[muohio]

I was going to add some sand tubes (bags) to my car for winter and was wondering how much to get. Any thoughts?

 

[Marty31]

If you can't place them over the drive axel, then sand bags/weight won't do you ant good. They'll just add useless weight and eat your limited trunk space.

 

[Don]

Because of this cars weight distribution and traction control I have come to the conclusion that more weight out behind the rear wheels will just increrase the pendulim effect and cause more swining than necessary.
My experience with driving in the snow has been very favorable. We are getting more today and are expecting "Lake Effect Snow" tomorrow and Thrusday.
Carefull application of the go pedal is about all you really need.

 

[Tom]

Putting weight behind the axle will give you 911 like handling.

I suggest snow tires. I am going to put the 16" rims and snow tires from my Z28 on my GTO.

 

[Neo-GTO]

Putting weight behind the axle will give you 911 like handling.

I suggest snow tires. I am going to put the 16" rims and snow tires from my Z28 on my GTO.

Go with a good set of snow tires! :cheers That will get you around with a light touch on the throttle. You could also go with studded snows on the rear if you have a lot of icy conditions throughout the winter. They are loud, but they will get you moving on a frozen lake too!

 

[jontyrees]

Ugh, lake effect snow. I lived in St.Joe MI, and just south of there for 5yrs. Did a 180 @ 70mph on my way into work on the freeway at 8am on black ice in a 280ZX Turbo. I never realized that your face is so close to the guardrail when you're scraping along it going backwards. Oops.

 

[SilverGoat]

I tried 4 concrete blocks and it did nothing to help in the snow. Bought a set of Blizzacks and took the bricks out. Incredible improvement in the handling in snow. Skip the sand and spend the money on snows, it will be a lot safer.

 

[muohio]

I tried 4 concrete blocks and it did nothing to help in the snow. Bought a set of Blizzacks and took the bricks out. Incredible improvement in the handling in snow. Skip the sand and spend the money on snows, it will be a lot safer.

I think i will put 2 tires on the back. Tires are about $150 a piece plus whatever to mount and balance.

 

[idareu]

I just got two pirrelli snow tires and rims from tire rack. It almost makes me forget that I am driving a rear wheel drive car that has 350 hp.
I really can't believe how good this car handles in the snow now.

 

[6spdgoat]

Tom,
Will 16" f-body rims fit on a GTO for snow tires???


Thanks,


Mark

 

[taylor65]

I see you're in Ohio (or at least that's my guess from your screen name). I've lived in central OH and central IL all my life, and I've had many rear drive sports cars. I've personally found that adding weight to the back doesn't do much except compress the shocks/springs over the winter. The type of tires has made a huge difference though. High performance and directional tires are really bad for snow. All-season Z rated non-directional tires usually do pretty good in the snow, and they're fine for dry weather too (unless you really take the corners super fast). I've never tried true winter tires before, but I'm sure they would help too. Other than that, just get used to driving sideways and sliding through corners. Also, don't let the tread get too worn in the winter or your car will turn into a sled.

 

[Vader953]

We got an inch of ice here in SC!!!

Got up, and my damn winshield wipers are broken (yes, I melted all the ice).

Anybody else have this problem?

 

[fffernan]

Snowed here a bit in Massachusetts yesterday. She handles alright except for when the roads are packed down with snow with no salt/sand on em. Felt her wanting to slide off the road a couple times had to ease on the brakes. Maybe driving to NTB to look at snow tires. What a pain in the butt to have to put on and take off tires in the winter. I wish i could get my hands on another set of rims.


-Frank

 

[DJ_YellowGTO]

I have a nice set of snow tires and i have no problems so far with them. So far here in ma. i have driven in two snow storms and not a problem.

 

[lambertgoat]

Just wondering if I were the first to get my goat stuck in the snow? Last Thursday It snowed somewhere around 3-4 inches here. And needless to say the streets hadn't been plowed you so i back off my driveway into about a 2 ft. drift and that was all she wrote, finally got it backed up into the neighbors yard and powered it up out of the drift onto the other side of the street where the snow was about 2 inches deep, and it was ok from there on out.

 

[Toebee]

I'm on Cape Ann in NE Mass... 14 inches..! Did I tell you I hate snow... But the GTO didn't miss a beat. I am going to get a beater car though. Not that the GTO handles badly, it handles great. I just don't trust the other drivers.

Question... Why don't they plow in Burlington, Mass..??? Is it a crime???

 

[Rhino74]

FYI, I believe that added weight, which begins to lower the rear end, causes the tires to camber in, thus reducing the amount of tire on the road. I guess this would normally be a bad thing, but smaller tires are supposed to be better in the snow, hence the thinner snow tire reccomendation.

That being said, I've heard on other message boards that extra weight in the trunk doesn't do much, if anything, so it's generally not considered much of a fix by those who have tried it. Plus the car is already 4,000 pounds with a driver and if that ain't enough weight, nothing is, right?

 

[fffernan]

Ya seems like only half the towns in Mass are good at plowing and sanding. I live in Westford and its really good, but Chelmsford and Acton are awful. I drive to Concord, good plowing, through Acton. $600 for blizzaks. Lets see after the next snow storm.

-Frank

 

[C5ORGTO]

I think i will put 2 tires on the back. Tires are about $150 a piece plus whatever to mount and balance.

I agree with going with tires. I had 2 bags of Salt in the back of my Camaro. Yes it holds the back end down, but it also gives you more weight to swing the back end around. I did a 180 into a curb, broke the rim, bent the suspension, the fender. I think the salt (weight) helped me turn around. Just my 2 cents.