# GTO in the snow



## ynk1121 (Nov 26, 2005)

Hello everyone :seeya: . I am looking for some info for a friend who is looking to get a new gto. Living in ny we obviously are going to get snow. How does the car handle in the snow? Anyone living where it snows drive year round or does everyone store the car over winter? I have a corvette and a camaro so I’m familiar with rwd but after explaining to him that rwd is more difficult to handle on low grip surfaces sutch as snow I think I scared him off since it would be his only car. Just wanted to know what the gto owners thought. Thanks in advance.


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## toolman (Jan 10, 2005)

I have has mine in light snow(less than 4 inches) two or three times. Even with just the stock tires it did very well, as long as you keep of the throttle. :cool


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## Jeffs386 (Nov 1, 2005)

a GTO should NEVER NEVER see snow.....buy a front wheel drive winter beater and put the goat away till spring


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## SilverGoat (Oct 30, 2004)

You can drive it in the snow just fine, stay out of the throttle or start in 2nd gear in the manual. I have snows on mine and have no trouble in 6+ inch snowfalls. Also, try a search-no offense- but this has been asked many times. Rear wheel drive is easier to drive in the snow than front wheel drive, lose traction, let off the gas. In front wheel drive, when you lose traction you should be hitting the gas to get things under control, never mastered that one. Winter driving+rear wheel drive=the original drift scene. Been drifting that way for 25 years, doesn't wear out the tires and sometimes you can keep sliding even without the gas.


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## Wing_Nut (Mar 6, 2005)

Jeffs386 said:


> a GTO should NEVER NEVER see snow.....buy a front wheel drive winter beater and put the goat away till spring



Booooll....sheeeet! 

I bought this thing as a daily driver and drive it I will. I had mine in 4 inches of wet snow (the car). It did well with the stock tires when they were new. With a set of 4 snow tires like Blizzaks + Traction Control + ABS there should be no reason to fear winter driving. The car handles a slide very well and seems to be very catchable even on ice (at reasonable speeds).

Why are people today so afraid of winter driving with rear wheel drive cars? Our forefathers did it this way for decades without the benefits of electronic nanny's and today's tire technology.

There are a lot of sunny, dry road days in winter. There's no reason to be driving a 92 Ford Escort.

I take that back. The one thing that causes me fear in winter driving is all the buttheads out there driving beaters running on half bald all season tires and of course the all mighty invincible 4X4 crowd also driving on half bald all season tires.


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## Jeffs386 (Nov 1, 2005)

it has nothing to do with driving in the snow... wing ding............snow=SALT SALT=rust rust=30,000 car looking like swiss cheese after 5 years..also a front wheel drive is waaaaaaay better in snow at least that was my experience
I can understand you using the car as a daily driver but how will you feel when some punk kid with a three hundred dollar ford escort t-bones your ride on some icey road?(just before I moved to Fla my friend had his 87 Grand National totaled by a blue haired ol lady on a slippery interstate 81) ................to me its just not worth it,I lived in upstate NY for 25 years and always had a winter rat it not only protects your expensive car from premature rust and getting hit but also helps keep the miles down 
To me a car as nice as a GTO should not be driven in winter but thats just my opinion...................in any case good luck


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## Juniorss (Nov 10, 2005)

Not everyone can afford a winter beater  

Im not too far from Levittown. I live in Oceanside and go to Hofstra. The car isn't too bad in the snow if you take it easy. When I first got the car in February, I had to drive about a mile home from high school in white out conditions. There was about 3 inches of snow and slush and I was able to get it home. It did better then I expected and it only kicked out around one turn and it was easily contolled. I thought I was going to get stuck but it pulled right out and once it was rolling it was fine. The only thing was that my driveway is somewhat steep and I barely made it up but I also wasn't going that fast.


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## Wing_Nut (Mar 6, 2005)

Jeffs386 said:


> it has nothing to do with driving in the snow... wing ding............snow=SALT SALT=rust rust=30,000 car looking like swiss cheese after 5 years..also a front wheel drive is waaaaaaay better in snow at least that was my experience
> I can understand you using the car as a daily driver but how will you feel when some punk kid with a three hundred dollar ford escort t-bones your ride on some icey road?(just before I moved to Fla my friend had his 87 Grand National totaled by a blue haired ol lady on a slippery interstate 81) ................to me its just not worth it,I lived in upstate NY for 25 years and always had a winter rat it not only protects your expensive car from premature rust and getting hit but also helps keep the miles down
> To me a car as nice as a GTO should not be driven in winter but thats just my opinion...................in any case good luck


It's just a car! Use it. Get rid of it. Get another one. Save your emotions for Salma Hayek.

And, even GM products don't rust out like they used to. Swiss cheese in 5 years? You're stuck in the seventies you geezer. :rofl:


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## Jeffs386 (Nov 1, 2005)

well now that you mention it .... I do drive my cars all year.........but then again I live in a state where I can ......so wing ding you think your GTO will like that salt and ice then go ahead and drive it.........I can afford to have several nice cars and I don't have to drive any of them in the snow


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2005)

Wing_Nut said:


> You're stuck in the seventies you geezer. :rofl:


DOH!


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## GumbyGoat (Sep 24, 2004)

Wing_Nut said:


> It's just a car! Use it. Get rid of it. Get another one. Save your emotions for Salma Hayek.
> 
> And, even GM products don't rust out like they used to. Swiss cheese in 5 years? You're stuck in the seventies you geezer. :rofl:


Amen Brother...It's not just a car, it's a great car. This is the 2nd Wisconsin Winter I have had it and it does just fine. It only loses traction when I want it to. Why winterize it...just drive it!!! :cheers As far as Salma Hayek...hubba hubba hubba!!!!!


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## Wing_Nut (Mar 6, 2005)

Jeffs386 said:


> well now that you mention it .... I do drive my cars all year.........but then again I live in a state where I can ......so wing ding you think your GTO will like that salt and ice then go ahead and drive it.........I can afford to have several nice cars and I don't have to drive any of them in the snow


OK Jiffy Pop. You're a grandpa who left the snow belt for the retirement belt and you got lotsa nice GM cars you can drive all year round. Is that 386 after your name your age or your room number at the home in Tampon? 

Now please don't go impressing everyone with your income or the value of your house. Just trying to save you from the next trap of internet forums!

Puhleeeze, your reverence for the GTO is amusing. It's the cheapest 400HP car you can buy in the USA, period. That's why many of us bought it. It's so cheap and available because for the most part the market has turned up it's nose at the GTO styling and Pontiackk nameplate. It's not some limited production supercar destined to become rare and valuable. 

If this is your idea of a really nice car then your Park Avenue must look great cruising thru the hurricane to pick up your meds. But hey, no snow gramps.

Like I said, use it, get rid of it, get another one. It's just a car.


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## GTO_400 (Jul 7, 2005)

Well my GTO will never see a wet road again, the last time it did it cost me $500, I know how these things handle on these curvy mountain roads from experience, when there dry though it's a blast, I am fortunate to have my ol ex to get me to work and back and it goes a hole lot better in the snow and mud than the GTO  but then again a lot of factors could have caused the crash, the road was just paved 2 weeks before, and it was a pretty heavy rain, as well as a popular route for logging and coal trucks the sad thing is I caught it 3 times before but the 4th time that @$#% guard rail caught me and I should have learned the first time, oh well it was a $500 lesson I learned anyway


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## vette68 (Oct 8, 2005)

Wing_Nut said:


> Booooll....sheeeet!
> 
> I bought this thing as a daily driver and drive it I will. I had mine in 4 inches of wet snow (the car). It did well with the stock tires when they were new. With a set of 4 snow tires like Blizzaks + Traction Control + ABS there should be no reason to fear winter driving. The car handles a slide very well and seems to be very catchable even on ice (at reasonable speeds).
> 
> ...



Couldn't have said it better myself. Anyhow, for some of us, the GTO is the daily driver / beater. I wouldn't even think of sitting behind the wheel of a 92 Escort, even if you paid me. Why, when I have a GTO to drive? I bought the GTO to dirve it, and drive it I will as well, snow or no snow. 

But to get back to the question at hand, even after this weekend in Cleveland, OH, we had about 4 inches of snow on the ground. The GTO handled much better than I thought it would. I was pleasantly surprised. Traction has everything to do with tires, and little to do with ABS, traction control or any of that other crap. All traction control does is throttle down the engine. If you can't do that yourself when the wheels break loose, you shouldn't be driving a 400 HP car in the snow. But the factory all season BFG tires do handle fairly well in the snow. So, don't let winter driving discourage you, or your friend, from getting this car. I can't see why you would not purchase a car because you have to lay off the throttle for about 6 days out of the year. I mean, even in the worst snow conditions, it only takes the plows about half a day to clear the roads. After that, you just have to contend with slush and salt. No big deal. Tell your buddy to go for it, he won't regret it. The reasons to get one far outweigh the reasons not to...


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## zerosum (Mar 19, 2005)

I live in the NYC area and my experience from last winter was pretty good. 

The only drove the car in the snow on days when the weatherman missed the call. I was suprised at how well the car handled in light snow and slush. Like a couple of others have said if you respect the throttle you should be OK.

My advice is if you're an experienced snow driver you should not have a problem under most NYC/Long Island snow conditions.


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## Wing_Nut (Mar 6, 2005)

vette68 said:


> Couldn't have said it better myself. Anyhow, for some of us, the GTO is the daily driver / beater. I wouldn't even think of sitting behind the wheel of a 92 Escort, even if you paid me. Why, when I have a GTO to drive? I bought the GTO to dirve it, and drive it I will as well, snow or no snow.
> 
> But to get back to the question at hand, even after this weekend in Cleveland, OH, we had about 4 inches of snow on the ground. The GTO handled much better than I thought it would. I was pleasantly surprised. Traction has everything to do with tires, and little to do with ABS, traction control or any of that other crap. All traction control does is throttle down the engine. If you can't do that yourself when the wheels break loose, you shouldn't be driving a 400 HP car in the snow. But the factory all season BFG tires do handle fairly well in the snow. So, don't let winter driving discourage you, or your friend, from getting this car. I can't see why you would not purchase a car because you have to lay off the throttle for about 6 days out of the year. I mean, even in the worst snow conditions, it only takes the plows about half a day to clear the roads. After that, you just have to contend with slush and salt. No big deal. Tell your buddy to go for it, he won't regret it. The reasons to get one far outweigh the reasons not to...


Thanks! Unlike Jiffy Pop in room 386, I kinda look forward to snow as a way to practice throttle oversteer without trashing my tires. Can't do that with front wheel drive. 

I think the GTO's weight works for it in snow. The car is very slow to snap the tail around and recovers almost immediately if you lift off the throttle and unwind the steering just a touch. Very unlike a Vette and yes, I played with my Vette in the snow a couple of times. No fun at all. Good way to commit suicide.


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## Guest (Nov 28, 2005)

YOU ARE NOT LYING !!! My 95 vette was uncontrollable in 1 inch of snow. Vowed to never do THAT again....... Bald 285 tires are NOT for snow driving...


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## C5ORGTO (Dec 30, 2004)

Drove the GTO in snow last Wednesday. Probably a couple inches on the ground. It wasn't bad. Much better than my 98 Vette. With the GTO's extra weight, I might be able to make it through the winter. Vette tires are quite a bit wider(Wider is not better, in snow). 275/40's for the Vette and 245/45 on the Goat. I have a beater car but its got a blown head gasket. I can drive it if I have to.


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## Guest (Nov 28, 2005)

I actually drove one year with 315-35-17 on my camaro in the snow. What a fun time that was.......


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## Jeffs386 (Nov 1, 2005)

wing ding( I bet you got that nick name early in life)
arent you the one who said in another post that you remember 35 cent a gal gasoline??
relaxe and take your medication gramps.......its all a matter of opinion
so don't get your hemorrhoids in an uproar over this we all know you a super mach rambo man......hell I bet you even ride your Harley in 4 foot snow drifts


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## Guest (Nov 28, 2005)

yay! fightin words! lol


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## jjr62 (Nov 28, 2005)

Also on long island car is fine in the snow. drove it everyday last winter hardly use the brake and downshift car will handle fine. nothing like the old rear wheel drives. This car actually was better in some respects then my f250 4wd pickup that sucker would slide but you would never get stuck.


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## Guest (Nov 28, 2005)

sounds like a good time! my ole fwd'r does pretty good !!


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## Wing_Nut (Mar 6, 2005)

Jeffs386 said:


> wing ding( I bet you got that nick name early in life)
> arent you the one who said in another post that you remember 35 cent a gal gasoline??
> relaxe and take your medication gramps.......its all a matter of opinion
> so don't get your hemorrhoids in an uproar over this we all know you a super mach rambo man......hell I bet you even ride your Harley in 4 foot snow drifts


Jiffy Pops in room 386, you came back for more. 

Relaxe?......Ebonics???

Let me axe you a question (did I get that right)? 
Were you retarded early in life or is senility a hobby in FL.

And yep, I remember 35 cent gas.
Not the sort of gas you're surrounded by at the home though.
I was speaking of gas from a different kind of dinosaur.

Now about those roids, bet you've got some expert opinions there too.
I know, don't rub your roids in the snow. The salt stings.

Over to you Jiffy. 
I SAID OVER TO YOU JIFFY POPS!


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2005)

errrr.........right. *moving to next thread*


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## JohnnyPump23 (Nov 26, 2005)

*Thank you*

I'm the friend ynk1121 was referring to on the first post of this discussion. I am about 6-18 months away from buying a GTO. I was very concerned about using it for everyday driving, especially in the snow. But for the most part, it looks like the consensus is that I will have no problem with that. Thanks for all your input. :cheers


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2005)

hey, welcome, and uhhh, welcome? lol


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## bergenfelter (Nov 11, 2005)

I say everybody pitch in $5 each to get Wing Nut and Jeffs386 to start their own thread. This was the best laugh I have had in a long time. These guys are great!


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2005)

I say yall pitch in $5 so I can get a GTO !!!


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