Is a RWD car practical in the northeast?

[siliconrex]

Northeast as in NY, VT, MS, etc.

I told my brother that I wanted a RWD car like a 240sx and he strongly opposed it, mainly saying that it's extremely tough to drive in slippery conditions and the roads are terrible in NYC (there are a lot of potholes right now). I said I didn't want torque steer and that RWD cars are supposed to be more enjoyable to drive. He said that torque steer is only a minor annoyance that occurs when FWD cars try to accelerate too fast on slippery ground and that a tight suspension in a sporty car will not make for an enjoyable ride in crappy NYC roads. I'm curious about what parts he said is right, whether any New Yorkers/other people living in the region with sporty RWD cars have any thoughts they'd like to share regarding this and ultimately what kind of drivetrain I should be looking for in a car. Thanks a lot

[Guest lalosoke]

During winter use winter tires. Typically you would use FWD in any state/area in the world that snows because most vehicles have their engine in the front of the car - which helps give the tires traction because of the weight of the engine; thus the odds of getting stuck is slim.. If you have RWD you'll most likely get stuck in areas where snow is thick. To prevent this, use winter tires; some people would also recommend putting a few weights in your trunk, but i dont find this necessary since winter tires will suffice.

but to answer your question. No. Unless you'd put the effort and change tires every winter then you'd be better off with FWD

[Guest 90th.degree]

Even with winter tires, a 240's rear end may be too light to grip the snow, so a weight (bag of rice, kitty litter, logs, etc) would probably be necessary for Northeastern winters. I drove a RWD Toyota Cressida in Pacific winters and got through fine on all-seasons, but then again, it gets nowhere near as cold here, and my car was 3300 lbs. and fairly weight balanced (something like 54/46)

[Guest charat]

lol... i own a 240sx. i've taken it to lake tahoe in blizzard conditions for a snow trip before. all i had were a set of used winter tires. HOnestly, the trip was way more enjoyable than my civic with similar tires. i could control the car better. int he civic the back end would step out, and since i have no way of controlling the back end, it just slid around while the front end plowed ahead. with the 240 i could better control the back end. the 240 does sit lower than a few cars though so i don't know about the pot hole problem.

it really shouldn't matter as long as you are a safe driver and keep up with maintenance on your cars. FWD and RWD all have their pros and cons. it depends on the driver.

[Guest Laxntiga]

I drove a Miata which had Tokico Illumina's w/ Flyn' Miata springs, had about a 2" drop all around in the winter fine, even with 1' of snow on the ground (snow was higher than my clearance btw)

The ride was just soft enough to daily drive, but firm enough to chuck into corners. I live in North Jersey and travel to NY maybe 3? 4? 5? times a month. I also drive down to PA 1-2 times a month, and all around NJ.

Yeah, NY has some serious pot holes, but so does Jersey. In the Miata, the goal was to drive AROUND them. If I hit them... yeah I would have probably pwned my suspension, but it's not like its a beaten dirt path road.

You should be fine with a nice set of winter tires and a bag of rice/huge bag of salt anything heavy in the trunk if you have a rwd car in the N. East. If you have salt, if you get stuck, you can salt the area infront of and behind your wheels when u try to get yourself out =)

What are the chances you are driving around in a full onslaught blizzard with a foot of snow already on the ground?

Most people try not to drive when it snows...

My recommendation - IF YOU:

Drive around in 1' snow 3+ days a week = I recommend a AWD truck/SUV w/ snow tires.

Drive around in snow under 6" 3+ days a week = I recommend a AWD Sedan/SUV w/ snow tires.

Anything else... FWD or RWD doesn't matter.Get 2 sets of wheels! I suggest a set of winter wheels + winter tires and a nice light set w/ sticky rubbers for the summer. You could splurge and get a third set with all seasons for the spring and fall too lol. Tires really make a difference.

[Guest fuufuu]

i have pretty decent winters on my BMW right now, but when the snow is fresh i cant accelerate normally or turn... just gotta know how your car drives. If you want, throw 2 bags a sand in the trunk, which i haven't tried yet, hasn't been bad enough here in Toronto...which is also filled with potholes. Roads are plowed pretty quick too in the city. So RWD in a city isnt that bad.

[Guest ParkGhiJoon]

Listen to your brother.

RWD takes a lot of practice to drive safely and understand how it works.

You won't be able to drive on snow unless you get smaller rims and of course winter tires.

Even then driving is still tough, especially because of the black ice we get here in New Jersey/New York City.

Cars I've owned:  92' 240sx, 95' 300zx TT, 94' MR2 Turbo, 03' 350z and 06' G35S

I currently have a 09' 370z and luckily from my driving experience I can get by. One time driving locally I started to get sideways on ice on a mainroad in my town. lol, this was right infront of the main bus stop and everyone waiting saw me sliding rofl.

It was indeed epic and awesome but a cop was there and saw the whole thing. He let me go once he saw that I had High Performance Summer tires but gave me a warning. Since then I have bought some 18's and wrapped them around some BLizzaks and I've been good. I do have a daily driver but on nice days( no snow on the roads or salt) I unleash my beastly Z.

Can't wait for the spring season!

Oh and RWD is not practical.

btw if you can try to get your hands on a S14!

Those are dopeeee!

btw I have a friend selling his 04 G35 only year to come with brembo's.

I think he wants around 17.

Low mileage too.

[Guest 90th.degree]

Oh and RWD is not practical.

WAWAWAWAWAWAWA! RWD not practical?! Volvo 740/940 wagons bro. Yeah it's a wagon, but if it can haul a full load of tires, groceries, dead hookers, etc. it works.

+1 on S14's, better if it's the kouki.

[OMGHIyori2U]

Torque steer on a fwd car is only when the car has too much power (think MS3). Anything under 200hp and torque steer should be minimal to nonexistent.

Also, like others recommend, if u get a rwd car, best to have 2 sets of wheels and tires. Winter wheels and tires you'll want a smaller and skinnier profile.

Or if you're still stuck, just get an awd car. But even then, best to get some winter tires, no matter what the drivetrain when it comes to medium to heavy snow and to drive carefully.

[Guest j.k]

i got owned by the snow. get some winter/all seasons and throw some weights in the trunk. as long as you dont slam the car you'll be good. although i have been looking at sti's lately....

[OMGHIyori2U]

although i have been looking at sti's lately....

I thought u love your s2000

[Guest sr20_onelove_det]

+1 on S14's, better if it's the kouki.

S13 coupe with kouki s14 front end and s14 wing, origin tails and roof wing

you will most likely never experience full out torque steer unless you drive it hard at the track. Torque steer is not a result of driving on slippery surfaces, that's called "sliding" lol.... torque steer is when your front drive wheels are pretty much trying to "pull" straight as you are trying to turn at high speed. You feel this in the steering and may be described as it trying to rip itself from your hands.

Winter beating an S chassis isn't as hard as you think. The stock ride is train height and with good winters you will get through almost anything. Everyone drives their RWD cars (bimmers, 240sx beaters, G35/37s, 350's, whatever) here regarless if its slick outside (i should take a picture out my window, it's "blizzarding" outside at the moment. Just to be safe, i probably wouldn't drive out after the first day of a storm. Let everything get packed down first lol. But then again you're in NYC and i can't imagine it  being as bad as it is here.

You just have to be a conscious driver and know how to react appropriately. Example: some guy was stuck at the bottom of my hill in his truck. He proceeds to slam his throttle to try and dig out. My buddy's car is right beside him and proceeds to drive on first gear at 5km/h and crawls away laughing at that idiot and makes it up our 25-30 degree incline in a RWD fully stripped MK2 supra.

other than that, we like to snow drift out here :'D

[Guest 90th.degree]

We love snow drifting out here in Vancouver too, two opportunities passed by, but both were melted by snow in under 3 days. One of the guys in my auto tech class has a S13 with nearly bald rear tires, and ends up sliding to school lol.

Oh and my choice of S13: Hatchback with the full JDM 180SX OEM Kouki kit!

[Guest charat]

Also, like others recommend, if u get a rwd car, best to have 2 sets of wheels and tires. Winter wheels and tires you'll want a smaller and skinnier profile.

you mean larger and wider? more surface area=more points of contact=more traction...

[Guest 90th.degree]

Narrower tires actually cut into the snow since the contact patch is more centralized. Wider tires increase forward grip, but not lateral.

[Guest lalosoke]

We love snow drifting out here in Vancouver too, two opportunities passed by, but both were melted by snow in under 3 days. One of the guys in my auto tech class has a S13 with nearly bald rear tires, and ends up sliding to school lol.

Oh and my choice of S13: Hatchback with the full JDM 180SX OEM Kouki kit!

bmw with f20c jdm is always good.

can never go wrong with either bmw or honda

i can imagine a civic driving up to the bmw f20c with mouths open as the bmw pass the civic by with vtec lol

[Guest 90th.degree]

F20C swaps are only worth it in the AE86...IMO it's sacrilege in a BMW. At least a 1JZ swap maintains 6-cylinders.

[Guest lalosoke]

F20C swaps are only worth it in the AE86...IMO it's sacrilege in a BMW. At least a 1JZ swap maintains 6-cylinders.

I'd swap one in a trueno if i find one in very good condition. but yes you're right. I jst happen to see a video of dk driing a bmw f20c. Not to mention knowing someone who has done the same

[OMGHIyori2U]

you mean larger and wider? more surface area=more points of contact=more traction...

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7467302_narrower-tires-better-snow_.html

EHow.com

Are Narrower Tires Better in Snow?

By Shelby Golding, eHow Contributor

updated: December 9, 2010

Narrow tires increase winter driving safety.

According to Curt Rich, author of "Drive to Survive," the best way to drive safely in snowy conditions is not driving at all. However, driving in snow is unavoidable for many. The type of tires on a car makes a great difference on how it handles in the snow. Tire thickness in particular plays a major role in car handling during the winter.

Narrow Tires

Narrow tires act similar to a knife cutting through butter when driving in snowy conditions. The thin surface allows the tires to dig right through the snow to get as close to the ground as possible. According to John C. Dixon, author of "Tires, Suspension and Handling," this allows tread on the tires to take hold and provide the best traction.

Wide Tires

Wide tires act similar to snowshoes during winter driving. The wide surface floats on top of the snow rather than cutting through. This means that the tread on the tires often never has a chance to dig into the snow and take hold for optimum traction.

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http://www.consumersearch.com/snow-tires/all-season-or-snow-tires

From ConsumerSearch.com:

Plus-sizing is a popular practice for summer tires; plus-sizing means choosing a larger wheel size and corresponding tire than originally specified for your vehicle. For example, if your car specifies a wheel size of 16 inches, increasing wheel size by one inch would result in a 17-inch wheel, or a "plus one" for your vehicle. The tire you buy will then need to have a shorter sidewall and wider tread to accommodate the same load and tire diameter.

Although many drivers are doing this for cosmetic reasons -- a larger wheel and wider tire has a sportier look -- reviews say plus-sizing is a bad idea for winter tires. That's because wider tires must carve a wider path through snow, which means more resistance and drag. Instead, experts recommend using a narrow winter tire. Narrower tires can more easily cut a path through snow and slush. You can "minus-size" your original tire size by selecting a more narrow tread and smaller wheel size. This can also save you some money, since narrower tires and smaller wheels are usually cheaper than wider tires with larger wheels.

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http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=126

From TireRack.com:

Priorities for Sizing Winter Tires Are Different

Does your sports car, coupe or sedan use wide, low profile tires that are mounted on large diameter wheels? Or does your light truck use large flotation-sized tires? If you're going to drive through lots of snow this year you'll want your winter tires and wheels in sizes that help put the laws of physics on your side.

A wide, low profile or large tire has to "plow" a wide path through snow which causes more resistance. The narrower the tire, the easier you can get through snow.

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http://www.motortrend.com/womt/112_9903_tire_myths_and_reality/index.html

From MotorTrend:

Myth: Wide tires provide better traction under all weather conditions. In fact, putting oversize snow tires on a car delivers better snow traction.

Fact: The opposite is actually true. Wide tires tend to "float" on deep snow, and the tread lugs never have a chance to "dig" through to the road surface to gain traction. Narrow tires are a better option in deep snow. The tire acts similarly to a knife cutting through butter; the blade works best when using the narrow edge to push through the butter rather than the wide flat side of the blade.