AKAvensis

For me I do the following:

1) Put some ice scrapers in the back foot area.
2)Put on my steel rims with snows on them
3)Put in huge ridgey snow mats

GQQSE13

get prepared for it in that i am in salt lake city right now and they had snow in the mountains last night and its like 30's today.
i will have my:
scrapers
small shovel
de-icer
emergency kit (dvd's in case of stuck, and battery start)

PlayinWithFire

best investment are some high quality snow tires or you will end up in a bad situation. I got a set of blizzaks I throw on in the winter (used to at least) and they provided great traction and saved me from certain disaster. Scrapers are good, a remote start is awesome for those cold mornings and I love keeping a blanket and a pair of nice thinsulate leather gloves so my hands dont freeze to my stupid metal OBX **** (that or change it to the stock one)

just my opinion having driven tC's through two northeast winters.

AKAvensis

when you go to get a remote starter, do you choose what one you want?

is there a good brand to get? are they all pretty much the same?

good idea with the blankeys, never know if you go off into a ditch and have no cell service at 3AM in the middle of no where...

some people on I-87 (from albany ny to montreal) went off the road and could not make a call nor exit their car, they died of coldness last year in their car.

GQQSE13

i need remote start for my car, but it'll be parked in the garage, or in a parking garage(when at work). how much do snow tires usually run? right now i just have the stock tires. i forgot about the good ole leather driving gloves.

nauticac

Unfortunately my tC has a wintermode, lots of de-icer, and a change in driving behavior...lol.

ZiggyXIV

Change in Driving Behavior is my winter mode.
My scraper stays in the trunk year-round, but in 16 Ohio & Indiana winters, I've never needed anything else, aside from actually learning how to drive on snow and ice, and some common sense.

mtxblau

Almost all the same. You push button. Receives input. Tries to start the car (either by monitoring the electrical status/rpms of the car or you can set the number of cranks manually).

Really, it's cheaper to get an all in one - alarm and remote start. DEI makes fantastic equipment (Clifford, Viper). I use Crimestopper, installed in two (soon four) cars.

sciontC

For this winter, i'll have blizzacks, then the usual scraper and extra windshield wiper fluid on hand at home.

GQQSE13

this wil be a new experience for me since i am used to driving a rear wheel drive light weight truck, eveyone has said that fwd is easier in the winter time. except the car is alot lower than the truck

bernardos70

My tC's wintermode consists of:

1. Spinning that AC dial all the way to the right.

That's it. There are some advantages to living in Miami, after all.

AKAvensis

no you dont NEEEDDD snow tires.. but they help.. A LOT.

to put it in perspective:

I drag raced a BMW 325iX with 4 wheel drive and normal all seasons in my accord with 2 brand new snow tires up front, we were dead even in a parking lot many times.

basic rules of thumb: dont accellerate unless all your momentum is going perfectly straight or you will just slide right out (mega understeer)

learn to use that e-brake and you can get into any parking spot with the greatest of ease!

a_german_named_hans

1)Steelies with Snow Tires Equip (Probably Hankook Winter iPike W409's this year)
2)Taking off the underbody kit.
3)Scraper

jonathan110987

still in the 90's here in tX... winter mode here doesnt change from summer/spring mode..

brian9v

I switch out the konig crosshairs and nitto neo gens for stock rims and a set of bridgestone winter tires acquired through a track day raffle. Of course the scraper, and ice melting window washer fluid. Take out the carpet in my scion floor mats and aim all the heating vents at my hands. I made it through last years michigan winter with stock tires and plpd insurance without so much as a bump. It was a miracle. Its just a matter of time before that severely aged and rusting bald tired two ton front heavy family sedan driven by a 16 y/o smashes into me at a stoplight on a hill. boo

oh and the guy who turns his heat on for a winter in miami--thats funny stuff. You know you've never been in the cold when you need your heater for 75 degree weather.

nebster

summer mode:

rims, lip kit, springs etc..

winter mode:

stockies with snowies, removal of lip kit, removal of underbody lighting, removal of wheel well lighting, add in some protections, take off turbo and lots of rain x

SquallLHeart

hmm.. got my handy dandy TRD ice scraper!



wait.. i'm in Cali... when do i ever really use this? i dunno.. but last winter was weird.... didn't need it myself.. but knew a few people who used theirs..

where did i get it? some Toyota event.. i can't remember.. it's cool though..

Jdub86

iTrader: (3)

My winter mode is common sense and watch out for the other idiots.

Also to add an ice scraper and beep dish floor mats. This will be the tCs first winter but I have a lot of experience in front wheel drive cars in the winter.

How do the stock tires work in the winter? Any good or total garbage?

CDogbert

My winter (see: snow/slush) mode this winter is going to consist of:

1) Putting a car cover on
2) Waiting until there isn't salt slush on the ground

Otherwise it isn't coming off until spring.

captainlaziness

Man I wish I could do that. Maybe I can get my old lady to drive me around all winter...

The SSRs come off and the stockie go back on. I'll probably get some winter tires this year as my original tires are getting pretty worn.
Ice scraper goes back in.
This year I may take off my ETD as last winter it sounded like a bunch of methed out spider monkeys taking tiny jack hammers to my firewall.

Oh, and find a large empty parking lot in the middle of the night when it snows for some tail out sliddin'. :D

Gloves? Nah. I just put my stock shift **** back on.