I've had my cat since NEW October 2003. It's 2.5, Sport 5 speed. Been a great car so far. I do a lot of the maintenance myself but I have a new problem I can't put my finger on.

Here in beautiful Quebec City, we get a good amount of snow a year. I am running 4 Blizzak's snow tires and this year the car has a handling issue.

On snow, no problem. On dry or wet, no problem. But if I go from a lane and cross over to the other lane and go over the snow in between lanes (say 1" or more) the front end comes loose (squirrely) for a second.

Thought the Blizzaks were put on unidirect backwards and they are not. Alignment seems OK (steering is good)......

Ideas?

Thanks

 

Sounds about right to me, but I don't know X Types?

I'll hazard that your speed before changing direction over the different snow is higher than it would be if the whole road was this texture.

My experience is mainly mud, and going from hard packed to soft gloopy stuff always has a different feel.

The usual advice is to relax on the steering and pedals a little.

PS, is this an X Type, if so we will move you over to the X Type section.

 

Yes it is an X.... it isn't my driving since I have driven this car for 6 winters already. If I turn over some snow (mid lanes) to the right the car wants to straighten to the left and vice versa....feels downright dangerous. I am thinking diff?

 

I really hope not.

Moving you to the X Type section.

Hopefully the tech guys will be able to advise you.

 

Thanks Richard! Cheers to you and happy new year!

 

Mike, I want you to try something for me. When getting off of a highway (dry conditions) and you are making the 270 degree run around, I want you to play with the gas a little bit and give the car a little bit of gas like you were going to pass someone (decent amount, but not like you are flooring it). Does the back end seem to want to step out on you? If so, then you have some bad lower trailing arms in the rear and what you are feeling is the car's back end moving a little and with the front end on the snow, that is causing the front end to seem goofey. Other than that, if this is the first year you have used those tires, it could be just that the sidewall of those tires is a little different than what you are used to and it is simply the tires reacting differently.

 

That sounds like something that happened to me....I was driving on the highway and the plow truck left snow in the middle of the lane, as I drove over it cautiously my car seemed to fish tale

 

You also could be experiencing some body roll from bad steering stabilizer bushings or links...just a thought.

 

If the snow between lanes has packed or partially turned to ice, your tires will lose traction as you attempt to cross. My wife and I do our best to keep from crossing lanes during those conditions, we both had bad experiences.

I had a GMC Sierra 1-Ton with a snow plow and that happened every-time while I was plowing to impatient drivers in back of me.

 

Hmmm. I have the same tires and LOVE them. I could see if you lane change too slow (ie so 2 tires on whatever side you're merging towards dont have traction for a moment because they're in snow/slush) but other than that I'm surprised about what your X does.

My X tears confidently through almost all snow. The only issue I get is that my X hates the extreme cold.

 

could be trailing arms, but id check your stabilizer bar mount bushings, sway bar links. as the play a big part in the cars stability. my 2 cents

 

I will get them checked out and I am also starting to lean on maybe needing new brakes up front. I change my own discs and pads and have done 3 brake jobs since new. It may be that the brakes are worn and the traction control is not even.....anyway, since they need to be done, it would be a way to strike it off the to do list....