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What do you guys use for winter? Same car as the rest of the year, a beater? What was the best snow car you ever had? Chime in with your choices!
We use the WJ Jeep and I'm really enjoying the new X-type as my daily car right now. Both do very well in the snow and wet and are ultra cheap to run. Best snow car I've ever used was my 03 ram with factory LSD, nearly never had to take it out of 2wd
I look forward to seeing what you guys currently used and what your favorites are
2004 V8 4Runner with torsen centre diff. Yokohama Made In Japan tires My newer 4R I don’t drive in snowy days as much. Also have snow tires on our Matrix with the 2,4 I4.
Hands-down, a 2006 Subaru Outback. Nothing else ever came close to that Outback, although my Buick Encore GX also has AWD, and I have not had it in a major snowstorm yet to sample it. But that Outback was amazing.....never spun my tires once, even in an 18-inch blizzard, and on crappy Brigestone all-season tires to boot. It's obvious why Outbacks were the official car of the U.S. Ski Team.
2004 V8 4Runner with torsen centre diff. Yokohama Made In Japan tires My newer 4R I don’t drive in snowy days as much. Also have snow tires on our Matrix with the 2,4 I4.
Yes, a Torsen diff is a big help. My Outback had an LSD on the rear. I'm convinced that mechanical Torsens and LSD work better than the newer electronic torque-vectoring systems...those electronic systems are only now used because they save weight and cost.
Yes, a Torsen diff is a big help. My Outback had an LSD on the rear. I'm convinced that mechanical Torsens and LSD work better than the newer electronic torque-vectoring systems..
Well. I can turn off the torsen diff and lock it as well. I don’t care too much for the new 4WD systems.
When it gets ugly out I resort to ol faithful, 05 F350 4x4 w/lsd.
My 460 is good as well but so many retards here when it snows or storms that I leave it in the garage.
Yes, a Torsen diff is a big help. My Outback had an LSD on the rear. I'm convinced that mechanical Torsens and LSD work better than the newer electronic torque-vectoring systems...those electronic systems are only now used because they save weight and cost.
Good thread, BTW, Striker.
They 100% do better vs electronic only, the cars I have that have physical diffs (Audi (double torsen, active TQ vectoring), Ram (clutch rear axle, hi/low, lock), Toyota (torsen center, hi/low, lock) all outperform the "E-LSD" systems. The 460 however has amazing traction control, can't tell it's working honestly but it has to be. I do not drive it in the snow though, I hate having to clean it but I did take it out once in 6 inches to just see how it does and I was shocked how well it performed on UHPAS tires.
The X-type AWD system is good, it's not an Audi or locked center diff truck but for a viscous coupling it works great and you can 4 wheel drift it on command wit full control. It however will slip if you aren't careful.
My Jeep is actually the odd one out, it does not do that best in snow for whatever reason but it's still okay.
Last edited by Striker223; Nov 20, 2022 at 09:20 PM.
When it gets ugly out I resort to ol faithful, 05 F350 4x4 w/lsd.
My 460 is good as well but so many retards here when it snows or storms that I leave it in the garage.
Nice! LSD 4x4 trucks are really effective lol!
Yeah I feel you on that, that's the main reason I dislike taking my nice cars out into snow since I fear people will hit me.
This won't be a popular opinion, that is a horrible winter vehicle. It has a higher than average roll over risk and worse the roof structure is not nearly strong enough to support the weight of the truck.
That's funny, it's even funnier when during and after a storm the ditches along the QE2 are littered with compact cars and mid sized suv's most still upright but some on their roofs or sides.
For many years my 335d was the winter champ, due to great balance and traction from the Blizzaks (Originally LM60, currently WS80). Way better than either of our AWD SUVs on all-seasons. I only had a traction issue one time, when the snow got so deep/packed that it actually lifted the chassis high enough that all 4 tires left the ground for a moment.
However, once we replaced our RX350 with a Q7, the combination of Torsen-based, rear-biased mechanical AWD and Blizzak DM-V2 tires--along with much better ground clearance--is utterly unflappable in any kind of winter weather. So it currently holds the crown.
I only drive the CX-9, which is AWD and has Bridgestone DM-V2s on the OEM rims for winter. It's done very well for the past few years.
The Civic is what my MIL and FIL drive now. It used to have Pirelli PZeros for winter but I retired them this year due to their age (10 years old). Got a set of Michelin X-Ice on there now.
I think my favourite "winter car" that I've owned was my 2008 IS250 AWD. I had 16" alloys and Michelin X-Ice tires on it for the winters and it did incredibly well.
For many years my 335d was the winter champ, due to great balance and traction from the Blizzaks (Originally LM60, currently WS80). Way better than either of our AWD SUVs on all-seasons. I only had a traction issue one time, when the snow got so deep/packed that it actually lifted the chassis high enough that all 4 tires left the ground for a moment.
However, once we replaced our RX350 with a Q7, the combination of Torsen-based, rear-biased mechanical AWD and Blizzak DM-V2 tires--along with much better ground clearance--is utterly unflappable in any kind of winter weather. So it currently holds the crown.
snow tires make a huge difference. All-season are not enough.
Winter cars
