Miata Mailing List: August 1992, Message #7
sponsored by



     


   From: (none)
Subject: Re:  Winter Driving
   Date: (none)

>Date: 	Tue, 4 Aug 1992 15:17:43 -0400
>From: stortek!Steve_Grossman@csn.org
>To: miata@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu
>Subject: Winter Driving
>
>   I've just moved to Colorado from Texas, and I'm now faced with the
>prospect of driving my miata in the snow, or trading it on a nice 4x4.
>I'm interested in hearing wintertime driving experiences from folks who
>have done it.  I'm mostly concerned with things like handling, traction,
>and what happens when (or if) you plow snow up into the mouth.  Do you
>use snow tires?  Studded or regular?  How are the cold starts?  Any
>comments would be appreciated.
>


My experience with driving a Miata in the snow has generally
been unsatisfactory. I drive in NJ, so I use the factory
installed tires that came with package A (1989) + hard top.

Before moving down to NJ I drove for 4 years in Rochester, NY
in a 1981 Mazda GLC, so I reckon I am an experienced driver in
snowy conditions!

Here are three bad experiences:

(1) Refused to go uphill on slippery conditions: kept skidding.
	Slope was nominal (typical NJ rolling meadows kind of road
	in the Princeton area, also near Rutgers U.)

	In the past I have driven my GLC up a hill in Rochester to go
	bob sledding (read, far worse conditions; my friend would not
	take his front wheel drive Pontiac Grand Am for fear of
	getting stuck!)

(2) Full 180 on a highway (rt. 78 near the rt. 287 intersection)
	when I hit an icy patch, driving 35 miles an hour. Note that
	three other cars had also done the full 180 on the same patch,
	so I would not be too harsh on the Miata:  nevertheless the
	worst skid that I ever got into in my GLC had me bumping
	into the pavement and it happened because I braked a little too
	hard.

(3) Got snowed in when a snow plow cleared our complex parking
	lot in 6-8 inches fall situation. I used to street park in
	Rochester and in the Univ. of Rochester parking lots and
	did not have to do much clearing.


In general I find that handling becomes tricky even in moderately
slippery conditions. The combo of a light car with rear wheel drive
makes it real difficult. I have not tried studded tires because it does
not snow enough in NJ to justify it.

Starting is generally OK (although I could not say how bad it would
be in sub-zero conditions.)