Just want to know what I need to do to my vehicle to make this trip?

Here are some specs CURRENTY:

1) Lowered almost 3"
2) Kuhmo Ecsta 712 205-50-15 90-95% thread
3) my alignent and camber are within factory specification
4) Front lip - can be too low?

I can mount my CW's on some Michelin's XGT 195-55-15? Which one is beter? What do I need to do?

I can get a hold of some rally tires and wheels too. I was thinking about mounting for HID headlamps on my front bumper like "owen_the_soyboy."

--migs

 

Rally tires for sure.
I got caught in a snow storm with summers and I couldn't move.
Even with two snows on the front it was really dangerous and I spun twice on the freeway. Always brake in a straight line and gear down to brake. Accelerate in a higher gear than normal.

 

Somehow I doubt your camber is within the stock setting - 3" drop is way low.

XGT's suck for snow - get some real tires like Alpins or Guardex


[Modified by Big Phat R, 5:26 PM 11/23/2002]

 

whatever you do, DO NOT DRIVE THOSE KUMHOS IN THE SNOW. i tried that last year, couldnt even get traction for SLIGHT inclines. Im not even talking about hills, this was just a 5degree incline, and im not even joking.

 

Believe it, I work at an alignment shop. Ingalls rear and Skunk2 fronts.

 

Get real winter tires - not all-season tires. Check out the Tire Rack website for suggestions.

Remember, wider tires are BAD for snow. There are many good winter tires in 195/55-15.

With that drop, even with winter tires, you will still have trouble in deep snow. If the snow is above the level of your front air dam, you won't get far. Forget about special lighting...

More general advice: Drive in other drivers' tracks. GO SLOW, but don't let the car come to a stop; keep your momentum up. Don't tailgate. And IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE OUT DRIVING IN THE SNOW, DON'T. You can ALWAYS change your plans, and you will feel much better about it than if you go anyway and get stuck or have an accident.

 

Kumhos suck in the snow. Great in rain, but get them below freezing and you can forget it

 

I run kumho 195/55/15 on my R and can attest to the horrible grip in snowy conditions. Run those other tires you have, because although they arent fantastic either, the kuhmos are downright dangerous with snow/ice on the roads.

 

with a 3 inch drop your so low to the ground you will crack the front on a snowball,
Beside your not even going to get out of the driveway.

 

get your self some snows, last year 1/4" snow and summer tires = NO GRIP
this year i mounted snows and found open parking lot with snow = FUN

P.S.you should remove front spoiler for winter

shopping cart him my car today not happy

 

Definitely raise the car. Even pick up a set of spare shocks and springs. I'm sure you could find a set of Civic shocks and springs with rear LCAs for dirt cheap. And the alignment you're lucky enough to be able to do yourself. It's an extremely good idea to remove threaded collar coilovers, because the salt just seizes them up like a bitch. It's only a 2 hour job if you take your time plus alignment. Unseizing collars was a 4 hour two person job for me, PLUS the time to pull them out and in.

For tires I would not even go near all seasons. I tried the Toyo FZ4s last winter. They lasted one snowfall. Actually, they lasted on rainy day before I knew they were garbage. Snow tires make a world of difference. I haven't tried enough and pushed them enough to be able to tell a difference, but I've had a lot of luck with Hakkappelliittaa Nokian NRWs and Pirelli W210s. On my 4Runner I'm using Yokohama Geolandar I/T and they're really good. Snow tires are good, any other tire is dangerous.

 

You make this sound like a road trip. If so, rental car. Don't risk bending the R.

 

It is a road trip 900+ miles one way.

 

<LOL> DON'T downshift to slow the car, it will lock up your front tires on ice and you won't have steering control.

Your ABS will kick in early on icy roads and work for you--USE IT!

Unless you go into the mountains for skiing, Dunlop All-Seasons will work well for you. SP-5000's are the All-Season performance tire?

An ITR that has been lowered 3" will have MAJOR problems in snow. The body of the car will tend to ride up over snow drifts and the front tires will lose traction.

Driving hint: Turn into skids (either when the rear or the front end starts to drift) and don't jerk your foot off of the gas pedal (lift slowly and partially). Letting off on gas too quickly causes the front tires to slow too quickly due to engine "back pressure from compression" and the front will lose traction and steering. You can learn to modulate this if you work at it. As the front tires lose traction the steering wheel goes 'numb' or light in your hands.

Also, if you mash the gas pedal in the corners the front end will wash out, which can be good if you want it to do so.

Have fun and rent a car<LOL>
John

Racebrewer: Wrecking cars since 1970.

 

I converted to Integra RS spec.

 

I always thought it was better to downshift rather than braking to slow the car whcih will really lock up the wheels. Are you sure? It works well for me.

 

This is so easy to answer - buy a winter beater - for $500 you can get a used Subie with AWD or get any FWD car. Then put $400 worth of real winter tires on it. Make sure the antifreeze is fresh and you're done.

Don't want to buy a car? Then rent for when it snows.

Whatever you do, don't waste your ITR on winter driving. A second car is the best and cheapest insurance you can buy.

 

so my falken Azenis won't make it in the snow?

BTW, what snow tire is the lowest price??

tj

 

The thing with snow driving is not to do ANYTHING suddenly, anything that might break traction on the tires and start the car sliding. No sudden brakes. No sudden acceleration. No sudden tugs on the steering wheel. Smoooooth.

Any shifting should be done by matching revs, so that it doesn't break traction.

Don't downshift to slow down the car - partly because the shifting can break traction, and partly just because your brakes are better designed to slow down the car anyway.

Not as well as winter tires. All-season tires are a compromise. They're okay for winter driving - not as good as a winter tire, but not as bad as a high-performance tire. And they're okay for summer driving - not as good as a high-performance tire, but not as bad as a winter tire.

If you plan on driving on snowy roads, you're better off using winter tires than all-season tires. And if you're planning on using a different set of tires for winter ANYWAY - you're not going to use those RE010 or Azenis or S03, I'm sure - then you may as well use a tire that's designed specifically for winter, not one that's designed to be a compromise.

Also note that winter tires are designed for a much colder and narrower range of operating temperatures. What a lot of people don't realize is that winter tires are much better than other tires when the roads are dry but temperatures are frigid. High performance tires aren't designed for frigid operating temperatures, and again, all-season tires are designed as a compromise to do okay (but not great) at a wider range of temperatures.

Yes. Again, you need to slow the car down smoothly and gently - and it's much easier to do this by being smooth with the brakes, than by shifting the car (which can break traction) or by using engine compression (which is also more likely to break traction).

Winter tires are generally not all that expensive. In general, there are two different types of winter tires: there are "ultimate snow/ice tires" that are designed for the ultimate grip on snow and ice but whose road feel might be so-so for high-speed highway winter driving, and "highway cruising tires" that are designed for winter temperatures but sacrifice some of the ultimate grip on snow/ice for better performance on the highway, and have a higher speed rating (HR) than the ultimate snow/ice tires (QR). The "highway cruising tires" tend to be more expensive than the "ultimate snow/ice tires".

Here are prices for current 195/55-15 winter tires at the Tire Rack:

"Ultimate snow/ice winter tires":
Michelin Arctic Alpin $78
Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 $83

"Highway cruising winter tires":
Michelin Pilot Alpin $112
Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22 $112
Pirelli Winter 210 SnowSport $109

 

*sings* "Mr. Plow Mr. Plow I am Mr. Plow..."

 

take your michelins to a discount tire and have them safty siped it really works

http://www.can4x4.com/articles/siping.html


[Modified by donniEK, 9:40 PM 11/24/2002]

 

I designate you at the H-T winter driving expert
It seems you're in every 'winter tire' related post

 

nsxtcjr,

what to do when:
-you take a turn a littttle too fast and u start to plow straight towards the curb instead of making the turn....
(i usually pull the e-brake for an instant, it pulls the rear out like a fishtail..and then slowly work the gas...while countersteering....)
well, the reason i ask is becuz ya, i accomplished this in a small street... but im wondering if there is any ways of getting out of this situation on the freeway.

 

Thanks. Just trying to help - especially since there are some misconceptions about winter tires and winter driving.

The car tends to go straight ahead - and that's what's known as "understeer". It's very difficult to say what works in every situation, but in general, again, anything abrupt is usually going to make things worse. Instinct will tell you to turn the wheel harder to "make the car turn", but that will make things worse because it will make the front wheels even less likely to grip, by increasing the angle between the direction the car is moving and the direction the front tires are pointing. If you have room straight ahead - the direction that the car is moving - then work the brakes and try stopping straight ahead. Remember that if the road is slippery, the car is going to want to go in the direction that it's already going - either straight and under control, or spinning and out of control. Better to keep it under control (and try only minor steering corrections) than to do something that makes it go sideways.

 

Well guys, I live in Canada and have been driving in snow since I got my liscence. I can tell you that worrying about how to drive is important, but not nearly as important as tires. I have Michelin Arctic Alpine's on my car and if you take it easy, you will never have a problem. I drive in blizzards and ice storms all the time. Get tires that are around 195 withdth (good for dry also) and with a tall sidewall so that they can squirm for grip. 195/55 snow tires will most likely be better than 205/50 snow tires, even though there is little change in aspect and width. Low profile tires will scrub (slide I guess) before they roll.

As for driving the car, drive it as you would on a road course, but much slower. Smothness is key and don't drive wiockly until you have some experience.

It can be tons of fun if you know what you're doing. You will learn, hopefully the easy way.