I live in Cincy. We do time to time see snow. How are the 97 Xk8's in the snow. Does the traction control make a diff? I think my tires are not all season but just performance tires. Would 150 pounds or so of bags of rocks/salt etc in the truck help with grip with a full tank of gas????
Yes Yes, I shoudl not be driving in the snow but there could be a few times. And for you HOW ABOUT THE SALT people I am **** about cleaning the underside of my cars during the winter.

 

brgjag, well, first things first, if you have performance tires on the car, I don't care what car you have, you are going to have a hard time getting around. So, getting a second set of tires for the winter will be a good idea. once you have that solved, as long as you are easy on the gas, you won't have a problem. The traction control is going to help keep the rear end planted and not slide around on you. Having the extra weight in the back will help and will also give you something that should you slide somewhere, you can get out.

As for the salt deposits that are going to form, I wish you luck. I grew up in Toledo and you are going to be fighting a loosing battle. Spray away, just be careful not to spray too much around the plugs. This can lead to an issue of getting water in around the plugs and causing them to effectively short out. This will cause the motor to run rough until the water evaporates out from around the plugs.

 

Let me be the first to tell you that a 200 lb gorilla in the back seat or in the trunk and he or she will not help you. You could be directly behind a snow plow with salt and sand and chances are you will soon be in the ditch and that is because of the tires. The car is not the problem (they have snow in England) the performance tires are not compatible with snow. You want to take that chance knock yourself out. We drive our 99 xk8 all year round but we have all weather tires. Good luck if you plan to drive.

Gus

 

When I spray under the car I do watch out for things that do not need to get wet. Chances of this car seing snow are slim but one just never knows around here in Cincy. The wife NEVER knows if it is goign to snow or be sunny and if I am not on top of the weather picture the car could be caught out in the elements. Lucky me, I have this car, a 96 Tbird and a Miata. Lets hope for a summer like winter! ha ha ha

 

the one or two times we get snow down here, my xk8 did just fine, on these performance tires. They were new, however, when I say they were 'fine'. When they were old and worn, I couldn't make it up my driveway, let alone around offramps and highways. I just stayed home after that attempt.

So i would say, if infrequently, and maybe putting snow tires on (or at least all seasons), you could traverse a snow storm here and there. But, i wouldn't do it often, nor if you were in a hurry.

 

Sure, just run snow tires, or at LEAST all seasons. P-Zeros + Snow are the automotive equivalent of sprinting across an ice rink in stiletto heels.

 

I agree with what everybody else is saying, get a set of all season tires and just drive carefully in the snow like you would with any rear-wheel drive car and you'll be fine.

I got stuck in a moderate (6") snowstorm this spring and didn't have any problems. I actually felt more comfortable with the traction control turned off, with it on the car was compensating too much and I couldn't get any feeling from the road of when it was starting to slip.

A couple bags of rocksalt in the trunk is never a bad idea. Even if the weight doesn't do anything for you, if you do get stuck it can quickly become your best friend.

 

In support of our real estate values, in California, we keep our snow on the mountains where it belongs. Then you can borrow someones SUV to haul the crap to the mountains. Has anyone seen my marshmallows and long fork, it's fire season.

Steven (1avguy)

 

That was not nice!

 

I have Dunlap 245x50x17 all season tires and last year, in light snow/slush the traction control kept kicking in just going up my street at 25 mph. My car doesn't like light snow and isn't too fond of wet roads either.

These tires are for the birds and will soon be replaced.

Forget trying to get around on summer performance tires in my area. At least we don't have salt on our roads. If anything is put down it's crushed up red lava rock.

Usually nothing is put down on the roads and most roads are not plowed. Our snow lasts about 3 days on the ground so the State doesn't waste money on plowing or salt. They do plow in the city such as Portland but that's about it. That's when it's 4x4 time and the kitty stays in the warm garage.

 

How about this?

 

photog, I see nothing but you clapping.

 

Sorry - bad hosting. See picture above.

 

A big, fat "URL Not found".

Supercars driven in the Winter (snow, ice... not just cold) are sexier than... anything in my life that's for sure.

It's really no different than taking any other car out in the snow. Compare it to say... a Civic. A new Civic is in the neighbourhood of $20 000, give or take. It's not going through any snow banks. Snow more than half a foot deep will likely cause it to spin too. It did to my $5000 Camaro and it does to my brand new Caravan. You're about as common as the cold, and you can always get another exactly the same pretty easily should you get in an accident or an on purpose.

Compare to a used XK8... We'll say a 2002 for $20 000, give or take. It's not going through snow banks either. But you look like a million bucks. You feel like a million bucks and you're about as common as NHL teams in Canada. Downside is should you get in an accident or an on purpose, you might have to wait awhile to find your replacement. But that's a risk you take with any car.

 

Im in Nova Scotia Canada and there is no way I would drive my favorite car in salt and snow. I am aware the snowfall is a tad more here. But honestly I got caught in a suprise snowfall last year with my XK8 and it was'nt pretty. Keep the baby safe and rust free !
Cheers !

 

Photog, that has ruined the best picture of a Jaguar I've ever seen. Looks quite photoshopped though, thank god.

 

Yeah, that was about a 10 minute PhotoShop job - just thought I'd have a little fun...