corvetteronw

Kind of a stretch to call this a street car though:
http://speedsociety.com/funny-car-hi...-snow/?var=htc

1993C4LT1

Haha, that's awesome. I have not driven my C4 in the snow.

MaxDaemon

I'm driving my "new" '84 home (about 200 miles) from Seattle this weekend - 8-12 inches of snow over Snoqualmie pass expected. I'm hoping if I just take it slow and easy, it will be ok. It's about my only window to get it home, so here's hoping I stay out of the ditch!

aDigitalPhantom

I don't drive mine on snow covered roads, but I do drive it in the winter. I cant say I mind the weird winter weather here this year. No snow on the roads yet.

MaxDaemon

I kinda figure it can't be any worse than driving my dad's old Chevy pickup in the snow.

Anybody have any experiences to share? What to watch for? Is it mostly breaking lose the back end and spinning it, or more like the low ground clearance?

melthom

I had cabin fever so I went up to my shop, put the top down and backed the car out. Sent this pictures to all my corvette friends and told them I went out for a cruise. Only replies I got back was "Yea, right !".
Answer to the question. NO, I don't drive it in the snow...

Dt86

Between the torque and drag slicks I'm surprised it went anywhere! Mine stays in the garage during winter. The highlander is for the snow.

WW7

With the right tires Im sure it wouldn't handle any worse then most rear wheel drive cars in snow..The problem is if you want great handling in the warm weather , most of us have "High Performance Summer Tires" which aren't worth a crap in colder weather...Actually Summer tires can be a hazard in cold weather, ( they really are treacherous when cold), and snow would be 10 times worse with these tires.......WW

mazdaverx7

I drive my Corvette until I see snow on the ground and then it stays in the garage. My oldest son and I were out in the 94 a few weeks ago and while we were out it began to snow. It was in the teens and I was taking it slow. The road transitioned into a bridge and the back end broke loose without provocation and the car began to slide sideways. I was able to steer through it, much like a powerslide so to speak. Scared the ever living dog crap out of me to be honest. I said to myself, all those autocross events and road courses over the years in a Corvette helped me be able to steer through the situation, but did not prepare me for how quick the rear end broke loose. Moral of the story: Don't attempt to drive a Corvette in the snow with summer tires, lol.

QCVette

Like others have said, it depends on the tires.

I drove year round with a couple C4's ('88 A4 and '94 M6) for about 5 or 6 years including snow. With good tires the cars are surprisingly stable and drive pretty well. Obviously if you try to drive trying to accelerate, brake, corner like it was summer you will crash. But if you drive with caution like most sane people do in the winter it can work pretty well.

The Corvette is low, so if you are in deep fresh snow it may not do so well. I got surprised by a deep snow in my '88 once and although I could hear the snow dragging across the bottom of the car, I kept it going and did not get stuck, but I think I was lucky.

If you can keep to winter weather snow or ice covered, but plowed or traveled roads you can do ok with decent tires. I had Falken Ziex-512 tires for the winter that worked for me. I had BFG Comp TA tires that were horrible and slippery when cold even without any snow on the roads.

The real problem is salt. Even washing the cars off at least once a week and trying to get underneath too, they still showed a little rust starting on some parts like the nuts that hold the lights, and other small parts.

Good luck.

Paul Workman

Yes! (to BOTH)

As long as the air dam isn't plowing the stuff, it is doable (in a pinch). I suspect an automatic would be better than the M6.

Having said that, a guy here in Chicagoland drove a C6 all winter long; snow and slush - the works! (But, he would leave his baby, the 427 LT5 C4 in the garage until spring, FWIW.)

BigDaddy5

I made that same trip (SEA-Wenatchee) in my '85, over Stevens one 4th of July when it snowed on Stevens. I didn't think it was possible...I think it was 2009. Anyway, it gets slick and the back end comes loose, but what's scarier is that it doesn't regain traction very well with the wide tires on it. Take your time. I think I used to make that trek in 2:10 at my best, but in weather like that, 5-6 hours isn't unreasonable especially since you have snoqualmie and blewitt passes.

Bring safety equipment and food/water just in case.

There's no easy way. Check the forecast for Stevens, at least it's just one pass. Albeit 1,000 feet higher, so who knows.

MaxDaemon

Yea .. I've checked Snoqualmie, Stevens and White - they're all showing 8-12 inches on Saturday, in fact Snoq seems to be the best of the bunch. Once I get over that, I'll go through Ellensburg and up through Vantage. I don't intend to have to worry about Blewitt - of course, Ryegrass can be bad too, but it's flatter than a "real" pass and only about 2600 feet.

And yea, slow slow slow - I think a lot of accidents in the winter come from expecting snow and ice to behave like dry pavement. And heck, you CAN go 90 in the snow - in a straight line ..

BigDaddy5

Yeah and Snoq should be kept clearer than the others, but those north/south passes off 90 can get forgotten. Good luck, be safe!

auggy

Carry a bag of cat litter and a small shovel. Inflate tires to the max. Of course water and food . They use to make a spray can of something that you could spray on your tires for temp traction---don't know if it's still around or even works. Bring hold town straps (come a longs) if you have them---they could pull you out of a minor ditch. Good luck.

Tom400CFI

As with any vehicle, it's ALL ABOUT THE TIRES...

MaxDaemon

The Continental's on my '94 would be like skis! However, I have the DW series, and they DO make a DWS tire that's supposed to be Dry/Wet/Snow instead of just Dry/Wet. If I wind up using this car a lot, that will probably be my choice, as she's supposed to be my "winter Corvette". I had planned on just taking my pickup on snowy days, but I'll do some experimentation.

sahhas

thanks for posting experiences driving C4s in the winter...would like to hear more from folks.......since i'm thinking about a purchase, and most likely mine would be driven in winter a bit....

i have driven plenty of RWD cars in the winter: 75 vega wagon, 81 dodge ram, and 2 90s volvo station wagons, and a 79 mazda rx7....all had about the same results in snow and winter, but doable....

THE 383 admiral

Unreal, you are begging to get hit, or damaged. Another statistic that will end up on the forum.
Salt + H2O + O2 = aluminum break down.

Nowhere Man

my 94 is my only car. drive it in any weather condition