miata and snow?

Red wrote:

<snip>

> Driver skill is also a big factor. I've driven the Miata home in an
> early snow storm on bald OEM summer tires. That came from years of
> practice in a '70s RWD car with a light rear end and bias-ply
> summer tires. But I'd rather not.

That can be entertaining and frightening at the same time. I've driven 30
miles in hard, driving snow on worn Toyo T1-Ss. I don't think the wheels
stopped spinning the entire time, I had a white-knuckle grip on the wheel,
and I had to *seriously* plan my approach to the slightest incline or
turn...but I made it.

There's a running joke with my buddies that says deep down, we all just want
to see if we can make it through the storm.

--
tooloud
Remove nothing to reply...

On 2005-08-25, tooloud > wrote:

>> I've driven the Miata home in an early snow storm on bald OEM
>> summer tires. That came from years of practice in a '70s RWD
>> car with a light rear end and bias-ply summer tires. But I'd
>> rather not.
>
> That can be entertaining and frightening at the same time.
> I've driven 30 miles in hard, driving snow on worn Toyo T1-Ss.
> I don't think the wheels stopped spinning the entire time, I
> had a white-knuckle grip on the wheel, and I had to
> *seriously* plan my approach to the slightest incline or
> turn...but I made it.

I think a lot of us have stories like that. With me it was
negotiating the first snowfall of the year on Potenza RE010
tires that came on my 96M: proud to have made it through the
experience, embarassed that I had to.

--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! Oh my GOD -- the
at SUN just fell into YANKEE
visi.com STADIUM!!

"Leon van Dommelen" > wrote in message
...
> Grant Edwards > wrote:
>
>>A 50-50 weight distribution is great in snow for exactly the
>>same reasons its great on dry pavement.
>
> Which is?
>
> Leon
> --
> Leon van Dommelen Bozo, the White 96 Sebring Miata .)
> http://www.dommelen.net/miata
> EXIT THE INTERSTATES (Jamie Jensen)
Leon,

In my 1999 miata, the 50/50 weight distribution means that all four tires
spin/slide equally well. (usually at the same time, in snow.) I found this
out by swapping ends in traffic, at rush hour on Eastern Parkway in
Brooklyn. I was going so slow that, when finished, the car slid, ever so
gently into the curb (no forward motion, mind you) with both passenger tires
just kissing the curb. I could not replicate that move on dry pavement for
all the tea in China.

I've driven FrontWD cars in heavy snow and RWD cars in snow and had no
problems. the Miata is dangerous in snow, in my humble opinion. Once you
lose what little snow traction you have, you are just a passenger...

Squat

In article >,
"Squat" > wrote:

> Once you lose what little snow traction you have, you are just a
> passenger...

That applies to any vehicle. The obvious solution is to improve
traction, by fitting real winter tires all around.

The upside to a Miata in snow: it's much, much easier to stop than, say,
a 3-ton SUV with 4WD and a thousand pounds of rotating mass. Lock up a
75-pound wheel, and it's tough to get it spinning again to regain grip.

---
Lanny Chambers
'94C, St. Louis
http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html

On 2005-08-25, Squat > wrote:

> In my 1999 miata, the 50/50 weight distribution means that all
> four tires spin/slide equally well. (usually at the same time,
> in snow.)

If that's what ou want to happen.

> I found this out by swapping ends in traffic, at rush hour on
> Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.

I doubt that the weight distribution was the problem. More
likely bad tires or bad driving.

> I was going so slow that, when finished, the car slid, ever so
> gently into the curb (no forward motion, mind you) with both
> passenger tires just kissing the curb. I could not replicate
> that move on dry pavement for all the tea in China.

I don't see the point.

> I've driven FrontWD cars in heavy snow and RWD cars in snow
> and had no problems. the Miata is dangerous in snow, in my
> humble opinion.

Nonsense. Miatas with the right tires handle far better in
snow than a 2WD pickup, better than all FWD cars or other RWD
cars I've driven.

> Once you lose what little snow traction you have, you are just
> a passenger...

And that's not true in other cars?

--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! And furthermore,
at my bowling average is
visi.com unimpeachable!!!

Grant Edwards wrote:
> On 2005-08-25, tooloud > wrote:
>
>>> I've driven the Miata home in an early snow storm on bald OEM
>>> summer tires. That came from years of practice in a '70s RWD
>>> car with a light rear end and bias-ply summer tires. But I'd
>>> rather not.
>>
>> That can be entertaining and frightening at the same time.
>> I've driven 30 miles in hard, driving snow on worn Toyo T1-Ss.
>> I don't think the wheels stopped spinning the entire time, I
>> had a white-knuckle grip on the wheel, and I had to
>> *seriously* plan my approach to the slightest incline or
>> turn...but I made it.
>
> I think a lot of us have stories like that. With me it was
> negotiating the first snowfall of the year on Potenza RE010
> tires that came on my 96M: proud to have made it through the
> experience, embarassed that I had to.

Exactly...the most embarrassed I got was when I parked on a pretty good
incline at work, it snowed four or five inches, and I went to leave and the
car was stuck, spinning in reverse *downhill* with my cow-orkers watching.

I actually had to get out and *push* the car downhill, jump in, jerk the
wheel, and slam on the brakes to spin it around and spin away.

--
tooloud
Remove nothing to reply...

"Grant Edwards" > wrote in message
...
> On 2005-08-25, Squat > wrote:
>
>> In my 1999 miata, the 50/50 weight distribution means that all
>> four tires spin/slide equally well. (usually at the same time,
>> in snow.)
>
> If that's what ou want to happen.
>
>> I found this out by swapping ends in traffic, at rush hour on
>> Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.
>
> I doubt that the weight distribution was the problem. More
> likely bad tires or bad driving.
>
>> I was going so slow that, when finished, the car slid, ever so
>> gently into the curb (no forward motion, mind you) with both
>> passenger tires just kissing the curb. I could not replicate
>> that move on dry pavement for all the tea in China.
>
> I don't see the point.
>
>> I've driven FrontWD cars in heavy snow and RWD cars in snow
>> and had no problems. the Miata is dangerous in snow, in my
>> humble opinion.
>
> Nonsense. Miatas with the right tires handle far better in
> snow than a 2WD pickup, better than all FWD cars or other RWD
> cars I've driven.
>
Wrong, I drove, for many years, an old Dodge Omni024 with plain toyo tires.
That car, although a horrid piece of junk, could be driven in snow much more
easily than the Miata. (I used to drive around on solid ice roads in the DFW
area just for fun.)
The FWD, although not my preference for performance or maintenance, is best
for snow/ice. The extra weight over the drive wheels makes it much better
suited to poor traction conditions. That old Dodge was light enough to still
be controllable in foul weather.

I am not saying that you can'r drive a Miata in snow, I just would not
advise that you do so. The original questions was, are Miata's good in snow
& slush. My vote is no. There are more appropriate alternatives for snow &
slush, maybe not as fun but easier to handle in foul weather.
Believe me, I loved the Miata that I owned. I think it is one of the best
cars I ever owned.

Cheers
Squat


>> Once you lose what little snow traction you have, you are just
>> a passenger...
>
> And that's not true in other cars?
>


> --
> Grant Edwards grante Yow! And furthermore,
> at my bowling average is
> visi.com unimpeachable!!!