shagsC6

There always posts about how the C6 handle's in snow but who's actually got stuck out there? What happened?

Low Rider

My wife did and she got stuck in about three inches of snow.......long story on why she was driving it so don't flame me anyway I took her our Hummer and picked up the Vette and drove it home to it's heated garage. After I got it moving it wasn't to bad if you didn't have to start, stop or turn It's not the best snow vehicle I ever had.
However one of my neighbor's wife drives a C5 as her daily driver winter and summer in all kinds of weather. Snow has to be pretty deep for her Vette to be parked. Only thing I can figure is that she must be a hell of a lot better driver than me Bottom line get yourself a nice beater if you gotta drive in the snow.

Vet

She probably puts weight over the rear wheels. If you need to take a Vette (or any other rear wheel drive performance car) out in the snow, make sure you have a full tank of fuel and lay a few cement blocks in the trunk area over the rear wheels. You'd be surprised at how much that helps. Makes a world of difference, at least in terms of rear wheel traction.

Also, if you think you're gonna try to take your Vette out in the snow, it's a really good idea to have newer tires on the car. Rear tires with 9/32" of tread depth are going to be noticeably better than the same type of tires with 3/32" of tread depth. If you like wearing your tires down to the bloody end, you may want to keep one extra set of new rear tires on rims handy for snow use... because you won't be going anywhere in the snow with near bald tires.

topelf

I've only had my C6 for a few months but I drove my 01 C5 everyday for 5 winters. In as much as 3 inches of snow and one blizzard. (wasn't predicted!) My secret was, all-weather tires. I haven't decided if I'm driving my C6 in the snow yet, but if I do, I'll get a set of all-weather tires for it also. One last warning. The vette hates ice. So, if they are predicting an ice storm, don't even try it!

shopdog

Not a good idea in a C6 coupe. If you do have an accident, those cement blocks will become missiles. If you want to carry ballast (remember the Vette already has a nearly ideal 50/50 weight distribution) then carry sacks of sand. That's less dangerous in a crash, and the sand can be useful under your wheels to get you going if you get stuck. Do be aware that the C6 has a weight limit of 100 pounds in the cargo compartment due to the thin plastic from which it is constructed. Try to place any extra weight over the frame rails.

Better than just new tires is snow tires. They're specifically designed to give better traction in ice and snow. At least get all season tires. The OEM tires are summer tires, and don't work that well in the cold and wet.

Vet

Excellent info! Thanks. I never yet had a need to add weight to my C6 for snow traction and hadn't given it too much thought. I have however added a good 100 pounds of cement blocks to the trunk of my wife's Mustang GT and other older RWD cars I've had (with enclosed trunks) for a very noticeable improvement in traction. I even once did a test... took a specific car around the block (with hills) in the snow without cement blocks, then added the blocks and tried again... it really helps, especially for cars that are light over the drive wheels to begin with. Kinda forgot there for a moment that the C6 coupe "trunk" is open to the passenger compartment... oops.

coolcat

Your 06 coupe needs a set of red brake calipers.

bjmcphee

I drove a C5 for 5 winters and this is my 3rd for my C6...

I have gotten kind of stuck once, when the people clearing our street came they just salted it and we had about 4 inches of slush, and the C6 just bogged down and wouldn't go forward... I did get it back into the garage...

Anything over 3 inches the Vette turns into a snow plough, and it does not perform well in that role.

I have also noticed that tires make a big difference with the C6. The 2nd winter was a lot worse than the 1st one... and the main difference was tire wear. I am planning on getting new tires for this winter, but am holding out for another month (hopefully!)

aseipos

I'm trying "winter performance" tires for the first time this season. In the past I've never driven the Corvette in ice or snow but this year I want the option of doing so. My solution is a second set of wheels, TPS, TPS tool, and the winter tires: Pirelli 240 SottoZero, which happen to be the only winter tire available in OEM sizes. We'll see how that works.

jmagilto

I have had the 240 SottoZero Pierelli Winter tires on order at the tire rack since the beginning of Oct. The date for availabilty of the rears (285/35VR19) kept getting pushed back and pushed back. Today it was pushed to 11/18/06.

I Spoke to Doug over at Tire Rack today and he said that they (Pirelli) may not make this season as they are having issues with the manufacture of our specific size (rear tire).

Since Pirelli are the only MFG to make the C6 stock rear size in a winter tire, this was becoming a bit of an issue. I decided to look at tires that were close in size to substitute for the stock size in the rear.

Blizzak LM-25's come in a 265/35VR19 and Pirelli 240's come in a 255/40VR19. Since going with a narrower tire in the snow is never a bad idea, this seemed like a good course of action. It's important - however - to insure that the stand height of the tire is as close as possible to the stock tires to keep speedo and odo accuracy.

In the end - I changed my order to the 255/40VR19 Pirell's in the readr intead. This tire has 27" stand height (as opposed to our Supercar F1 standheight of 26.8"). It has a 10.4" section width.

They were in stock, so I should see them this week. Like above - I have a second set of wheels, TPS Sensors, TPS tool - and now Pirelli 240 SottoZero's

I will post photos when mounted.

jer

mkiv808

It's all in the tires.

Whiterock1

The worst car I ever drove in the snow was my '85 IROC with Gatorbacks. Death. Wouldn't move on level ground. I got rid of it and bought an '87 9000 Turbo. Gutless car, quality sucked, but Saabs are great in the snow. So I bought an '88 Trans Am GTA AND a 4X4 Chevy S-10. Have had two cars ever since for commuting.

DANNOV

We drove our C4 yeararound for 10 years here in Chicago, a few years of that time on the OEM Goodyears, with the the balance on Michelin Pilot Sport All Season tires. It was impossible when the snow got over 3", because then you encountered the snowplow effect with the front spoiler. In that situation it was best to leave the car in the garage.

One basic rule that everyone should remember, is: If you are stuck in snow, you have to turn off the traction control to get to car moving.

I had one experience where I was caught by a small storm that dropped a few inches of snow, and I was parked on the roof of a parking garage. To get out of the parking lot I had to climb a ramp that had a very slight incline, but it was covered with about 2" of fresh snow.

It did not look like a problem but I soon found that it was impossible to get the car moving forward, because the traction control would kick-in and cut the engine power and I was just standing still spinning my whels. Finally, I figured the problem out, turned off the traction control, powered up the ramp and I was free. But once you are moving, don't forget to turn the traction control back on. On ice and snow the traction control is your best friend, you can feel it working as you slip and slide.

These cars are not usable in snow over a few inches deep, but on plowed roads with all season tires and traction control, they do surprisingly well. The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S was a very good winter tire as well as a great tire for the rest of the year. I have no plans to drive my C6 in the snow (a Z51 but with the standard GY EMT tires, not the Super Car tires) but I would not be afraid to tackle (very carefully) a snow packed surface.

CodyC6

Tires are the key.

Also, in another vehicle years ago, was at the office during a big snow storm. Threw two or three cases of office printer paper in the back to help with traction. Just a tip for those that work too much sometimes.

VET4LES

Check out My Corvette Photos. I took that shot parked in a motel parking lot in Flagstaff AZ. We were on our way home from the museum and the car was only three days old. I wasn't stuck but glad I made it to a save parking space.