why are corvettes bad to drive in the snow?
#1
why are corvettes bad to drive in the snow?
not that i would want to drive mine in this bad weather. but i was wondering why corvettes handle so bad in the snow. someone told me it was because of the wide tires. i dont believe that. anyone explain this a little better?
#2
I hear lots of people say that a wider tire will dissipate to much of the weight of the car and the tire will spin. On the other hand a skinny tire will cut down to the bottom and you will have more weight of the car in a smaller area. Not really sure if I believe it though I drove my vette in a foot of snow before it was painted and it drove great on a 245/60/15 tire.
#3
Melting Slicks
Back when my Corvette was my only car, I drove it in the snow a few times. Didn't do any worse than any of the other rear wheel drive cars of the era. The low ground clearance and marginal rear wheel traction would be problems you'd have with the Vette in snow, but when the shark cars were built, nearly every other vehicle on the road had traction issues. We have been "spoiled" by front wheel drive vehicles. They DO A LOT BETTER in snow. That's one thing they are good for.
Last edited by 62fuelie; 01-23-2005 at 12:47 PM. Reason: typos
#4
Senior Member since 1492
When I was in College, '70's, I remember seeing C3's running with snow tires all the rime. Around here I usually see 1-2 newer C5's running in the snow too. Guess we all can't afford a "hobby" car.
#6
Melting Slicks
Member Since: Nov 2003
Location: Canton Ohio
Posts: 3,363
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think its a combo of the wide tires, the rear end gears, and the power. My vette sucks so bad in the rain when the roads are just wet I don't even want to try it in the snow. I really doubt the 3.73 gears help any!
#9
Senior Member since 1492
Wanna know a car that's bad to drive in the snow? Even with All-season tires??? A 1991 Mustang GT!!!
My wife refuses to believe my post above about me seeing C3 driving in the snow. So now whenever I see a newer vette out in the snow, I feel obliged to point them out to her.
Here ya go Carl:
http://www.corvette.net/my-vette.htm
My wife refuses to believe my post above about me seeing C3 driving in the snow. So now whenever I see a newer vette out in the snow, I feel obliged to point them out to her.
Here ya go Carl:
http://www.corvette.net/my-vette.htm
#10
Tech Contributor
I drove my 69 vert with 60's tires and 336, 4 spd through several snowy winters in CT during the early 80's. Also through minor flooding, heavy rains,etc. C3's were as common as c4 are now, especially 68 & 69 verts,it wasn't a big deal. But if you think that was bad I could only imagine if you saw me walking across the rear deck
Gary
Gary
#11
Race Director
Use Snow Tires!
It`s the wide tires that cause the problem. I used studded snow tires on my 68 L88 before they became illegal in Michigan. I could go everywhere and that included going to Boyne Mt. every weekend. Horsepower had nothing to do with it because I have GOBS of it and then some. In fact it is one hell of a snow machine but rough on gas milage with a 4.11 gear.
#12
Senior Member since 1492
Wally, was there a choke on that Holley?
Last edited by Jughead; 01-23-2005 at 01:38 PM.
#14
"why are corvettes bad to drive in the snow?"
They aren't for a car. I've had mine out in snow a number of times and had no problems at all as long as it wasn't too deep - all bets are off once you start to to drag its belly, but that is the case with all wheeled vehicles.
If you want the ultimate in wheeled, widely available machines for going in snow, get a Jeep Wrangler.
If you want the absolute ultimate in snow-going vehicles, see your local Ski-Doo dealer!
They aren't for a car. I've had mine out in snow a number of times and had no problems at all as long as it wasn't too deep - all bets are off once you start to to drag its belly, but that is the case with all wheeled vehicles.
If you want the ultimate in wheeled, widely available machines for going in snow, get a Jeep Wrangler.
If you want the absolute ultimate in snow-going vehicles, see your local Ski-Doo dealer!
#15
Racer
Member Since: Feb 2004
Location: Murrells Inlet SC
Posts: 321
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I drove C1, C2 and C3 vetts as my daily driver in Ohio and Pennsylvania with no problems. My '72 C3 was real good in the snow. All of the vettes had high hp engines and manual transmissions. No real problem but I have to admit not as good as the Jeeps or some of the front wheel drives that I have owned.
#16
Race Director
Originally Posted by Jughead
Wanna know a car that's bad to drive in the snow? Even with All-season tires??? A 1991 Mustang GT!!!
[/URL]
[/URL]
I think that the vete's snow woes are a combination of the above factors. Wide tires do tend to float (the snow version of hyroplaning). Rear wheel drive tends to be harder to control that front wheel drive and high torque certainly doesn't help. The weight of the car probably doesn't help either. Years ago I had a Dodge Shadow turbo. Tons of torque, wide tires and no weight. That car would get stuck in three inches of snow.
#17
Le Mans Master
Born in Syracuse NY and driving there since the age of 16 in snow...
With snow tires, the C2/C3 handles fine in snow up to about 6 inches. After that, ground clearance becomes an issue. Any vehicle can get hung up on snow when the compacted depth reaches the floor pan height. I regularly hung up my full size 1959 & 1966 Fords (big cars) in the snow when it reached 10" +. The snow actually lifts the car up and the tires lose their traction even though they are still on the ground. My 1958 T-Bird would get hung up quicker than the Fords because it had a massive floor pan and low ground clearance. It's SOP to have rock salt, a shovel, and cardboard in the trunk in the winter time.... that is, if you don't want to get stranded.
On the tire issue.... yes... wider tires do poorly in snow. With a wider contact patch, they also tended to ride up on the snow instead of cutting through it... similar to hydro-planing... thus giving you less traction & less control.
I experienced a wide variety of vehicles, tire types, and snow conditions. My comments are based on that experience.
Also... the driver has a LOT to do with it. Living in NC now, I am one of the few people in my neighborhood who can drive in snow without getting stuck or going off the road. Experience counts.... like learning how to ride a bike. You can't read about it... you have to learn it by experience. No other way.
We used to go to Roxboro Rd. Junior High School (now middle school?) after dark and practice driving in deep snow... until the local police would kick us out.
Anticipation, regulating speed, feathering the clutch, conserving momentum going uphill, rocking the car with the correct frequency.... are all part of successful driving in the snow. Some of the Corvette clubs in the snow belt even have autocrosses on frozen lakes. Been there, done that.
I am in the process of mounting some G70-15 studded snow tires on Mustang rims... we get ice here more than snow.
With snow tires, the C2/C3 handles fine in snow up to about 6 inches. After that, ground clearance becomes an issue. Any vehicle can get hung up on snow when the compacted depth reaches the floor pan height. I regularly hung up my full size 1959 & 1966 Fords (big cars) in the snow when it reached 10" +. The snow actually lifts the car up and the tires lose their traction even though they are still on the ground. My 1958 T-Bird would get hung up quicker than the Fords because it had a massive floor pan and low ground clearance. It's SOP to have rock salt, a shovel, and cardboard in the trunk in the winter time.... that is, if you don't want to get stranded.
On the tire issue.... yes... wider tires do poorly in snow. With a wider contact patch, they also tended to ride up on the snow instead of cutting through it... similar to hydro-planing... thus giving you less traction & less control.
I experienced a wide variety of vehicles, tire types, and snow conditions. My comments are based on that experience.
Also... the driver has a LOT to do with it. Living in NC now, I am one of the few people in my neighborhood who can drive in snow without getting stuck or going off the road. Experience counts.... like learning how to ride a bike. You can't read about it... you have to learn it by experience. No other way.
We used to go to Roxboro Rd. Junior High School (now middle school?) after dark and practice driving in deep snow... until the local police would kick us out.
Anticipation, regulating speed, feathering the clutch, conserving momentum going uphill, rocking the car with the correct frequency.... are all part of successful driving in the snow. Some of the Corvette clubs in the snow belt even have autocrosses on frozen lakes. Been there, done that.
I am in the process of mounting some G70-15 studded snow tires on Mustang rims... we get ice here more than snow.
#19
Race Director
Originally Posted by 45ACP
"why are corvettes bad to drive in the snow?"
They aren't for a car. I've had mine out in snow a number of times and had no problems at all as long as it wasn't too deep - all bets are off once you start to to drag its belly, but that is the case with all wheeled vehicles.
If you want the ultimate in wheeled, widely available machines for going in snow, get a Jeep Wrangler.
If you want the absolute ultimate in snow-going vehicles, see your local Ski-Doo dealer!
They aren't for a car. I've had mine out in snow a number of times and had no problems at all as long as it wasn't too deep - all bets are off once you start to to drag its belly, but that is the case with all wheeled vehicles.
If you want the ultimate in wheeled, widely available machines for going in snow, get a Jeep Wrangler.
If you want the absolute ultimate in snow-going vehicles, see your local Ski-Doo dealer!