Winter Driving

General talk about the Subaru Baja.

Moderator: mikenmel08

Post Reply
User avatar
Nonstop
Scoobytruck Lurker
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 11:26 am

Winter Driving

Post by Nonstop »

Hey everyone,

I just bought a 2005 Subaru Baja and I'm moving to Southwestern Colorado in August from Virginia. I was wondering if anyone could give me any tips for driving in high altitude (The town is about 7500ft) and winter conditions. We have fairly mild winters here in VA so I have no experience in "real" winter driving or winter car maintenance. Could anybody suggest some driving tips for deep snow? I have a manual transmission and would be interested to get some advice. Also any advice on car maintenance would be greatly appreciated. The average January temperature in the town i will be living is -8F. My parking space is uncovered. I would love to find some good reading material on this so please feel free to suggest any books, magazines or websites.

Thanks!
Zach
hocrest
Scoobytruck Master
Posts: 183
Joined: Sun Jul 24, 2005 8:34 pm
Location: Pittston, PA

Re: Winter Driving

Post by hocrest »

PA falls somewhere between VA and CA as far as winters go. A few suggestions I have;
- Dedicated winter wheels with snow tires. I used to always just rely on AWD in my Soobs to get and is fairly easy to installme through winter, I was amazed how much more control I had when I started mounting snow tires in the winter. Check with other Soob neighbors to see if they recomend studded or if normal snows will do.

- Block heater from Subaru. If you're stuck parking outside, hopefully you get can get a cord out there? The heater only cost about $25 and are easy to install.

- Practice. If you're lacking snow driving experience find open parking lots and get sliding. This will help you get used to the feeling of sliding so you don't panic. It will also allow you to get the car back under control when it does.
eodbaja
Scoobytruck Lurker
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:22 pm

Re: Winter Driving

Post by eodbaja »

im from minnesota, never had awd but in my fwd and rwd cars.

dont stop if you can. dont accelerate to fast, youll just spin and be sitting there. lower gears help, i often put my cars in first or second and cruise around in those gears. alot of places dont allow studded tires so make sure and ask about that, winter tires are wonderful though. A good battery is needed for cold(not sure how cold it gets in colorado)

it just takes alot of getting used to, with awd you shouldnt have any issues tho.
User avatar
Nonstop
Scoobytruck Lurker
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 11:26 am

Re: Winter Driving

Post by Nonstop »

Hey thanks for the responses, i really appreciate it. Yea i think I’m definitely going to need a block heater, thanks for bringing it up because until now I never knew there was a such thing lol. After looking through this forum i think im going to replace my Potenza tires with General Grabbers. They’re not exactly snow tires but I want to be able to use them in the summer time too.
Ahzlon
Scoobytruck Master
Posts: 112
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2010 2:10 pm
Location: Essex Junction, VT
Contact:

Re: Winter Driving

Post by Ahzlon »

I hope it's not too late for my 2 bits. Personally I would recommend 2 sets of tires. One for winter *Firestone Winterforce for my rec.* and another for summer. The siping and such in winter tires really does help with ice traction.
User avatar
MNBAJA
Scoobytruck Contributer
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:47 pm
Location: Minnesota

Re: Winter Driving

Post by MNBAJA »

I too am from Minnesota and highly recommend a designated set of snow tires. Night and day difference with them on.
"A SHIP IN THE HARBOR IS SAFE, BUT THATS NOT WHAT SHIPS ARE MADE FOR"
spazomatic
Scoobytruck Contributer
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:24 am

Re: Winter Driving

Post by spazomatic »

Another recomendation here for a dedicated set of snow tires. I like to have them mounted on a 2nd set of wheels, but thats not necessary. Just easier, and they pay for themselves after a year or so.
I really like studded Hankook I-pikes. Theyre a lot better in slush than most other tires ive tried.
Finding a snowy parking lot and throwing the car around is a very good idea too. Its good to figure out how the car will react in a slide, before you have to!
Ahzlon
Scoobytruck Master
Posts: 112
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2010 2:10 pm
Location: Essex Junction, VT
Contact:

Re: Winter Driving

Post by Ahzlon »

spazomatic wrote:Another recomendation here for a dedicated set of snow tires. I like to have them mounted on a 2nd set of wheels, but thats not necessary. Just easier, and they pay for themselves after a year or so.
I really like studded Hankook I-pikes. Theyre a lot better in slush than most other tires ive tried.
Finding a snowy parking lot and throwing the car around is a very good idea too. Its good to figure out how the car will react in a slide, before you have to!
Plus it's just kinda fun :lol:
spazomatic
Scoobytruck Contributer
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:24 am

Re: Winter Driving

Post by spazomatic »

Ahzlon wrote:
spazomatic wrote:Another recomendation here for a dedicated set of snow tires. I like to have them mounted on a 2nd set of wheels, but thats not necessary. Just easier, and they pay for themselves after a year or so.
I really like studded Hankook I-pikes. Theyre a lot better in slush than most other tires ive tried.
Finding a snowy parking lot and throwing the car around is a very good idea too. Its good to figure out how the car will react in a slide, before you have to!
Plus it's just kinda fun :lol:
Way fun! My wife used to get mad when id slide around on purpose (no cars around). And she'd roll her eyes when i said that i was testing "friction coefficients" :mrgreen:
Hawk296
Scoobytruck Master
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2005 5:21 pm
Location: Waterford, MI

Re: Winter Driving

Post by Hawk296 »

Pretty much what everyone has said. In the snowy mountains you WILL want dedicated snow tires. You might also want a set of tire chains (I believe Subaru tells you to put them on the front wheels only on the Baja) Even though you may never need them, in CO in bad weather they may be required by DOT to cross some of the passes, as in if you do not have them they make you turn around. tire pressure changes about 1 PSI per 10 degrees and the pressure will also change if you fill them at sea level and drive up to 7,000 feet. So once you arrive it is a good idea to check the tire pressure the next morning and readjust. Do a good inspection of the car every season to make sure it's good to to, check the coolant level and antifreeze concentration to ensure it will not freeze. Make sure you follow the owners manual as far as recommended Engine oil weight for the temperature you will be operating in. I also highly recommend the block heater. Make sure the battery is in good condition and consider a battery warmer too. Fresh wiper blades will make life easier also.

I carry a tow strap and small shovel just in case. Also a gallon of cold weather windshield washer fluid and a window snow brush/ice scraper get bungeed to the bed extender. Might also throw a small survival kit in there in case you get stranded for a few hours.

Do you have a turbo model or NA? Turbo model will be better in the high altitude but out of boost (Low RPM) it will be worse than the NA due to the lower compression ratio. Engine power is dramatically reduced at that altitude, it is just the way it is. you may have to use a little higher RPM when starting on hills and things like that. Also keep in mind that with the lower air density things like brakes can overheat quicker at the same air temp as they do at sea level.

As far as driving tips, just like everyone said, go to an empty lot and experiment. Learn how long it actually takes to stop and how it handles. It will get going a lot quicker than it will stop. Take things slow. remember you can go, stop or turn, but not any at the same time so brake in a straight line and then turn. AWD handles differently in snow than FWD or RWD. Initially it will understeer under power like a FWD vehicle, then it will transition to oversteer. If the back end does slide out at higher speeds, just keep it in the throttle and counter steer. hitting the brake or letting off the throttle can create a lift throttle oversteer situation as the weight transfers off the rear wheels and onto the front which make the skid worse and can cause a spin.

In deep snow try not to stop and avoid spinning the tires. In really slippery conditions consider starting in 2nd gear to limit the torque to the wheels and prevent them from loosing grip.

In parts of CO in the winter they host organized ice racing events. They are a ton of fun and you really get to learn car control, check them out.

It is really not that big of a deal. Just play around and you will get the hang of it.
Benhart21
Scoobytruck Contributer
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2011 1:26 pm

Re: Winter Driving

Post by Benhart21 »

Image
Image

They do events at Georgetown Lake in the winter. I've never been anywhere in the state where chains were required for anything other than semis, and just dedicated snow tires should be fine. Hell, a bunch of years ago I drove my Camaro Z28 across the continental divide during the middle of winter in a snow storm with R compound tires and didn't so much as have even a little issue. :lol:
Post Reply