Versa in a Blizzard

[TheClevelandSound]

As some may know, there is a huge level 3 blizzard in the state of Ohio right now. And I would like to proclaim that the Versa, well, my Versa, handles very poorly in these conditions. I mean, half of it is my inexperience with driving in the winter. But besides the prius, I was the only other car to et stuck every 5 seconds. And I couldnt even get in my driveway. Theree are 3 Versa owners in my neighborhood who have had the same issue and they have had plenty of experience.

Just voicing my opinion.

[manvan]

dont know what t tell you, mine handled like a champ this winter and we had ALOT of snow this year, what tires you got and do you have a MT or AT, it makes a huge difference

[alonsorules8]

one question do you still have on the factory tires or have you switched over to stickier tires? The reason I ask is that the factory tires have a very low snow rating and don't handle any snow very well.

I'm going to try to get to the Cleveland/ Mentor area on Easter weekend and still have my factory tires on and will probably have to take it extremely slow to get to my destination, or I will swap them out before I go.

[wobblypete]

Living in Montreal, I can say that snow tires make a big difference in these kind of conditions, but even then they only help up to a point.

I can also say that expecting your car to go anywhere during insane snow like this is unreasonable. It is a major, major weather event, and there is no way that any FWD car is going to be able to maintain even a fraction of the same level of handling or control as on bare pavement.

Up here, everyone is all over the news, telling people to stay off the roads. That is the best advice in these conditions: stay home.

[frankoV]

Don't know what a "level 3 blizzard" is but I imagine we've got what you've got: 25 mph winds; this afternoon we got 6" of snow, ice pellets, and (believe itor not!) thunder and lightning. The snow is continuing; another 6-12" overnight.

Had to go out this afternoon to a meeting the other side of town; no problem (again). A bit of slipperiness in a couple of spots, but rolled through the snow no problem, no problem stopping, and no problem getting up the slope into my driveway.

CVT with factory tires.

Perhaps years of experience and driving out west helped.

[equlizer]

no probs here in alberta, canada cept on ice (which is a given) and im running stock tires.

[BBISHOPPCM]

I'm in southern NH, and we've had record snowfalls this year. My car sucked until I installed a set of cheap snow tires; now it'll go anywhere, anytime! I couldn't believe how much of a difference those tires made.

[bucksnort]

Somebody has snows on sale for $34+shipping for 185/65/15's. They're Blizzak Revo's. Anybody heard anything about them? I remember our last blizzard and the nads where my wife works said everybody come in and then at noon sent em all home. I drove my wife in and went and got her at noon because I was afraid she'd never make it back. Looking backI see me stupid mistake.

Ithink all the reviews for the stock Continentals say they're crap tire even on dry pavement. Wearing out by 25K. Is this what to expect?

[TheClevelandSound]

well i do have stock tires on...those All-Season Continentals. I mean, 4wd is gonna get u better traction. We have had a total of 18 inches of snow by today. I did drive my grandparents 96' Mercury Sedan, and wow, it handles alot better. it is FWD too. i think the Versa's problem is that it is too light of a car. And it is pretty low to the ground, so ice and snow get caught up in the wheels...like today, i just got back from the highway, and my steering wheel was shaking, even when i let go of it. idk what the problem is. There is ice caught between the wheel and the body, but its not much. I have no idea what the problem could be. And the roads were pavement and not bumpy.

[Zadkiel]

Do you think the 18in may of had anything to do with it??

[KKaWing]

I drove from Blue Mountain out to Toronto Sat. night went the storm hit Southern Ontario full force. I had second hand Arctic Alpines on and never have I been stuck in the foot high snow/ice/drifts. Sure it fish-tailed a bit but after a full day skiing in powder (which was awsome) I didn't feather the throttle as much as I should have. The car has great ground clearance and the tires are narrow enough to bite through the snow. Crosswinds shake it a bit but all in all not bad for a small car.

[bikeman]

I would like to proclaim that the Versa, well, my Versa, handles very poorly in these conditions. I mean, half of it is my inexperience with driving in the winter. But besides the prius, I was the only other car to et stuck every 5 seconds. And I couldnt even get in my driveway. Theree are 3 Versa owners in my neighborhood who have had the same issue and they have had plenty of experience. Just voicing my opinion.

The Versa's a good vehicle in snow. You need snow tires if you're going to drive in deep snow. In any event, the problem is not the vehicle.

David

[faction]

I had a little problem my first winter adjusting from a heavier car to the lighter Versa. I think I got stuck 3 times in one week, before I figured out that I couldn't plow through snowdrifts like I used to. (luckily the lighter car also made it easier for my friends to push me out of a snowdrift in front of their house )

Haven't had a problem since. Go slow, don't try any tricky driving, and watch out for other morons on the road.

[BaldVersa]

The stock tires are not good in snow. It's not the car. More like 3 season as opposed to ALL. I"m gonna let them go thru the summer and into early fall and then see. Hopefully no more snowstorms!

[JoshH]

When I was driving in the snow, I was amazed at what the car could do. Used to live in chicago but recently moved out to maryland where the snow is not bad. There was one day where the roads were covered with snow and I was trying to get back home. A car stopped on the hill (going uphill) so I, along with everybody else had to stop. Amazingly enough, I was able to start moving again without sliding too far back down the road (starting in MT going uphill is not fun, definitely when the roads are covered with snow and the car behind you keeps inching up on you).

I saw at least 4 accidents on the way home (people can't drive out here if it snows).

[mking8288]

I spend years in the upstate NY snowbelt & lake region, way before ABS, stability control & EBD, etc. were OEM standard equipment and FWD wasn't popular back then. Invest in 4 snow tires on 4 corners and go easy on the gas pedal, in other words - go slow, especially in blizzard conditions. Try driving in 2nd gear if yours isn't a CVT if you are on stock tires and must go out. Better yet, if you don't need to be on the road, stay off until the road crews get the chance to plow & salt. Besides, the V has a relatively low ground clearence and those Conti tires are H-rated for "speed" and not for deep snow or ice driving.