Hey everyone

I have only owned my 04 WRX for a few months so I havnt experienced a winter with her yet, so was just wondering how they coped last year in the bad Snow and extreme temperatures?

Last year I had to invest in a set of snow chains for my Sky van and may get another set for the scooby before the winter kicks in and they all sell out!

 

There good in the snow ,but you need to understand how the car reacts as it's 4wd so when it starts to go it tends to snake. The best advice I can give you is to get yourself to a car park covered in snow and learn how the car reacts while sliding around with and without power etc.

Thats how I learned to power slide and feel a lot more confident driving in the snow now.
Plus you should try the wet grip day at Rockingham will teach you a lot about how the car reacts in wet/snowy conditions.

 

i think wheel size and tires play a big part ? but my 02 wrx was really good
obviously if you go to fast or turn to sharp in any car , your gonna slide ! but i was in an empty car park driving like colin mcrae with great control

 

Tyres are everything, Bridgestone Re050's are OEM on the hawk and are truly shocking in the snow. A decent set of winter tyres are essential to make the most out of the Scoob.

 

Subaru ABS tends to be pretty useless in the snow.

 

I was in the marines previously and did a 6 month tour in Norway so I was lucky enough to do all the relevant driving courses out there that are compulsory to drive on their roads which was as you can imagine, very fun!

In the real world I don't want to be deliberately performing powerslides etc especially whilst having my little son in the back so just need to know if the car can cope well in them type of conditions

 

Any reccomendations? Also does anyone know the legality of having studded tyres on UK roads? I've heard it's a big no no

 

You really need some good snow tyres or atleast cold weather ones, best to look on the tyre sites for winter tyres

Tony

 

A winter tyre second set can work out expensive, so shop around, early.
2010 test http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article...-Tyre-Test.htm

Studded tyres are technically not illegal, but become illegal if you damage the road surface, same as snow chains. so not really suitable for uk as roads are never permanently covered by snow / ice.

 

I agree with Tony, get some snow tyres and you will not have any dramas, i have lived in germany for the last 6 years and it has become a legal requirement over there if you live there but it does help when the weather gets bad, however it is expensive.

 

As already said - snow tyres (you don't need studded ones) will ensure you have no problems at all.

In saying that - I managed last winter in jockland with no issues - 4wd won't help your cornering ability, and the ABS can be a bit enthusiastic so you have to be realistic..... but I never suffered for traction and we had some deep stuff. This was on fairly fresh Goodyear GSD3's - very much a summer tyre (albeit with 6mm tread remaining). The only issue was being stuck behind other cars scrabbling for traction.

I thought about a set of snow tyres but it was such a hoot being able to drift everywhere I chose not to. :-D

 

No problems in the snow last year, to be honest I loved it

 

Getting the impreza to move is easy, getting it to stop gracefully.......

 

Very true, depends on how realistic you are in the conditions

 

Plus 1 for winter tyres; superb in wet and slush as well. Your other set lasts longer and you know that you can travel just about anywhere in control and safety in winter. Got Nokians wr g2 last year sept for £ 83 a corner; hardly worn after 5 months. Check mytyres or pneus online for daily price changes; prices rise as cold weather approaches.

 

Studs are not allowed in the UK.

Ideally you need a st of proper winter tyres.

Winter tyres have more silicone so they operate at low temperaures and lots of sipes to clear water off ice to grip it better.

Winter tyres should be as high profile and as narrow as possible.

Vredesteins are excellent.

Get in early as stocks run out very quickly if there is sudden snowfall.

 

+1

What people need to differentiate here is snow tires and winter tires are two different things.

 

Just to clear things up, Studs ARE allowed in the UK, they are NOT illegal, there is no law or act preventing their use.

They are just completely non-viable as they would be illegal to use on non-covered roads, exactly the same rule as snow chains, so you'd have to carry a spare set of wheels in case you encountered a section of tarmac that was not snow or ice covered.

 

I had no problem in the snow last year, got some Falkens. Long as you drive as careful as you would in a "normal" car, you will be fine and will probably be overtaking people as they struggle - especially BMW drivers PMSL. They just make me laff in the snow.

 

Wide wheels and low profiles are terrible in the snow. Getting it to go sideways and drifting around roundabout is easy but getting it to stop on a downwards incline is a nightmare.



You might be better off getting a set of 16", or even 15" wheels if they fit, with some narrow tyres.

 

This is how good Subaru's are in the snow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcHNQXB-EqQ

As said above. Getting going is no problem stopping can be
I live out in the "sticks" and the Scoob was the only car to use. All front
wheel drives were left at home. I was playing taxi service

 

i can smell that clutch burning through my laptop lol

good work tho

 

As the car is four wheel drive it has potential to perform very well. In my experience, in normal trim these cars have the ability to accelerate very well. Unfortunatelt the ABS brakes, particularly on Classics, is a big disappointment.
Snow tyres are not really an option in the UK as we do not get enough snow for long enough as a rule.
Fitting a set of winter tyre however can transform the car in difficult conditions. Until you try a set of winter tyres in appropriate conditions you will not appreciate the difference it will make. I have used Cooper Weathermaster, Vredestein and Nokian M+S all to good effect in the right conditions and the transformation to the vehicle is remarkable.
A word of warning. If you wait until a serious bad weather you will find supply of these tyres is restricted and prices will have shot up.

 

Had to use mine in the snow last year as my other car couldnt cope and i live in the middle of nowhere down miles of country roads, it was amazing! Coped with every hill etc i chucked at it and even really deep snow and the ice it barely slipped at all, and i was on budget tyres at the time. By far the best car ive ever driven in the snow, although i worried too much about someone hitting me so didnt get to really enjoy it. My dads legacy was blinding too

 

Thats awesome!!!!

 

well i felt different about mine in the winter.
dont for one minute think because its 4wd its like a landrover etc.
i found when pulling off it was better than a 2wd for obvious reasons, but on extreme snow or ice the car would just pull sideways, i would think this is due to having very wide tyres as i have an sti.
it is better than a 2wd car but is nowhere near a proper landrover like 4wd.
steering is no different to a front wheel drive and braking was the same.
also due to having a splitter i created an sti snow plough.
i would say its slightly better than the astra i also own but only when it comes to pulling off on inclines other than that its not better in any other areas and in some ways worse.
i.e. tail sliding although proper use of the throttle avoids this but its still an added hazard which is not present in a front wheel drive.

 

Cheers for all the feedback and advise guys!

 

i have got some snow tyres on my scoob. I have not used them in the snow but they are ****e in the wet, the back end will just randomly let go even at normal slow speeds.

 

It's gods way of telling you that you've got snow tyres on......... iN THE SUMMER you plum


The tyres are overheating because you're using them way outside their temperature range.

 

the 70s are prob worse again then i found them a handful, winter tyres on a spare set of wheels are priceless when its bad, best time to buy is probably around now as well