Ok so I'm debating buying a ss/tc but am worried about winter driving as well as driving a few kilometers of gravel road. Is there anything I must do to protect the car from this? I'm from western canada and we get a lot of snow/cold etc.

 

Put it in the garage for the winter and buy a beater to get you around. That's what I do.

 

ditto, the only way to make sure no damage comes to it in the winter time is to park it.
if i could afford a beater i would park mine for the winter but sadly i can't so winter tires will have to do for now lol

 

Cobalt is not a Ferrari. You don't have to baby it to that degree.

 

WHAT MY DEALER TOLD ME I BOUGHT A FERRARI oh they are going to have hell to pay

 

mine told me i bought an F1 car, i better go back and kick some ass i feel ripped off

in all honesty just ensure u have 4 good winter tires on it and if u can afford it get a full 3M tape job done on the front end, i have to drive my ss/tc in the winter, i'd rather drive my new car than park it and have to wait to drive it for 6 months while i'm paying for it.

 

ya if I bought it it wouldn't be parked all winter. I mean I'm buying it to drive it but probably not as much in winter if I can get away with it. Do you guys just swap tires or rims and tires? I already don't know if I'll be able to afford tires let alone both.

 

Buy winter wheels and tires. End of story. It's a FWD car thats not that low...perfect winter car.

 

^exactly

 

.........negative, ss/tc has no "winter wheels" avaliable, dood, your stuck with winter low profile tires, first thought for me was to check for used ones local to me and i found a few with decent tread for a decent price, otherwise your lookin at $1000 for a set.

 

Money is a bit of an issue for me so I just bought some UHPAS tires.

I just got them a few days ago.

BF Goodrich G-Force Super Sport All-Seasons from Tire Rack.

I gotta say... for all seasons they are pretty awesome. Steering response especially is MUUUUUCH improved over the Conti's. Better ride too.... quieter.

 

i dont have a tc bu ti do have a desently built up ion redline i drive mine in year round, all i have is 4 winter tires and i undercoat mine (its like an oil spray to help protect agains rust and such.)
but i live in hardcore winter.. Northern ontario.

 

I live in Winnipeg and winter drive mine with stock low pro summer tires and haven't had a problem ever... also 0 accidents ever in the 6 years of driving

If you know how to drive in the snow, you should be fine.

 

i dont understand why ppl act like a cobalt or redline is worth putting in the garage for the whole winter.. thats ridiculous.. its a fwd econobox thats worth like $15k

lol ur lucky then.. some good snow tires and you have no worries at all. but if the road is covered with even a little bit of snow stock tires SUCK. they freeze up and pick up snow and practically turn into ice.

 

lol yeah I chuckled the first time I heard someone say they park their Cobalt... but hey, who I am to say otherwise if that's what you want to do

and proper winter driving is much more than just going slower and leaving more room... it's all about knowing the balance of your car, and mastering accelerating, braking and steering in the snow. It's good to take a course or mess around in an empty lot practicing getting into situations and getting out of them safely

 

i priced it out--- for winter tries and rims(17s) it will run you around about $1000 then you cant make up for all the damage done to a car from being drivin in the winter.

so heres what i done went and got a sweet deal on an old beater for the winter 2001 kia sephia hahah low kms no rust! runs great just needs 4 winter tires going to cost me about $300

the bottom line is my car will run great when it comes out in may vs destroying it in the winter and also i dont need an undercoat now like you would if you drove it in the winter

 

In some area's you can also lower your insurance coverage since it will be in "storage" that will help you save a little $$ since you have to insure a second vehicle.

 

Money was the primary factor in deciding to not store mine. I have a **** ton of things to pay for from the agreement of my divorce.

But also I've NEVER had a car rust even a little bit driving in the winter. I had a 95 Grand Am from 99 to 2004 and when I sold it the paint looked awesome! I would just wash it when I could.

Plus, the car is equipped with traction control, ESC, antilock brakes, and mine has LSD. I'm anticipating it will be a bit like my RSX-S was. A little tricky to get moving but that's all. That RSX turned and braked awesome in the snow.

 

Divorces are expensive because they are worth it. I'm sure you'll figure things out.

 

Please explain to me how winter driving my car will 1 destroy it and 2 make it run bad? My car will run great in may to?

 

Everyone who has driven in winter weather knows that road salt gets in to some tight spaces. If you don't take care of the car (undercoating, spraying off the salt at least weekly, etc) it can and will rust in a minimum of ONE year. Especially if someone dings your door, rock chip, etc.

I'm not saying that you're a bad driver, but I'm sure you are aware of things of this nature happening.

 

Not everywhere do they use road salt. The salt is useless where I live because it is too cold. So they use a lot more sand.

Winter driving requires skill which is achieved over TIME. And a good set of 4 winter tires helps a lot as well.

For those who drive through the winter with summer tires.......crazy. They have no grip and once it gets below zero they become hard as rocks which again does not help.

I think that they should make winter tires mandatory to drive in the winter, which they have done in some places already. And if you are caught without winter tires, you get a rather large ticket.

 

Agreed. It definitely takes time and experience to learn to drive well in the snow. and not driving with snow tires or at least all season tires is just not smart. Maybe you are very careful and lucky, but your chances of destroying your car go up big time without the right grip. It's worth the $$. and most tire places will give you 90 days no payments, so there's really no reason to take the risk.

 

uhhhh....what kind of rims you buying....buy some steelies and some winter tires and your good....last I checked, that wont cost you a grand..

Ooopsss.....just realized you guys are from canada....good thing I'm paying attention.

 

check out this thread to explain the cost and the difficulties...
https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/08-10-ss-turbocharged-general-discussion-152/who-makes-wheels-clear-brembos-134597/