Winter driving camaro ss...
 

Hey all, I know I haven't been on the forum's much, but here's is something I want some opinions on!

Due to some unfortunate circumstances I have 2 choices this winter: sell the Camaro and buy a boring DD, or drive the Camaro at least 3-4 days a week. I know this will be terrible for the car salt wise, but at least the factory undercoat is all there, and I plan on spraying it off once a week.

I have been looking into buying some 16x7.5 Steel rims, then mounting some Blizzak 225/55R16's. Looking around on LS1 Tech many people have said that this combination is quite effective, but I figured I would check up with the local crowd to see what they had to say.

As far as buying it, what kind of price could I expect to pay for those rims around here? Where would I get them? I would prefer not brand new since I have been finding $80-$100 on that online. Some old Camaro V6 rims would work too if someone has some lying around. I've been watching Craigslist but thus far no luck.

Honestly, with a good set of snow tires as long as you take it easy f bodies really aren't all that bad. Plus, you get to practice drifting lol. Just avoid going out in the really big storms. Realistically we don't see any more than a few a year at peak commuting times anyhow.
I ran my third gen for one winter right after we got it and with a set of snows it did just fine. Hell, I drove my 68 year round for the first 6 years I owned it, with a set of all terrain truck tires on the back it wasn't all that bad. I think I only got stuck twice, and both times I deserved it being stupid :) All of this with heat delete too, I was hardcore lol.

And if you're interested, I have a couple sets of 4th gen stock 16" z28 salad shooter wheels. Not perfect but great for winter wheels. I'd let em go cheap.

i use to drive my 79 z in the winter, heck i came back to ct in 95/96 and then there were a lot storms that year. i had fun at times. you got do what you have to get around and you cant afford a dd.

seems like a crazy idea but if you got to then do it lol. i bet your going to get some crazy looks though

PM sent on the salad shooters!!

I started looking at those this morning right after I posted and realized that would be a very good cheap alternative, and wouldn't look as bad as some black steelies.

Right now I'm looking at Dunlop DS-3, $444.44 for 4 tires right now at Sears. Other option is the Blizzak's, but the come out to be about $520. Was trying to decide if the extra money is worth it, I have heard some great things about the Blizzak's.

Hmm.. I kind of have too many sets of wheels sitting around my garage. I have like 6-7 chrome 5 spoke z28 wheels 16x8. I ended up buying an extra set because I had one wheel getting a bit corroded and it lost air in varioius places. Most of the tires hold air well. One leaks quite a bit. One leaks only a little. I have two old Pirelli Winter 240s and two Dunlop winter tires that I got brand new like two years ago.

I should get rid of them all...

And driving a Camaro in the winter is just fine with winter tires. You're in much better shape than most of the cars on the road actually. Camaro with winter tires is better than FWD family cars with all season tires in my opinion.

Camaro on summer tires though in the winter.. not such a good idea :) You get nowhere.

Blizzacks and u will be fine i did it in all my old ones and even a couple times with the as

those dunlop ds3's are a good tire as well, we sell a bunch of those at sullivan as well as the blizzaks

ive heard there quite good in the snow. I had mine with street tires on all winter...NOT PRETTY lol

Some stock 16s are the most cost effective option for winter wheels. And I was told that you can mount tires as narrow as 215 on them FWIW. With good winter tires and maybe a couple bags of kitty litter in the back for weight the car will drive fine.

Blizzaks in the rear are really all you need. if your causious enough on turns in heavy snow M+S all seasons up front are More then adequate. and i ran a few bags of speedy dry in the hatch. felt nice and stable in the snow no issues. i might still have a set of kumho ecsta's on salad shooters. if i still do they're yours?

I actually have a sub and sub box in the back that weighs 100+ pounds, that's my kitty litter ;)

I'm going back and forth between the Dunlop and the Blizzaks, trying to decide if the extra $100 or so is worth it. I think I'll end up spending the money, an extra $60 won't matter too much when I hit some rough weather and want a little extra help.

blizzaks in the rear ftw!!! you wont be dissapointed.

I ran the Dunlops on my Jetta, and they actually did well. What I like about them over Blizzaks is the fact that they are designed for 'Sports Cars' so the sidewall is better for everyday handling when it's not snowing. They certainly are not as soft as Blizzaks on non snow covered roads.

I would also do all four tires, so that way when you need to steer (And you WILL) the front will grip just as well as the rears, and Braking is oh so nice in that case as well.

I agree with doing all 4. Not doing the fronts will cause issues steering and braking

get r done

+1 for 4 winter tires, a car with unbalanced handling can be very dangerous.

I was def planning on all 4. If I on lygot 2, then I would have the choice of bald KDWS's or nearly new KDW's...I can't picture any of those getting me anywhere but a ditch in a snowstorm

If I can work something out with BottledBird hopefully I'll have some wheels this weekend, then get the tires next week

Pm replied :)

Go with the blizzak's. I have them on my dd and I can just about go through anything with them. They are worth the extra cash.

I have Dunlop m3s (winter tires) on my stock wheels .. I too have to drive my car in the winter... :(

All pussies i drove my shit on nitto dr's! Just in case i found a race hahah

^^i drove mine on bald nitto DRs last yr haha...and my car has seen winter since 03..they really arent that bad.

Im still on ym nitto DRs right now haha, im always nervous im gonna have to kill a civic and without them i dont get crap for traction. winter tires going on this week though, I just got some cheap 215/60s that i got from scuicide racing, they'll suffice.

I ran 245 continental extremecontacts with my bird last winter, I had no problem. Got stuck once, by accident goofing around. I just pulled up on the ebrake a little to get the posi going and i popped right out.

I should be alright, just keep the underbody clean is all, I still have my bfgs on right now.. Snows going on tomorrow afternoon

its not the snow you gotta worry about..its the salt after the storm that hurts the car..i would think about sprying the brake/fuel lines with like pb blaster or something once and a while just as a extra layer of protection

I bring ramps to the car wash, drive up. Spray the shit out from underneath as much as possible LOL. Some odd looks, but no one has said anything yet.

Haha like handicap ramps ? I'll have to get some of those :)

winter tires and about 150#s of sand bags in the trunk and you will be more then fine.

You can do it, and actually I'm doing that with my camaro rs when I get it back on the road. I'd putting some additional undercoat on it to make sure it doesn't rust and I'm gonna rojo it constantly then go under like a raped ape with fluid film

Got my salad shooters from bottled bird yesterday, off to get my Blizzak's tomorrow!

Glad I could be of service :)

Have fun drifting in the snow :D

Thanks a ton Matt, they sure aren't pretty but they'll work good! If I have to use them next year I might paint them black so at least they'll be one color other than various chips and mark ups.

I was def pumped to get those though

Got the Blizzak's on today, I feel like my car looks horribly awkward with skinny tires and salad shooters, but it's going to be fun!

This thread is worthless without pics!!!

^^ WHAT HE SED!!! ^^ NOWW!!!

My third gen sees snow and does just fine. The rust will happen, but if driving it is what you have to do, its what you have to do. Just try not to get too mad when you see the bubbles. Then the crunchies. But I digress.

I don't run any winter tire, just High Performance All Seasons year round. Right now there are Bridgestone Potenza 960RE Pole Positions on the wheels. They're been awesome in wet traction & slush and in snow- not to mention VERY good in the dry. To give you an idea, the car also goes skiing with me and sees some "play time" in the snowy parking lots and unplowed roads whenever the opportunity arises. With posi, its never a huge issue. The only time I've been legitimately stuck is when no one had any business being out in the first place- however, it was always easy to push out.

Like mentioned before, we don't get THAT much snow here and if the weather is really that bad outside, you probably shouldn't be going anywhere anyway.

I'll throw up some pictures tomorrow or friday...Finals have been getting in the way all week, spent 11 hours studying money today and 2 hours taking a test on it. I have been leaving the house when it's dark and getting back after dark, but I promise pictures shall come!

I am pretty confident that it will do quite well in the snow with some common sense. I have some friends that are seriously doubting me, but they are all idiots with very little snow driving experience and even less car knowledge.

good to know im not the only one with no life this week lol

:drunk3:I feel ya on the looking funny part... I'm goin from 11" zr1s to salad shooters...haha and i wil also be painting mine black :)