The "Sonic in the snow" MASTER thread

[mitdr774]

we got a little bit of snow over the weekend. Hard to tell due to being dark, but I plowed the driveway a little.

 

[ahtoxa]

I don't miss the snow one bit since I've moved out of Chicago a couple years ago. I like it for a day and then it needs to be gone and back in the 60s.

 

[Beastlick]

Couple meetings got cancelled this past weekend due to the snow so I snuck in a boarding trip to seize the day. Blizzaks make this car drive like a tank in the snow. Definitely recommend for anyone looking for a snow tire!

 

[sx sonic]

Ok you did answer it but I didn't understand what u were saying at first. Is it alright if I didn't hear any noise?


2012 chevy sonic

Yea, the wording wasn't the best.

If you were accelerating up the hill and it was slick, then the tires were probably spinning. This will cause the traction control (TC) to activate and limit wheelspin. After a second or 2 the TC light will come on or flash (idr which) indicateing the front tires are spinning. It's the symbol that looks like a car fishtailing, and it will disappear when the tires stop spinning

RPMs also appear to be limited while the tires are spinning, and engine power is temporarily reduced, to gain traction.

Note: TC doesn't seem to work at very low speeds or 1st gear. Also you may hear the same noise as ABS. I usually drive with my ABS fuse pulled but even when I put it in I disable Traction and Stability Control (STM) since they drive me crazy. So I'm not exactly sure what all happens when TC comes on. Once the TC light comes on I let off the gas and turn it off.

I know stability Control will make the ABS noise and light come on if the back end slides out, and to me it feels like someone thru out in anchor in the snow lol. You can actually feel individual wheels braking (ABS) trying to straighten the car out. Once the cars under control the light will go out.


Does this sound like what happened to you?


Edit: There are 4 lights related to Traction Control, Stability Control, and ABS. All will light up right after you turn on the ignition as a indicator bulb test, so you can see where they're at.
-ABS light, this only comes on if a fault is detected
-Traction Control light, this comes on when TC is disabled after you hit the button by the cup holders. It looks like a tire with TC inside of it.
-STM light, this comes on after holding the TC button for 10 secs, indicating It's disabled. I believe it says STM and is right next to the TC light.
-TRACTION light. This is the one I was talking about earlier. It comes on when one or more tires loses traction and starts spinning, it'll go away when traction is regained. Looks like a car leaving fishtail marks.

 

[Chevy2012sonic]

Yea, the wording wasn't the best.



If you were accelerating up the hill and it was slick, then the tires were probably spinning. This will cause the traction control (TC) to activate and limit wheelspin. After a second or 2 the TC light will come on or flash (idr which) indicateing the front tires are spinning. It's the symbol that looks like a car fishtailing, and it will disappear when the tires stop spinning



RPMs also appear to be limited while the tires are spinning, and engine power is temporarily reduced, to gain traction.



Note: TC doesn't seem to work at very low speeds or 1st gear. Also you may hear the same noise as ABS. I usually drive with my ABS fuse pulled but even when I put it in I disable Traction and Stability Control (STM) since they drive me crazy. So I'm not exactly sure what all happens when TC comes on. Once the TC light comes on I let off the gas and turn it off.



I know stability Control will make the ABS noise and light come on if the back end slides out, and to me it feels like someone thru out in anchor in the snow lol. You can actually feel individual wheels braking (ABS) trying to straighten the car out. Once the cars under control the light will go out.





Does this sound like what happened to you?





Edit: There are 4 lights related to Traction Control, Stability Control, and ABS. All will light up right after you turn on the ignition as a indicator bulb test, so you can see where they're at.

-ABS light, this only comes on if a fault is detected

-Traction Control light, this comes on when TC is disabled after you hit the button by the cup holders. It looks like a tire with TC inside of it.

-STM light, this comes on after holding the TC button for 10 secs, indicating It's disabled. I believe it says STM and is right next to the TC light.

-TRACTION light. This is the one I was talking about earlier. It comes on when one or more tires loses traction and starts spinning, it'll go away when traction is regained. Looks like a car leaving fishtail marks.

No you no when u pull the fuse the brake and abs light comes on. That's exactly what happened. You no when the tc flashed it dies down the motor? It did the total opposite.


2012 chevy sonic

 

[sx sonic]

Hmm that sounds like you had a fault in the system. If it only happened once it was probably a fluke.

 

[attrapereves]

I don't miss the snow one bit since I've moved out of Chicago a couple years ago. I like it for a day and then it needs to be gone and back in the 60s.

I like snow, but only if I don't have to drive in it.

 

[svzuki]

After the first snow fall this season I realized how bad the AS's on the wife's car is. I am getting Blizzak's installed on Saturday. Just in time for the next snow fall.

 

[pounamu]

Like many people here, I was hoping to get away with the stock tires this winter. We got about 6 inches last week in the Boston area, and with the streets plowed in a timely fashion, the stock tires did decently (a bit of ice and snow on the roads, but I'm a super careful winter driver, so it was ok). Then we were hit with a storm that turned out a lot worse than anyone thought, so no one was prepared and the roads were not plowed for the evening commute. It took me 3.5 hours to cover the 11 miles home. I saw some accidents along the way, but I was chugging along ok in the Sonic for the first hour and a half. Then, I hit a part of the road that wasn't plowed at all and went uphill. Got stuck the first time, some good samaritan pushed me up the hill. Went fine, up another hill, then a car stopped dead in front of me and I had to break, and after that it was no go. By then there was about 6 inches on the road. The tires were spinning like crazy. Thank goodness some people helped me, AGAIN. Saw other cars (a taxi cab and an SUV, believe it or not) get stuck 20 feet in front of me. So I didn't feel THAT bad, but still.

Also: absolutely had to turn off traction control, because I could barely move with it yanking my chain every few minutes. ABS brakes chimed in a lot, too. The car did slide around some, and a few times I thought I'd end up in the incoming lane but thankfully I didn't. I'd say the sliding was definitely there but controllable (you just have to be careful and not make any sudden movements ) I also drove in the manual auto mode, switching between 1 and 2 and I felt the car getting more "grippy".

I followed Ahtoxa's advice and got a set of Altima HPs. They are all weathers that are rated really good in the snow and ice. Ideally I would have gone for the blizzaks, but I have nowhere to store winters tires. So, here's hoping the Altimas are good enough for our Boston winters.

Ultimately, you can "get away" with the stock tires if you get just a bit of snow and ice and are super careful. If you plan on doing a lot of highway driving in ice and snow, or going uphill at ANY point with more than 3 inches on the ground, I honestly can't see how you can get away with the stock tires. Not only is it unsafe, I just can't imagine how it can be done, in a car like the Sonic. At the end of the day, good tires are an investment that can save your life, so imho they're a no-brainer.

 

[savegejon123]

I waited at the bottom of my hill while we towed my dads Soul out of the ditch haha

 

[savegejon123]

All shined up and salt and snow free. We'll see for how long.

 

[Rattlebox]

I went through last winter and the first months of this winter up here in northern NY with the stock tires. A thoroughly terrible experience. Got stuck on several occasions, and this year was unable to get up a gradual curving hill road that led to my workplace. Fortunately a nearby truck who was plowing the parking lot saw me and took pity, plowing a path down the hill through the 1 to 2 inches of snow so I could make it up. Coming to stops at intersections was something I came to dread. Not so much the braking a bit further ahead of time so I don't slide through the stop, that's just common sense. But knowing that with even a tiny bit of snow on the road, it will take me a frustrating amount of time to actually get the car moving again, as it crawls ever so slowly forward trying to find traction.

So, I finally bit the bullet today and went for some new tires. Chose the Michelin Defenders, which were pricey but had a 70 dollar manufacturers coupon. And of course, the weather warmed up a bit and the snow and ice on the road melted off. I find myself perversely hoping it snows soon so I can see how they handle.

 

[bowlfan912]

Epic fail with 4 inches of snow, I still have the factory tires but I couldnt get up any hills. Gonna have to get some winter tires i guess.

 

[cndctrdj]

Slushy snow is the worst with stock tires. The tc and Sc kill this car. The abs hits too early because the tires get no traction at all. It's ok if you have to drive but plan your route and be easy.

 

[Rattlebox]

So, it snowed over the past few days, not a lot but enough to see how the Defenders handle the road compared to my old stock tires. Waaaay better. I get traction coming out of stops much easier and they feel like a better ride. Hopefully they handle deeper snows better than the stock tires as well.

 

[Swordsmith]

Slushy snow is the worst with stock tires. The tc and Sc kill this car. The abs hits too early because the tires get no traction at all. It's ok if you have to drive but plan your route and be easy.

If you live somewhere with more than rare snow, and you don't have a job where you never have to drive in it, get tires. They don't have to be snow tires, good all seasons will help a lot (snows will help more, but be annoying the rest of the time) and you'll be glad you have them anytime it rains anyway.

But even if you can't afford tires, TC and SC don't have to be your enemy. There's a button right behind your shifter that turns them off for you; TC with a press, SC with a press and hold.

If you want ABS off, you have to kill the whole ABS SC TC system, and honestly I think ABS does make you safer, even if ours is a bit aggressive. Anyway, if you want it dead for snow driving, just pop the hood, open the fuse box, and pull the ABS fuse.

 

[TheFallenAngel12]

New Tires Installed in Summer, Great Winter Driving Now...

Just wanted to write a little bit here to discuss how my sonic is doing now that i have ditched the Horrible Stock Tires for a nice set of Expensive All-Season Tires to improve the drivability of the car in winter weather.

Had a Nasty Snow and Wind Storm Roll into town around 1am and has been hitting us hard since and hasnt let up yet. Been driving around in this crap weather all day in my Sonic and I gotta say with the new tires and the horendous roads and snow drifts galore The Fallen has been Amazing in this weather!! Can you say Mini-Plow lol. With the Traction Control off, easy gas pushing and not rushing, the new tires have made a WORLD of Difference for this car. :banana:

So much better this year. I have the BridgeStone Turanza Serenity Plus (Grand Touring All-Season) Low Rolling Resistance, Blackwall, 205/55R16 (23Lb's/tire) Installed on my Sonic Sedan with 16"x7.5 MODA MD15 5x105 Rims (Weight: 18.2lbs.), (offset: 40mm), (Backspacing: 5.82"). Amazing combo and has made my sonic enjoyable this winter. Very happy with how it handled the weather today!

 

[cndctrdj]

If you live somewhere with more than rare snow, and you don't have a job where you never have to drive in it, get tires. They don't have to be snow tires, good all seasons will help a lot (snows will help more, but be annoying the rest of the time) and you'll be glad you have them anytime it rains anyway.

But even if you can't afford tires, TC and SC don't have to be your enemy. There's a button right behind your shifter that turns them off for you; TC with a press, SC with a press and hold.

If you want ABS off, you have to kill the whole ABS SC TC system, and honestly I think ABS does make you safer, even if ours is a bit aggressive. Anyway, if you want it dead for snow driving, just pop the hood, open the fuse box, and pull the ABS fuse.

the storm that is hitting the northeast right now, i live dead in the part that is getting it the worst. and work tomorrow i have to drive along its route through the worst section. haha its gonna suck.

the tc and sc systems dont shut off when you hit the buton or hold it down. i would actually like to just make the sc shut off and make the tc and abs less active.

 

[Blue hedgehog]

If you press the button on the right in pic 1 it will turn off the traction control and light up a symbol like pic #2. If you hold the button for 3-4 sec it will turn off stability control lighting symbol in pic #3

 

[Blue hedgehog]

Can't figure out how to post more than 1 pic per post. Sorry.