Winter Advice
11-10-13, 08:08 AM
#1
Winter Advice
So I'm heading up to the Chicago area in the next few week. I'll be staying in an area called Hinsdale, and seeing how I'm from Oklahoma we don't really have "harsh" winter or heavy snowfalls. I have no idea how to prepare The Lex for the Illinois Winter. Wondering if anyone that regularly uses their SC in winter conditions can give any advice on what's best for the life of the car? Snow tires? Chains? Antirust spray? etc. I know road salt has some tragic consequences. I will be up there for about 2 years and unfortunately my daily commute won't included public transit since there aren't really any options for buses or trains to my place of work. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
11-10-13, 08:45 AM
#2
So I'm heading up to the Chicago area in the next few week. I'll be staying in an area called Hinsdale, and seeing how I'm from Oklahoma we don't really have "harsh" winter or heavy snowfalls. I have no idea how to prepare The Lex for the Illinois Winter. Wondering if anyone that regularly uses their SC in winter conditions can give any advice on what's best for the life of the car? Snow tires? Chains? Antirust spray? etc. I know road salt has some tragic consequences. I will be up there for about 2 years and unfortunately my daily commute won't included public transit since there aren't really any options for buses or trains to my place of work. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
11-10-13, 04:45 PM
#4
I grew up in Detroit and learned to drive in snow and ice. Throughout the winter, I spent every weekend skiing in northern Michigan, meaning lots and lots and lots of winter driving miles.
Having said that, and despite my love for the SC, this car is amazingly bad and dangerous in snow, even though it has traction control, etc. It is shocking how just a little snow can really do a number on this vehicle.
If there is ANY way you can get an old beater SUV for the winter and store the SC, definitely do it.
Having said that, and despite my love for the SC, this car is amazingly bad and dangerous in snow, even though it has traction control, etc. It is shocking how just a little snow can really do a number on this vehicle.
If there is ANY way you can get an old beater SUV for the winter and store the SC, definitely do it.
11-10-13, 05:49 PM
#5
I grew up in Detroit and learned to drive in snow and ice. Throughout the winter, I spent every weekend skiing in northern Michigan, meaning lots and lots and lots of winter driving miles.
Having said that, and despite my love for the SC, this car is amazingly bad and dangerous in snow, even though it has traction control, etc. It is shocking how just a little snow can really do a number on this vehicle.
If there is ANY way you can get an old beater SUV for the winter and store the SC, definitely do it.
Having said that, and despite my love for the SC, this car is amazingly bad and dangerous in snow, even though it has traction control, etc. It is shocking how just a little snow can really do a number on this vehicle.
If there is ANY way you can get an old beater SUV for the winter and store the SC, definitely do it.
II agree First snow storm I was in car spun out on hill and I almost took out a trash truck . Since then my sc is only used when i can put the top down . I bought a daily beater so i could save my sc.
11-10-13, 07:22 PM
#6
ShawnOK, the SC will do "okay" in up to 2 inches of fresh snow if you turn on the "SNOW" mode and use the "1" or "2" setting on the gearbox. Anything more than that and it's a no-go on my all-season stock tires. I drive my SC year-round, including through the fairly harsh, NY winters, but if there's more than several inches of snow then I park it for the day. Normal cold-weather driving (without snow or ice) doesn't seem to phase the SC one bit, even if the temps are in the 20s.
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
11-10-13, 08:46 PM
#7
Thanks for all the advice guys. At the moment, I can't afford to buy a beat up SUV for winter use, so my SC will have to do. I mean I did use my Lex in KC pretty regularly in the winter, but I did have a '99 Sebring with front wheel drive for the rough snow and ice days. Since my SC would have to get me by for a while, I was looking more for protection advice, I guess. Sounds like winter tires are more preferred than chains from the pros, What about rustproofing the undercarriage? Sandbags is a good idea, definitely. I've been skiing and snowboarding all my life, so I don't have a problem with winter driving, per se (even though I was usually driving an SUV). But it is not the SC's forte from what I'm hearing. I hope it won't be a harsh winter, but I want to be prepared. I tried to avoid road salt as much as possible thus far, but I'm thinking I won't have a choice in Illinois. I guess the salt and it's corrosive nature is my greatest fear.
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11-11-13, 07:00 AM
#8
+1 for jasone36
1) The SC is just fine in the snow (agree up to 2 inches) compared to just about any other rear-wheel drive car I've driven in snow (and I've been doing it for almost 45 years). It is supremely well balanced fore-aft and has a low polar-moment of inertia. Remember to use Snow mode, and press the pedals like you have an egg between your foot and the pedal. I learned to drive in the snow in a '66 Sedan de Ville - talk about ugly in the snow (we'd go out an practice on the frozen Wisconsin lakes)! The SC counter-steers out of skids like a dream.
2) You can turn or you can brake, but you can't turn and brake at the same time. Period!
3) Regular washing, try to spray the undercarriage.
4) Make certain that you have all-season tires on. Summer performance tire composition hardens in colder temps and you have no adhesion at all!
1) The SC is just fine in the snow (agree up to 2 inches) compared to just about any other rear-wheel drive car I've driven in snow (and I've been doing it for almost 45 years). It is supremely well balanced fore-aft and has a low polar-moment of inertia. Remember to use Snow mode, and press the pedals like you have an egg between your foot and the pedal. I learned to drive in the snow in a '66 Sedan de Ville - talk about ugly in the snow (we'd go out an practice on the frozen Wisconsin lakes)! The SC counter-steers out of skids like a dream.
2) You can turn or you can brake, but you can't turn and brake at the same time. Period!
3) Regular washing, try to spray the undercarriage.
4) Make certain that you have all-season tires on. Summer performance tire composition hardens in colder temps and you have no adhesion at all!
11-11-13, 07:02 AM
#9
Hey Shawn,
we have bad winters up here, i remember last year i was being lazy in getting my other tires on and the first snow storm hit... took me 2 hours to drive 30 km because the car just wouldnt go anywhere with summer tires... when i got home i got stuck on the main rd right accross my driveway, took me almost 3 hours to shovel and rock my car back and forth until it got in my driveway.. i got my all seasons on quickly and the car wasnt too bad with those, just had to drive with snow mode on and very slowly. The scary part was slight up hills or downhills because of the SC's weight, if i tried to move the car would start sliding... but yea all season should be fine driving very slow and carefully + snow mode, but winter tires would be good and summers definately not recommended.. tires wont always save you though but driving carefully will !
goodluck!
we have bad winters up here, i remember last year i was being lazy in getting my other tires on and the first snow storm hit... took me 2 hours to drive 30 km because the car just wouldnt go anywhere with summer tires... when i got home i got stuck on the main rd right accross my driveway, took me almost 3 hours to shovel and rock my car back and forth until it got in my driveway.. i got my all seasons on quickly and the car wasnt too bad with those, just had to drive with snow mode on and very slowly. The scary part was slight up hills or downhills because of the SC's weight, if i tried to move the car would start sliding... but yea all season should be fine driving very slow and carefully + snow mode, but winter tires would be good and summers definately not recommended.. tires wont always save you though but driving carefully will !
goodluck!
Last edited by 416tt; 11-11-13 at 07:06 AM.
11-11-13, 09:06 AM
#10
Shawn-
80 percent of the days in Chi-town the SC is fine. Are you going to be commuting much with the car or are you able to do mass transit on bad days.
The road grime is not good so wash it off...
My two cents is that for the cost of a pair of snow tires and rims you can buy an old SUV and let your baby sit for the winter.
80 percent of the days in Chi-town the SC is fine. Are you going to be commuting much with the car or are you able to do mass transit on bad days.
The road grime is not good so wash it off...
My two cents is that for the cost of a pair of snow tires and rims you can buy an old SUV and let your baby sit for the winter.
11-12-13, 06:30 AM
#11
11-12-13, 07:07 AM
#12
Moderator
"All Season Tires" will not be adequate for Chicago. They are a compromise, and you are in no position to compromise. If you can't afford a cheap, used, RAV4 or something like that, get 4 snow tires. They will grip in the snow and stay soft in the cold, which you will have a lot of. I'm in southern Ohio, which is at least 200 miles south of Chicago, and I just don't drive my SC from December to March. If you rely on "traction control" or a "snow" button, you will be headed for trouble in Chicago. I don't think those buttons are connected to anything anyway. You will love Chicago, but not its winters.
11-12-13, 09:27 PM
#13
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If you have snow tires, put a couple of sandbags in the trunk, and are a good driver with a soft foot, the sc430 will perform excellently in the snow. I live in Calgary, Canada, and we get a ton of snow and black ice and my car seems to handle better than a lot of the AWD's without winter tires out here.
Another important thing to consider is your alignment. If you have any positive toe on your rear tires, you will be screwed when your tires start to slide. When you have a small negative toe, it makes it much easier to counter the rear end slipping out with minimal counter steering and a little bit of throttle. I have a -.30 and it's really good. Last year I had a -.80 which was really fun, but caused problems on dry roads. I should point out I have a camber of -1.8 degrees which makes a big difference. As long as you don't drive the car with these settings when it's warm and dry, you won't experience too much extra tire wear.
Snow mode makes a massive difference. What it does is is greatly soften the response of the accelerator, which makes it very easy to stay at the threshold for maintaining traction and not spinning the wheels (or having traction control kick in). Traction control prevents the wheels from spinning when there is insufficient traction.
All-seasons are not meant for snow, and summer tires on ANY car in the snow or cold will cause serious problems.
Another important thing to consider is your alignment. If you have any positive toe on your rear tires, you will be screwed when your tires start to slide. When you have a small negative toe, it makes it much easier to counter the rear end slipping out with minimal counter steering and a little bit of throttle. I have a -.30 and it's really good. Last year I had a -.80 which was really fun, but caused problems on dry roads. I should point out I have a camber of -1.8 degrees which makes a big difference. As long as you don't drive the car with these settings when it's warm and dry, you won't experience too much extra tire wear.
Snow mode makes a massive difference. What it does is is greatly soften the response of the accelerator, which makes it very easy to stay at the threshold for maintaining traction and not spinning the wheels (or having traction control kick in). Traction control prevents the wheels from spinning when there is insufficient traction.
All-seasons are not meant for snow, and summer tires on ANY car in the snow or cold will cause serious problems.
11-13-13, 06:32 AM
#14
Also you can adjust the time of your commute, go in early or late, same on the evening drive. Change your route as necessary. My biggest enemy has always been the other drivers. Wash your vehicle as soon as possible after the storm is great advice. Check out a company called "Ziebart" for rust protection and undercoating.
11-13-13, 06:50 AM
#15
Moderator
Sand bags in the trunk work very well for traction - I used them for a year or so when I had my SC400. (Actually, concrete gives you the best dollar to weight ratio, but you need a lawn bag to contain the dust). However, I found that gas mileage really went down, and I also found that taking them out and putting them back in when it snowed got pretty tiring after a while. (Of course, in Chicago you may never have to take them out.)
In terms of winter weather, the best suggestion remains to get a cheap, used AWD car (RAV4/CRV/etc), then sell it when you leave; this allows you to keep the expensive SC off the road and away from Buick drivers with summer tires who know nothing; second would be 4 snow tires, and third would be bags of sand or dead bodies in the trunk (be sure to remove either before spring). Driving an SC in snow with summer tires or even with all season tires and relying on "traction control" has got disaster written all over it.
Good luck in Chicago.
In terms of winter weather, the best suggestion remains to get a cheap, used AWD car (RAV4/CRV/etc), then sell it when you leave; this allows you to keep the expensive SC off the road and away from Buick drivers with summer tires who know nothing; second would be 4 snow tires, and third would be bags of sand or dead bodies in the trunk (be sure to remove either before spring). Driving an SC in snow with summer tires or even with all season tires and relying on "traction control" has got disaster written all over it.
Good luck in Chicago.