SGT_G

Ive driven a few rear wheel drive cars through snow and the vette through snow/slush back from vegas with summer tires that had little tread. Any advice for braving the winter here in colorado springs? Dont tell me not to drive, its my daily driver and i dont give a **** about wear and tear.

Richard G.

I think they make an all season tire for your Corvette. I have also heard of people going with a true winter tire and going with a different wheel size.
That area can get some heavy snow, I believe. Your problem will be depth of snow. My C4 with summer tires could barely tread 3 inches of the white stuff.
Be carful with the throttle and good luck.

Don-Vette

Hope you have AAA!!

Good luck with that.

Be safe.

That's all I got.

Firewater Burns

Best bet, get a cheepish set of rims and throw some winter tires on the car during the winter. If you can find them in vette sizes. Second to that, go with the A/S tires for year around. They wont have as much traction in the summer, but summer tires are dangerous in snow and below freezing conditions.

It should be interesting trying to drive on an unplowed road, if there is, say, a foot or more. The car would start eating the snow though the intake. No idea if it would be enough to melt and hydro-lock the car. I hear it takes a massive amount of water to kill the engine and may depend on your intake.

Leon.

Winter tires are a must, don't bother with useless no season tires. Don't drive in over a inch of snow, you will get stuck. Not a ideal situation, but good luck.

Rich Mickol

Good Luck

rkymtnscaper

I'm north of you in Denver and from experience I can tell you it don't work so well. My C5 wouldn't make it off my street with summer tires, never tried a set of all seasons on it. I'm assuming my C6 will be the same way and have no plans to test it. Good luck and be safe this winter!

SGT_G

Appreciate all the responses, a few locals said it snows often but the main routes are taken care of fairly quickly. I think ill invest in the winter tires though and swap them out with my current performance tires when spring hits. When i was looking online, they didnt look that expensive either.

FortMorganAl

Many years ago in Illinois I had a Camaro and a Corvette. When the roads were icy or had a little snow I would drive the Corvette because it handled it much better. The C6 is almost perfectly balanced front to rear. It has computer control of brakes, acceleration, and steering. If you start sliding it can control each wheel independently to get the maximum traction possible out of ever tire. It monitors how you are turning the steering wheel and will apply brakes to the tires on the inside of a turn to help get the car turned if you are experiencing understeer. It brakes the outside for oversteer.

One major issue will be driver error. You get used to having great traction in the summer and then expect the same in the winter. The performance tires lose far more traction in the cold than the crap tires on a Kia. But even with cold performance tires you will still have more traction than most of the other cars on the road. It just won't seem like it the first time you push it too hard. And you CAN do really stupid stuff that the computers don't have enough range to correct.

The only real problem I've ever had is ground clearance. Do NOT try to drive in snow over a few inches deep before the plow has cleared the center of the lane.

JerriVette

I have an 08 z51 with 93k miles. The car looks mint....I drive all year round. Last winter we had 100 inches of snow.

I ve been doing this since bought new.

I think 4 days a year I stay home because of snow fall.

Otherwise I just wait till the roads are plowed and then just drive extra carefully.

Snow tires would be a smart move ...for better traction etc....

Today's summer tire compounds are useless in the snow.

grandsport2

I have been driving Corvettes in the winter in the Midwest all my adult life. Yes you want to dedicated set of snow tires, all seasons will work but not as good. I too have an 08 z51, and I have a cheapo set of wheels with snow tires. People that say don't drive in a foot of snow, well of course not. You wouldn't drive a normal car in a foot of snow! Wait till the roads are decent and go, that's what I do. Haven't been stuck in 25 years

Hebebad

Save the money from the winter tires and rims and buy a beater for the winter. You'll be safer and you Vette will be happier.

BadgeZ28

We had a very long cold spell with snow and ice. I live in a city and took the vette to the store to get supplies. It was fun spinning around in the soft stuff but I couldn't make it up the slightest hill on packed snow/ice.
This was with the stock Goodyears.

SGT_G

I have no intentions of buying a 3rd car. If i can take my wifes car when shes not working that will be my obvious choice since its fwd. And i was doing a little research and it looks like they sell winter tires the same size or similar to the stock tire sizes.

BostonVette

I have an 08 and live in the Boston area
After last winter's blizzards I have a new appreciation for snow tires, HOWEVER.

My car is a daily driver as well, year round as permissible.
I have Bridgestone Potenza RE 960 AS Runflats
They're all season tires but actually work pretty well in marginal snow conditions.

You may want to check Tire Rack for the performance comparisons
I've had them three years

Good Luck

njk4o5

the hell with snow tires just get a good life insurance policy.

Cherokee Nation

Have your tires Studded....

grandsport2

Come on...its not like that at all...you simply need snow tires, not an option there, pretty much like any other car. i Have driven C4s C5s and now a C6, you just use common sense. been doing it since late 80S.

njk4o5

for the price of snow tires you could have a beater 4x4.

look for an old 4x4 ford ranger or s10 with 160k miles

Torchsport

He might not have space for a third vehicle. Or maybe it's the extra insurance and maintenance cost that is a concern.