Moving to snow country, any driving suggestions???

[getthedrift86]

I will soon be moving to Illinois for school. As my 240sx is my only car, I have no choice but to take it with me. Having lived in the southeast (FL, GA, AL) my whole life, I find the the idea of driving in snow intimidating, especially with a light weight rwd car. So is there anything that some of you more experienced snow drivers could share with me. Do I need snow tires, sand bags, chains, etc to be prepared for the winter months?? Any input is appreciated.

[Wc240]

um, dont drive like an idiot?you should be fine. if you really want go find a parking lot and feel how your car acts in the snow. just drive nice and you should be fine. invest in chains just in case. dont careful putting the clutch in mid corner

[ewok_sammich]

IL isn't that bad driving in the snow. The roads are *usually* pretty clear by the time most people go to work. Get some snow tires, throw some bags of sand in the back, take it easy on the acceleration, and you'll be fine. I would also suggest finding a self-wash car wash that's open in the winter time. IL's use of salt on the roads is ridiculous and will eat your car the eff up. My two pennies.

[lucky03602]

living up here in new hampshire, especially where i live which is only hills and such you learn to live with snow.

if your really aprehensive about driving in it, then just get some snow tire, or even studded snow's, put some sandbags in the back and take it easy. be defensive as heck to other drivers and pay attention to what your doing.

i drove my 90 hatch up here for 3 years straight winter and all, never bought snow tires and had a sub box for weight in the back so it is possible to drive these in winter

[ZX88]

get a new car or a winter car that what i did.

[s14derrick]

brake softly and brake way before the stopping or turning point

[r34 gtr]

Where in IL? I go to school in Auburn, and my younger brother goes to school in Galesburg IL.

240sx's are fun as hell in the snow, just keep it slow and steady, and square off every turn you encounter.

[33alez33]

Snow tires are an amazing investment, most years I just leave my BFG Traction TA's on and they are ok, but I grew up in a northern part of Canada so I've spent hundreds of hours driving in poor conditions and countless more hours playing in them so I have a feel for it. Two years ago I picked up a car that came with winter tires and this winter I used them. The winter tires made a huge difference over the BFG's, my understeer went away and braking was much better. So go with winter tires for sure.

Sand bags are over rated and you will find little to no use for them because if you get stuck somewhere like a ditch, it doesn't even work good in silly situations like getting an open diff vehicle stuck because a drive tire is in the edge of a snowbank. I've never done that.....

If you live in America you don't need chains, I've never needed chains in worse conditions then you will likely ever see. If you find yourself in a crazy ice storm just don't drive because the people out there without chains and half a clue will crash into you when they try to do things like copy your braking zone. I've seen this happen and I thought it was kinda funny when the driver got out of the car looking confused about how the other driver stopped.

That wall of text should cover the things you mentioned. My biggest tip is to stay far back from cars in front of you, anybody can drive the speed limit in quite a lot of snow just fine as long as they give themselves time to brake. Avoid things that you wouldn't do in extremely rainy conditions, for example quick steering inputs and heavy braking. Last of all if you find that you can't drive in snow don't go out and drive on the highway or even city streets at 15mph, just stay home.

Don't forget to undercoat your car!

[DanThaMan]

you dont need chains or studded tires in the midwest. a lot of times they are illegal anyway. how low is your 240?

[getthedrift86]

Where in IL? I go to school in Auburn, and my younger brother goes to school in Galesburg IL.

I just graduated from Auburn and now I am going to the university of Illinois in Champaign.

how low is your 240?

Still at stock height.

Thanks for all the tips. I'll probably invest in some snow tires but it looks like most other things are unnecessary for the conditions that I will see. How often should I wash to salt off of my car? More info on undercoat please.
Modified by getthedrift86 at 9:32 PM 6/9/2009

[driftneil]

get an lsd

[blakexcore]

buy an old subaru 2.5 as a winter car...

[TwoJayZee240]

Well if you have driven in florida when it rains and the oils on the road come out thats pretty close to snow... f-in slippery..

[240pav]

just a note i believe studded and chained tires are illegal in illinois, save up 2k and buy a jeep cherokee. 4 wheel drive. if ur just going to use it for back in fourth u should have no problem..thats what id do anyways..also illinois roads arnt too bad...

[nicknasser300z32]

any 240 i've seen battle it out in the snow did better than my z except my friends s13 hatch with a welded dif....not so fun lol, but yeah sandbags are your friend and get some nobbies..lol just kidding cause ill does pretty good on keeping the snow of the roads depending on where your at.

[white2abbit]

I LOVE driving in the snow in my 240 (while at the same time I hate it and would rather drive the car only in perfect weather – but I can't afford a winter beater right now).

RWD + snow tires = fun. I used to have a '98 Legacy, was even more awesome in the snow.

Bottom line is, if you aren't a good driver, the snow may be a bit intimidating. As a 240 owner, I'd expect you are a decent driver or at least strive to be – in which case it will be a learning experience. Just make sure you have some good snow tires, and you'll be fine.

RWD + snow tires is safer than a FWD car running s***ty all seasons, IMO.

Oh, and I'm from Canada, so probably more snow than Illinois.

[Didderson]

One of the best things you can do is take it to an open parking lot during the first snowfall to get a feel for handling when you lose control and how to slide etc.If you don't have an LSD, you might want to get one so you don't get stuck.

Others have said all that is needed like braking early and softly. You should be fine but remember you probably don't have ABS and keep in mind your cars weight bias.

As for washing the undercoat, usually you can pay for a nice automatic car wash that will spray the hell out of the underbody. Before the winter you should clean the bare metal or any areas you see might be problem starters, wait for your frame to dry for a few days, then prep it for rust prevention with undercoat or a good paint.

[megaderk]

Moving to snow country, any driving suggestions???

Dont.

but seriously, just be light on thr gas especially in corners, once you get a handle for it dont drive like a douchebag on the streets, find a good parking lot to find out how the car reacts, be sure to put weight in your trunk, as for chains id make sure its legal in your area first,good snow tires,

and one thing having a 240sx in the snow teaches you is to learn all the roads in your area and which to avoid such as ones with hills.

goodluck

[sebazztard]

everything above that was said is good advice, but honestly the best investment is a winter beater. you dont have to worry about your car rusting and rotting away. its not even about how good of a driver you are, its about keeping it away from snow. these cars rust out easy. the price you spend on a nice set of snow tires (all 4), you can easily find yourself a winter beater, or spend a few more and find a beat up awd subaru and have no problems at all.

driving in ny winters since 97, 5 of the years using rwd, not one accident

[getthedrift86]

everything above that was said is good advice, but honestly the best investment is a winter beater. you dont have to worry about your car rusting and rotting away. its not even about how good of a driver you are, its about keeping it away from snow. these cars rust out easy. the price you spend on a nice set of snow tires (all 4), you can easily find yourself a winter beater, or spend a few more and find a beat up awd subaru and have no problems at all.

driving in ny winters since 97, 5 of the years using rwd, not one accident

Rust is one of the biggest things that I am worried about. The car has spent most of its life in FL about a mile from the beach and has a decent amount of rust starting to form.

It would be nice to by a winter beater but its not just the cost of the car you have to consider. Another car means higher insurance and I would have to find a place to store my 240.

[SolaraOnBronze]

I am from Michigan and snow tires are still to this day the best money I have ever spent on a car part. They make an amazing difference and are worth every penny IMO. Of course, I have a 94 camry that I drive in the winter... rust free 240s are too hard to come by up here to drive it in the winter.

I would say a beater with snow tires is the best, but just snows would be really good as well.

[wishin_on_an_sr]

i lived in new hampshire till i was 18 and drove about a hundred miles a day on weekends to ski, it was already stated before but easy acceleration, snow tires, wieght and find a parking lot to play in when it snows, its amazingly fun, and it is really beneficial to your snow driving, and confidence in snow oh and BE CAREFULL OF OTHER DRIVERS they suck dink. i would recommend a getting a cheap pos beater as a winter car (aka fwd )because they put salt on the roads and rust eats your 240 alive, or getting you car an oil or waxed based undercoating to protect your beloved 240 from rust if you cant afford a pos beater.