Snow ability.

[nos4blood70]

Driving around today got me wondering. Why do the 2000+s have such amazing snow prowess? I was watching other similar FWD cars on the struggle bus all day today.. Furthermore, I went down an alley with deep snow in the center and two ruts on the side from tires. I was sure I was done for, especially with my 20% tread left all seasons. But no, Penny kept going, even as I heard the undercarriage leveling the deep snow in the center of the alley. Then mid way down the alley, I stopped to drop my friend off. He asked me if I needed a push, and I said maybe. Sure enough though, with a little persuasion I got moving no problem.

I see Camries, Accords, Civics, Cobalts, you name it.. All day, get stuck in snow that isn't even bottoming out the car. I'm sure for some cars, tires have a lot to do with it. However, my tires have almost 50,000 hard miles on them and this is definitely their last winter.

I have yet to get Penny stuck in the snow. Even in super deep snow, all I gotta do is rock the car back and forth a little bit and forge a path and she eats her way out. Or worse comes to worst... Trac off... Mat the pedal and she drags her butt out.

[Bonneville92V688]

My Dad's Impala PLOWED through the snow with no issue. Only thing that was good about it :p His 2013 Civic also seems to glide right through everything as well. Haven't been stuck a single time.

Now my truck? HA! Gets stuck even on a patch of ice the size of a butter bowl lid... 2WD + 3.73 open rear end (one wheel peeler) + manual = no traction whatsoever.

[MattStrike]

It's the weight. There's enough of it over the front wheels on all H-body cars. Just about the only way you can get one stuck is to spin the tires in deep snow and dig a hole. That's also one of the reasons the 3/4 ton truck do so well in 4WD.

[GotBonneBWitMe]

I'm not sure if it is just the 2000+ Bonnevilles, cause mine gets through all the snow Ive thrown at it as well. The supercharged engine helps a lot but still its a heavy car. So it pushes through easier than the light Civic, or Accord, etc.

[repinS]

I felt more confident in the 95 than I did the 04 GXP. Both running 215 skinny winter tires, although it could have been the difference between the General Altimax Arctic (SSEi) and Hankook w409 (GXP).

I think I'll put Generals on the G8 once my el-cheapo Blizzak WS70's wear out.

[crash93ssei]

Tires, weight over the drive tires, and driver confidence / ability. You need all three of those to be able to drive successfully in the snow, without any one of those three being very good you will suffer in the winter, at the same time, if you have snow tires with a good amount of weight over the drive tires and a driver that knows the vehicle and is not afraid to use the go pedal sometimes it is a very potent combination.

[devin1986]

My Buick was fantastic in snow, as was my 2000 turbo beetle. Those have been my best winter driving two wheel drive cars.

[rustyroger]

Best ever car I owned on snow and icy roads was a '66 VW bug. It was buried in a snowdrift one time after I left it a few day, I found the door, climbed in and the 6 volt battery started it up right away and I drove out past big trucks and Land Rovers that were stuck on ice. Drove it home on loose snow, packed ice, up and down hills no problem.
But I really wished it had a heater!, the windshield kept icing up on the inside.

Roger.

[DaMaroon]

My favorite vehicle for snow was a 77LUV pickup. Had 2 large cement filled tires in the bed and J series snow tries(really wide for the truck). Only 2 times it ever got stuck the frame was sitting on packed snow. Had so little power it could barely spin the Js in snow. Took my friend a quick 6 mile snow ride in it, to get the new truck he bought, that he still talks about.

For the vehicle weight on the tires is the biggiee. For the driver it's style. Being too timid is the worst. Going too fast isn't good but actually coming to a stop when you don't have too can cause big problems as well. Generally the only time I have a problem is when I have to go the speed of those who are afraid of driving in snow. Basically it's the traction management of racing in slow motion.

[SSEiMan01]

It definitely isn't just the 00+, my 94 LeSabre and now my 96 SSEi are just as good as my 01 was, and also just as good in snow is the 06+ H body Lucerne. I have noticed that some of it has to do with driving ability. Saw a teenager on a side street in a ditch in a 92-95 SE yesterday. Meanwhile I made it to work without brakes. But they are, by and large, great winter cars. Tires do make a slight difference, but I only have Potenzas with about 40% life left OK them.

[BonnieBoy08]

Tires make all the difference. I must have really had some bad all seasons on my car before snow tires cause I could not stand it! Starting/ stopping were pathetic and the front end would push in anything that resembled a turn. Also I thought these cars lacked in weight up front compared to, say, the Grand Prix due to the battery relocation. My '95 Grand Prix though...that thing was king of snow! Took it thru snow so deep it was snowballing off the front bumper and it just kept chuggin. That car also had a 2nd gear start button that I miss greatly, I don't know why GM had to do away with that, loved that feature.

[gonzo4191]

my parents 04 SE sucks ass in the snow. no traction, slides everywhere. the tires were cs4 coopers over 50% life. the 97 on the other hand is awesome. it might haveto do with Tc as well

[CMNTMXR57]

The only BAD FWD GM car I have had in snow was my Aurora. But I attribute that more to the Cooper tires it had on it than anything. A lot is the heavier weight over the front end, but tires, or should I say, tire size also play a critical role. Most GM FWD cars, that are the higher end models, have wider aspect ratios. This helps with snow traction. Think of snow shoes.

[repinS]

Wait, what? Narrower tires help with snow traction. More weight on smaller surface area helps to cut down into the snow. Wide setups make things worse. The snowshoe effect = no traction.

I hated the 235/55/17's I put on the GXP so much, that I swapped them out for 215/60/17 after a month. Sure, I gave up dry and wet acceleration/braking performance, but I got fed up with the car following every rut in the snow and just not feeling confident at all compared to the 95 SSEi which ran 215/60/16. The 215/60/17's completely changed that. I wish I could go skinnier on the G8, but there is simply too much power to go any narrower than 235 (which is too narrow as it is). As a result, like the Bonne GXP on 235's, it follows ruts and deep snow traction isn't quite where I wished it to be.

[quicksilver]

We just got hit by that snow storm in NY yesterday early in the morning that was covering the midwest. Boy did that snow come down fast! So naturally I had to go out and clear it from properties, but on my way to work I came up on a chevy cruze that was trying to drive in this weather. We had to stop at a red light, but after the light was an uphill incline. The guy barely made it through the intersection, spinning his tires the whole time. I was in my jeep and was not about to follow behind him like that for a mile+, so I just zipped around him quick.

Driver ability is a must for the winter and yes the bonnevilles have great drivability in the winter time also. When I had my other one, I would plow through snow storms no problem against everyones advice and had no issues. During one specific snow storm I watched a person in a civic panic and wipeout. They had hit the tires of a tractor trailer and then went into the median. It could have been much worse for them, and me too causei was right behind them. Never have I had an issue with driving in snow with my car, although it didnt hold up to well to black ice. Thats one thing that no car can do well on unless they have studs, even then, they can only do so much

[haro1225]

Both my Bonnevilles were great in the snow, and the GTP is a beast in the snow, with a bad ABS wire so no traction control or any aids.
A surprisingly good car in the snow is the Versa I drive for work, I was passing everything with no problems. I want to get one and enter a snow rally.

[CMNTMXR57]

Jerry, maybe I shyould've better explained. It seems as though for H and G Bodied vehicles, a tire with a 225 - 235 aspect ratio seems to be "perfect" in terms of width for traction and bite, yet not being too thin to to utilize the weight, gearing, and torque these cars have, when in snow.

It seems as though those with the up-sized 225's or 235's on these cars seem to do well. Whereas those with 195's or 205's seem to have issues.

I had zero issues with the GXP in the snow. Matter of fact, I recall it being quite the bulldozer. Whereas the RGC, which I also have 235 aspect ratio tires on, got stuck all the time. Namely the end of the driveway... Now the RGC has more weight, but not the torque the GXP had.

[human]

A few years ago, when I had my '95 Bonneville, I was driving gingerly but steadily through an icy parking lot while watching a 4WD Ford Explorer was spinning its wheels and slip-sliding all over the place. My favorite snow car, though, was my '97 Cadillac Deville. That thing was a BEAST.

[burger]

After this winter I swear I will never go without snow tires. Last winter I had issues, And low tread. I love my snow tires!!! I have yet to get stuck and I try.

[nos4blood70]

Next year I'm gonna try to find some generic rims with Blizzaks or something. Although I never got stuck, my friend put Blizzaks on his Speed3 and the difference is amazing. I'm sure an H-body with 215 Blizzaks would be nearly unstoppable.