Winter driving. HELP!

[Colby.325e]

Until I get a 2nd car, I'm stuck taking the E30 around in the snow. It's my first winter driving, and I was hoping somebody could give me any good advice for making my car drive easier, and safer in the snow.

I went out tonight to get some practice around the neighborhood, and I'm finding it extremely difficult to start from a stop. Getting traction is next to impossible. How the hell do people start on a hill in bad conditions? My tires are not anything name brand, I was trying to save money and get good tires when I get bigger rims. All four still have about 6-7 32nds of tread, though. They're "all" seasons..

Anyone got tricks up their sleeve?

I know I might get a lot of shit for asking such basic questions, but I'm just trying to keep my E30 in good shape, and not get hurt. Thanks, guys.

[Eric]

Buy real snow tires and a limited slip diff. It's no secret.

[FLG]

Yep thats basically it.

[flying_violin]

Real snow tires and (by the owner's manual recommendation) try throwing 110 lb (50 kg) into the trunk.

Regarding the limited slip diff, I could go both ways on that having driven both in slick conditions. With an open diff, if one rear wheel looses traction all the power will go to spinning that free wheel around and the opposite rear wheel (that now has negligible power to it) will attempt to use all of its available traction to keep the back end of the car behind the front end. With a limited slip diff, if one wheel breaks free, the LS part then transfers the power to the opposite wheel, which generally also breaks free and now you have both tires spinning away.

Bottom line is that with a limited slip, the back end will break free more readily, but once it has broken free the car is much more predictable and will accelerate faster because you have two wheel drive instead of one wheel drive. In my own personal experience, I prefer the predictability and acceleration of the limited slip setup over the stability of the open diff setup.

[MattTHEe30GURU]

just started to snow here in nebraska... i have all season tires only started to spin once.

[ltz Viper]

You could always add weight to the trunk like a bag of sand, helps when getting traction on starts

[dashboardmonkey]

Slow the hell down and don't drive like a douche.

[IAmGary]

I've never driven my e30 in the snow, but tread depth is pretty important regardless of what you're driving: you may need new tires. As others have stated a little weight in the trunk can help.

In really poor conditions you usually let the car begin rolling on it's own before applying any throttle, then slowly apply throttle being careful not to break traction (spinning your wheels). If you get stuck you can sometimes pump the gas to get some rocking motion going and try to break free but that's probably easier in an automatic.

Also, just in case you aren't already doing this: always do all of your gear shifting and braking before going into a corner, then proceed through the turn with your foot off the clutch and neutral throttle or a little (controlled) acceleration. If you let out the clutch or switch from braking to accelerating you'll probably start to skid.

[Nsquared97]

TIRES TIRES TIRES!! All seasons are crap in the snow, plain and simple. Get yourself some decent snow tires (plenty available that are very cheap in bottlecap size.)

Practicing in a parking lot isn't a bad idea, just be smart about it.

For getting going, and really anytime your driving, smoothness is key. Let the clutch out slow, feed gas as needed just to get you rolling. You could possibly try launching in 2nd to make it a bit easier to not induce wheelspin.

LSD's are fun, but as mentioned when the rear end breaks free with one, it seems to snap a bit more than an open diff. It'f just fine if your used to it, but it did catch me off guard a little the first time I had it happen.

Other than that, drive slow, use your head, give people plenty of room, and assume everyone else is out to kill you (seriously). Drive defensive as hell. For me it's everyone else on the road I'm worried about, that soccer mom sipping her latte in her suburban most likely doesn't know shit about car control, nor realize she is piloting a 2.5 ton projectile.

[Vivek]

Stuff I learned from my dad who drove an e21, an e30, and a 944 in Chicago and Michigan for years: good tires are absolutely a must, so you're gonna have to fork up the cash. You can't do it in all-seasons and especially not in summer tires. Go slower than everyone else because you have a pretty hefty disadvantage to start with. Throw some weight in the trunk like others have said and take the corners easy like Gary noted. Good luck :)!

[Colby.325e]

I guess I was being pretty ignorant thinking budget all seasons would be fine. Like I said, I've never driven in the snow, so I underestimated how bad it really gets. I'll start by heading to home depot or something and getting some weight in the back, and ill keep taking laps around the neighborhood and getting used to everything. I appreciate the answers. Thanks Gary for the tips, and violin for explaining open diff vs. LSD.

[Colby.325e]

TIRES TIRES TIRES!! All seasons are crap in the snow, plain and simple. Get yourself some decent snow tires (plenty available that are very cheap in bottlecap size.)

Practicing in a parking lot isn't a bad idea, just be smart about it.

For getting going, and really anytime your driving, smoothness is key. Let the clutch out slow, feed gas as needed just to get you rolling. You could possibly try launching in 2nd to make it a bit easier to not induce wheelspin.

LSD's are fun, but as mentioned when the rear end breaks free with one, it seems to snap a bit more than an open diff. It'f just fine if your used to it, but it did catch me off guard a little the first time I had it happen.

Other than that, drive slow, use your head, give people plenty of room, and assume everyone else is out to kill you (seriously). Drive defensive as hell. For me it's everyone else on the road I'm worried about, that soccer mom sipping her latte in her suburban most likely doesn't know shit about car control, nor realize she is piloting a 2.5 ton projectile.

At first, I was trying to.start in first. I got stuck a few times. I started launching in second, and its like night and day. Much smoother takeoff. Good advice. Thank you.

[Nsquared97]

I guess I was being pretty ignorant thinking budget all seasons would be fine. Like I said, I've never driven in the snow, so I underestimated how bad it really gets.

Don't feel bad, I made the exact same mistake when I started driving. Turned out to be a very expensive one too, but that's another story.

If you have the cash for snow tires, there's multiple sets that work great for less than $400. I currently run these, have had them on 3 different cars and love them:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=General&tireModel=Altimax+Arctic&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=87QR4AMAXA&tab=Sizes

Also I have heard good things about the firestone winterforce:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Firestone&tireModel=Winterforce&partnum=87SR4FWF&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

Weight in the back will definitely help, but I had no need for it at all last year, and TurboJake can verify they get a ton of snow up there (ranked one of the 10 snowiest cities in the US). Bags of sand/quikrete work great for weight if you do decide to do that. Just make sure the quikrete doesn't get opened and wet, or your going to have one hell of a mess on your hands lol.

[Colby.325e]

Do you run studs, or Nah?

[maniacmatt]

Ditto what everyone else has said about good winter tires. They are a must for winter driving. I have nokian hakkapallita's and love them. As someone who has shopped for a few sets of winter tires, get the best tires you can afford. Cheap winters will be better than all seasons but a good quality winter tire will really make the difference.

As for driving tips in winter weather. As has already been said take your time and leave yourself lots of room. Also not sure if it has been said in this thread yet or not but look WAAAAYYY ahead of you. Keeping your eyes down the road is especially important in winter weather. With traction limited by weather you really have to anticipate rather than react.