Now that the IS-F is my daily driver....
03-04-09, 06:58 AM
#31
03-04-09, 07:33 AM
#32
HAHAHA Love the Tercel! My roommate had one in college. Every morning on his way to class he would wake us up when he put it in neutral, redline it then slam it into drive which only slightly chirped the tires. It wasn't the tires that woke us up it was the engine screaming. After all that abuse it lasted him until he put 150k mi on it and eventually traded it in. Sorry, had a flashback!
Funny you brought up that story as I have a similar one. When my grandmother originally got the car back in like 1995 I took it out for some errands and about 35 mph somehow slipped into reverse. Boy did the tires make some noise, but amazingly enough nothing was damaged and the car is still running to this day. Toyota reliability at it's finest.
03-04-09, 08:41 AM
#33
Lexus Test Driver
I don't know why people here are so negative about the F in the snow. It's a very stable car. Where I live, we get 140" average annual snowfall and the F is my daily driver (heck, I kept my RE050's on until the first week of Jan, although I don't recommend that unless you're a pretty experienced driver 
). Just slap some Blizzak LM-25's on it and you'll be fine.
Getting stuck due to low clearance can be an issue, but keep in mind that the F is only 1" lower then the 'normal' IS. If you'd get stuck in the F due to clearance, you'd probably get stuck in other sedans. If clearance is such an issue that you'd get a beater for the winter, I guess you'd need a beater truck/SUV.
Where I live, they plow quickly but always leave some snow which quickly gets packed. So there aren't clearance issues, but snow tires are still needed. I'd imagine that's what it's like for a lot of people in the midwest or in frequent-snow areas in the north and Great Lakes region.
Getting stuck due to "lack" of traction in super-packed snow and ice is always a concern with a front-heavy, RWD vehicle, but I've only ever got "stuck" once and it was due to TRAC sensing slippage and reducing power when I was trying to start moving. Of course turning off TRAC and revving up loosened it. All in all, I couldn't be happier with my F and how it has performed in the winter (so far - it ain't over yet). It's a great car.
Getting back to the OP's concerns, as I stated previously, I don't recommend driving the F in the snow on OEM tires. They're max perfs and just not made for snow driving. That said, I did drive on the RE050's for nearly a third of the snow season here. The obvious keys are to go into SNOW mode, drive slowly, and leave lots of extra distances - this means distance of car in front of you, distance when you start braking before a stop or a turn, etc. I would also advise making sure wheels are aligned before applying any significant power. Another trick that I used this winter is simply not to stop whenever it's possible. In low-traction conditions the hardest is starting from a dead stop. I found I could avoid those situations by leaving the car moving slightly at stop-sign intersections and low-traffic areas. Obviously if you have high traffic or a lot of stoplights, this is more difficult. Finally, just remember to keep a cool head. Don't rush through anything, don't worry about people behind you, don't worry about making other people wait. Safety is most important, people understand that it's hard to drive in snow, and others are having difficulties in snow just like you are.
If you're not comfortable driving in the snow and need a temporary solution, the best is getting someone to pick you up.
No point trying to force yourself in conditions you aren't comfortable in.
). Just slap some Blizzak LM-25's on it and you'll be fine.Getting stuck due to low clearance can be an issue, but keep in mind that the F is only 1" lower then the 'normal' IS. If you'd get stuck in the F due to clearance, you'd probably get stuck in other sedans. If clearance is such an issue that you'd get a beater for the winter, I guess you'd need a beater truck/SUV.
Where I live, they plow quickly but always leave some snow which quickly gets packed. So there aren't clearance issues, but snow tires are still needed. I'd imagine that's what it's like for a lot of people in the midwest or in frequent-snow areas in the north and Great Lakes region.
Getting stuck due to "lack" of traction in super-packed snow and ice is always a concern with a front-heavy, RWD vehicle, but I've only ever got "stuck" once and it was due to TRAC sensing slippage and reducing power when I was trying to start moving. Of course turning off TRAC and revving up loosened it. All in all, I couldn't be happier with my F and how it has performed in the winter (so far - it ain't over yet). It's a great car.
Getting back to the OP's concerns, as I stated previously, I don't recommend driving the F in the snow on OEM tires. They're max perfs and just not made for snow driving. That said, I did drive on the RE050's for nearly a third of the snow season here. The obvious keys are to go into SNOW mode, drive slowly, and leave lots of extra distances - this means distance of car in front of you, distance when you start braking before a stop or a turn, etc. I would also advise making sure wheels are aligned before applying any significant power. Another trick that I used this winter is simply not to stop whenever it's possible. In low-traction conditions the hardest is starting from a dead stop. I found I could avoid those situations by leaving the car moving slightly at stop-sign intersections and low-traffic areas. Obviously if you have high traffic or a lot of stoplights, this is more difficult. Finally, just remember to keep a cool head. Don't rush through anything, don't worry about people behind you, don't worry about making other people wait. Safety is most important, people understand that it's hard to drive in snow, and others are having difficulties in snow just like you are.
If you're not comfortable driving in the snow and need a temporary solution, the best is getting someone to pick you up.
No point trying to force yourself in conditions you aren't comfortable in.
Last edited by gengar; 03-04-09 at 09:44 AM.
03-04-09, 11:09 AM
#35
Lexus Champion
I don't know why people here are so negative about the F in the snow. It's a very stable car. Where I live, we get 140" average annual snowfall and the F is my daily driver (heck, I kept my RE050's on until the first week of Jan, although I don't recommend that unless you're a pretty experienced driver ). Just slap some Blizzak LM-25's on it and you'll be fine.
). Just slap some Blizzak LM-25's on it and you'll be fine.
I've been saying for months how happy I've been with my F in the snow. She's a dirty pig right now with all the slush, but I've never had any issues with getting stuck or getting sideways (unless I try to
). These cars were designed to be daily drivers and perform admirably, no matter what the conditions are.
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