the vx and the snow

[VCross007]

i've only had my vx for a few months, and my question is, how good are these things in the snow?? I'm thinkin of goin up to colorado or northern az around dec/jan. How well do they stand up to the snow?

[VXIRONwoMAN]

Off roading in the snow or just on the street? Well , I moved to Chicago just in time for last years winter. I had never seen nor been in or around snow before, and I am still in one piece. The Winter Mode is a wonderful thing! I needed to tug people out from their parking spots a couple times (Gill/nocturnalvx included). But that's because his parking spot was on a huge snow mound, and he got high centered. :laughgray

Maybe Gill can help with this... he's lived in/around the snow forever.

[Y33TREKker]

Let's just say that my VX helped me make a few enemies at the last place I worked. A few years ago we got a HUGE overnight snow. My commute was about 50 miles, and I made it in to work when a few people who lived right there in town didn't. Needless to say I wasn't very popular with my co-workers for awhile after that. ;)

It was a fun ride in that day though.

At that time, I was at stock ride height with stock wheels and tires. So yes, the VX is very capable in the winter right out of the box.

[pbkid]

the VX is great in the snow...

thats why i bought mine because i had to get through college in one piece

:bwgy:

what are ya coming up to colorado for??

[VCross007]

my girlfriend is comin out in december, right after christmas, so I wanted to take her either up north in az or go to colorado. I was looking at goin to telluride, seems like a nice small town to just get away to. The vx is an amazing machine, more capable than a landrover discovery, just minus the luxories.

[alanbradley]

my girlfriend is comin out in december, right after christmas, so I wanted to take her either up north in az or go to colorado. I was looking at goin to telluride, seems like a nice small town to just get away to. The vx is an amazing machine, more capable than a landrover discovery, just minus the luxories.

...and significantly less likely to break down!

A

[Greasemonkey]

Lets put it this way - if it gets through the mud that Alan and I put ours through then snow is no problem just check out youtube for the VX in snow doing doughnuts
cheers
Steve

[VCross007]

yea i saw the video. dont get me wrong, landrover is still king off road. they even have the heated front windshields with the lines, the same way the rear defroster works. And the defender is above all. But for what this vehicle is, its the best bang for the buck for great off road capabilities. Has anyone gone to telluride? They looked like they had some trails

[tomdietrying]

Yep,
I did the trail in Telluride acouple of years ago, but that was in the summer time.
Peace.
Tom
012009

[ScottinMA]

i've only had my vx for a few months, and my question is, how good are these things in the snow?? I'm thinkin of goin up to colorado or northern az around dec/jan. How well do they stand up to the snow?

The VX is awesome in the snow provided you have the right shoes (not the OEM tires for sure). HOWEVER, one must be VERY careful with this machine due to the short wheel base. You could find yourself doing a 180 faster than you think. Keep it slow and watch your turns and you should be OK.

[twistedsymphony]

I haven't driven my VX in the snow yet... since I just got it this year but as someone who has lived in the New England my whole life the key is the tires...

it doesn't matter what you're driving but if you've got good snow tires you're in good shape.

on top of that the things that make a good snow vehicle a GREAT snow vehicle are
-A majority of the weight over the drive wheels
-4WD or AWD
-Limited Slip Differentials
-Good Ground clearance
-ABS

The VX hits on all of those marks save the LSD part, the front and rear diffs are open but the "center diff" is essentially the torque on demand which acts like a center LSD... so it gets half a check mark there.

~I want to re-iterate though.. that AWD, ABS, Ground clearance, etc. are all COMPLETELY WORTHLESS unless you've also got the right tires. I had a lifted toyota Pickup with some nearly bald all-seasons on them... the first storm took me by surprise and driving around you'd swear the tires were made of solid ice, I would have been better off strapping skiis to the bottom of the truck and pushing it around then trying to drive anywhere. When I finally got around to putting my snow tires on you wouldn't even know I was driving on snow the truck was so sure-footed.

Again though, I can't stress enough how important tires are. If you're doing a lot of snow driving, buy a 2nd set of tires just for snow driving... :cool:

Bridgestone Blizzaks and Nokian Hakkapelittas are the best snow tires money can buy.

I've got a set of Nitto Terra Grapplers on my VX, like I said I haven't snowed it yet, but my friend at the tire shop said they do quite well in the snow, well enough he knows a few guys with plow trucks who run them :smilewink

[dietz99vcross]

It loves the snow, but be careful with the big banks. The first winter I had mine we went snowbank stomping and had a riot. The next morning when I set off to work the scariest vibration I have ever felt was shaking me silly. I was afraid I broke something, but it was simply all the snow that had packed into the wheels. The brakes had melted the snow around the top, but ice chunks had settled on the lower half of each wheel making for a "slight" unbalanced set of wheels. After knocking the chunks out, all was good. Now whenever I spend time eating the snow I make sure I brush out the wheels.

Mike

[Bulldoggie]

I was driving in 20+" deep snow this day
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/IMG-dana_lrn_cra_snow.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=6965)
I only turned back because my friends Samurai was getting high centered.
We were plowing 4" deep ruts with our bumpers!
The snow was fresh, and my tires are not stock, but I can say, the VX really rips it up:_drool: I had total control, tracking where ever I wanted.
I can't wait to play some more :smilewink

[psychos2]

I have found that in the snow not to use power mode. It causes the wheels to spin to easily. And do not forget about the winter mode switch. Just push it when stopped and it will help you get going without spinning. shawn

[pbkid]

ya after i posted earlier i was gonna come back and add that no matter how good your car is in the snow, the tires are the most important....

i have been able to drive around people stuck in my integra because i spent $600 on snow tires...:)

[ObsidianDragon]

only notes i have are go easy on the gas pedal on starts, the AWD doesnt kick in quite fast enough for you to tear off in a straight line while in the slushy or wet snow. on pure powder driving i didnt have any problems, even with the last set of tires being near bald on the edges and being pretty low tread (those were continental crosscontact). current tires, cooper discoverer h/t plus, look and go like tank treads. both in 255/55/18 sizing. even in the freak blizzard in the NE a couple years ago, i didnt have too hard a time driving around until my hill and the deep slush.

yea that storm :grino:
http://www.fquick.com/garages/viewgallery.php?action=viewimg&id=37015

[Ldub]

on top of that the things that make a good snow vehicle a GREAT snow vehicle are
-A majority of the weight over the drive wheels
-4WD or AWD
-Limited Slip Differentials
-Good Ground clearance
-ABS

The VX hits on all of those marks save the LSD part, the front and rear diffs are open but the "center diff" is essentially the torque on demand which acts like a center LSD... so it gets half a check mark there.

Bridgestone Blizzaks and Nokian Hakkapelittas are the best snow tires money can buy.

I've got a set of Nitto Terra Grapplers on my VX, like I said I haven't snowed it yet, but my friend at the tire shop said they do quite well in the snow, well enough he knows a few guys with plow trucks who run them :smilewink

Mmmmmm...not exactly, the VX came stock from the factory with a limited slip rear differential (LSD). If yours is "open" something must have been changed before you got it, or your clutch packs may be toast...:sighwgray
I agree with your choice of snow tires, & would add Bridgestone Dueler A/T "REVO's" to the list...great snow tire...:thumbup:

I use my Terra Grapplers for winter tires & they've worked very well.

[Ldub]

HOWEVER, one must be VERY careful with this machine due to the short wheel base. You could find yourself doing a 180 faster than you think. Keep it slow and watch your turns and you should be OK.

TROOF...I got a little "overly ambitious" with the skinny pedal a few winters ago on an icy street...got sideways, then backwards, then sideways again so fast that it caused a tree to jump out into my way...not good.:sighwgray

[VCross007]

yea tires are the most important. I was in canada for a year with my mom's lr discovery II. With all the technology that goes into them they're just a 7000lb brick with the wrong tires. I didnt anticipate takin her car up there with me, so earlier that summer i put on street tires. ...long story short, I learned how to drift with a landrover. A few times in the snow i'd have to pull up on the ebrake to get around a corner. the year before I had my old trans am, which actually did better and having 380hp. I had dunlop sp's on there and itw as awsome. did better than the lr in most cases, although i was more daring with the rover. The vx has some continental contitracs on it. they look like an aggressive tread, did me fine in sedona on broken arrow.

[WormGod]

The VX drives through snow? Hell, I keep it in the garage and drive my WReX so I can keep it clean of all the salt. :cool:

Like any other vehicle, it isn't how the VX handles, it's really how well the driver can operate a vehicle in snow. All things considered, if you can drive in the snow and know at least the basic Do's and Don'ts, you will be in good hands in a VX.

Her first snow, on street Yokos at that, and she still performed quite well....

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/2/thumbs/41vx_snow.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/814)

[MSHardeman]

VCross,

I would have to agree with what everyone is saying here. The VX is very capable in the snow right out of the box. It's a ton of fun and a four wheel power slide in an empty parking lot is always a good time.

I'm over in the Aspen valley right now, but I did live in Telluride for three and a half years, so if you do head that way and want the low down let me know.

[snowtrooper1966]

I bought my VX from across the country. The shipper notified me a few days before expecyed delivery there was going to be a delay because of weather.
It was only 200 miles away, so I decided to go get my Dragon. I had to drive it from Reno to Mammoth Lakes. It was blizzard conditions all the way from Carson City to Mammoth. No better way to test out the snowplowing capabilities! What a great way to get to know my new VX, I had a blast!

Licence plate says it all........

[mdwyer]

The VX drives through snow? Hell, I keep it in the garage and drive my WReX so I can keep it clean of all the salt. :cool:

Like any other vehicle, it isn't how the VX handles, it's really how well the driver can operate a vehicle in snow. All things considered, if you can drive in the snow and know at least the basic Do's and Don'ts, you will be in good hands in a VX.


True, that. I prefer to be in my subie in the snow. When it gets out of control, I'm familiar enough with it to get it back under control safely. I did a 360 at at least 55mph in the Subaru and only lost a couple square cm of paint. With the VX, I'm sure I would have been rolling down a mountainside.

However, once the snow gets deep enough, the subaru's useless.

http://www.timestreamtech.com/purikura/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2127&g2_serialNumber=2
You'll note that although she technically got me home, I couldn't make it up the driveway. I didn't own the VX back then. I was eating ramen for three days. :)

[VCross007]

well after driving a trans am through the snow ok and a c5 vette through a blizzard i hope i'd be able to drive the vx in the snow. It's such a tough call. I'm tryin to either sell or trade in the vx for another trans am, but a small part of me wants to keep it for off roading and bein able to go up to colorado in winter conditions. its such a hard call

[nocturnalVX]

Everyone is giving you great info about the VX and snow.
Yes, tires are the most important (I prefer an All-Terrain tire, but am going to see how well my Pro Comp Xterrains work this year).
No matter what tires you have, you can still lose traction on ice & snow, so be carefull.
Yes, the VX DOES have a rear LSD.
The "WINTER MODE" is great for keeping the slipping down as you start to move, but the TOD works great as long as you don't mash the skinny pedal.
When you do feel the need to mash the skinny pedal (and it IS tempting), find a wide open space & have a blast!
I have found the VehiCROSS to be almost unstoppable. You can get high-centered on giant mounds of frozen ice & snow, but you have to be pretty goofy to get in THAT predicament. Me... I only end up that way 3 or 4 times a winter!
:_snowplow + :_steering = :goof:

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/501/thumbs/101_0444.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=8429)

NOTE: Edited photo so that you wouldn't have to scroll sideways to read posts. Photo was too big.

[blacksambo]

Just FYI, the rear differential on the VX is full time LSD. That's why you can't run the spare tire on the rear at anytime, you must move a front wheel to the rear and always run the small spare on the front axel only or you'll damage the LSD mechanism.



I haven't driven my VX in the snow yet... since I just got it this year but as someone who has lived in the New England my whole life the key is the tires...

it doesn't matter what you're driving but if you've got good snow tires you're in good shape.

on top of that the things that make a good snow vehicle a GREAT snow vehicle are
-A majority of the weight over the drive wheels
-4WD or AWD
-Limited Slip Differentials
-Good Ground clearance
-ABS

The VX hits on all of those marks save the LSD part, the front and rear diffs are open but the "center diff" is essentially the torque on demand which acts like a center LSD... so it gets half a check mark there.

~I want to re-iterate though.. that AWD, ABS, Ground clearance, etc. are all COMPLETELY WORTHLESS unless you've also got the right tires. I had a lifted toyota Pickup with some nearly bald all-seasons on them... the first storm took me by surprise and driving around you'd swear the tires were made of solid ice, I would have been better off strapping skiis to the bottom of the truck and pushing it around then trying to drive anywhere. When I finally got around to putting my snow tires on you wouldn't even know I was driving on snow the truck was so sure-footed.

Again though, I can't stress enough how important tires are. If you're doing a lot of snow driving, buy a 2nd set of tires just for snow driving... :cool:

Bridgestone Blizzaks and Nokian Hakkapelittas are the best snow tires money can buy.

I've got a set of Nitto Terra Grapplers on my VX, like I said I haven't snowed it yet, but my friend at the tire shop said they do quite well in the snow, well enough he knows a few guys with plow trucks who run them :smilewink

[WormGod]

True, that. I prefer to be in my subie in the snow. When it gets out of control, I'm familiar enough with it to get it back under control safely. I did a 360 at at least 55mph in the Subaru and only lost a couple square cm of paint. With the VX, I'm sure I would have been rolling down a mountainside.

However, once the snow gets deep enough, the subaru's useless.



My Sube is 2-fold useless since she sits on lowered Cobb Springs and has an undercarriage resonator larger than a MLRS launcher, heh. Heck, just 2 years ago I was driving to work after the roads were even plowed and still came across an area where ruts of crusty ice and snow built up and suddenly "whack".... I looked in my year view just to see my V-Lip was torn away from my front clip. Kiss that $400 goodbye. :(

It "IS" a comfort knowing the that the VX is auto though with my long commute. I have always had a manual and the VX is my first ever auto. Hated it at first and I hated the fact that I felt such a lack of control with control vs shifting, especially in snow. But you learn that TOD will do it's job when it is needed to step in and Winter Mode will aid that from the go. Plus, the added advantage of my 1 hour commute turning into a 2-4 hour commute when it gets crazy here in bad weather.... I no longer need to keep mashing down a clutch with a leg that is titanium reinforced, heh.

[uncle_asa]

http://photofile.ru/photo/kaligula2012/95041619/xlarge/96496923.jpg

[Triathlete]

Just FYI, the rear differential on the VX is full time LSD. That's why you can't run the spare tire on the rear at anytime, you must move a front wheel to the rear and always run the small spare on the front axel only or you'll damage the LSD mechanism.

Actually it has to do with the TOD. With the spare in the wrong place the TOD will go crazy thinking that there is a tire slipping.

[twistedsymphony]

Mmmmmm...not exactly, the VX came stock from the factory with a limited slip rear differential (LSD). If yours is "open" something must have been changed before you got it, or your clutch packs may be toast...:sighwgray


Just FYI, the rear differential on the VX is full time LSD. That's why you can't run the spare tire on the rear at anytime, you must move a front wheel to the rear and always run the small spare on the front axel only or you'll damage the LSD mechanism.

My mistake... I just assumed it was an open diff...

if it's a factory LSD that's even better!

Thanks for the correction... learn something new every day :cool:

as for the main topic...

FWIW... my VX is technically my "Winter Beater" :D

[Triathlete]

Probably the best winter "driving" pic on this site...AlaskaVX!
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/5168/ppuser/253/sl/a

[snowtrooper1966]

Not the best, but was on my first day of ownership...http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/homesnow1.jpg

[tom4bren]

"Not the best, but was on my first day of ownership..."

And thus began the love affair...