Well, today I decided to drive to work although it is snowing pretty thick out there. There wasn't any more than a half inch to an inch in my driveway so I figured it would be a perfect chance to try my blizzaks. Here are my observations so far:

1. Like all standard cars, 2nd gear is your best friend. The blizzaks grip perfectly through patted snow, fresh powder, and slush. Relax on the gas and ride second gear around 4K and you are golden

2. The back end can still kick out, but dont overreact. There will be just a slight slide, but the grip kicks in. If you over react you will just make it worse, let the tires do their work, ease off the gas.

3. Albiet our cars dont have much torque, our first gear is very very light. If you are even on the slightest plane, start motion in 2nd. You will save yourself some time and heartache trying to grip with 1st.

4. So far so good, I am more nervous about later today when I head home from work and un-plowed areas will have a thick layer of glazed over snow, but I guess we will see

FYI: Driving a 2010 sport w/o TCS

 

With Blizzaks on, your Achilles heel will be other cars.

 

Other cars are a threat no matter what kind of tire you're running or what kind of vehicle you're driving. Avoiding them is really more a function of situational awareness. If, however, you find yourself in the path of another vehicle under slippery conditions, you're probably in a WHOLE lot better situation to avoid being hit with the Blizzaks on than not.

 

I practice those. I just passed a chain of cars this morning in 2" of snow. Can't stand dawdlers!

BTW, watch out for those chunks of ice left in the road every 200 yds by the plows. Every one seems to hit my underside. Man if we didn't have that metal plate under the oil pan. Also, I have to clean out at least one of the oil coolers openings of snow/ice almost daily.

 

The first thing I bought for my car were blizzacks, and it is just a world of difference. With the traction control, I have to try very hard to bring the backend around (outside of being on ice). These tires really are great.

 

No TCS here so I kick out ever so slightly quite easily. But I figure that it will really help me get in tune with my car and her handling ... you know ... like all zen and stuff

 

Honestly, with those tires on and a head on your shoulders, you can easily drive in any winter conditions if you have enough ground clearance. I've had my blizzaks for 3 seasons and its a blast. wait till you get comfortable and start enjoying drifting....

 

Yeah it's all good until the lady tail gaiting you in the minivan tries to slam on her brakes.

 

It's generally not a good idea to ever let the lady in the minivan tailgate you...especially in conditions where traction is compromised. Again, nothing takes the place of good situational awareness. If you have to (or decide to) drive a RX8 in the winter, snow tires are a "must have".

 

And in the case of the lady in the mini van, carrying a shotgun is a must have as well lol

 

So... did he make it home alive?

 

Blizzaks FTW !!!! Mine drive amazing in snow !!! Of course first gear theres wheel spin but you have to know how to give it gas properly.

 

Lol yes sir I did. Not bad driving the key is reallynot to put too much to the wheels. They grip real nice but like any other tire you really need to be smart about it. Honestly if I didn't have these tires I would be sol

 

So A. I played RX-snowplow today lololol. The road to my apartment wasn't fully plowed and had the "middle mound" of snow from the cars driving down, and I dont know if the snow was high enough but it sure looked possible that i was possibly plowing snow with my lower air dam lol.

And B. MAN are these tires loud, not only that, but combine that with the general chassis squeaking when the car is cold and its nutty lol

And C. after driving on these tires, i feel VERY confident about further winter driving. Can't stress this enough, if you dont have winter tires, get them asap!

 

True snow tires are a godsend in northern winter! The remaining curse is 4x4 pickup truck drivers who think they have 8x8 braking.

 

Or Rav4 ladies who sit two inches from the windshield and think that the wrath of god is falling upon them while driving 20mph on the highway that is successfully traveling at 40 despite conditions.

 

When I walk out of my door each morning, and have to decide if I am going to tackle the snow and ice in a 3,000lb RWD sports car with ~5.5 inches of ground clearance or a 2,200lb RWD sports car with ~4 inches of ground clearance... I find that there are worse things in life.

Getting to work without trouble day after day after day of this, and my co-workers constantly getting stuck, calling out, etc... with their SUVs...yeah. I have a hard time not gloating.

 

An alternative to the blizzack is the dunlop graspic. I'm on my second season with graspics and am very happy with them.

They are a step below the blizzacks... but the price reflects that too.

I've passed jeep's stuck spinning on hills.. funniest thing.

 

I'll second that, also on my 2nd season with them. However I think the newer GS3's are right up there with the 'zacks. Either are way, way better than any all-seasons.