Hey guys, just wanted to share my first snow drive experience on my rx8. Today it started snowing at like 11pm and by about 2am there was about an inch and a half of snow on the roads. I couldn't resist myself (I just installed some dunlop SP winter sport 3d's yesterday and hadn't had a chance to try them out) so I went out for a drive.....

Went into an EMPTY parking lot and started fooling around. btw this is really a good way to get a feel for the car's handling characteristics. This was my first time driving in snow and also the first time doing stunt driving in a rwd car. I must say this is really a easy car to handle. It was A LOT of fun just tail sliding and holding the tail out after every turn. At first I was simply scouting the lot, doing some drift turns, slowly making my way into more complicated stuff. But really this car is so easy to handle that after about 5 min of fooling around I was doing donuts around a tree (only tree in there) and completely owning the lot . after I left the lot I was wayyyy more confident with my 8. I even felt safer driving without DTC than with it just because without it I feel I'm in control and I know exactly how the car is going to react. I really recommend going out to test your 8 on the snow and getting a feel for it in a safe environment if you haven't done so already. Happy driving!

PS: It should be mentioned (for anybody wanting to do this kinda thing) that it was only after I entered the empty lot that I turned the traction control off. If you haven't driven your 8 to the limit in snow in a safe space and you don't know how the car reacts to throttle/steering input when its snowy then DON't turn your DTC off. If you do, don't expect your abs or snow tires to save you....

 

good post! Definitely good advice on how to learn your driving handling skills in the snow! If it wasn't for the salt on our Canadian streets, I would have my 8 out all year round
aww man... Now I gotta go look at pictures of my 8...

 

same here. Im driving a rusty old wrangler now.

 

Yeah I hate the salt, it makes everything rusty and dirty. that´s why I decided to drive it just now because the snow is fresh, no salt on it. Literally the only tire marks on the road are mine. it funny when you look at the ones in the parking lot, you just see lines leading up to circles that loop around stuff like a tree and then that one leads to one around a curb and then that one leads to one around some piece of wood etc, and none of them are straight. Its like art Too bad they also lead straight to where my car is parked...... hahahahah

Honestly though. Its worth waiting for that perfect night when the snow is fresh and just the right amount and just going out for a drive in an empty lot and once you get good you can even go to some remote roads and have some fun. If you have an 8 and you haven't done this I recommend you do it at least once. You can really appreciate what a good handling car this is when you start throwing it around in the snow. Its a lot of fun. Always remember to that safety comes first tho!!!! don't just go out into the street and start experimenting. Go to a safe place where there are no people/cars and take it one step at a time. Start by just getting a feel of what happens when you lock the brakes, then learn how to control wheel spin (in a straight line) and then slowly start doing it while you turn etc etc. the key is to take baby steps. oh and one other thing: do not get cocky, it might cost you.

 

Sounds fun and like others, that's what my truck is for. My 8 looked like an ice box today when I left for work.

 

+100000 i did that after a good snow fall of about 1 foot. And boy let me tell you. It was sooo fun, and you definitely get a feel of how the car reacts in certain situations .

 

yea all fun until a cop comes into the parking lot.
how can you get out of saying you were feeling the car?

 

it depends, I was always keeping an eye out for cops (btw this parking lot is literally surrounded by buildings so its hard for a cop to just spot you). If you are just letting the tail out at low speed while you do like a 90º turn, then stop, drive around the parking lot for a sec (time to watch for cops) and then repeat. In that case if the cop see's you you can explain and he'll probably be cool about it. I would say I though it was safer for me to practice snow driving (first time for me) with my car in a lonely parking lot where I don't bother/endanger anyone instead of not being sure how my car might react to snow and actually being on a busy street where people can get hurt. I would even ask for some tips from the cop hahahaha.

If he sees you doing stunt driving like donuts around stuff, drifting at high speeds (relatively speaking), spinning out, redlining and just being stupid then I really don't know what you could say to the guy to explain yourself. you are basically screwed. Also, try being quite. I rarely had to go above 5k rpm to drift the car. It really doesn't take that much. so don't redline it because it sounds "tokyo drift-y"

 

I'm glad you're enjoying your 8 in snow! But driving in snow without DTC? Yeah, you're in more control, but the DTC has better control in snow than you ever will. For fun in the parking lot, though, what the hell.

 

I tested the DTC in the parking lot too to see its capabilities. I found that in fresh snow it has no better control of the car than what you can have. I felt it was actually worst because when the car was spinning out it did its thing but the car was already in a slide by the time it kicked in and it only made the slide uncontrollable and left the car sideways. Without it if I was starting to spin out I could just apply some opposite lock, feather the throttle a little and bring it back straight waaaaaaayyyy beter than what the DTC could achieve under those circumstances.

Its a whole other story where the roads are icy. Today the parking lot had been plowed and it was a bit icy so I tried doing stuff with DTC off to see how it behaved in those conditions....... tried bringing the tail out and before I knew it I was facing the opposite way and I had stalled it. wtf... started it back up, turned DTC on and didn't turn it off again hahahahha. this is why you should always try new stuff in a safe spot. moral of this story is : UNLESS THE SNOW IS FRESH AND THERE IS NO ICE YOU SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE DTC ON. I'M NOT BY ANY MEANS RECOMMENDING YOU DRIVE WITH THE DTC OFF. When I'm dealing with fresh snow I prefer to drive without DTC. THAT'S JUST ME.


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Yeah snow driving in about 2 inches or so is quite fun, but last weekend before I sold it it snowed about 6 inches, and trust me, getting moving is a real bitch when you need to, but driving is a blast once you get going as long as you keep it safe.

 

Good man, RZ! DTC on or off, if everyone got a feel for their car – any car – in snow and ice beforehand like you did, we'd all be better off.

 

Snow=Scary *****.

 

correction:

snow = fun
ice = scary sh**

 

I'll save the snow driving for my Grand Cherokee.