NSX + Snow = Fun?

Joined
7 December 2001
Messages
49
Location
Philly, PA
I live out in the Philly, PA suburbs (Doylestown actually), and I know Snowboarding season is down right now because of the warm weather, but I am wondering how many of you actually have drivin you car in the snow. My BMW sucked in the snow big time, (regardless of the salt and stones they throw on the road which I would be wary of) I am wondering how the NSX would handle in the snow. I am thinking with the wieght and wide body that it would handle quite well. I just want to maybe take it out and powerslide in some parking lot and maybe take some cool pictures really..but I'm just looking for some other opinions on anyone who has tackled the winter with their car...this will be the first winter with mine...
Dan


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'91 BLK/BLK
"SLAKJAW"
 
High-performance tires do not work well at all in cold temperatures. If you plan to drive your NSX in the winter, you'll definitely want to put winter tires on it.

And don't take it out when the snow is deep, or you're liable not to make it.
 
Heh, Yeah I did put winter tires on it..just in case my other car has winter issues....so I thought of that ahead...I also hear if you store your car..you have to look out for flat spots on the tires...what do you guys do in this case?


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'91 BLK/BLK
"SLAKJAW"
 
what are you crazy?

You can't be serious. I had to move my car once when there was a light snow and I can tell you it was like being on ice. There was absolutely no control, no steering... the car just went straight ahead, regardless of which way you turned. You are foolish if you take your car out in the snow...doesn't matter what tires you have... all that matters it that your dealing with a car tha is definately not designed to deal with what you are talking about. YMO.


[This message has been edited by jag (edited 09 December 2001).]
 
I would not even think of driving your car in the snow either to risky even if you have snow tires. As for storing the car and trying to prevent flat spots I bought a large rubber Matt out of a guys long box F-150 and laid it down in the garage. Then I went to Home Depot and bought a large piece of foam backed carpet and laid it over that and I just park the car on that during the winter months. Of all the cars I had I never had a problem with tires becoming flat spotted.

Steven 91 Blk/Ivory
 
I've stored my NSX in my concrete-floor garage for periods of 3-6 months for each of the past eleven winters. The tires don't flat spot permanently. They feel a little rough when first starting out, but by the time I'm down the street, they're smooth and round again. This is not a concern at all.
 
I can't believe that someone would actually consider doing this to an NSX! I get more amazed every day.......
smile.gif
 
In addition to the fact that I would never risk my NSX in winter driving, I really like the way I can cut my NSX insurance down to almost nothing in the winter months by suspending all the coverages except comprehensive.
 
That's for sure Ken.

Steven 91 Blk/Ivory
 
Slack,

Hi there neighbor! Southampton here.

I have to agree with the others here. No way would I drive my NSX in snow. And that's for a number of reasons...

1. A mid-engine car has a low polar moment of inertia. That means it's easy to turn because the weight's centrally located. It's like the difference between twisting a bowling ball vs a barbell. In snow or slippery conditions this means the car will spin very easily. Too easily. Just review the accidents here that people have had. A surprising number of them happened when road conditions were slippery or wet.

2. In our area they salt the roads by the ton. Although the NSX is coated and painted very well, I don't want to subject an aluminum bodied car to that kind of abuse.

3. Finally, I wouldn't want to risk my car to the whims of other bozos out there on the road who don't know how to drive in poor weather or take too many chances because they have 4WD and think they're unstoppable.

If you want to have fun in the snow, buy a snowmobile. With all these risks and concerns, I could never have fun like this.

Keep in touch. Maybe us NSX locals in Bucks County can all go to some of the local shows come the spring time.

-Jim

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1992 NSX Red/Blk 5 spd #0330
1991 NSX Blk/Blk Auto #3070 (Sold)
1974 Vette 454 4 spd Wht/Blk
Looking for 76-79 Honda Accords
 
surprise, surprise, I'm the detractor.

The past two winters I've kept mine as a daily driver, although I have a beater for when the likelihood of significant snow is high. Still, I've been caught out n the snow a number of times and it was manageable. I was running the OEM tires which are bad, but not nearly as bad as the over-sized tires many people run.

Having the engine over the driven wheels is what makes it better than cars like the 300ZX TT, and the limited slip, TCS and ABS help enough to get by. I haven't driven in more than about 2 inches, but I managed both highway and secondary roads. I've had 510s that were less manageable but had to drive them because it was all I had.

If you are experienced in the snow, then look for a time with minimal traffic and give it a try, carefully.
 
heh heh...I had figured I would have gotten all the responses I did about that...I'm not really planning on driving it in the winter, I just wanted to take it out maybe once during a light snow in a parking lot (500ft away from my place), just to see how it handles..and maybe give my ABS system a good workout, of course when I know there are minimal cars on the road... and just have a little fun... you know...just to say I did.... not like I was going to attach a plow to my front spoiler to try and make some extra money....
wink.gif
Those of you in the Warm climate US..... you don't know what you're missing here.....HEY DO THEY SELL A SNOWBOARD RACK FOR THE NSX? heh heh..kidding... happy cruzin'!

and yeah Jim, whenever your ready to tear up Bucks county..I'll be here.

-Dan


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'91 BLK/BLK
"SLAKJAW"
 
The wider your tires, the less control you have. They "ski" over the snow instead of digging in. High performance tires also stink in the snow.

I've driven in a few inches of snow with my regular Z-rated tires and it was not enjoyable at all IMO, mostly because of the other traffic on the road blowing past me. If I had the road to myself it might have been more fun, but the rear of the car was jumping all over the place even when it was pointed in a straight line because one side would get traction briefly and push the rear sideways, then the other side would grip some and push it back the other way. Pretty nerve-wracking actually, especially with all the other traffic blowing past at much higher speeds since their cars are fine in that kind of snow.

Also, if you activate ABS/TCS enough, the system will shut down because it thinks there is a problem. Then you are kind of in a bad situation because you have to try and modulate the throttle and brakes yourself with almost no traction and you can't get ABS/TCS back until you can shut the ignition off and re-start the car.

And TCS/ABS aren't magic - they are still subject to the laws of physics. No matter how much TCS tries, you simply cannot drive the car up a hill if there is not enough traction for the amount of incline.

If you could magically transport it to a big open parking lot, it would be fun to slide around, but it would probably not be terribly fun to get there and back.

I'm told it does pretty well if you put winter tires on it such as Pirelli 210. A few people drive theirs year round in the northeast with winter tires. If you only drive on really dry snow it might be a little better too, since that isn't as slick as wet snow/ice.

In short, I got caught in unexpected snow a couple times back when I drove my NSX a lot more frequently. Now I don't even drive my NSX when I think it might rain, which is probably really good now that I have even wider tires, than when I got caught in the snow.
 
High performance tires also stink in the snow.

They also stink when temperatures are frigid, even when the pavement is dry. This is something many people do not realize. High performance tires are designed for an optimal operating temperature range of maybe 50 degrees F or higher (10 degrees C) and won't do well when the pavement is very cold. This is why winter tires are important - they're designed not just for snow and ice, but also for much lower operating temperatures.
 
yes i too have gotten caught in a snow-storm.I started on rt 380 in Pa at~35` with so2 215f 265r and spun without snow.It then came down hard and i white knuckled it with tcs on for 20 miles on acompletly snow covered road 1-3 inches.at the 380 /80 mearge the temp rose and conditions improved. at one point i slowed to 5-10mph and started to slide sideways off the road.I think the car would do pretty well with a winter tire,though.
 
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