SVX in Snow

[LetItSnow]

Mobility? No regrets. Body rot from road salt? Plenty of regret.

[1986nate]

Originally Posted by WhatIsThisIDont

Since my battlewagon decided it needs a break, there is a very good chance I'll be making the SVX roadworthy and taking it to school in Erie.

Has anyone here driven one of these through snow? Is it tolerable, or am I going to immediately regret this decision?

It'll do better than most other Subarus if the transfer clutch and C solenoid is working properly. Especially if you get some 205/55/16 snow tires. They're heavier and a lot more planted. The rear viscous LSD helps as well.

[SSSVX]

My SVXi were so good in the snow.

I was stuck for twice.
One, when the transfer clutch was not working properly.
Second, the ground clearance. I was stuck at the parking lot
of 12" of snow. I still got out without any help after 10mins.

[kjoyes]

So far this winter I have been unimpressed with my svx in the snow.
I got stuck in 6 inches of snow, if you don't have speed when you go threw it your screwed. The car is too low so it get under it and lifts it, then your wheel are off the ground. Then you have to get a shovel try to get under the car to get it back on the wheels good luck with that your better off calling a tow truck...

[SSSVX]

do you have winter tires or good all seasons that are good for snow?
I agree with that the car has some ground clearance issue for thick snow.

That night I was stuck at the 12" snow empty parking lot, I was having fun driving everywhere and I didn't know that parking lot has so much thick snow.
I was driving through the parking lot halfway and got stuck in the middle. I opened my driver door and pushed through the snow, I got outta the car and I saw my four wheels were spinning off the ground and the SVX was packed above the snow. I was thinking what to do and going to call a tow truck. Ten minutes later, due to the engine and exhaust heat, my wheels actually backed to the ground lol, I did one try and reversed outta that parking and never went in that night lol.

[kjoyes]

I have some all season 1/2 tread
today I looking in to buying some of these http://www.amazon.com/Smittybilt-130...ywords=shackle
make some what less of a pain when I getting pulled out.
when I get stuck I just realize I am stuck. I don't spin the wheels in fear of damaging the tranny or
anything..

[92 SVX]

Originally Posted by kjoyes

I have some all season 1/2 tread
today I looking in to buying some of these http://www.amazon.com/Smittybilt-130...ywords=shackle
make some what less of a pain when I getting pulled out.
when I get stuck I just realize I am stuck. I don't spin the wheels in fear of damaging the tranny or
anything..

All season tires are no good any time, well not for specific tasks, they do not do that well in snow and if they were 1/2 tread they really are not going to work.
Snow tires work well for 2 reasons, 1 they are special compound that stays soft at low temps this helps because soft compound will conform to imperfections in the ground/ice and "grip" and push off those imperfections. That is also why you do not want to drive on snow tires in warm temps, that soft compound when warm wears out very very fast because it just gets softer. Think of this hard rubber, such as all season tires, is like the hockey puck that whizzes fast on the ice there is no friction to slow it down.
And 2 the tread design is specially designed to help push through snow.

[intelisevil]

I've got some studded Nokian Hakkapeliittas for Winter driving. I can pretty much pass anything on the road.

I especially enjoy making a string of snow angels when I open the doors in deep virgin snow in an unplowed parking lot!

Not that we've had any snow like that this Winter in the Pacific North West . . . Haven't even thought about putting the studs on.

Dan

[kjoyes]

I have some yokohama YK580 that are all seasons that I had sipped. I haven't had them installed yet, sipping a tire gives you more biting edges. I would put those up to any snow tire any day. My opinion the yokohama YK-580 are the best 3 season tire available for our cars. I really need a extra set of rims mount a high performance winter tire like The Pirelli’s Winter Sottozero 3.

[wdb]

Originally Posted by 92 SVX

All season tires are no good any time, well not for specific tasks, they do not do that well in snow and if they were 1/2 tread they really are not going to work.

Amen. I learned this with my first Subie. The first year, with new tires, it was pretty darn good in snow. The following year, with half worn tires, it slid straight off the road. I thought, "What?!? This is an AWD car with 50/50 F/R distribution and a rear LSD! Why can't it turn a corner in the snow???" The reason is simple: half worn all season tires are crap in the snow. I invested in a second set of wheels and winter tires, and the car became unstoppable. Another great thing is that those winter tires work well in snow even when they are half worn.

After they get too worn though, even winter tires won't cut it in snow, and it is best to run the rest of their miles out on dry/wet roads. Bridgestone actually makes their winter tires with a dual compound just for this reason; they put a harder compound lower in the tread so that the tire will still be usable in warmer weather after the softer winter rubber wears off.

AWD (or 4WD) only really helps do one thing better on slippery surfaces - move the vehicle in a straight line. Everything else, such as turning, stopping, maintaining control, is wholly dependent on the tires.

[92 SVX]

Originally Posted by kjoyes

I have some yokohama YK580 that are all seasons that I had sipped. I haven't had them installed yet, sipping a tire gives you more biting edges. I would put those up to any snow tire any day. My opinion the yokohama YK-580 are the best 3 season tire available for our cars. I really need a extra set of rims mount a high performance winter tire like The Pirelli’s Winter Sottozero 3.

sipping really does help, however I would still take a blizzak over any all season sipped tire.

The sipping does not soften the compound which is really where the magic happens.

as in my hockey puck example the all season is still hard as a rock in the cold.

[SVX_MY_BABY]

Originally Posted by intelisevil

I've got some studded Nokian Hakkapeliittas for Winter driving. I can pretty much pass anything on the road.

I especially enjoy making a string of snow angels when I open the doors in deep virgin snow in an unploughed parking lot!

Dan

That's what I have. Only time I've been stuck in 20 years was when I accidentally headed into a driveway thinking it had been cleared. Drove right into the 5 foot bank left by the snow plough. Snow over the hood to the windshield!

[WhatIsThisIDont]

Originally Posted by SVX_MY_BABY

Drove right into the 5 foot bank left by the snow plough. Snow over the hood to the windshield!

I was lost around 3 AM one night on a back road that looked to be right out of deliverance in my Legacy. Tried to turn around using someone's driveway.

Turns out the "driveway" was a ditch in front of someones house where their mailbox was.

I beached the old girl and had the front half dangling over this ditch. Slapped it in reverse, rear diff did its thing, and I made it out on my own.

There are no words for how much I love these cars.

[1986nate]

Originally Posted by 92 SVX

sipping really does help, however I would still take a blizzak over any all season sipped tire.

The sipping does not soften the compound which is really where the magic happens.

as in my hockey puck example the all season is still hard as a rock in the cold.

Pretty much sums it up. Winter tires are designed to stay soft at low temps. Summer tires will turn into rocks below about 35 degrees and all seasons will be rocks at about 10. Regardless, the all seasons just don't have aggressive enough tread for the snow and is a huge problem.

[Tapani]

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