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Driving That C5 In The Snow?

Remo its a long drive to my house. I could almost throw a rock and hit Dwayne in his driveway. :D
The worst part of the day was when he took the vette back home and drove his truck over. He kicked back on the tailgate and :drink my beer and watched me shovel my driveway.
 
HMMM

No, I drive this in the snow or my Audi S8

Picture082b.jpg
 
I drove my vette one winter, and it handled very well in up to 8 inches of snow. Over 8 inches, I couldn't get any traction as too much snow piled up under the car and lifted the wheels off the ground.
 
I guess it's time for this photo again!

t9cl0k.jpg


My Salty Corvette at the Corvette Plant visit a few years ago. :upthumbs
 
Running in the snow isn't bad if you remember what you are driving on and don't get on it... Last winter, I parked the vette for 12 days because of weather (snow days). So far this winter, the vette has sat in the garage for 14 bad weather days, again, snow days.

I understand that some don't like to take theirs out in the snow and worry about the salt... There is more work to clean the vette but any car around here must be washed from time to time anyway. Why not drive the best car available?

I take mine out almost every day because I like to drive it. I bought mine to drive and that's what I will continue to do. The trick to driving in the snow as so many have already pointed out is having good rubber hitting the pavement. The back tires tend to float on more than 2" of snow and it isn't easy driving those days. Another point is to increase following distance... the ice boulders falling off of trucks should be avoided... as the salt trucks themselves should be avoided...

Last point is this to those who don't drive their vette year 'round... I commend you for being able to go so long without... driving... Please think about this though, I'm just helping your C5 regain some value because mine has more miles. My bank has been notified to accept your donations for the service I'm providing... Don't delay because I will be hitting 100k miles this spring...

Did I mention that I like driving my vette?!?!?!
 
I understand that some don't like to take theirs out in the snow and worry about the salt... There is more work to clean the vette but any car around here must be washed from time to time anyway. Why not drive the best car available?

I take mine out almost every day because I like to drive it. I bought mine to drive and that's what I will continue to do. The trick to driving in the snow as so many have already pointed out is having good rubber hitting the pavement. The back tires tend to float on more than 2" of snow and it isn't easy driving those days. Another point is to increase following distance... the ice boulders falling off of trucks should be avoided... as the salt trucks themselves should be avoided...

All of which sound like really good reasons NOT to drive a Corvette in the snow.
:chuckle

Seriously, my objection to doing a lot of driving in my Vette at this time of year comes down to three things:
- Snow and ice are bad, yes. And this time of year, particularly here in the Rockies, you can never know how rapidly road conditions will go from bad to worse.
- Even before the storm hits, around here, they apply something called Mag-Chloride (Magnesium Chloride, a syrup-like fluid) to the road surface to prevent it from freezing. This stuff has a tendancy to react with metal (wheels, exhaust tips, etc) by turning them blue.
- Around here, they don't use salt. They use a mixture of sand and gravel. Those rocks get kicked up by the car in front of you, hitting your front end and windshield, leaving tiny little nicks. And that's nothing compared to the noise you get from your undercarriage when you drive over them at an intersection. (The noise makes me wince in pain every time I hear it.)

Last point is this to those who don't drive their vette year 'round... I commend you for being able to go so long without... driving... Please think about this though, I'm just helping your C5 regain some value because mine has more miles. My bank has been notified to accept your donations for the service I'm providing... Don't delay because I will be hitting 100k miles this spring...

Did I mention that I like driving my vette?!?!?!

I think we should Remo in charge of your 'economic stimulus.'
:L
 
All of which sound like really good reasons NOT to drive a Corvette in the snow.
:chuckle

Seriously, my objection to doing a lot of driving in my Vette at this time of year comes down to three things:
- Snow and ice are bad, yes. And this time of year, particularly here in the Rockies, you can never know how rapidly road conditions will go from bad to worse.
- Even before the storm hits, around here, they apply something called Mag-Chloride (Magnesium Chloride, a syrup-like fluid) to the road surface to prevent it from freezing. This stuff has a tendancy to react with metal (wheels, exhaust tips, etc) by turning them blue.
- Around here, they don't use salt. They use a mixture of sand and gravel. Those rocks get kicked up by the car in front of you, hitting your front end and windshield, leaving tiny little nicks. And that's nothing compared to the noise you get from your undercarriage when you drive over them at an intersection. (The noise makes me wince in pain every time I hear it.)



I think we should Remo in charge of your 'economic stimulus.'
:L


Well I'm in your ballpark. Down here in PA, we're close enough to the ocean that we don't generally get a ton of snow, but this year we got so far 7" of the stuff, and before any snow or freezing rain falls, the PA Depart. of Trans, sprays down something called 'Brine' which is a saltwater of sodium cloride kind of wet fluid, but right after that they dump the salt, and I'm not talking about that stuff you get at Home Depot. This stuff is heavy crusty stuff which is around about a 1/4 to 1/2 inche in diameter and really pounds the crap out of your wheel wells and rocker panals. I get chills just hearing the audio attack as it hits the cars frame and body sides. So If I can get by without using the corvette, it stays in the garage, plus this year I'm buying a winter beater to use from December to March. I paid plenty for my Corvette, I'm not letting the state ruin it for me. Maybe I'll get buried in it. :boogie
 
Tell me, what does one do when it's time to sell a Vette that's been used every winter? The clincher is that the car was "garaged every winter". I've looked at a lot of Vette's over the years, owned six of them and it's readily apparent if a car has been used in the winter, you can keep that one, I'll find one that has been pampered......
 
Tell me, what does one do when it's time to sell a Vette that's been used every winter? The clincher is that the car was "garaged every winter". I've looked at a lot of Vette's over the years, owned six of them and it's readily apparent if a car has been used in the winter, you can keep that one, I'll find one that has been pampered......

We're helping you out with your resale value... Remo, please get busy with marketing the "economic stimulus" plan Patrick and I are developing. I would be happy with a $0.25 donation from each C5 owner for this service.

production numbers for C5's:
1997 - 9,752
1998 - 31,084
1999 - 33,270
2000 - 33,682
2001 - 35,627
2002 - 35,767
2003 - 35,469
2004 - 34,064
Total - 248,715
 
Hey gang,

Remember this one from last year? Another guy who thought he could drive his C5 in the snow.:L
Remo:cool


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Based on the red white checker board barrier I would say he just dropped the flaps early and and missed his runway.
 
Silverstreak and Mitchel I feel for you! My wife and I worked at Sargent and Lundy on Wabash in the loop from 1977 thryu 1980. We survived the Blizzard of 78 and then the Blizzard of 79 which put Jayne Burne in the Mayor's office. We had a guy there who drove to work EVERY day summer and winter on a Honda Gold Wing (with his wife on the back). The fact that he survived doesn't mean that it was a smart thing to do. You can drive a nail with a pair of pliers, but that isn't the best tool for that job. Snow driving is not the forte' of Corvettes.....that is best left to Subarus.

63 Corvette. I worked for S&L from 1970 through early 1993. I remember the guy on the Gold Wing. I would follow him into work on the Dan Ryan on occassion. I had a 66 Roadster part of that time but would only drive that in to work on the weekends when I could park in the building. What depart were you in?
 

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