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Rear wheel drive performance car for skiing?

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Driving in the snow was a great way to learn vehicle dynamics at relatively safe speeds, but with all the electronic nannies on new cars, I don't think that kind of learning is possible anymore.
In many cars, you can turn the nannies off, but it's not always a great idea. I know with my stability control off, my RWD G35 is a handful even just playing around in the snow on fairly safe local roads. It's very spin happy and tough to control once it gets too far sideways. So, I almost always leave the stability control on which makes it safe but kinda boring in the snow.

It sounds like the BRZ/86 has a sport setting for the stability control that allows getting a bit more sideways but will still save your tush. I wonder how much more fun that actually is? Does anybody have experience driving a car with similar?
 
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Look what youtube dug up for me, Driving an FR-S in Utah snow with four Blizzak's:


Todd Deeken, the co-host of EverydayDriver, owns the FR-S. It looks like he lives up around Park City, where he drives the FR-S all winter with four snow tires.

That video very much reminds me of my RX-7 ski car days. I had the same thought about putting an orange flag on the car (it was white!). :)

If anyone doubts the value of running winter tires, watch that video. It's all about your tires in the snow!
 
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Tom K.

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^^^ Firsthand experience with the nearly-identical Subaru BRZ tells me that even with snow tires, it cannot make it out of my driveway in three inches of snow, due to a short, steep hill.

I want AWD with 3-mode stability control. "On", "Off" and..........

"Ken Block" modes!!!
 

Wilhelmson

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All the "fun " mountain roads here in the East are full of pot holes, frost heaves, sand and stones on the sides and wacky plow work. They are also dark by 4:30pm or earlier in the valleys and can often be found with black ice. There are no "fun" drives during the winter when you go skiing.

I had lots of fun driving some crappy dirt road in a snowstorm from Newry to Eustis. Ice isn't fun but with a 1.8L I couldn't get that thing to go sideways as hard as I tried. But we did get air.
 
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I've got almost a foot and a half at my house today. I don't think my RWD G35 is going anywhere for a while, even with X-ice's. I'd be fine once I got out of the neighborhood, but it's too low, too much work digging, and too risky I'd get stuck from a little mistake.

AWD on my G would help a bit, but clearance is key in snow this deep. Also, don't want to tear up the underbody when things get chunky.

I wonder how the underbody aero panels on newer performance cars do in deep snow. They must really change (help?) the driving characters when the snow is up to them.

I'm off to play with a 4x4 Tundra with studded Hakkapeliittas. I'll see how far I can get in RWD. I bet I'll get around just fine.
 
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slowrider

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Snow conditions play are big part of just how far you can go. Kind of like skiing.
 

crgildart

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I've got almost a foot and a half at my house today. I don't think my RWD G35 is going anywhere for a while, even with X-ice's. I'd be fine once I got out of the neighborhood, but it's too low, too much work digging, and too risky I'd get stuck from a little mistake.

AWD on my G would help a bit, but clearance is key in snow this deep. Also, don't want to tear up the underbody when things get chunky.

I wonder how the underbody aero panels on newer performance cars do in deep snow. They must really change (help?) the driving characters when the snow is up to them.

I'm off to play with a 4x4 Tundra with studded Hakkapeliittas. I'll see how far I can get in RWD. I bet I'll get around just fine.
The main reason I was looking at Foresters instead of Outbacks was the additional inch of ground clearance. Just put new tires on Saturday. We did push through some pretty hefty snow last February but they didn't pass the visual confidence test last time I looked them.. Plenty of tread for another year or two of non winter performance, but looked sketchy for a winter mountain travel scenario.
 

Tom K.

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I've got almost a foot and a half at my house today.

I'm off to play with a 4x4 Tundra with studded Hakkapeliittas.

THAT sounds like a blast!
 

jmills115

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None of those old cars were as good as Civic with Blizzaks.
dm
Mrsjmills has been driving a 2013 Civic that I mentioned could use new winter tires. She told me it was time for an upgrade so instead of tires we bought an AWD Lexus GS today.
I will not push winter tires so hard in the future :rolleyes:
 

Dave Marshak

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Mrsjmills has been driving a 2013 Civic that I mentioned could use new winter tires. She told me it was time for an upgrade so instead of tires we bought an AWD Lexus GS today.
I will not push winter tires so hard in the future :rolleyes:

And your AWD Lexus with all season tires is still not as good in the snow as a Civic with Blizzaks.

dm
 

jmills115

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And your AWD Lexus with all season tires is still not as good in the snow as a Civic with Blizzaks.

dm
Good thing I have winter tires purchased for it already. I had to schedule the install for next week so it doesn’t get in the way of opening weekend at Alta.
I will drive my AWD Chevy SUV with Michelin X-Ice
 

Brad J

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Growing up in the sixties and driving in the early seventies 99% of the cars were RWD, and most had studded snows. We drove in a time that the plowing and road treatment was no where near what it is today. Are you need is a gentle right foot and be slow and smooth. Today my primary ski car is a 2016 Mustang Gt with 4 snows . It does have traction control. But more importantly a old and slow driver.
 

Tom K.

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All you need is a gentle right foot and be slow and smooth.

Not sure if it's quite all you need, but there is a LOT of truth right there!

My pop used to remind me (perhaps too frequently) to drive like there were uncooked eggs between my feet and the pedals. Gentle!
 

Merlyn

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Until you test your driving skills on the gauntlet, Cascade Locks Oregon to Hood River Oregon on I-84. in A RWD on any given day of the week from November 1 to April 1, in white out conditions with 6 inches of fresh snow on top of 3 inches of ice don’t come at me with your RWD will get you through. Or that your a skilled driver in your RWD. Also I can’t tell you how many otherwise safe confident drivers I see staring at the wreckage of their totaled RWD anything every year. With most of the those wrecks coming with 0 snow and 34 degree air temps. Please let me know though when your going to attempt that short 16 mile drive in your RWD, so I can get that I told you so picture to post to the group. GORGE DRIVERS UNITE, let’s educate the RWD dumbasses, before they kill one of us. Lmao.
 

crgildart

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Until you test your driving skills on the gauntlet, Cascade Locks Oregon to Hood River Oregon on I-84. in A RWD on any given day of the week from November 1 to April 1, in white out conditions with 6 inches of fresh snow on top of 3 inches of ice don’t come at me with your RWD will get you through. Or that your a skilled driver in your RWD. Also I can’t tell you how many otherwise safe confident drivers I see staring at the wreckage of their totaled RWD anything every year. With most of the those wrecks coming with 0 snow and 34 degree air temps. Please let me know though when your going to attempt that short 16 mile drive in your RWD, so I can get that I told you so picture to post to the group. GORGE DRIVERS UNITE, let’s educate the RWD dumbasses, before they kill one of us. Lmao.
This is what chains are for. If it's icy and all you have is RWD on regular tires, throw that iron on and carry on..
 

dbostedo

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Until you test your driving skills on the gauntlet, Cascade Locks Oregon to Hood River Oregon on I-84. in A RWD on any given day of the week from November 1 to April 1, in white out conditions with 6 inches of fresh snow on top of 3 inches of ice don’t come at me with your RWD will get you through. Or that your a skilled driver in your RWD. Also I can’t tell you how many otherwise safe confident drivers I see staring at the wreckage of their totaled RWD anything every year. With most of the those wrecks coming with 0 snow and 34 degree air temps. Please let me know though when your going to attempt that short 16 mile drive in your RWD, so I can get that I told you so picture to post to the group. GORGE DRIVERS UNITE, let’s educate the RWD dumbasses, before they kill one of us. Lmao.
If you've read the thread, I think you'll find there's no general thought given to RWD being the answer for all conditions or drives. Nor is there any larger point that RWD is fine for everyone. The question was much more along the lines of whether or not, with proper tires, road knowledge, and judicious driving, is it viable some of the time. (Of course, there's a lot of noise in the system, so maybe not everyone reads it that way.) I don't think anyone here is in support of the dumbasses you're referring to - no need to go looking for "I told you so's" or challenging anyone.

And welcome to PugSki. ogsmile
 

KingGrump

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Until you test your driving skills on the gauntlet, Cascade Locks Oregon to Hood River Oregon on I-84. in A RWD on any given day of the week from November 1 to April 1, in white out conditions with 6 inches of fresh snow on top of 3 inches of ice don’t come at me with your RWD will get you through. Or that your a skilled driver in your RWD. Also I can’t tell you how many otherwise safe confident drivers I see staring at the wreckage of their totaled RWD anything every year. With most of the those wrecks coming with 0 snow and 34 degree air temps. Please let me know though when your going to attempt that short 16 mile drive in your RWD, so I can get that I told you so picture to post to the group. GORGE DRIVERS UNITE, let’s educate the RWD dumbasses, before they kill one of us. Lmao.

I am surprised the human race didn't become extincted prior to 1980s when FWD first came on the scene. Followed by AWD after the turn of the century.
In my 40+ years of driving in VT. Most of the dumba** I have seen in the ditch on the side of the road on a Friday night are in a metal cocoon of some forms of 4WD/AWD.
4WD/AWD are definitely superior in the go department. They are no better than FWD or RWD when it comes to braking and/or turns.
Tires make a world of difference.
 

Merlyn

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Yes. I was wrong my post was insensitive and Judgemental. I just get emotionally charged when I think about the multiple fatalities seen every year on I-84. In The Columbia River Gorge. Again I was wrong for pieces of my statement that was insensitive. I’ll exile myself from posting for a few days and listen rather than run my mouth
 

KingGrump

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Yes. I was wrong my post was insensitive and Judgemental. I just get emotionally charged when I think about the multiple fatalities seen every year on I-84. In The Columbia River Gorge. Again I was wrong for pieces of my statement that was insensitive. I’ll exile myself from posting for a few days and listen rather than run my mouth

No blood, no foul.
Don't be so hard on yourself. We all have our hot buttons. Life goes on
 

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