AssassinJN

I am starting to think about these same questions, right now my conclusion to this point is to go on tirerack and get a set of wheels and tires (they have them for about $200 per corner mounted). My question is has anyone just replaced the rear wheels/tires with winter ones and left the front the same? I have gotten away with this before on an suv in really bad snow, but wasn't sure if the light weight of the car would necesitate the front wheels as well?

Also I would definately say to keep some weight in the trunk, or atleast keep some bags at home ready for days that snow is likely, and take it out when snow is not insite.

xviper

I'm coming up to my 7th winter. I've never used any weight in the trunk (except for when I had to dump a dead body ). Good winter tires that are also aggressive snow tires are all you need. The tail is controlled by your right foot and your brain. You can fill the trunk with bricks and it won't help you if you're inept at snow driving. No weight in the trunk will require more finesse to get moving from a stop but the car will be more predictable and "controllable" once under way. Lots of weight in the back will help you get going better, but if you make a stupid mistake and the back end begins to slide out, it's going to "really" go and be much harder to catch. With really good snow tires, the difference between a weighted back end and one that isn't, will be minimal in terms of "get up and go".
If you're that inept, you should be driving a Hummer.

No professional will ever recommend you to run winter tires only on the drive wheels. On our RWD car, getting going is only part of the equation. You must also be able to adequately turn and brake and sometimes do both at the same time. The stock tires will do nearly nothing for you if you had to turn in snowy/icy conditions. If you think oversteer is scary on this car in the summer, wait till you witness understeer as you go sliding into a corner in winter with no steering. And then there's always that stopping part.

AssassinJN

4 wheels and tires it is then!

Stu A.

I agree with XViper, driving the S2000 + snow tires DOES seem much more attractive than a beater. Unfortunately I am located on a campus w/ many hills, 40k students, and many drunken dolts on any given night. I have witnessed some scary multi-car slides on ice ridden hills. Now, I am not questioning the ability of the S2000 on hills or in the snow in general, for I have read MANY posts by XViper regarding it's ability (troll: 3 1/2 yrs. owner: 2 months) as well as others.

I am looking into a beater just because of peace of mind. I have been waiting a very long time for this car, and I'm not about to put her in jeapardy. This might be a product of my neighbor w/ Suzuka having newfound dents all along one side of his car recently too. Different situations call for different needs.

xviper

I am in complete agreement with this philosophy and I respect you and any others who feel the same way. By no means am I flaming anyone who wants to keep their pride and joy out of harms way.

Whenever I post up remarks about winter driving an S, it is only to put forth the concept that the car itself, is quite capable of such operating conditions and to counter the notion that it "cannot" be driven in snow/ice conditions as some people seem to have this weird idea that it can't be driven in snow or rain.
The odd time that I see someone post up that they don't want to subject such an "expensive" car to the hazards of winter driving and in the next sentence, tell us that they prefer to use their megabuck SUV (with all season M&S tires) instead, that's when I gotta give my head a shake.

Audi/S2K fool

GOOD snow tires is key. I've seen AWD ESCALADES with 24s and Summer Kumhos stuck in a snowy parking lot. I've also seen a STI with Winter Studded tires drifting 2 lanes in middle of a blizzard at 70+MPH in the likes of Tommi. Last winter was a weird one in Ohio. We had a mild, minimal snow fall, I had my summer wheels still on when I went to work on a brisk morning to find a blizzard happening by quittin' time. I drove a 5000lb Audi with AWD and I crept along at 10 MPH with Bridgestone RE050s all the way home. AWD is great for get up and go in the snow, but the BRAKING...is the important part!!! Summers or even all seasons barely cut it if you are in a heavy snow area especially with a light RWD car.