Q + Michelin Exalto all season tires + 22 inches of snow =

[qship96]

No problem!!! As many of you know the Baltimore/Washington area had a record breaking snowstorm last Saturday, dumping 22-24 inches of snow within less than 18 hours.....many,many accidents and yahoos in 4 wheel drive SUV's in the ditches mainly due to over-confidence and a poor understanding of the limitations of even 4 wheel drive. I am happy to report the old Q made it through the snow with no problems, even went for a few "joy rides" throughout the day for fun{turned off traction control and played in empty snow covered parking lot}

[elwesso]

have you ever used snow tires on the Q, if so how can you compare?

I used some firestone allseasons before my michelin artic alpins and I can tell a big difference with the snow tires, mainly on traction when just getting started...

[qship96]

Maybe I am lucky, but so far in over 10 Md winters, I have never been stuck while driving in snow with my Q on Michelin All season tires- I have no doubt a dedicated snow tire would perform better, but here in Md we have 10x more days in winter without snow covered roads than with, and I am not willing to put up with the drawbacks of winter tires for those 90 or so days of clear roadways throughout the "snow season"

Helps that in my over 30 years of driving, every car I have owned,except for the G20 has been rear wheel drive- for those brought up driving front wheel drive cars, a sudden switch to rear wheel drive could prove deadly in the snow, or even the rain.

[Infinitiguy19]

Yahoos in 4 wheel drive SUV's in the ditches mainly due to over-confidence and a poor understanding of the limitations of even 4 wheel drive.

That depends more on the driver than the car like you say. Because when my Dad puts his '94 GMC Jimmy in 4X4 low he can rip the ground up. And to think he wants to put a 283 V8 in there.

[Justin88na]

Try 245 Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's and NH snow..... and you'll thank god you have a LSD.



I seriously need to get snows on mine or at least put the all seasons on the rear that came with the car.... damn cold weather.... and darkness!!!

[silkysmoothyjud]

I just throw a couple of concrete blocks in the trunk....

[Infinitiguy19]

Screw the rear tires I am more worried about the front tires. I would rather be able to steer and stop properly, and leave the getting unstuck part to the engine.

[Q451990]

We had a dusting by yankee standards several years ago... maybe 1/4"

I backed out of the driveway, felt it slip and fishtail a little, and decided to stay home. Don't know how you guys do it...

Heath

[BCC93QT]

yeah i got yokohama sport tires on my Q. Terrible in the snow, thats why i put it up for the winter. But i did take it for a spin when we got our 6 inches the other week. Got the land cruiser out. I won't be going over 60 until spring

[TellarHK]

I drove my '94 Q east across the Sierra Nevadas last night just as the rain was starting to come down in the foothills on the California side and the snowline started hitting the passes and let me admit right here, it was an ugly, white-knuckled drive for a few miles. Unfortunately, the tires are the one area where the previous owners didn't put much money or thought into the car as they just put on the only set they could find to fit in BFE before shipping it out.

The Q certainly loves to fishtail when you're changing lanes on slush, and getting started from a stop sure was hair raising once I hit the Reno valley floor and got off the highways. However, I did make it across the mountains and home about twenty minutes before a chain requirement would have been slapped into place.

I'm definitely putting better tires on my list of things to get this coming year - but I think I'll put them on my Wrangler and make that a little more comfortable for the long drives that are the Q's exclusive domain right now.

[goody90q45]

I was planning for a week on driving the Q to Reno but the weather's turned for the worse the last couple of days. I think I'll leave it at home rather than risk totalling it crashing into a snowbank. Thanks for the tip.

[TellarHK]

The way they maintain 80 typically seems to mean that if there hasn't been any snow in the daylight hours on that specific day, you're probably going to be fine. Otherwise, it might be a good idea not to bother unless you've got good snow/rain tires and some chains just in case.

Come spend your money in Reno soon, though. We sure need it over here.