So this is my first manual car, and I'd say I'm pretty decent at driving manual. However I've never had any experience driving a manual car in the snow. I've done just fine all winter, but we got some horrible weather this weekend. (Rained for days, then started snowing, now we have about 6 inches of really slick snow)
My car was sliding all over the road today with continental extreme all-seasons, (and I know winter tires are better, but we usually don't get a ton of snow, and if we do streets are cleaned in 24 hours) got stuck pulling into the driveway which is a fairly good incline. I eventually got it into the garage my quickly shifting from first into second holding the RPM's steady around 5-6000 and i was slowly but surely getting traction with the tires just spinning like crazy.

First question... How bad is it to be revving at such high RPM's for about 30 seconds or so in winter weather?

Secondly... is there a way to avoid doing this, or any other tips you guys have making it up an incline in the snow, or getting out of the snow when you're stuck?

 

You want to not spin.

 

Don't spin the tires. Your tires only can provide so much traction, and once you go above that threshold, you're just wasting your time.

Ice - Don't spin because you lose steering, plus spinning doesn't get you anywhere.
Snow - Same as above, PLUS as soon as you spin the tires, they dig into the snow, creating ruts, and then you get stuck.

I drive in winter the same way I do in summer, always keeping the tires at the threshold between traction and losing grip, and I've NEVER had an issue, I don't get stuck, and I don't crash into stuff. I have never gotten the Cobalt stuck, and the only time I've been stuck in any of my other cars was because I tried to plow through a 9 inch snow drift when I only had about 5 inches ground clearance. I thought it was worth a try :P

 

thanks lol, i kinda figured that much, but if had traction there wouldnt be an issue. I can drive in the snow very well in an automatic but im still picking up the manual thing and so I was looking for any good tips. And mostly just concerned about how bad spinning the tires at such high RPMS for a while really is. But realistically at lower RPMS I dont think I would have even moved. I was in 2nd gear at about 5-6K rpm barely creeping forward.

 

I also have about 100ft long driveway that is inclined pretty good.
I also commute about 35+ miles to work. I also drive on all-seasons and I'm tuned with intake and downpipe.

Here's what I found to work best:

NORMALLY I do leave the traction control on. Not so much for getting started but for when I'm cruising down the road. It really doesn't take much to spin. Lugging around in 4th I can still spin them VERY easily.
As you get the feel of this car down a little more and get used to the torque and whatnot. You'll get better. I BARELY give it any gas whatsoever to get started and slowly release the clutch. The combo allows me to actually get moving at RPMS slightly above what the engine actually idles at. That's the best way.
As for the driveway, and this is something I learned last winter on several attempts to get up the drive. It's actually best to turn OFF the traction control. What I've found is the car just wants to spin and there's almost no possible way to avoid it. Don't spin it like crazy, just slightly more than the speed you're actually traveling at. Like the post above, just at the threshold but sometimes just slightly beyond. Just keep it steady and you'll get up the drive. Carry as much momentum as you can when you enter the driveway. What happens when the traction control on when trying to climb an incline is the damn TC kicks in and comes down like a ruthless dictator and kills the cars momentum. Then you end up stranded half way up and have to back down and retry. So for the driveway, TC off, a little spinning just slightly more than what you're traveling. (I might be at 2,000 rpm and spinning for example). When you spin them so quickly there's barely any friction. A little spinning is ok but keep it close to your actual speed so you have some friction. Friction equals traction.

The only bad thing I can think of from spinning REALLY fast is something that happened to an old car I had with an automatic. It caused the trans fluid to foam up and then you can get quite a lot of wear or even damage. In that car there was a solenoid in the trans that the hydraulic pressure made it explode inside the trans. These are manuals but I still can't imagine it being harmless to do.

 

thats for the input, and your absolutely right about the traction control, i did end up turning the traction control off to make it up the drive way as i realized the TC was cutting power and preventing me from continuing to move forward. Ill definitely try to watch how high i run the rpms, im going to hope no damage was done since it was a one time thing, and not for a long period of time

 

If u r actually going thru deep snow (at a slow speed when u r on a verge of being stuck) u actually want to spin ur tires a bit. Just enough so u can constantly clear the snow out of Ur treads. And in deep **** seesaw the wheel to create a larger path for ur tires to travel thru.

When snow remains in ur tread the contact between the tire and the ground is smooth/flat and that gives u 0 traction lol.

 

You're problem is that you bought All-seasons. They're not a lot better then Summer tires. Buy a set of Blizzaks for winter, they do amazing.

 

i got stuck on some ice and was spinning my tires for like 15 minutes
burnt through a brand new set of all seasons

 

you live in canada... Don't be cheap and buy winter tires... Problem solved...

 

summer tires - rated for dry pavement and some rain... All season - rated for rain and wet leaves. Winter Tires- Snow and ice...

I'm assuming you have a SS/SC without TC? I have the same and live in Nova Scotia with winter tires and the only problem I have is riding up on high snow and getting stuck,,, slipping doesn't happen often.. I run studded tires though... Get yourself a good set of winters for next year..

 

in low traction momentum is your friend, if you are going fast enough a hill is not an issue, just go up it with light throttle and 40 mph momentum, and you basically coast up the hill. if you cant get a running start, you want to start with trac control on, until you feel it starting to slow you, then flip it off and let the posi-trac ( im a chevy guy can we start calling it that again i hate calling it lsd and i know posi was a clutched set up and ours isnt but still, please) do its thing

 

All sesons are a joke in any snow over a inch. Get snow tires

 

This... We've gotten some nasty snow dumps and when I head to work in the morning there's loose packed snow all the way up to just below the hubs of the car, as long as I can get moving before I plow my car into a snow bank with the front air dam, the only way I've been able to get off my side street and onto the plowed main road is by holding the car in second gear around 2000rpm with a little spin to blow the snow out from under me. But I've got some decent winter tires, I can drive through snow up to my doors as long as it's not packed. Need them around here

 

Here in Colorado it snows 3-6 inches and the next day or within hours the main roads are dry. How ever the side roads stay screwed.

Winter tires here would be a waste IMO, you'd be burning through them in no time. I'm sure Blizzaks would be kick ass, but there's no need. So many of my friends roll around in All-Seasons and are fine year round.

I think it just takes practice. Sometimes I put my car into second instead of first to get traction. Seems to work.

There's All-Season Tires with Good snow traction.

Goodyear GTs
Continental DWS

 

I run the continental DWS and they do seem to handle real nice unless there is a ton of snow. But that is exactly why I didnt purchase snow tires, I know I'd burn through them on dry pavement since we see only a few good snowfalls a year, and the main roads are plowed literally within hours. And the side streets within a day. This is one of the worst winters we have had in years. And I've never had an issue except for this one time getting up a drive way and I still managed.

My main concern was simply the fact that it cant be good on the car to be revving at 6000rpm in 2nd gear with boost pressure up spinning tires and riding the clutch. Then again i guess thats basically what people do when doing a burnout, and it doesnt damage anything but the tires.

 

The thin you might want to watch is the coolant temp.... I could get hot quick and I'm not sure the fans are able to cool it at 6000 rpm. They say (tire rack +reviews) the Conti DWS is a capable snow tire ... one of very few true "ALL" season tires available ..... Most are 3.5 season lol.

 

umm riding the clutch at 6000rpm... expect to buy a new clutch very soon

You won't burn threw snow tires, like you think...

Had mine on last season, this season.. they are still good for next year too...

they are I-pike's too, not performance snows...I drive 85 km's a day too.. and they are great.. mind you I rotate every 5000km's

but I still drive like an ass with them on

 

i got nokian hakka r's and love them. barely any slippage and the land speed record on snow was set on them

also when you spin your tires, you create friction, which makes heat, which melts the snow, and since its -20 out it freezes and makes ice under your tires!

 

If you get stuck you can ever so carefully rock out of a hole by reversing out the way you came in. And depressing the clutch and letting it out repeatedly while giving minimal gas. Rock a few times and just pop out the way you came in. Key point being dont get all sideways and burry your car in fresh snow. And use the treads you made when you came in as there should be less snow there.

Do your best not to spin your tires when going through snow and maintain momentum and you shouldn't get stuck.I Pass people stuck including trucks stuck on snow days simply by using basic physics and common sense. Plus the balts with LSD are damn good in low traction situations. Momentum is your friend except when cornering on ice!

I have winter tires. Best investment for the winter by far...

 

also if your going up a hill and cant get traction, move over 1/2 a lane (if you can) and drive on the stuff thats in the middle of the lane. its mostly snow and not ice. some asian in a corolla was spinning his tires for 10 mins trying to get up a hill, and the car infront of him was doing the same. i just sat back, laughed, got out pushed them up the hill, got in my car and drove 1/2 lane over and went right up people were laughing at the asian because i got up so easy. WINTER TIRES FTMFW

 

Get winter tires. The SS/SC and SS/TC have way too much power to get by on all seasons... especially Continentals.

 

I don't know why people associate power and getting around in the winter.. get of the thorttle there you go less power

 

Winters helped my out 10x comapaired to stock, and prob 5x vs all season. You get what you pay for!

And yes, driving a 300hp car is hardest to do in the winter than a 80 hp car... agree

 

GET SOME SNOW TIRES
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