First drive on snow/ice

[speedog]

First drive (commute) on snow/ice - several centimeters of the fresh white stuff at -7C made for a one hour commute on my 32km route this AM.. Streets were deadly icy where the salters/sanders hadn't been yet as the fresh snow was compacting to something akin to puppy **** making for a ton of accidents.

My Sonic handled it all very well - as well as any other FWD vehicle I've driven, scariest part was keeping an eye out for the other idiots who were still driving like it was summer. Almost got rear ended by some young punk in an older Honda who at the last moment did some evasive actions and combined with a canted lane, he popped quite hard over the 8 inch curb behind me - better for him to wreck a couple of rims/tires and suspension pieces than busting up my new Sonic.

 

[tehdrumr]

This is the only reason keeping me from buying a new car right as winter is starting. I know that I can handle snow and ice on the road but I don't want a brand new car on the road with all the idiots in Cincinnati and northern KY who can't control their vehicles in bad weather...

 

[speedog]

Winter is going to happen at some point if you live where the white stuff visits and as such, that new car will still be relatively new at some point when winter comes. Been driving 35+ years and have had only one winter accident which wasn't my fault and that was over 30 years ago - trick is to know your routes and make changes as need be to avoid known trouble spots. Drive smart, leave lots of room, learn what neutral is all about especially for automatics and disable traction control at the appropriate times.

 

[speedog]

Typical of Calgary's commute this morning and this with only 2cm or so of snow on the ground. Conditions were perfect for multiple accidents with falling temperatures over night and fresh snow and many drivers forgetting how to drive in winter conditions. Note that this is normally a 100kph freeway with many doing 115-125kph.

Also, not my video - this was filmed this morning by a member of another car enthusiast forum I am a member of.

 

[Sonic]

People that drive like it's still summer make me mad!

 

[speedog]

141 reported accidents as of 10:00AM here in Calgary - realistically, there's probably been 200+ already if not more. Not bad I suppose for a city of 1.1 million for the season's first snowfall.

 

[Sonic]

Hopefully no Sonic casualties!

 

[piro216]

Nope I think you're still alive

 

[RockTheShazbot]

Whenever I get my sonic and it snows I'm planning on taking it to an empty lot to see what it takes to slide and learn how to control it. My celica did pretty good once I got it going, my awd legacy sucked but there was no traction control in that car. The sonic will be the first car I have with traction control

 

[speedog]

Count is now at 300+ accidents and residential areas are stillcrazy icy. Sonic handled well on the sliipery stuff - as well as any traction controlled vehicle I've driven, but on sheer ice in a corner the traction control is still of no help when all wheels have no purchase. I suppose the best experience I can relate in a vehicle with stabilty control would have been in my 08 HHR when rounding a curve on a freeway and the back end stepped out on some black ice - the stability control did it's thing and had the vehicle righted quicker than I could react, it was quite amazing actually and one quickly realizes that one can go into a dry corner/ramp faster than one might usualy do and the stability control will adjust accordingly.

Disabling the tracion control (and stabilty control as a result) is something I've only done in winter conditions where one might get stuck and for most drivers, they'll have gotten themselves in too deep before realizing that disabling the traction control might have been able to help them. That is assuming of course that the driver is even aware of what that button does and what stability and traction controls are - most drivers will just motor along blissfully unaware of what the vehicle is doing for them at times.

 

[LorbeerTLC]

15" & 16" All Season Tires. 17" Performance Tires

I saw an interesting on-line brochure at the Chevrolet site. It said the 15" (LS) and 16" (LT) wheels have "All Season" tires while the 17" (LTZ) has "Performance" tires.

Since the owner's manual does not recommend chains on the Sonic (regardless what size wheels you have), I'm going to purchase a set of Snow Wheels and use Studded Winter Tires when my Sonic LTZ Hatch arrives in December. There's nothing like studs on ice (except for chains, but that's out), especially if you encounter black ice at night. The studless tires are great in mud & snow, but when it comes to ice, I'll take studded, hands down!
I've even asked about using cables on the Sonic & GM said, "No."
That eliminated any other options for me.

 

[SonicLTZ]

I saw an interesting on-line brochure at the Chevrolet site. It said the 15" (LS) and 16" (LT) wheels have "All Season" tires while the 17" (LTZ) has "Performance" tires.

I believe the LTZ is equipped with the following tire based on this article;

Hankook Ventus V4 ES H105
"All-season, high-performance"
205/50RZ17 (93W)

I personally will be getting a set of 15" steelies and Michelin X-Ice tires.

 

[Fit4Sonic]

I believe the LTZ is equipped with the following tire based on this article;

Hankook Ventus V4 ES H105
"All-season, high-performance"
205/50RZ17 (93W)

I personally will be getting a set of 15" winter wheels (steelies) and Michelin X-Ice tires.

If not actual "winter tires," get some Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires. Check their ratings/reviews at Tire Rack... one of the best snow/ice ratings of any "All-Season" tire. Up there almost with actual winter tires.

They look good too!

 

[speedog]

First Sonic on snow - maybe.

Handled quite well with stock tires, went up snow covered paved hills quite well, heated mirrors are great. Will get to see how good it is in cooler weather as we are headed for -16C on Saturday with snow tonight, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. At current temperatures, am very satisfied by the amount of heat this Sonic produces - air coming out of vents is almost too hot for one's hands.

 

[Sonic]

That picture makes me cold!

 

[speedog]

Nah, it was still sweatshirt over a T-shirt weather, -3C (26.6F). This Saturday night at -16C (3F) is a bit cooler, maybe almost cold enough for the winter coat.

 

[speedog]

Of note, the tires do kick up an incredible amount of snow - kind of surprised me to look in the mirrors and see that much snow being thrown up and about from both the front and rear tires.

 

[Rand0m0sityxX]

I'm glad the white stuff doesn't visit me!

Love the pic of the Sonic in the snow!

 

[pawntec]

I saw an interesting on-line brochure at the Chevrolet site. It said the 15" (LS) and 16" (LT) wheels have "All Season" tires while the 17" (LTZ) has "Performance" tires.

Since the owner's manual does not recommend chains on the Sonic (regardless what size wheels you have), I'm going to purchase a set of Snow Wheels and use Studded Winter Tires when my Sonic LTZ Hatch arrives in December. There's nothing like studs on ice (except for chains, but that's out), especially if you encounter black ice at night. The studless tires are great in mud & snow, but when it comes to ice, I'll take studded, hands down!
I've even asked about using cables on the Sonic & GM said, "No."
That eliminated any other options for me.

idk what kind of studless tires you've been using but they'll do better on any winter condition then pretty much any studded tires......the only time i see fit that studs do better is if your parked on a hill it'll grab the sheet ice better in a stationary position then studless tires but in motion studless all the way like a pair of x-ice's i've been using for the past 4 years and this year i've moved over to a pair of studded tires(nokia's - not high end since i got them free used from a bmw) this year and they just don't handle/grab as well as my Michelin x-ice's hands down.

p.s. oh and low pro's winter tire anything suck compared to some winter tires that are at less 60 series and above

 

[pawntec]

Of note, the tires do kick up an incredible amount of snow - kind of surprised me to look in the mirrors and see that much snow being thrown up and about from both the front and rear tires.

yeah a good pair of winter tires are very grabby so they'll do that