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We, in Canada, are sending you a care package of Arctic air, which will really test your Fit in snow! Arctic air from Canada, warm and moist air from the Gulf of Mexico results in 8" of snow, near the freezing mark, so that once on the ground it'll turn to water, then the temp drops at night and the water freezes.
Emergency crews, motorists and meteorologists were caught by surprise Friday morning when Middle Tennessee's biggest snow storm in 13 years swept through the region hours before it was expected to arrive.
What do you have for snow tires? I did a -1 down to 14" 175/65r14s Michelin X-ice3s, but have not really had a decent dumping to try them out. I want to see if the Fit has enough clearance for deep snow.
Last edited by TorontoBoy; 01-22-2016 at 01:33 PM.
I usually take the truck out when the white stuff starts falling.
However on a trip to Wisconsin few weeks back we hit some snowy roads, and I gotta say, this thing handled the snow like a champ! I felt like I had better control and traction in this little 2,500 lbs car, than I do in my 6,000 lbs truck while in 2wd! The little magic 4x4 knob makes a huge difference, and why I take the truck most times its hazardous weather.
In snowy or icy conditions, drive straight at slow speed, press VSA vehicle stability button for 5 seconds, then let go, turn steering wheel and pull the handbrake with vigor. The car slides in a very lovely way. Watch out for obstacles. And the expression your wife's face.
Last edited by TorontoBoy; 01-22-2016 at 07:19 PM.
In snowy or icy conditions, drive straight at slow speed, press VSA vehicle stability button for 5 seconds, then let go, turn steering wheel and pull the handbrake with vigor. The car slides in a very lovely way. Watch out for obstacles. And the expression your wife's face.
that button only works in a straight line, in 1st gear. once you turn the wheel or hit second, it comes back on. no idea on the cvt cars, i would imagine it is speed related.
the proper way would be to disable the abs (thus all stability control, hill hold etc) and have complete control over the car.
this minter has been mild, but last year i frequently had to disable abs to get to/from work. stability control is the devil in slick conditions. damn these engineers trying to engineer basic car control out from under us...
2016 FIT LX, manual transmission, 600 miles on odometer. Had four snow tires installed and quality winter windshield blades. Car easily moves through a foot of snow on our unplowed road (1.5 miles to the highway).
That was a relief, as my previous car, a Toyota Matrix, was also a terrific snow car.
Aaah the Ch3rrybomb has been busy this winter. Lots of winter driving, both in light and heavy snow. Very thankful that I put Blizzaks on when I needed new tires. Fronts are brand new (less than 1k) and the backs are at least 75%. Probably should switch them, but it's working fine for now. Some pics from a recent night delivering....
Was a lot of fun, even though it wasn't a ton of snow.
I wish I has gotten a pic of Pearl this past Friday. She had a good 6 inches on her roof and I didn't bother moving her from the yard. Used the Odyssey to pull my step-dad in the Veloster out of a ditch though. She didn't want to climb hills but would make it with a decent run at them. We barely get snow here in Little Rock and it only stays for a week or so. I don't think that is enough for actual snow tires so I'll stick with the stockers for now and order some Autosock Tire Covers before the next round comes through. Our neighborhood is all steep hills that don't get plowed so I'll just have to get a drag or blade for my atv as soon as we get into the new house in the next few weeks.
It's not as bad as I thought it would be in the snow. Was coming home at 4am Saturday morning in the middle of all the snow we were getting. Only problem I had was going up a hill when I had to slow down because some SUV was going up way too slow. Had to slow down too keep far enough away from them and it almost got me stuck. But considering the roads here in Pittsburgh were almost untouched I thought the Fit handled the snow better than expected.
Just follow the typical rules for driving in snow. If you're sliding in turns or into stops on level ground you're going too fast. Shouldn't have to be braking much at all, let yourself coast down to slower speeds. Know what hills you either need to avoid or have an idea how fast you need to be going to get up one. Going down hills I've found keeping it in a low gear is much better than having to brake, and I've really come to like the paddle shifters for that reason.
The 2016 Fit slides its rear end in the snow just fine, traction control or not. I forgot to turn off the traction control button and slid anyway. Snows on all corners. 1.5"/3cm of snow, 34F/1C, large flakes that are slightly melting, great packing snow.
I find that my traction control kicks in nice and early once my back end starts to go out. I tried pulling the e-brake a couple of times in a fresh snow parking lot to see how it works and let me tell you, this traction control thing works very well. Pirelli winter tires.
I find that my traction control kicks in nice and early once my back end starts to go out. I tried pulling the e-brake a couple of times in a fresh snow parking lot to see how it works and let me tell you, this traction control thing works very well. Pirelli winter tires.
Really? I've done a couple of corners at slowish speed, turning first then the e-brake, and the rear slides out nicely. At the end of the turn the traction control regains control, but only after then turn is complete. I have Michelin x-ice xi3 snows. Maybe you need more speed?
Good question. I was going fairly slow. Maybe it has to do with the kind of snow I was driving in. I remember my 2012 civic with its VSA working well too.
Mine feel very confident in snow but feel like absolute shit in all other conditions, more so than any other snow tires I've tried. And they break loose very suddenly and easily in non-slush non-snowy wet roads. Almost to a dangerous extent I'd say. And it's like there's an extra half second delay between any steering input and what eventually happens with the car. Bizarre.
I'm just wondering if that's part for the course for these tires or if something is wrong with mine.
...Mine feel very confident in snow but feel like absolute shit in all other conditions, more so than any other snow tires I've tried. And they break loose very suddenly and easily in non-slush non-snowy wet roads. Almost to a dangerous extent I'd say. And it's like there's an extra half second delay between any steering input and what eventually happens with the car. Bizarre.
I'm just wondering if that's part for the course for these tires or if something is wrong with mine.
I cannot comment on your tires, but it sounds dangerous. I have Michelin Xice XI3 snows, and have tried breaking them free in wet conditions and could not. For me to slide I need very specific snow and ice conditions. There has to be at least 1"/3cm of snow, partial melting helps, or an ice layer. Wet conditions alone and the tires stick to the road.
01-22-2016, 01:30 PM
