View Single Post
Old 01-24-2011, 02:25 AM   #1
Devon
Highway Man
 
Devon's Avatar
 
Drives: '10 2SS/RS
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Ear Falls, ON, Canada
Posts: 685
RWD and WInter/Snow Driving (

My wife and I are seriously considering buying a '11 2lt RS. Well, she's considering, I'm already sold on it.

Anyways, we live in northern Ontario. I mean way north. -25 - 35C average winter temp and roughly 4 or more feet of snow over our 5 months of winter.

My wife refuses to get a manual :( and has reservations about driving a RWD vehicle with 300+hp in the snow. She has only driven FWD cars in her life. I can live with the auto if that means getting the car, but this is aside from the point...

Now, I have explained to her that with a good set of winter rubb and subtle throttle inputs on takeoff, along with stability/traction control, driving the Camaro in the snow will not be a problem. I told her that I have driven many thousands of miles in pickup trucks without 4wd on and getting stuck/sliding around it is never a problem.

Without this getting into a "get good winter tires and all will be fine" thread, I was wanting to hear some anecdotes from other Camaro owners who have actually driven in show. And I'm not talking about the 2 or 3 inches most of you in the mid-US see, I mean waking up to a fresh 6 inches of fluffy, dry snow and having to commute to work on rarely traveled, but plowed, roads with ice, hardpack crust with snow on top.

I know I'm long winded already, but I wanted to also ask about one other thing: I have been told that having a higher rubber profile is beneficial in winter driving, but the RS comes with 20's. 20's do not leave alot of room for sidewalls. Is this an issue? My local dealer recommends against the larger wheels, but I love the styling of the RS package. Is it possible to get the package with the 18's from the factory?

Ok, so that was alot of questions, but I am wanting to put her mind at ease. She is 99% for the Camaro, but these reservations are wearing on her.

I do have a test-drive scheduled for Friday, and the forecast is calling for 2-3 inches of fresh snow for Thursday night, so I am going to have a chance to see for myself, albeit for only a short time.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I really want this car, but this could be a deal breaker if my wife is not convinced.
Devon is offline   Reply With Quote