600RWHP in Snow, or, the worse Corvette driving experience ever!
11-01-2008, 06:10 PM
#1
Le Mans Master
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600RWHP in Snow, or, the worse Corvette driving experience ever!
As some of you may know my C6 is my daily driver... This worked out great while I lived in California, and it continued working out great even as I drove the car across the entire country, coast-to-coast, twice... It even worked great when I crossed the twisty mountainous Vail pass in Colorado in 29F weather, and it worked great even in the torrential rains I seem to catch in Ohio every time I drive NJ - Chicago... I run Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires and the grip is fantastic both on dry roads and in the rain. I've put about 29000 miles on the car in the last 6 months.
Oh yeah, some 3000miles or so ago I supercharged it... It now makes 597RWHP / 518RWTQ. That's about 690HP at the crank. It is *spectacular* when the tires are warm, but that kind of power in cold weather will break traction all the way into 3rd gear, at 80+ MPH. But even that wasn't a problem, because as long as you don't give it too much gas and shift early, it behaves like a stock car... Right?
Last week I left for work and the weather looked like this:
Flurries. They didn't worry me because it was warm enough that they melted as they hit the road. Plus the forecast called for "rain". I had a few good laughs getting the back end out across some of sharper bends on my way to work; it was about as slippery as any other wet weather I have driven in...
Then, halfway to work, around New Brunswick... The weather turned to THIS:
The snow/slush got so high in some parts that my front end was packed full of it!
I was already halfway to work so turning around or pulling over wasn't an option.
At the risk of stating the obvious, let me tell you that driving in this crap was ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!!
I can't begin to describe to how how dangerous and tractionless the car was to drive. I will give you some examples:
-Accelerating to 35MPH took between 100 and 200 *YARDS* depending on the inclination of the road. It would almost stand still with the tires spinning slowly with traction control ON every time I left a red light. I would be fishtailing and going sideways for 200+ yards every time I had to slow down.
- The tires would begin spinning and the car would lose speed every time I had to go up any kind of hill; it would fishtail and go sideways as I tried to go over the hill.
- The car broke traction in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4rth, 5th and 6th, even at 35MPH. 35MPH in 6th gear = 800RPMs. I.E. There was enough power at IDLE to break traction.
- The car broke traction every time I downshifted, no matter how carefully I attempted to match the revs. It was interesting to see "ENGINE DRAG CONTROL" come on in the DIC and the ECU would actually speed up the engine to attempt to match the RPM to the speed I was going at.
- I broke traction and began to slide simply by lifting my foot off the gas while in 4rth gear!
It was bad. Really, really bad. All traffic was moving at <40MPH so it wasn't just bad for me (that slush compacts into ice under the weight of the tires so it is almost as bad as driving on ice), but let me tell you, this was the first time I have not enjoyed driving a 'Vette
In the end, I made it to work an hour late, and decided to buy a winter vehicle... I figured I'd share this with the forum
BTW I went to school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; the snowiest place in the United States... I have *considerable* experience driving in bad weather, including a few trophies in ice racing... While I lived there I drove two Subaru STI's riding on full coilovers with a dedicated set of winter rims and a fresh set of Blizzak Revo1 tires every season... I miss having 400HP at all 4 wheels via an electronically variable power split...
Oh yeah, some 3000miles or so ago I supercharged it... It now makes 597RWHP / 518RWTQ. That's about 690HP at the crank. It is *spectacular* when the tires are warm, but that kind of power in cold weather will break traction all the way into 3rd gear, at 80+ MPH. But even that wasn't a problem, because as long as you don't give it too much gas and shift early, it behaves like a stock car... Right?
Last week I left for work and the weather looked like this:
Flurries. They didn't worry me because it was warm enough that they melted as they hit the road. Plus the forecast called for "rain". I had a few good laughs getting the back end out across some of sharper bends on my way to work; it was about as slippery as any other wet weather I have driven in...
Then, halfway to work, around New Brunswick... The weather turned to THIS:
The snow/slush got so high in some parts that my front end was packed full of it!
I was already halfway to work so turning around or pulling over wasn't an option.
At the risk of stating the obvious, let me tell you that driving in this crap was ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!!
I can't begin to describe to how how dangerous and tractionless the car was to drive. I will give you some examples:
-Accelerating to 35MPH took between 100 and 200 *YARDS* depending on the inclination of the road. It would almost stand still with the tires spinning slowly with traction control ON every time I left a red light. I would be fishtailing and going sideways for 200+ yards every time I had to slow down.
- The tires would begin spinning and the car would lose speed every time I had to go up any kind of hill; it would fishtail and go sideways as I tried to go over the hill.
- The car broke traction in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4rth, 5th and 6th, even at 35MPH. 35MPH in 6th gear = 800RPMs. I.E. There was enough power at IDLE to break traction.
- The car broke traction every time I downshifted, no matter how carefully I attempted to match the revs. It was interesting to see "ENGINE DRAG CONTROL" come on in the DIC and the ECU would actually speed up the engine to attempt to match the RPM to the speed I was going at.
- I broke traction and began to slide simply by lifting my foot off the gas while in 4rth gear!
It was bad. Really, really bad. All traffic was moving at <40MPH so it wasn't just bad for me (that slush compacts into ice under the weight of the tires so it is almost as bad as driving on ice), but let me tell you, this was the first time I have not enjoyed driving a 'Vette
In the end, I made it to work an hour late, and decided to buy a winter vehicle... I figured I'd share this with the forum
BTW I went to school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; the snowiest place in the United States... I have *considerable* experience driving in bad weather, including a few trophies in ice racing... While I lived there I drove two Subaru STI's riding on full coilovers with a dedicated set of winter rims and a fresh set of Blizzak Revo1 tires every season... I miss having 400HP at all 4 wheels via an electronically variable power split...
11-01-2008, 06:18 PM
#2
Race Director
Might want to find some all season tires at least if you want to drive it in the winter or buy a beater. Just be glad you didn't have any hills/drops. Traction isn't my only worry. It is that pothole or curb that you can't see but will feel if you hit it.
11-01-2008, 06:19 PM
#3
Instructor
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It doesn't help that there are far and few folks out there that can't drive in the snow (Especially NJ). I've been in the soup only to watch people brake going uphill! Bye bye momentum.
That Jersey storm caught many people by surprise. It was pretty bad.
That Jersey storm caught many people by surprise. It was pretty bad.
11-01-2008, 06:42 PM
#5
Melting Slicks
Wow -- I can't even imagine what it would be like if I was in your shoes.
I live in texas and here in DFW last year we had maybe like 3 snow days, you would laugh at how puny they are compared to what you have but down here NOBODY knows what to do in snow/slush. I just got my Z06 this april but last year I was driving around town in an RX8 and it was scary as hell trying to get home and yes a huge part of the problem was I had summer rims/tires.
Luckily I have a beater S10 for the cold months (yes even down here in TX)
I live in texas and here in DFW last year we had maybe like 3 snow days, you would laugh at how puny they are compared to what you have but down here NOBODY knows what to do in snow/slush. I just got my Z06 this april but last year I was driving around town in an RX8 and it was scary as hell trying to get home and yes a huge part of the problem was I had summer rims/tires.
Luckily I have a beater S10 for the cold months (yes even down here in TX)
11-01-2008, 06:46 PM
#6
Safety Car
You are a brave soul indeed! I'm happy I have another car for bad weather driving and I get a lot of it here in New England. Find yourself another car for the nasty weather. 
11-01-2008, 06:53 PM
#7
Team Owner
Buying another vehicle for the winter is a smart decision and one you will not regret.
11-01-2008, 07:25 PM
#10
Instructor
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11-01-2008, 08:19 PM
#14
Le Mans Master
Did you go to school at Mich Tech in Houghton? If so, I remember a friend who went there raving about the Ice Carnival! You must have felt at home in that blizzard!
11-01-2008, 09:11 PM
#17
Answer to Q Ebay Cruddy car maybe an Impala or Monti Carlo or the alike
if i did this with an vette (don't have an Vette yet)
1 id get snow tires or some thing like them 2 get an weight set ie one that wont scratch stuff put in the trunk or back about 150 Lbs worth
weight makes it dig in more ie more traction dad dose with with his car makes all the difference
if i did this with an vette (don't have an Vette yet)
1 id get snow tires or some thing like them 2 get an weight set ie one that wont scratch stuff put in the trunk or back about 150 Lbs worth
weight makes it dig in more ie more traction dad dose with with his car makes all the difference
11-01-2008, 10:03 PM
#19
Well, I guess people have to do this once to really understand.
And, 'winter' tires and weight in the back isn't going to help much.
The main problem is WIDE TIRES. Those great tires that hold you on the road so well on dry pavement work against you in snow. The larger patch of rubber on the road actually means a lower average weight per square inch than if you had skinny tires.
I drove my 1972 a couple of times in nasty weather. An automatic. You had to pop the tranny into neutral each time you attempted to stop, otherwise the car would just spin the rear tires while sitting still, which would let the back end start to walk around. This was in very light snow that had just started to cover the pavement. The second time what started out as rain turned into freezing rain. I was stopped on a slight hill. I thought I was going to slide the car off the road into a huge ditch while just trying to sit there on the road and move up the hill as traffic cleared the hill. I finally turned the car around in the road, while stopping opposite traffic and hoping noone would slide into me. I went home and called in a vacation day.
On Youtube I saw a video where a guy with a C6 was attempting to get out of a drive and down the street in what looked like about 3 inches of snow. It took 3 people pushing to get him into the street, on essentially level ground. The people had to keep pushing to get him moving down the street. The video stopped, but I think the first time he had to stop, he would be dead in the snow.
A Corvette is not going to go in snow or on ice.
And, 'winter' tires and weight in the back isn't going to help much.
The main problem is WIDE TIRES. Those great tires that hold you on the road so well on dry pavement work against you in snow. The larger patch of rubber on the road actually means a lower average weight per square inch than if you had skinny tires.
I drove my 1972 a couple of times in nasty weather. An automatic. You had to pop the tranny into neutral each time you attempted to stop, otherwise the car would just spin the rear tires while sitting still, which would let the back end start to walk around. This was in very light snow that had just started to cover the pavement. The second time what started out as rain turned into freezing rain. I was stopped on a slight hill. I thought I was going to slide the car off the road into a huge ditch while just trying to sit there on the road and move up the hill as traffic cleared the hill. I finally turned the car around in the road, while stopping opposite traffic and hoping noone would slide into me. I went home and called in a vacation day.
On Youtube I saw a video where a guy with a C6 was attempting to get out of a drive and down the street in what looked like about 3 inches of snow. It took 3 people pushing to get him into the street, on essentially level ground. The people had to keep pushing to get him moving down the street. The video stopped, but I think the first time he had to stop, he would be dead in the snow.
A Corvette is not going to go in snow or on ice.
11-01-2008, 10:22 PM
#20
Le Mans Master
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Well, I guess people have to do this once to really understand.
And, 'winter' tires and weight in the back isn't going to help much.
The main problem is WIDE TIRES. Those great tires that hold you on the road so well on dry pavement work against you in snow. The larger patch of rubber on the road actually means a lower average weight per square inch than if you had skinny tires.
I drove my 1972 a couple of times in nasty weather. An automatic. You had to pop the tranny into neutral each time you attempted to stop, otherwise the car would just spin the rear tires while sitting still, which would let the back end start to walk around. This was in very light snow that had just started to cover the pavement. The second time what started out as rain turned into freezing rain. I was stopped on a slight hill. I thought I was going to slide the car off the road into a huge ditch while just trying to sit there on the road and move up the hill as traffic cleared the hill. I finally turned the car around in the road, while stopping opposite traffic and hoping noone would slide into me. I went home and called in a vacation day.
On Youtube I saw a video where a guy with a C6 was attempting to get out of a drive and down the street in what looked like about 3 inches of snow. It took 3 people pushing to get him into the street, on essentially level ground. The people had to keep pushing to get him moving down the street. The video stopped, but I think the first time he had to stop, he would be dead in the snow.
A Corvette is not going to go in snow or on ice.
And, 'winter' tires and weight in the back isn't going to help much.
The main problem is WIDE TIRES. Those great tires that hold you on the road so well on dry pavement work against you in snow. The larger patch of rubber on the road actually means a lower average weight per square inch than if you had skinny tires.
I drove my 1972 a couple of times in nasty weather. An automatic. You had to pop the tranny into neutral each time you attempted to stop, otherwise the car would just spin the rear tires while sitting still, which would let the back end start to walk around. This was in very light snow that had just started to cover the pavement. The second time what started out as rain turned into freezing rain. I was stopped on a slight hill. I thought I was going to slide the car off the road into a huge ditch while just trying to sit there on the road and move up the hill as traffic cleared the hill. I finally turned the car around in the road, while stopping opposite traffic and hoping noone would slide into me. I went home and called in a vacation day.
On Youtube I saw a video where a guy with a C6 was attempting to get out of a drive and down the street in what looked like about 3 inches of snow. It took 3 people pushing to get him into the street, on essentially level ground. The people had to keep pushing to get him moving down the street. The video stopped, but I think the first time he had to stop, he would be dead in the snow.
A Corvette is not going to go in snow or on ice.
Of course wether it is worth it or not is a different question