derogate Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Sorry but someone has to do it... Summer WILL end... and snow will soon be apon many of us. And for me, that raises a question. Its going to be my first winter with my 95 SE, and i'm curiouse. Its a little sketchy on dry pavement when im not paying attention and or speeding... How are they in snowy or ice conditions? Reason i ask is because, I have an old 89 tempo sitting in my back yard that needs about 300 dollars of work to make it driveable... a perfect winter beater... it still has NEW snowies on it even... If i fix it, i can decommision the pathy and get the tranny fixed while im at it... but if the pathy's handle ok on snow I dont want the hassel or the cost... and i'll just run the pathy till she drops the tran, and fix the car and the truck at once. well lemme know guys! thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animal Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 2wd or 4wd? I have rarely needed to go in to 4wd in the snow, but it is nice to know that it's there. The weight has pros and cons. On the upside, with decent rubber, you should have plenty of traction. The downside is that you need to watch the speed, particulary when going in to a turn. Though I would recommend using the Pathy in the snow, I'd hate to hear of anyone droping a trans in the middle of winter - in the middle of no where. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derogate Posted August 17, 2005 Author Share Posted August 17, 2005 (edited) Its mostly a Daily driver, so in the winter i wouldn't be in the middle of nowhere. and im not worrying about the "get going" type of traction typically associated with using 4wd... im talking about the sliding out of control when you try to stop type of traction. lol. Its got 4 wheel discs, but no abs, so im a little sketched out of driving in the snow, trying to slow down for a corner im used to takeing in my car or something. I'm a pretty young inexperienced driver. I've Only had my licence for 2.5 years... hehe, lets just say the local fence posts get nervouse when the snow hits. hehe I've pummeled two of em so far... very minimal damage cause i was going pretty slow, but still. that kinda stuff scars you a bit. Edited August 17, 2005 by derogate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelmanLS1 Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 In the South, we usually don't get much snow. We get ice instead. Ice is way more dangerous than snow and I cannot get out of my neighborhood in 2WD when the roads are iced over. When I give it the slightest gas and have the wheel cocked a little to the left it'll spit the rear end out. It can be fun in empty parking lots, but VERY dangerous on the road with other cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLApathy Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 sucks for you guys, in florida we have dry cold amd its like 20 to 30 degrees here in the moring then like back up to 90, the heat index here for the next few days is 105, pretty low Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 get some good tires and SLOW DOWN. pathys take longer to stop on snow than most other cars. Be especially careful when driving after fresh snowfall with above freezing temps; there's usually a layer of slush underneath the fresh snow on the road. I almost lost mine to the ditch in the same conditions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iLLlegal Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 I hit a tree going around a corner last yr..its all fixed now I had no collision but i had a few connection in total I payed 150bucks my autobody shop quoted me 1100....anyhoo ya as skrilla said drive slowly..I learnt the hard way...and put some sandbags in the back of the path and it should be fine...I use 4WD only when I feel the backend slipping out from behind me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 Let me get this straight. You're thinking of PARKING a 4wd truck in favor of a... Tempo?! Sorry, of the Tempo's I've driven, that wouldn't even be a question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 Nonono, FWD beater cars are GREAT winter drivers. That way you can hit snow banks and curbs and stuff and it doesn't matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headpeace Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 Ive driven mine in plenty of snow and never had a problem, I think its more up to the driver and your tires as to what fences could get knocked down , but follow skillas advice, u gotta go slow and allow plenty of room to stop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 I love mine in the snow. First, there are few places I get stuck since I throw her in 4WD and have at it. Also, they pathy is a rear wheel drive (in 2WD mode). Lot less control on icy roads (that's what 4WD is for) but it's a lot of fun cutting the rear end loose around corners and in parkling lots. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE and don't get eh 'mall mom' mentality that a 4WD is indestructable. They WILL slide and crash if you puch it too hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 if the roads are REALLY slippery, I sometimes let some air out of the tires to get some more grip. This is when siped treads really come in handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M in KC Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 What the others have all said before. Have good tread, slow down, allow more stopping distance, take a couple of pounds of air out, sand bags, etc. I have been in the snow belt all my life, so I have had plenty of opportunites to hone my winter driving skills. I've driven my '91 in the snow from the word GO. Purchased it in Dec. of '91 in Nebraska and drove it to my home in Minnesota. Over the years I've only managed to get it stuck once in snow and it was my own fault. Joy riding with my bro, and wife at 3 AM on some unfamiliar country backarsewards roads I managed to slide her off into a ditch. I had snow pushed up to bug wacker on the hood and over the external spare in the back. No I'm not exagerating. It was snowing like a banshee. Other than that episode I have never had a bad experience in inclement weather with my 'finder. I used to drive 60 minutes (in ideal conditions) to work one way and I never missed a day due to weather or the capabilites of my ride. I worked with others how were whims and lived in town and couldn't make to work even though they had less than a 10 minute drive. I have even gone and picked up co-worker in my 'finder when they called in and said they couldn't get in. Pansies. Sure it may have taken me 4 or 5 hours once or twice to get home but I made her home, in one piece and my ride in one piece. Bottom line, drive within you and your equipments capabilities and all will be good. Don't split a 12 pack of bug squeezer light with your brother, while replacing a head gasket on Slant Six in a '79 Dodge Aspen. 3:00 AM rolls around and it's snowing like *ell wouldn't have it and think "... this would be a great time to go wheelin'..." Oh BTW we missed torquing one head bolt and the motor was trash shortly there after from a warped head and the ingestion of antifreeze. But that's another story or another time. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derogate Posted August 18, 2005 Author Share Posted August 18, 2005 Nonono, FWD beater cars are GREAT winter drivers. That way you can hit snow banks and curbs and stuff and it doesn't matter. Bingo. the old tempo already has a big arse fence post, two or three ditches (on purpose) and a nice underbelly snow scrub/wash to her name. the old thing just keeps on going... CV joint is dead on driverside though so thats all i need to fix. i Put canadain tire Nordic Ice Traks on it, and it stick like glue.... im not kidding.. i was going placed my buddies with 4wd (rear lockers) and 33+" AT's couldn't go. ony thing stopping me was the clearance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iLLlegal Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Its your choice man..but IMO I like driving a pathfinder more than a tempo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animal Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Consider this: You are out in the snow, 12" on the ground and it's still comming down hard. Out of no where steps a (deer, elk, moose - your choice). You step on the brakes, but they do little. Impact is inevitable. Your best efforts fail and the beast has taken its last breath. You get on the cell to call your wife or best friend to tell them ... In the temp: I need some help! I'm stranded. In the pathy: I need some help! Fire up the grill. The choice is yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 ... In the temp: I need some help! I'm stranded. In the pathy: I need some help! Fire up the grill. The choice is yours. HAHAHA...Priceless. I alternate between living in the Southeast (Virginia) and Western New York Snow Belt (Rochester). I've got Mud-Terrains on my Pathfinder, and let me tell you, they're actually very good in soft snow and somewhat packed snow. Ice is a WHOLE NOTHER STORY THOUGH...They are simply HORRIFYING, and I will occasionally go ICE RACING in my buddies 2.5RS Impreza. Each winter, I go out to a big open empty parking lot at like 1:30 AM when the first substantial snowfall hits and do donuts for like an hour to get my snow-legs. It really helps to learn how the truck acts in the snow and gives you an idea of how you should react and how you should drive. And, it's LOADs of fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Let me get this straight. You're thinking of PARKING a 4wd truck in favor of a... Tempo?! Sorry, of the Tempo's I've driven, that wouldn't even be a question. LOL.. that's kind of what i thought... when i lived in the sticks nothing else would move in the winter.. since you think you can do ok with the tempo, lol, you'll really sh!t a brick when you put the pathy in 4hi and go.. not sure what you mean by "it's a bit sketchy on dry pavement." Listen to K9sar.. Practice, Practice, Practice!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derogate Posted August 18, 2005 Author Share Posted August 18, 2005 hmm i still can't decide. if it where a matter of just snow i know it'd be the pathy. But, its going to be mostly slush here where i live (occasional black ice too), but for the trips to kelowna and back i have to make a 400km hike over the rockies. And there is usually ZERO fresh snow or even slush up there. Its usually either bare, or Super compact snow/ice... or a mixutre of the two. I have bridgestone dueler AT's on my pathy, and i dont really wanna fork over the money for new snowies... the duelers are at 85+ % tread left anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Posted August 26, 2005 Share Posted August 26, 2005 I know my FWD Nissan Bluebird was great in the snow! But I would definitely take my Pathy over any of our other vehicles in the snow. If you have no problem with banging up the tempo, and you want to keep the undercarriage of the Pathy clean.. then use the Tempo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
br2an Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 Sell the tempo (for scrap if necessary) and buy new tires. You say the crappy tire ice traks make the tempo "stick like glue". Well, a similar type tire (siped, soft rubber compound, winter and ice designation) will make your Pathfinder stick too. I have winter duellers on mine and I hardly ever use 4 wheel drive. My only worry about stopping is the guy behind me not being able to. note: Find a set of used rims to put the winters on and then you can change them yourself each fall/spring to save money. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Sell the tempo (for scrap if necessary) and buy new tires... Find a set of used rims. Sell the Tempo, and maybe you could afford a set of used rims. Although a winter demo-derby beater could be fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derogate Posted August 29, 2005 Author Share Posted August 29, 2005 its already settled for this year. after much debate and consideration of your input, i WIll be driving the tempo for the months of december and january. The two snowiest/saltiest, and the same months I enroll back into school for my trade. Income gets slow and the gas milage and insruance cuts will help very much. PLus i wont be working so I dont need the extra trunk space!.... Then at the end of it, the poor thing will finally meet its maker in what ever fun way I can think up... and sell it and its tires (worth more than the car currently) for funds to go towards a nice set of tires or a lift for the pathy... hmm it all makes sense now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveWA Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 As much as I loved the Colorado mountains growing up there I am enjoying the snow free Aussie lifestyle now. -alcohol- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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