The emotions in the Vette / Ice act are too confusing...
Corvettes on Ice.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,847
Likes: 1
From: Iowa
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
Corvettes on Ice.
We got an ice storm this morning. Everything has a good 1/4 inch of ice on it. Figured it would be a good time to see what the Vette will do (or as it turned out, will NOT do) on the ice.
First of all, what it will NOT do. In no particular order of significance,
It will not go when given the gas, even in 2nd gear.
It will not stop when it finally does get going.
Going around any sort of corner is a worthless endeavor. It goes straight no matter what you do.
Having bigger brakes on front than on the rear pretty much guarantee that in a slide (on ice at least) the car will perform the prettiest 360 you've ever seen. And the on-board computer simply goes nutzo trying to compensate.
What it WILL do, is make you look good all the while you are doing a really good job of making yourself look silly.
I just can't WAIT until it snows here to see what squirrely things it will do then. heh, heh, heh.
First of all, what it will NOT do. In no particular order of significance,
It will not go when given the gas, even in 2nd gear.
It will not stop when it finally does get going.
Going around any sort of corner is a worthless endeavor. It goes straight no matter what you do.
Having bigger brakes on front than on the rear pretty much guarantee that in a slide (on ice at least) the car will perform the prettiest 360 you've ever seen. And the on-board computer simply goes nutzo trying to compensate.
What it WILL do, is make you look good all the while you are doing a really good job of making yourself look silly.
I just can't WAIT until it snows here to see what squirrely things it will do then. heh, heh, heh.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,847
Likes: 1
From: Iowa
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
Originally Posted by DAVS Y2K
Have you ever seen even one horse do well on ice? Much less 350 of them. 
You'd think that if front wheel drive is all what it's trumped up to be, that I could get around in the Vette by simply driving it around in reverse on the ice.
Don't bet on it! heh, heh, heh.
As far as the "horses" on ice, you should've seen my cat, when I pushed his butt out the back door. Talk about funny. Reminded me of those Sylvester cartoons where the cat is running 92 mph and going nowhere.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,847
Likes: 1
From: Iowa
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
Originally Posted by snide
We need pics! We need video! 
heh, heh, heh.....at the time it never entered my mind, to make a lasting record of me making an absolute fool out of myself. I'll take your suggestion under advisement, when it snows. Can't do much now, as the ice is beginning to melt as the temps rise.
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,661
Likes: 67
From: Ocean Springs MS
Nothing does good on ice. FWD, AWD, 4 X 4, all slide around on ice. The vette does pretty good on packed snow, slush, or ice and snow mix. Don't ask how I know. It's not pretty. But I have seen every TC, ABS, and AH message the DIC has to offer.
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Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 16,477
Likes: 26
From: Gone
CI 6-7-8-9-10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03
Originally Posted by fdxpilot
Nothing does good on ice. FWD, AWD, 4 X 4, all slide around on ice.
Unless you have studded tires or chains, ice is everyone's worst enemy.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,847
Likes: 1
From: Iowa
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
Originally Posted by jman1
i don't even dare to take mine out in the winter.... i live on a hill and found out the hard way that rear wheel drives do not make it up it in the winter 
Hah! When I decided to turn back into my driveway which only has a little bit a slope and rise to it, going from the street to the level of the sidewalk, I couldn't even make it up that little bit of an incline.
I eventually had to come at it with a little bit of speed, which then caused the lip of the facia to scrape pretty good. Even then, I ended up partially on the front lawn, before I could get it straightened out.
It may be "shocking to some", but I figure it's aways good to know ahead of time what your vehicle will and will not do in adverse conditions, just in the event I might have to take it out for real.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 932
Likes: 0
From: Las Cruces New Mexico
I'm with FDXPILOT. I drive mine every day and even though I live in the desert I drive over the mountain to get to work and I have driven in the snow, snow ice mix. I am happy to say that growing up in Michigan I learned to drive responsibly in those conditions and the corvette did fine. I saw a few of the messages come up too but don't know how many since I was concentrating on the road and the traffic.
Hope you had fun out there, I always did that with my motorcyle or car either on the lake or the school parking lot to see what it and me would do.
Hope you had fun out there, I always did that with my motorcyle or car either on the lake or the school parking lot to see what it and me would do.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 16,477
Likes: 26
From: Gone
CI 6-7-8-9-10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03
Originally Posted by diyguy
Well, explain this?
How come a Zamboni does so well? It's AWD, and hard to find slicker ice than that!
They can't use studs of chains either. HUM?
How come a Zamboni does so well? It's AWD, and hard to find slicker ice than that!
They can't use studs of chains either. HUM?
With that much weight on such narrow tires, it isn't much different than the weight of a person on ice skate blades.
And also, if you notice, Zamboni's resurface the ice at the rear of the vehicle, so any ice imperfections caused by the tires are gone behind it..
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,122
Likes: 2
From: MCO
Originally Posted by MarvinsCart
I got caught in a ice storm in my 98 vert one time 
not very much fun i will tell you that much. I use my winter beaters when the snow/ice comes
not very much fun i will tell you that much. I use my winter beaters when the snow/ice comes
Winter beaters are the way to go:
Lot's of Porches show up -- haven't seen any Vettes.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 245
Likes: 0
From: Arvada, CO
Funny story.
It's entirely about the tires.
When the C5s first came out, GM announced that Goodyear had produced a special mud & snow tire specifically for the C5. Never heard anyone talk about them here, and I'm not even sure they make them any more.
I had a '99 Camaro SS with Goodyear F1s (non-runflat) and it wouldn't move in even the smallest amount of snow. I slapped some Blizzaks on it and I could go anywhere, in any amount of snow or ice (slowly on ice, of course).
I'd wager good money that the C5 could get through snow just as well as any other car provided it had the right rubber on the corners.
People tend to forget that, even in regular sport sedans, factory tires are not all season -- they're wet/dry performance tires.
I know a guy with a new BMW 7 series and he can barely drive in the snow either. The local Lexus dealer told me once that they had several customers try to pick up their brand new GS or IS sedan when it was snowing and the customers couldn't leave the parking lot of the dealership because the cars wouldn't move.
It's entirely about the tires.
When the C5s first came out, GM announced that Goodyear had produced a special mud & snow tire specifically for the C5. Never heard anyone talk about them here, and I'm not even sure they make them any more.
I had a '99 Camaro SS with Goodyear F1s (non-runflat) and it wouldn't move in even the smallest amount of snow. I slapped some Blizzaks on it and I could go anywhere, in any amount of snow or ice (slowly on ice, of course).
I'd wager good money that the C5 could get through snow just as well as any other car provided it had the right rubber on the corners.
People tend to forget that, even in regular sport sedans, factory tires are not all season -- they're wet/dry performance tires.
I know a guy with a new BMW 7 series and he can barely drive in the snow either. The local Lexus dealer told me once that they had several customers try to pick up their brand new GS or IS sedan when it was snowing and the customers couldn't leave the parking lot of the dealership because the cars wouldn't move.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 16,477
Likes: 26
From: Gone
CI 6-7-8-9-10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03
Originally Posted by RVose 98 C5
When the C5s first came out, GM announced that Goodyear had produced a special mud & snow tire specifically for the C5. Never heard anyone talk about them here, and I'm not even sure they make them any more.
I've had my car in the snow before, and the car itself does real good..but as you said, .it's the tires that suck.
