Is it the light weight the tires or both. My car totally sucks in the snow. And when i say suck i mean its dangerous as hell. Absolutley no traction at all. Any way to fix this?

 

Yep....buy a Subaru.

Seriously though, a better set of tires helps a LOT.

 

mine handles great in the snow!!! stock rims and tires 5spd

not sure if you have an auto or a 5spd

if you have a 5spd just start it in 2nd gear and work the clutch

its the other ppl that drive too slow and stall in the middle of a 2 lane road that really erks me

 

i have the same prob, its some what because our cars are so light weight. if you run rims in the summer then run snow tires on your stock rims in the winter time

 

Yeah...I'm going to have to disagree. These cars do just fine in the snow. I'm on my second winter with no problems whatsoever.

Drive carefully, take it easy with the throttle, and most importantly, get a set of snow tires. My stock Bridgestone Potenzas could get the job done, but I just didn't feel safe. Now with the Blizzaks, I still have no problem at all, and the car feels much more firmly stuck to the road.

And if you need any excuse to keep your xA over a Subaru or 4-wheel drive truck, just hang out at the gas station for a little while and see what it costs to fill them up. ;)

 

I agree with both Xbguy1 and Kremtok. I got thru winter 2004/2005 on my OE Enkei's with the 205/40R17 Yokahama (Avid H4s) tires and I'm doing fine so far in winter 2005/2006 on steel wheels with very basic 185/60R15 Pepboys Tires (Futura LTE 2000)... The only reason I switched to a winter tire/wheel pkg was the potholes! I suggest practice in a very wide open area and maybe snow tires?

 

I have stock tires and rimsthis will be my 28th year driving in snow. Trust me I know how to drive in snow. My car has been all over the road during the snow. Might as well had bald tires that is hwo bad this car handles

 

In that case then I would say the car's light weight may have a lot to do with it. How often do you get heavy snow fall in your area? If you add weight to the car that might help a little... Also, stock tires all "all season". I've read that "all season" means good in most conditions, but not great at anything. Snow tires may in fact be a good investment. Not only will the snow/ice traction increase, you will be putting less miles on your fall/spring/summer tires.

Also a good excuse to get some sweet aftermarket rims for the warmer days!

Either way good luck!

P.S.
The Tire Rack as well as these forums have plenty of info on snow tires and their benefits.

 

I don't have any issues in either car...both are running stock tires (Potenzas on the xA & Eagle LS on the xB). Granted, they'd be BETTER with snow tires...and they DO slide around a more than on dry pavement...but it IS snow, so maybe you just need to lower your expectations a bit.

Funny though...our first snow in November came when I still had the 17's with Kumho Ecsta's on the xA...just backing it out of the driveway was enough to make me swap back to the steelies right then & there. Now THOSE sucked.

 

The standard all-seasons like all all seasons are racing slicks in the snow.
Buy 4 true SNOW tires and you will see a night and day difference.
I am on my second season. I like the Cooper ST/2 Snow Tires - last much longer mileage wise than the Blizzaks and less dollars. Be sure to remove your snows as soon as it warms up and they will last a long time.

Here is a link for the tires I use:

http://www.coopertire.com/us/en/Prod...assenger+Tires

 

Come on now...you're exaggerating just a bit. Sure, snow tires are BETTER...but the stockers will get you around just fine if you know what you're doing.


That said, I'm a huge fan of Winterforce snows...directional, good life & great traction. I ran them on my wife's Sunfire GT & my Mustang...both cars we traded for the Scions. I plan on getting a set when the Potenzas are toast.

 

I have to agree with the statement that the tires are like slicks. That is exxactly what they wre acting like

 

Wow. Either you guys get some kind of teflon-impregnated snowstorms, or you just don't have the natural ability it takes to drive in the stuff.

I'm thinking the latter.

 

me thinks thou art an idiot

 

It is not question of ability to drive in the snow -anyone can do it and get around OK with a small FWD car - your not doing anything special.
However all seasons are a compromise. They are certainly not great snow tires.
Put on 4 SNOW tires and you will see a HUGE difference. Great traction and much, much, better STOPPPING. Where I drive we get a lot more snow than what you get in CT. They make the scion awesome in the snow!

 

I lived in conneticut so this guy says hes' from northern conneticut they get snow there on the cost it just rains. In wisconsin it gets deep sometimes. The big problems is when it first snows. Ive driven in all kinds of snow in all kinds of cars and trucks (used to snowplow) This is the first time i ever was scared to death. The whole trip

 

Please . . every time we get a storm of an inch the media thinks it is a major disaster - maybe that is why he thinks he feels he is such a good driver.
I understand the experience you have had. Buy a set of Coopers and you will be real happy. I drive a ton of miles a year, much of it way up north in the real snow country, and have always owned a four wheel drive vehicle. Putting four snows on your Scion will make a huge difference - while not as good as AWD - it is darn close - so much better than the racing slick all season tires. The only limitation is the space below the car. You will be real happy - and not concerned every time there is snow. Good Luck.

 

First, I learned to drive in the middle of winter in Maine. My first car was a V8 Camaro. Don't start talking like you know me or how I drive. You wouldn't last 5 minutes in the car with me during a storm. I scare the fawk out of the craziest of people when I get going in the snow...

Second, it's very simple - I own 2 of these cars & drive them both regularly in the snow...oh, and our last storm (last weekend) dumped 2 feet, so wtf are you talking about saying we don't get real snow...both cars go JUST FINE with the stock tires. As I said before, sure, they'd go BETTER with snows, but if you think they're that dangerous with the stockers, DON'T DRIVE. You're putting others at risk with your sub-par driving ability.

"Racing slick" all season snow tires...seriously...you guys are too much. Move to Florida & take off the skirts.

 

There's really no need to argue and insult each other. We all drive the same car, so where I think our differences lie is in our expectations of how the car should perform.

For example, I expect my car to be able to safely get me to my destination. I don't mind driving slower than normal or even being the slowest person on the road, and I don't mind a bit of controllable wheelspin upon takeoff. What I am concerned with is directional stability and, more importantly, stopping ability. My car on stock tires is able to match most all wheel drive vehicles on directional stability, so my expectation is met there. However, due to its reduced weight, my car is able to far exceed the stopping performance of not only 4 wheel drive trucks, but also most all wheel drive cars -- but it requires snow tires to do so.

Do I feel safe in the car? Yes -- more so with the snow tires than stock. As I stated previously, I didn't feel safe with the stock tires. They could get the job done, but an extra margin of safety is always welcome.

Again, this is only my opinion, and it is formed from subjective observations rather than objective.

 

Kremtok--well said. I'm letting the Canuk temper take over. My apologies to whomever I affronted; my opinion, however, remains.

Oh, and this thread has encouraged me to changed my avatar. Hope you like the pic I snapped last weekend.