Winter driving comments G8 GT

[norm8332]

I haven't been on for awhile, real busy at work.

But I thought I'd post my experiences so far with driving my G8 in a so far heavy Buffalo, NY area winter. I'm sure most of this has been said.

First, the good:

The car has a noticeable power pickup in the cold. Makes for a bit more fun.

Starts right up no problem in the single digits.

Overly warm heated seats are good after all.


Now the bad:

The Goodyear RSAs are total garbage. Even when super light on the gas there is no traction whatsoever in even light snow.

The front end acts as a plow in deep snow slowing the car (nearly got stuck a couple times) and getting Dinged to hell.

Air dam under front cracked and broken from hitting other car's wheel well ice chunks on the thruway.




I made the decision to drive it all year and damage is to be expected. I have somethings to repair after winter.

I love the extra power it has when its cold. I gotta mod it more so it is always that way. When its cold I can just punch it and I'm smokin the tires, no brakes needed.

Have a good one....

:cheers::cheers::drunk::drunk:

[AttorneyGuy]

I used to complain about those ASS OVENS that they installed for heated seats, but I gotta tell you...on these cold winter mornings, I'm not complaining anymore!

[Slizzo]

Now the bad:

The Goodyear RSAs are total garbage. Even when super light on the gas there is no traction whatsoever in even light snow.

I agree with most points here except this one.


Now I don't live as far north as you, but here in the Hartford area of CT I've had not one issue with getting around in the past few snow storms. I drive with my brain and not my foot, and I haven't had the car get any more out of shape than any other car I've owned.


It's been quite a few years since I've owned a RWD car, and this is the first one I've owned with quite a bit of power (owned a 520i when I lived in Germany) and even with all that power I do just fine in this winter weather.



And I have no experience with plowing roads. Don't drive in 4inches of snow; it's a stupid thing to do... :nah:

[jnak]

We've had really weird weather here this year. It's snowed a lot more than usual, and the snow has actually stuck around. We usually get some snow, then it melts, then we get more snow. Our city has done a shit job of moving the snow so I've had the snow plow experience more than a few times. Makes me cringe when I hear the snow hitting the front of the car.

The RS-As are shit. Get winter tires if you expect to do anything more than mild winter driving. I got Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3s, they cost me an arm, a leg and a testicle but they were well worth it.

[norm8332]

One more, I do miss my heated outside mirrors Big time.

[Chooch]

RS-A's are good for having your wife heckle you as you sit in a driveway with tires spinning in snow. Only reason I went with them from factory was I could not deal with the 140 Treadwear for the Potenza's, and hoped they would have some traction.

[confused2much]

I put winter rims and tires on mine so I dont have too many problems. Actually it drives better than most of the fwd cars I have owned in the winter. I can relate to the front of the car acting as a plow though. Oh well.

[-Ray-]

RS-A's are good for having your wife heckle you as you sit in a driveway with tires spinning in snow. Only reason I went with them from factory was I could not deal with the 140 Treadwear for the Potenza's, and hoped they would have some traction.

I have 17k miles on my summer only's. Didn't rotate them though.

[norm8332]

I just broke down and ordered some 245/45R18 Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25s and these cheap wheels + sensors. http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&initialPartNumber=CD880512042BSATML&wheelMake=Sport+Edition&wheelModel=CD&wheelFinish=Bright+Satin+w%2FMachined+Lip&showRear=no&autoMake=Pontiac&autoModel=G8+GT&autoYear=2008&autoModClar=&filterSize=18&filterFinish=All&filterSpecial=true&filterBrand=All&filterNew=All&sort=Price

I hope it helps.

[99-LS1-SS]

One more, I do miss my heated outside mirrors Big time.

It's funny the options you miss when you loose them. Heated mirrors are nice.

[Vertical]

I'm curious as to how much your driving style has to change. I'm a Florida native and I've only ever seen snow once on a trip to Canada when I was a kid. How well/poorly do all season tires ride in the snow?

I ask b/c I graduate soon and I may be looking for a job pretty far up north.

[Chewy]

I'm curious as to how much your driving style has to change. I'm a Florida native and I've only ever seen snow once on a trip to Canada when I was a kid. How well/poorly do all season tires ride in the snow?

I ask b/c I graduate soon and I may be looking for a job pretty far up north.

Braking A LOT sooner than you would normally and using throttle control when accelerating. When it's snowy and icy you want to stay off the throttle and keep the speeds low in the turns.

Basically don't drive like an idiot and you'll have a better chance of not getting in an accident. I like driving in the snow most of the time as long as it's in town. ICE and SNOW on a highway when you're trying to get somewhere sucks. I drove from here to Alexandria MN (8 hours) one day about 8 years ago in my truck. I got about 5 miles away from my house, had to lock the truck in 4 wheel drive and drove the entire way up there in it. THAT sucks! It was like a blizzard and I drove RIGHT into it. :spank: The snowmobiling was worth it though! :woohoo:

[norm8332]

One final update.

I put on the tires I mentioned above and the difference is massive!

I can actually accelerate pretty briskly now and stopping is 100 times better.

It totally confirms to me that the RSAs are garbage.

BTW, The RSAs were about 50% gone with only 8500 miles!

If you keep the RSAs I think you can make it, but now I have some of the fun back.

[EcoBrick Bob]

Any driver who's never driven in snow/ice needs to ride with someone else first. Daughter just punted a new Iowa driver from FLA who got sideways in front of her at 55mph. Girl was lucky because if Heidi hadn't spun her she would have hit a wall at that speed.

Anyone try the Potenza's in snow/ice??? Know the BFG a/s on my GTO are scary on snow/ice, even with traction control.

I have 11K on mine 19's and they show very little wear. Was going to rotate when I installed new wheels yesterday, but installer recommended keeping fronts on front.

[jnak]

Anyone try the Potenza's in snow/ice??? Know the BFG a/s on my GTO are scary on snow/ice, even with traction control.


The Potenzas are summer only tire. There is a guy on G8board who claims to be running them in the winter.

[Chewy]

The Potenzas are summer only tire. There is a guy on G8board who claims to be running them in the winter.

He's a jack in the box too! :wacko:

[jnak]

Yeah he threw a tantrum when everyone told him he was an idiot.

[foreosu]

Haha, I'm just waiting for the "well crap, I put the G8 in the ditch" post to come up from him. He claims its all about the driver, but there are some things you can't control!

[Chewy]

Haha, I'm just waiting for the "well crap, I put the G8 in the ditch" post to come up from him. He claims its all about the driver, but there are some things you can't control!

Sorry! He's an idiot!

If a car slides through the intersection and you are tooling towards him with only a small amount of time to stop or swerve you better have some tires on the car that can perform. He probably only pulls it out and back into his garage. lol

[Chooch]

Ha I remember that, as we all know, tires provide traction, not the driver. And if the tires provide zero traction, even Michael Schumacher aint gonna cut it as a driver. I have RS-A's and pretty much have concluded not to drive in snow. Need to get dedicated winters. For the remainder of this year, since I can work at home due to what I do for a living, if it snows, boot up the laptop and vpn in to the office. Next year will go dedicated tires and rims or use my stock rims for snows and get a 19 or 20 inch summer only set up. Not sure yet but that is the plan.

[Chewy]

My drive to work!

This car is unbelievable in the snow! I shit you not!

Chris

[foreosu]

Nothing says safe winter driving like a 400hp+ RWD car while taking cell phone pictures!!

:nah:, haha just messin with ya. Cool pics! That looks like some pretty decent snow and for the G8 to make it around ok is impressive.

I'm going to try and make it through this winter without having to drive my car in the snow often (currently car pooling with the wifey in her G6 with isn't exactly great in the snow, but definitely better than my G8 with all seasons.

Next winter will definitely see some dedicated snow tires on my G8 (actually hoping to buy someone's 19" wheels/tires and use those as my summer tires and use my 18" wheels as winter wheels and just buy some Blizzaks).

[Chewy]

Nothing says safe winter driving like a 400hp+ RWD car while taking cell phone pictures!!

:nah:, haha just messin with ya. Cool pics! That looks like some pretty decent snow and for the G8 to make it around ok is impressive.

I'm going to try and make it through this winter without having to drive my car in the snow often (currently car pooling with the wifey in her G6 with isn't exactly great in the snow, but definitely better than my G8 with all seasons.

Next winter will definitely see some dedicated snow tires on my G8 (actually hoping to buy someone's 19" wheels/tires and use those as my summer tires and use my 18" wheels as winter wheels and just buy some Blizzaks).

One of the pics was taken at the stop light and the other was with the phone on the steering wheel along with both my hands. The car's an animal in the snow. SO amazed.

It's about the same price to buy tires for your 18's as it was for me to buy my 17" wheels and tires. Just thought you may like to know that.

THAT is why I went with the ugly 17" wheels and tires plus you can get the WS60 Blizzak's in 17 and NOT in 18 or 19. The WS60 is their highest performing snow tire.

Chris

[norm8332]

I'm very happy with my Blizzak LM25s. They work great for me so far, and are H speed rated. The difference between the WS-60 is there I'm sure, but I wanted the higher speed rating just in case.

[confused2much]

My drive to work!

This car is unbelievable in the snow! I shit you not!

Chris

Your drive to work looks about the same as my drive to work every day....guess I would have never thought to post a picture though. I would have to agree with you though, this car is pretty amaizing in the snow with the right equipment. Its my daily driver in it and I prefer it over my front wheel drive mazda 6 with A/S tires.

[Chewy]

I'm very happy with my Blizzak LM25s. They work great for me so far, and are H speed rated. The difference between the WS-60 is there I'm sure, but I wanted the higher speed rating just in case.

I've had mine to 110 with no issues. Are you looking to drive at high speeds for hours on end? Mine are rated to 106mph which I don't plan on exceeding for long periods of time. Especially in the winter! lol

I liked the fact that replacements were just over 100 bucks compared to 200+ for the LM25 Blizzaks. Plus I wanted skinnier tires for the winter.:)

[96Prix]

Well, I'm an idiot. I'm running the Potenzas through the epic winter we're having here in Iowa. Traction sucks, but it's not unmanagable. It requires a little more patience than my GTP did, but that's probably a good thing. I live in a flat town with a 4 mile commute that never exceeds 35 mph, so I'm not feeling a desperate need for snow tires yet. There has yet to be a day where I haven't felt comfortable driving. The weathermen are doing there best to spring that day on me, but it hasn't happened yet. It's been like an advanced class on the dynamics of RWD so far.

[johnh]

For God's sake don't run the Summer only Pontenza in the winter.

Tried it here (before I even realized I had summer only tires (18")), there are simply slippery...even in the driveway. The tires become very slippery when cold and you are just one hard brake/turn away from disaster.

I put on Goodyear Eagle F1 All Seasons, much better in the snow and great wet traction. I didn't want to go with snow tires since I don't commute much and I might just keep them year round.

You do have to realize you can't jump on it in the snow no matter what tires, the torque can easily over power the rear wheels. I have found ESC does a pretty good job if you get too pedal heavy, but overall this car is better in the snow than my GTP was.

[Losted125]

Have the All seasons RSA's they are not the best but they get the job done im just getting threw this winter here in NH should have an other DD so i dont need to put it threw an other winter....


But back to the topic Car handles fine if you drive like a normal person, but also handles how you want it to....if you want to push it around a turn and get sideways in the whitestuff it will do that to no problem Love this car!

[WVG8GT]

One more, I do miss my heated outside mirrors Big time.

RS-A's are complete junk. My 02 Monte SS was like as sled with them on, I replaced them with the 08 Model Eagle GT's and the differnce was incredible. Then I went out a bought a G8GT Doh!!

Im a little worried about winter driving with the 18 Bstone, but I already dropped 140 LB's of sand in the trunk. We shall see how it goes, worst case I buy some 17's and blizzacks......