For those of ou who drive in the Winter in Calgary, do you put weight in the back?

I have put some extra weight back there and I have not had any problems with traction so I am thinking of takining it out.

Thanks,

 

This is my 6th winter with the S2000 on dedicated snow tires. Never, have I placed any ballast in the trunk for the purpose of traction. If you run good snow tires, this is not necessary. If you don't have good snows or you have worn out snows or your driving skills are somewhat lacking, then sure, throw some weight back there.

 

On my Miata I used to put some weight in the rear on occassion but there was also a compromise in handling then.......(yes, had 4 snows).

This shift in the balance of the car is not too big a deal but it does disturb me a bit and I currently lean toward putting no weight in the trunk (saves valuable space anyway) so that I retain the balanced handling for corners. After all the car is set up (alignment etc.) for the way it is.

It is true that you will gain traction for the rear wheels by adding weight in the back. However you will be reducing the proportional weight on the front tires and your brake bias will be off so you won't necessarily stop as quickly.....in fact more weight = longer stopping distances in general. This is not a good thing. You can compensate a bit if you do not have ABS (Miata)....but not so in the S2000.

So, I'm currently leaning toward simply filling the gas tank just before more major snows (and reductions in temperature) and it seems to be the best option.

All, my opinion, of course.

Reijo

 

Just keep in mind that if you do add weight to the back, if you end up losing the car in a spin, it'll be even harder to get it back under control.

There really is no need to add weight to the back of the S2000 in winter

 

4 good snows and you'll be fine

 

I agree with everyone else. A little oversteer in the snow can be fun anyways!

 

Come on now Nish, are you driving that beautiful new Rio Yellow in the winter? I figured you as a winter beater kind of guy.

I would hate to see that new car dented by one of our idiot drivers.

Bobby,

 

Hey! One week after I took delivery of my S, winter hit with a vengence. Armed with Blizzaks and 3M film and a block heater, the S made for a wonderful winter car. I would not have liked getting my $50,000.00 Jeep Grand Cherokee LTD, either. Everything is relative.
On the other hand, if Nish is unfamiliar with RWD and winter driving, perhaps waiting till spring might be a better time to find out how it drives. But then, if he gets through this winter, he'll have this thing taped.

 

I remember the day I got my '01. That morning it was +5, sunny and a nice December morning. By the time I picked up my car by 5 PM, it was snowing and icy.

Best way to learn

My only experience with RWD prior to that was a little bit of truck driving and the odd test drive in a RWD car. But aside from that, I only had a Civic and RSX up until that point

 

lol, you'll be seeing me in a winter beater next winter. Just had too many large expenses this winter that had a higher priority. Plus, I wanted to at least have one RWD winter of fun! I've always had FWD vehicles prior to this car and I wanted to get some experience with oversteer heading into next summer's auto-cross season.

Like xviper, I'm armed with 3M protectant film, Dunlop graspic ds-2 winter tires mounted on 16" 01 S2k wheels and a block heater.