Hello all,

Some honest advice and help would be GREAT.

I LOVE the new vettes (well the C6) - I currently own a modded 2001 BMW 330ci (no I'm not some young kid - actually 36 today) and am thinking I might be trading my car in this summer or waiting for the new M3. I drive one car year-round and live in Calgary, Aberta, Canada where we see snow and cold about 6 months out of the year.

I've been told the Vette is NOT a winter car. Period. Some sources have said you can't even get winter tires for the new ones and even if you could you'd bottom out all over. I don't want two cars, I like having only one car to look after. Do any of you drive your cars year-round? Is it as bad as everyone says and if I want one car I can't have a Vette??

Thanks for all your help.

Jim

 

Dude, it's rear wheel drive with 400 hp. It ain't going nowhere in the snow. Buy an old beater with front wheel drive for $1000 to use when it snows.

 

I dont know how good is calgary in terms of cleaning up the snow on the road but as far as I had gathered the info before..C6 is alright in light snow, anyhting over 2" i think is not a good idea..

I live in chicago where we might see cold for 6 months but strong snow only 3 months out of which this year I only counted 7-8 days when the snow was on the ground and I wouldnt have been able to drive, they generally clear it up very quickly so its not that much of an issue(i hope) driving the C6 in chicago but i am not too familiar with calgary's snow...

but yeah wouldnt recommend C6 as your only car..if you dont want to do an upkeep on 2 cars get a 1000 dollar car for the winter which you will only use the days the snow is more than 2" on the road..

 

I drove mine all winter here in northern New Hampshire. I had it out in single digit temperatures, but even I wasn't brave enough to try to drive it in deep snow. I did have it out on light snow in level parking lots and, if careful, I could get it to actually move forward and back. The stock tires, Z51 or not, do not do well in the cold or on snow. Aside from that, with a total ground clearance of 3.5" you'll be using your nice C6 as a snow plow most of the time.

A few of the members here have driven through some serious snow storms unexpectedly and lived to tell about it. I don't think any of them would like to repeat the experience.

I'm sure you can get snow tires for the car, even if you have to downsize to do it. Personally, I don't think it's worth the expense or the effort.

 

Thanks guys! I had a feeling on the answers I just didn't want to believe it. I guess it's a winter and summer car or no Vette

Have fun out there and be safe.

 

I don't have one yet (currently have a 2004 w/ a 2005 on order), but you'll okay if you know how to drive in the snow. I have not had any "incidents" with my car. I will say that I learned how to drive in winter in Connecticut. My corvette is my only car, so I don't really have a choice. If you don't know how to drive in the snow well, you should go to an empty parking lot and teach yourself how to handle the car. My partner learned to drive in Missisippi and learned how to drive a sports car in the snow/winter by trial and error in a series of parking lots.

That said, avoid any pile of snow. If you think you might be able to drive over that large snow ball, think twice because you never can and you'll hear the crunch as soon as it hits the front diffuser...

 

I've been driving an `03 Mustang GT year-round, snow, sleet, ice, you name it. Car is fine in these situations... not as good as a tall SUV, but indeed useable.

The Stang has a clearance of a little over 5" or so... the C6 I believe has a clearance of 5" as well, other than the front lower air dam that is just 3" - 3.5" off the ground (which gives the car an official minimum clearance of just 3.5"). That air dam is a problem in snow and would effectively be a snow plow. The air dam is important for engine cooling... but, maybe you could get away with removing the air dam during the winter months? Anyone else? With that air dam off, the car might be able to tolerate another inch or two of snow.

Also... I know the Vette tires are supposed to be bad in the cold... but that's relative. They're bad in the cold compared to when they're hot... but if you drive "properly", they should be just fine in the cold. Just don't fly around a hairpin turn at 70 mph and expect them to stick like glue.

My Stang... I put a few cement blocks in the trunk and those rear tires grip incredibly well in the snow. The tires are fat, the tread is knobby and quite aggressive (stock tires that came with car), they are more like snow tires than the all-weather tires I have on my SUV. I suspect the Vette tires are similar... super fat and aggressive tread. So... if you placed say three 50 lb. blocks at the very back of the car in the trunk, you'd have some decent grip in say one to three inches of snow... as long as you know how to DRIVE in the snow of course.... and if you live up in snow country, you most likely DO know how to drive in the snow.

If your local roads get plowed well, you just might be ok. But plan on getting stuck in unexpected blizzards when the snow plows aren't around. I got stuck just once in an unexpected "blizzard"... two hours later the roads were plowed out and I was on my way with no problems. I did have a full tank of fuel and some extra weight in the trunk though... that makes a huge difference.

When I get my C6, I plan on driving it year round, daily driver. I don't plan on letting a little snow keep me in. However, I will admit, I do have a small SUV in the garage for those times when things really get out of hand.

 

Great discussion!

I am thinking about a C6 for a DD and live in the suburbs of Chicago.

 

Not only do you have to think about driving in snow but you have to try and keep the car clean. Road salt does wonders for a car's finish and the cinders they put down do a great job of sandblasting the wheel wells. The super car tires act like magnets with the cinders and gravel. My vette is my second vehicle so when the weather is that bad it stays in its heated garage.

 

I would think in Canada, it would get old pretty quick trying to drive in that weather in the winter. Cold is not a problem and where I live (Maryland) we only get a few significant snowfalls each year and other than that, it might be cool but the roads are clear during winter. Anywhere north of say New York and it might be quite a burden to keep you car (nice) in the winter with roads that tend to stay salted up.

Mike

 

Will salt do more damge to a Corvette than to another car?

I always take my cars to the carwash (the kind you spray with wand) in the winter to get the salt off the car. Probably wash it more in winter than in summer.

Not sure about the underside of the vette though. Probably harder to reach with spray.

 

400 hp is enough to make it go in the snow. For nearly a century, people drove nothing but rear wheel drive cars, with even less power than the Corvette, in the snow. 1000 hp would make some amazing rooster tails in the snow, but that's not really necessary in order to get around.

 

With active handling the C6 handles very well in the snow. The 400 HP is not an issue, but starting in 2nd would be a good idea. Keeping it clean is a big issue, since we can't use car washes. And of course, ground clearance. I may get snow tires if they come out with them because I have a circumstance in which my wife and I work near each other and I wouldn't have to drive my car in the worst conditions.

 

Goodyear will have an all-season tire for Z51 cars that will be used in the snow.

 

VET -I have an 02 Mustang GT that goes nowhere but off the road in the snow or sleet---terrible. Didn't try putting weight in the trunk but it is a handful. As for a c6 as a winter DD---forgetaboutit.

 

I think people should be aware of the realities of the car before making their choice. A web search on Active Handling will bring up articles about what a truly capable car this is in winter conditions. Of course, there are other considerations and most people simply feel putting the car away for the winter is part of TLC. That the car is poorly equipped to deal with winter shouldn't be one of them.

 

Currently, there aren't any winter tires for the Corvette. If I remember geography correctly you live in hilly, moutainous area. I think you'd have real problems in Winter. Don't have the winter experience in a Corvette but from what other write, these aren't cold weather tires also.
Certainly, there will be days when you can't drive it; if that is ok with your lifestyle / work ....

 

i would never risk driving the vette in snow. i had a winter car as well for those months

 

You will wish you were driving something else as soon as you try going up hill in the snow.

 

Methinks you got it backerds. The more power (torque) you have, the worse it will be in the snow. Wide, hard compound tires and 400 lb/ft of torque make it difficult to start out without spinning the tires.

Mike