't take very much more than the car's clearance of the latter for you to become high-centered, with the weight of the car supported on the snow by the undercarriage and not enough weight on the wheels/tires to provide sufficient traction (even with the best snow tires and/or chains) to move forward or back. When I lived in the mountains, I switched from Audi sedans to an allroad (with an adjustable suspension having up to about 9.5" of clearance) when I got a hair's breadth from becoming high centered in an A4 with studded snows. The snow was about 8" deep, and fairly wet. But I'd pushed that A4 through as much as 18" of mid-winter powder when it was light enough. HPH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBlueGT Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 I safely (no one got hurt, and the car was OK) drove through 3 feet of snow in front of my house. 3 hours later I was unstuck. Full tune of 68HTA, KSTech 73 MAF, Racer X FMIC and ID1000s................by the DataLog Mafia!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 Someone on the other pages claims 18 inches. I think your measurement is on the wrong scale. I can believe 18-20 cm, 11inches yeah maybe but 18-24 inches no. Puffy, fluffy, freshly fallen whatever snow. I mean the next thing I am bound to hear is that you've made a snorkel to your car and since your are going thru...water, the LGT is actually a submarine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VXCL Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 about 2 feet with snow tires, dropped as well had to keep stopping to uncover the headlights but other then that it was smooth riding and fun to play in. had to make it back to the condo from killington VT. roads had about a ft but the private drive in was about 2 feet easy. powdery stuff it depends on the snow. if you can pack it down and are driving too slow it will lift the car up and that sucks. 30k see saw with heated seats FTW. MAYHEM #122/22 STS NNJR SCCA AUTOX4U.COM XENON RETRO GUIDE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 I've driven mine through over a foot of water My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudeondacouch Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 Did it even touch the sideskirts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTSpeed Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 I got mine high centered on about 16 inches of snow that was thick and heavy. 4 wheels spinning with daylight under each. I had no idea there was a snow drift that thick...you get that sinking feeling as you feel the car resting on the undercarrage and the traction going away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbc84 Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 2 Audis and a WRX in deep snow. I think camera man is on a snowmobile atleast thats what it sounds like. At the 1 min mark you cant even see the Audi anymore [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyrI_tg9iSQ]YouTube - Audi A4, Audi 90, Subaru WRX Snow Driving[/ame] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baruGT Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 wow......snow is awesome...living in ATL it's not often, if at all to see any snow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOI9VvoaRJM]YouTube - Subaru + 18" snow = Not a problem[/ame] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjundi Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 ain't that snow depth taller than the ground clearance ? The key is density and type of snow. It can be well over your bumper if light and fluffy. If its the heavy wet stuff that is essentially slush good luck in driving in 3-4" of it. That is why I find winter tire reviews interesting. They are never tested across the wide spectrum of "snow" but the same condition usually the same day if valid. Of course one tire will excel there but fall on its face otherwise. Its been the case of every winter tire I have owned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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