Questions for cold climate drivers.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,337
Likes: 1,590
From: Western NY
All these guys have given great advise if you MUST drive in the winter. With that said, damn near anyone should be able to come up with $1500 and find a Buick Lesabre (or similar) with 100k on the clock to drive as a beater. Hell, pickup a Hyundai for $500...its not going to pull in any ladies but it will get you from A to B.
I'm not above driving a POS and have done so in my early 20's to keep my shiny toys shiny. I had a C4 and a custom Hayabusa in my 20's. I drove the ugliest Plymouth Acclaim you ever saw all winter. Paid $1,250 for it with 68K original miles and resold it for $1,500 2 years later.
Look at it this way, if you buy it right and treat it right the winter POS could actualy make you money when you resell it. Worst case, if you have to resell it for $500 less you saved half that in tire wear alone by not spinning them in the vet for 3 months while praying you make it home in 1 piece.
I'm not above driving a POS and have done so in my early 20's to keep my shiny toys shiny. I had a C4 and a custom Hayabusa in my 20's. I drove the ugliest Plymouth Acclaim you ever saw all winter. Paid $1,250 for it with 68K original miles and resold it for $1,500 2 years later.
Look at it this way, if you buy it right and treat it right the winter POS could actualy make you money when you resell it. Worst case, if you have to resell it for $500 less you saved half that in tire wear alone by not spinning them in the vet for 3 months while praying you make it home in 1 piece.
While I've had my Corvette for 13 years, I had several other "hot rods" that didn't go out in the winter, for 25 years prior to that. And yes, I had some real "beaters", but since I'm a pretty good wrench, I've been able to make money on them, by fixing them up and selling them after I've gotten 2-3 winter's use.....
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 4,704
Likes: 239
From: Redondo Beach CA
My concern was the pliability of the tires I had read that some soft compounds would crack and separate if driven in moderately low temperatures. This would really ruin the drive it I looked back and saw a trail of rubber chunks that used to be my tire tread.
From reading this post, something that serious would have come up, if it were a general concern.
Another word about traction. Most of the guys here are too smart to get caught like this, but I used to drive a route out of Paseo Robles, Ca. that consistently racked up GM F bodies when it rained , a few cameros, but I saw mostly faded firebirds, spun out in the rain.
I guess they wouldn't tow them off the road in the rain, because of the geography, and I only drove it once a month , but it was a constant effect when it rained, and handy that the road had wide grass aprons all around, so traffic was never interrupted. Worn out wide tires, rain, high powered car, and that magic ingredient, stupid are quite a mix.
MY concern wasn't about traction, I have driven drag slicks in the rain , once was enough for that. I learn quickly when pain or wallet injury is a possible outcome.
MY concern was possible tread separation when taking a very cold dedicated summer tire for a drive. I think I got the concern from tire rack or a manufacturers post. They were probably talking lawyer style cold weather, not the gosh it's cold out this morning stuff that I would be concerned about.
From reading this post, something that serious would have come up, if it were a general concern.
Another word about traction. Most of the guys here are too smart to get caught like this, but I used to drive a route out of Paseo Robles, Ca. that consistently racked up GM F bodies when it rained , a few cameros, but I saw mostly faded firebirds, spun out in the rain.
I guess they wouldn't tow them off the road in the rain, because of the geography, and I only drove it once a month , but it was a constant effect when it rained, and handy that the road had wide grass aprons all around, so traffic was never interrupted. Worn out wide tires, rain, high powered car, and that magic ingredient, stupid are quite a mix.
MY concern wasn't about traction, I have driven drag slicks in the rain , once was enough for that. I learn quickly when pain or wallet injury is a possible outcome.
MY concern was possible tread separation when taking a very cold dedicated summer tire for a drive. I think I got the concern from tire rack or a manufacturers post. They were probably talking lawyer style cold weather, not the gosh it's cold out this morning stuff that I would be concerned about.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8,900
Likes: 1,074
From: Wisconsin
My concern was the pliability of the tires I had read that some soft compounds would crack and separate if driven in moderately low temperatures. This would really ruin the drive it I looked back and saw a trail of rubber chunks that used to be my tire tread.
From reading this post, something that serious would have come up, if it were a general concern.
Another word about traction. Most of the guys here are too smart to get caught like this, but I used to drive a route out of Paseo Robles, Ca. that consistently racked up GM F bodies when it rained , a few cameros, but I saw mostly faded firebirds, spun out in the rain.
I guess they wouldn't tow them off the road in the rain, because of the geography, and I only drove it once a month , but it was a constant effect when it rained, and handy that the road had wide grass aprons all around, so traffic was never interrupted. Worn out wide tires, rain, high powered car, and that magic ingredient, stupid are quite a mix.
MY concern wasn't about traction, I have driven drag slicks in the rain , once was enough for that. I learn quickly when pain or wallet injury is a possible outcome.
MY concern was possible tread separation when taking a very cold dedicated summer tire for a drive. I think I got the concern from tire rack or a manufacturers post. They were probably talking lawyer style cold weather, not the gosh it's cold out this morning stuff that I would be concerned about.
From reading this post, something that serious would have come up, if it were a general concern.
Another word about traction. Most of the guys here are too smart to get caught like this, but I used to drive a route out of Paseo Robles, Ca. that consistently racked up GM F bodies when it rained , a few cameros, but I saw mostly faded firebirds, spun out in the rain.
I guess they wouldn't tow them off the road in the rain, because of the geography, and I only drove it once a month , but it was a constant effect when it rained, and handy that the road had wide grass aprons all around, so traffic was never interrupted. Worn out wide tires, rain, high powered car, and that magic ingredient, stupid are quite a mix.
MY concern wasn't about traction, I have driven drag slicks in the rain , once was enough for that. I learn quickly when pain or wallet injury is a possible outcome.
MY concern was possible tread separation when taking a very cold dedicated summer tire for a drive. I think I got the concern from tire rack or a manufacturers post. They were probably talking lawyer style cold weather, not the gosh it's cold out this morning stuff that I would be concerned about.
I never heard of that, but I see it does happen.
