I am up at college in Providence, Rhode Island right now and I will be bringing a car up here very soon, but I am hesitant to bring the truck up. How well does this thing take snow and it is worth it to keep it. I need a stable car up here to handle this harsh snowy weather. I will most likely end up having to sell the truck, but what 4wd, or awd drive cars would you guys recommend for up here? I am looking for a used decent car, any ideas would be helpful and your experiences with snow will also be appreciated my parents and I will soon be deciding on the fate of the truck. I am from Florida so I have never had to deal with this kind of weather or the experiences involved in driving in it. Let me know what you guys think, and thanks ahead of time.

--patrick

 

I've lived in Ohio all my life and last winter was the first winter with the L. I have to say that I really did not enjoy driving the L at all during snowy conditions. Not to mention the never ending salt problem. I would not recommend it, more so in your case since you've never driven in snowy conditions. It's a skill that you will learn fast but, I would hate to do it in the L. I'm doing everything I can to avoid driving the L this winter. Not to mention worrying about everyone else sliding into you.

Jim

 

welcome to new england

First off with the stock F1's on wide wheels the Lightnings suck in the snow. With real snow tires and rims they do ok, but not great.

2nd don't sell the Lightning, leave it in Florida durring the winter. The salt and sand they spread on the road will do a job on the paint job.

Get yourself a $1000 beater. any front wheel drive car with all season tires will do fine in the snow. Also driving in the snow is a totally different experience than you have ever gone though. Thats why I suggest a $1000 beater. Learn to drive in the snow in the beater.

Also since you will be at school you prob won't even need the car that much.

Keep tthe L in florida, that way when you go home for vacations, and the summer the truck will be waiting for you.

 

The L is not a good snow vehicle. Two wheel drive trucks are usually very poor in the snow for lack of traction because of no weight on the backend and L adds to that problem with high horsepower to make the tires spin even easier. You can help compensate by putting sand bags in the back, but a different vehicle, preferrably FWD, would be a better choice.

 

I live in Michigan and use my truck for a daily driver sun or snow! My truck has 104K on it I put my snow tires on, stay out of the boost, don't use cruis control, and put 360 lbs. of weight in the back.

The cool thing about it is the extra traction you get when the roads are dry and you have the extra weight in the back. It hooks hard! I once raced a Z 28 camaro with the extra weight in the back. We went light to light well I smoked him and didn't have the heart to tell him I even had the extra 360 lb in the back.

Peace, Suavy

 

So, my best bet would be to use a FWD drive car, my parents want me to sell the truck if I am going to get a different car, beater or not. Which cars do you guys recommend then, does anyone own an acura, cl or tl? What else do you guys have to deal with in the snow and yes I will be needing a car. With playing college football and going to classes and getting to everything on time, walking or even biking has been difficult. Any more opinions would be great, thanks.

--patrick

 

subaru wrx sti 04 :/ lightning > tho...

 

yeah listen to Don, i dont drive my L in the horrible NE winters, I have a $700 86 corolla that i beat around in and it does just fine even when the snow is higher than the car.

 

what school r you going to and what position do you play???

 

I go to Brown University, I am a freshman and will be playing right tackle on the offensive line .

--patrick

 

I managed one MI winter with my '01L and it wasn't too too bad. I had snow tires for it (for sale now), and that helped a lot. The F1's are absolutely useless, as they should be because they are not M+S rated!

Here comes a long story. I think this was around March of 2002. I lived in Ann Arbor. It was in the mid 60's when I woke up. I went to Royal Oak(about 50 miles??) that night and by the time I left for the party, at about 5:30, the wind was kickin' and there were a couple snow flakes mixed in. Stupidly, I set out on F1's, but wisely, I tossed the snows, a floor jack, and some tools in the bed.

Party was winding down at about 10:00 and I headed home. About 15 minutes into the drive, on I275, it started snowing big time and I had no traction. It let up enough so I continued. When I merged onto I94, it was a skating rink. You could see the shiny, very uniform coating of ice on the highway. I went for one exit, got off the road, swapped all four tires in a snow covered, dark, closed gas station parking lot. Got back on the freeway and watched a semi jacknife in front of me and a Camry spin off into the ditch before making it home in 2.5 hours.

..............My roomates made the same drive two hours later, bare and wet roadway(salt), 70+ mph all the way.......

Lightning + snow is bad, get a beater, anything FWD is good...

Randy

 

phenominal-a smart guy playing ball, now thats something you dont see everyday. I was lucky enough to play for the Mighty Florida Gators for a few years. To the subject at hand, sell the L, and get a Maxima or something. With an education from Brown, you can get a new Gen L when they come out....

 

Get yourself at least a front driver. You will be glad the Lightning sits out the bad weather...believe me I know..

 

Thanks swiseuf, what years did you play at UF, and wow that must have been tough, 1AA is hard enough with camp and film review and the absurd amount of plays and fronts I am trying to memorize. I guess I will take a look at a few Maximas and Altimas, the Altima looks pretty quick for a fwd little thing. Thanks again.

--patrick

 

96-99, I was lucky enough to grab a National Championship ring my freshman year. Awesome experience. It was very tough, but I promise that Brown will do everything possible to help you in the classroom. Remember that Ivy league schools dont hesitate whn deciding whether football comes first or second. Take advantage of every study hall opportunity available for the first year, and from there get a feel for what you can get away with as far as cutting back on study time. A friend of mine played at Brown for a while in the mid 90's and loved it. Great choice, and good luck. By the way, if you are playing OT, Ill bet you are not a small person-stick with something a bit larger like the Maxima (280 HP). I almost bought one-it is a fantastic vehicle...