First big midwest winter storm of '06/'07 - Driving Impressions

[motoguy128]

The first big one of the year is approaching all us folks from Texas ot Michigan and into Cananda. Let's hear your impressions of how your Versa handles on the snow and ice compared to your previous vehicles. Freezing rain already started here. They're predicting 10"-14"+ for our area.

My '04 Accord Coupe, 5 speed auto, was outstanding in the snow, especially the ABS, and the throttle was very easy to modulate.

My '03 Corolla (5 speed manual) was mediocre. No ABS, but fairly good feedback from the steering. My 2nd set of tires was a big improvement, but I there were still lots of white knuckle moments.

My '91 Toyota Tercel (4 speed manual) was...well... a cheap little lightweight car. It's only good trait was the unpowered telepathic steering. You could feel every bump in the road and the first moment that traction was limited.

[Link3]

I'm in northern Chicago Suburb and we got about 8" to 10" of snow beginning aftermidnight this morning. The bottom layer was of either very wet heavy snow or icy.

Before departing I checked the air pressure in all the tires (since it had been almost 60 a couple of days ago) and filled the air up to 34 PSI in each. I had no incidents of the TPMS lights going on.

The car took about 5 minutes to start blowing warm/hot air. I took it easy on the accelerator and turning (respecting the road conditions) and had no issues either on the snowy or cleared roads, or in the icy patches in the parking lot. It pretty much handled like other smaller FWD cars I had drivien in the past.

[motoguy128]

Finally home after a long day. We also got 8-10" and hte bottom layer way icy and mushy. The snow removal in my small town is worthless. The biggest challenge were the 12"+ burms of snow at each intersection. At lunch I came home (I live near work) to shovel the driveway. The warmer air and sun made hte snow heavy, and they still hadn;t plowed my street. I got stuck in frotn of my house twice.

On hardpacked snow and snow under 6" it handled very well. Better than my Toyota Corolla and Tercel, but still not nearly as good as my Accord. I think the tires are mostly to blame.

2nd gear worked perfectly for reducing wheelspin and hte low 1st gear mant you weren't feathering the clutch as the car transitioned from slippery size streets to the main road wiht better traction. On some car's you'd almost stall in that situation.

[Jrscherer]

Car drove great for me, Milwaukee area got over a foot of snow. Was nothing to drive in it, but I guess I'm used to it, and my last car was a Ford Escort so yeah, can see I had to get used to that driving in this type of weather. Got stuck getting out of my garage but that was because no plow had gone and cleared the alley area yet. Oh well.

[marleyfan]

Are any of you above rolling on snows or do you all have the stock Continentals?

[motoguy128]

stock tires. I think that's the biggest challenge when the snow gets wet and heavy, and there's ice underneith.

There's still ice on the roads today. In Michigan they would have been completely cleared and mostly dry by now with the sunshine. Here's it will be weeks since they don't use any salt.

[OKVersa]

Great question.

I hadn't had a front-wheel drive since my 1982 Mercury Lynx. (A car I loved BTW.)

My 1997 Ford F-150 is of course worthless on ice and snow without 500 pounds in the back.

My 1997 Blazer was 4WD, so no problems there. My 2000 Jimmy was also 4WD, and I never worried about it.

So when we got eight inches of snow on top of ice Thursday, in my part of Oklahoma, I was concerned how I would get to work on Friday.

Hubby, bless his heart, brushed the snow off the car. Friday morning I went out and started the car and turned on the heat 15 minutes before I was to leave.

I had to back down our drive into a two foot drift. Oh, the blue light had gone out by the time I was ready to leave, which was amazing since it was about 12 degrees.

I hit the gas going down the drive and busted through the snow drift.

I have a CVT, and when I put it in drive,the wheels spun for about 2 seconds, then took off. NO slipping, no problems whatsoever. The only vehicles that had gone through my street were a school bus and a pickup, so I couldn't fit in the tracks, but it didn't matter. My little Versa made it! The only people at work on time Friday morning were the people driving 4WDs, those who left extra early and me in my little Versa! I stopped at the stop signs and took immedately off. I had to go through one more drift with no problems!

I actually had to park in a drift at the parking lot, so I had fun with it, asking if anyone needed me to go clear their drives!

[Ever Victorious]

I actually had to park in a drift at the parking lot, so I had fun with it, asking if anyone needed me to go clear their drives!

People used to put mini-plows on the fronts of their Subarus in the late 70's. Maybe we need one for the Versa? Start our own little racket?

[Link3]

Are any of you above rolling on snows or do you all have the stock Continentals?

I'm running the stock Continentals. While salt is used here in Illinois and there is plenty of sunshine today under the clear, cold skies, there are still many stretches of primary roads with a rough 1" to 2" layer of ice that apparently was glossed over during the plowing and too thick to succumb to the salt. This makes for a bumpy, rough ride, but is not really related to how the Versa rides.

[OKVersa]

Whoa! Great idea!

[ilusha55]

Here in Canada we had our first day of serious snow and it was the test for ABS on my Versa. The first coupe of hard stops (made on purpose) were actually scary since ABS was pumping the brakes pedal like crazy and it was making sounds like the car was about to loose a wheel or something... It was interesting to see if the wheels were actually turning or locking up and i asked my brother to look at if from outside the car. He pointed out that they were locking for moment and then continued to turn as I was depressing the brake pedal with the same effort. I must tell though that vibration on the brakes was a special experience...

[marleyfan]

I must tell though that vibration on the brakes was a special experience...

In the future please try to avoid sitting on the brake pedal

[Nolalove06]

I couldn't imagin snow...its like 55 degrees outside now, and thats freaking cold LOL

We worry about flooding...anyone considering a lift kit for the versa