Hi everyone I have a 550whp 92' civic hatch, I live in Utah and right now its snowing and only going to get worse. I am getting the feeling that i will have to drive my car threw the winter, I would rather not but the I don't have the money right now for a winter car. My question is, what are the best ways to have my car do great in the snow? I know i need to get some snow tires and studs, but is there anything else that i can do or should get o help its performance in the snow? And what should i do about keeping the turbo filter dry? I don't have the wheel well linings the slicks wouldn't fit with them in and they are now gone in the trash, Big mistake i guess. Any help or advise or anybody that has gone threw this before would please post. Thanks in advise.

 

I live in Indiana where the lake effect snow is really bad. My EG has made it through a level 3 snow emergency. Get tires that say M+S, get your charge and start systems checked out, make sure you have brakes, make sure your coolant looks good. Just make sure the car is in good running condition and don't take corners too quick.

 

Getting some tires geared towards driving in snow, and putting some kind of weight in the trunk is about all I can think of.

 

install a flamethrower .....ooorrr get some snow boots and park ur civic in your garage.. is the best way 4 ur civic lol

 

550hp isn't going anywhere in snow, I don't care what you have on it for tires. Civics are great in snow, but with that kind of power I mean you've got traction issues on dry pavement.

 

Ya I like the flame thrower haha and ya traction sucks but I figured if i didn't floor it and just babies the gas I would be safe

 

I was thinking the same. Might want to de-tune it for the winter.

 

Throw some chains on it

 

Well coming from a Vermont where its been snowing for past month. Just drift her and beat her until her lips are dragging.

 

Id say if your low, raise yourself up, snow tires, a de-tune, and patience.

 

Get some snow tires and having a low boost tune is a very good idea. The car tuned as it is will only go as fast as your right foot tells it to. Drive slow and safe, just because you have 550whp does not mean you have to use it. A 11 second car will run a 20 if you want it to. Point is drive slow.

 

Yeah - remember to pull away from stop lights in 2nd gear ... though in your case... maybe 3rd or 4th.

 

De tune the car, all your going to with 550hp is spin.


My civic made a **** tone of snow with noithing more the falken zeix's on it.

I am a little worried about the dunlops.


Civic's do tend to do really well in snow, just to need to be careful. And be mindful of the fact your driving a small car and it could turn into a snow plow real easily.

 

search Craigslist for a set of nokian hakkapeliitta

I have them on my civic (however we're about 250hp apart, lol)
anyhow we had snow 2 weeks ago, and I was driving through the woods with them. Went through 8 inches of snow on wet ground under the snow...no problem.

Im sure in Utah theres a ton of snow tires sitting on craigslist for 50.

 

Detune it if you can't take off normal and not spin tires, feathering the clutch a bunch to keep from spinning tires will burn it up faster.

Weight in the trunk may keep you from fishtailing, but a FWD car does well in the snow because the motors weight is on the drive wheels.

 

Weight in the trunk? For a FWD car? Weight in the trunk isnt the best idea even for a RWD car. Once the tail does come out, the extra inertia of the bags makes it difficult to pull it back in. You do not use weight in the trunk of a FWD car. This makes no sense.

OP: snow tires with studs, raise the car up a bit. And use the most important tool of all: common sense. A lot of people leave that at home in the winter. Be smart.

 

Driving my civic in the snow with nothing in the back, it would be fishtail happy insanity on wet slush with all season tires. Putting about 50lbs of tools in the back which I now almost always carry for work and such. The car won't get sideways unless you're really trying. These cars, especially the hatchbacks are prone to spinning if you try to turn even 2km/h faster then you should have. But because there so light its real easy to control the slide and get it back in line.
Plus a good set of snow tires will get you anywhere, I've never gotten my civic stuck even when bombing through 9-10" of snow. Sure I was plowing but I never got stuck.

This especially! As a standard rule of thumb I triple my following distances in inclement weather and always go the speed limit and sometimes under it. I know what my cars can and can't do in the snow and I have full faith in my ability to control an out of control car in snowy conditions(countless sessions of *** dragging and getting completely sideways to bring it back straight again in empty snow filled parking lots). Its the other ******** on the road you really need to pay attention to. Four years of winter driving and I've never made contact with anything. I aim to keep it that way.

 

x2 on the Nokians.

However, your Civic can get stuck in the snow even if you are well prepared for winter driving. Here's mine. Location is The Yukon, where it snows something fierce. It's hard to get perspective with a photo, but that snow drift was up to my thighs when I stood in it. Not something you can just back up out of!

I'd navigated this driveway a dozen times before but my aim was off this day....

 

I've gotten 4 other cars stuck like that but never the civic which I've driven more in the snow then the others, on nearly bald all season tires for the first 75% of it. But **** happens randomly.

*knocks on wood*

 

Stay out of boooooost

 

damn drive well is in a bad spot....
if it was the other way around, you'd pull right outta there

 

put back on ur stock suspension .if u got coils..raise dat **** up....you could either put a plastc guard at the bottom of the engine soo the turbo filter wont get wet or u could juss take da boost off de tune.snow tires.and low speed an youl surely get through the winter

 

I'm dreading driving this winter. My front bumper is pretty much completely held on by zip ties, so if I go in the ditch my front ends toast

 

So fix the bumper!

Besides that, if you go into a ditch the front end likely to be toast any ways.

 

A good set of snow tires and steelies will do wonders, by the way get the stock sized snow tires.