Miata Mailing List: January 1994, Message #172
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   From: Michael_Day_at_torsales@merisel.com
Subject: snow tires/weight in trunk
   Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 08:44:25 -0500


I have proven to myself once and for all that extra weight in the trunk hurts 
rather than helps in the snow:

Two days ago I tried for 30 minutes to get out of the driveway of my condominium
- a 30 degree S-curve with stone walls on either side.  I was about to give up 
and forget about going to work when I thought, hey, just for fun, why not take 
the 60 KGS of gravel out of the trunk, and try again.

I did, and three tries later I was on the road to work.

Hill climbs aren't everything, obviously, but the next test came that night when
I returned home 100 km in a blizzard-to-whiteout conditions on the freeway.  I 
maintained a steady 80 km/hr the whole way (vs. the usual 120-140km/hr) and had 
no problems.  My tires are Pirelli P/500 all seasons (e.g. nothing special).

Good luck out there in hell-world.



______________________________ Forward Header __________________________________
Subject: Re: snow tires
Author:  Ken Warren 
Sender: miata@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu at
Internet-Mail
Date:    94-01-17 17:13


On Mon, 17 Jan 1994, David K. Kim wrote:

> All,
> 
>   Forgive me if this has been discussed to death, but I've been off 
>   the list for a while:
> 
>   I'm in central Illinois now, driving a miata with stock tires
>   which slips a lot despite 100 lbs of sand in the trunk and [my]
>   slowly improving driving skills.

IMO, you should start by removing the sandbags. All they'll do for you is
provide something to spread under your tires when you get stuck because
you couldn't tuck the rear back in.

>   I'm thinking of getting either
>   snow tires or some all-season tires and wonder if anyone has
>   any good suggestions.  I'm on a tight budget these days, so any
>   cost-saving tips on tire shopping are welcome as well.  Should I
>   have four new tires or can I get away with putting something
>   grippier on the drive wheels alone?

Snow tires: I have Dunlop Qualifiers, 185/60R14, for light use in SE
Pennsylvania. I know folks who swear that you should get a smaller wheel
and put on narrower tires. There are things to be said for that feeling;
the narrow tires tend to cut into the snow better.

You need to get four tires, however. The only reason to put snows on only
two wheels (ride quality) hasn't held true for 20 years or so. Snows on
only two (especially the rears only) will make the car unbelievably
squirrelly. IMO, and YMMV, of course.

>   Are there any general tips on winterizing your miata?  It's my only
>   vehicle, so I can't afford to pack it away for the winter.
>   When I told a friend of mine (who owns a Fiat which is tucked away)
>   "It's my utility car", she gasped,
>   "Miata? a UTILITY car?  that's like saying 'utility girlfriend'!"
>   Oh well, I still don't know what was meant by that, it just
>   sounded funny.
> 

If you don't pack it away, you don't need to winterize. If it gets *really*
cold where you are, and you don't have a garage, there's a trick you can
use to help out your battery. About 5 minutes before you get to where
you're going, shut off your fan. When you get there, shut off your lights
as well and run the engine at about 2500 rpm for another 5 minutes. This
should leave your battery fully charged. 

--
Ken
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           Ken Warren               E-Mail: kenw@netaxs.com
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