Tom

I was driving home today in a bad snow storm. The road was pretty much iced over most of the way home. It took me about 3 hours to go 12 miles.

A lot of people were spinning their wheels as they were fighting for traction including myself.

I noticed a lady was gunning her engine and really spinning her front wheel to go up a slight incline.

That's when I thought about it. When you spin your wheel like that, you're spinning only ONE wheel (unless you have some kind of limited slip) on a 2-wheel drive car.

There is a large speed differential between the left and the right wheel.

I know the differential is designed to allow for different speeds between left and right axles, but with such a large speed differential (like indicated 40 MPH on the speedo when you're only going 5 MPH), is it really hard on the differential?

Jon94SE

Well, reguardless you never want to "gun it" when your stuck in the ice you won't go anywhere. You want to turn the wheels as slow as possible to get moving. I always laugh when I see people flooring it when they get stuck.

elusivemax93

lol yeah dont gun it you will juz spin like crzy and burn gas you could other wise say on. get the locking differential only problem is the cost of the locking differential isnt cheap i would say try finding one off a 92-94 se auto if ur tranny is auto and manue if its manuel tranny and have a shop install the positrack differential wellk worth having it

Alex_V

We dont have posi track.(who are you joe dirt?)....Its a viscous limited slip diff. Posi= always locked.

And you cant put a VE auto tranny on a VG, unless you get some custom expensive welding done. Just buy a VE auto or manual. The manual will swap over of course.

You know the weakness of an open diff. One wheel loses traction, it just spins and you go no where. With a VLSD once one starts slipping the diff locks up and sends power to both wheels.

Its kinda hard on the diff, but since its ice and theres no traction its not that bad. But when you spin in the dry and the tire catches, lets go,catches etc thats when your tranny gets abused and broken. But the trannys are very tough for the na engines.

~Alex

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

It's weird here in Cali. I'm originally from NY so we had blizzard of snow all the time up there. No one in NY chained their tires but people here in Cali insisted chaining their tires when driving thru snow. Have you guys ever considered or had chained your tires? had it made any differences? the car probably feel like crap while driving with chain on.

Jon94SE

Yeah I don't think I'd want a posi FWD car, that would make cornering very interesting...

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

1. spinning the wheels at 2 greatly different speeds will damage the differential.
2. posi is not a locker! it is a limited slip differential, so calling what the VE has a posi is not entirely inaccurate.

92 Max

This car with the Viscous coupled Limited Slip Differential is great in the snow. Put snow tires on it and it'll go just about anywhere. Our cars were advertised as a viscous coupled LSD. Posi, I thought, was clutches coupling the drive wheels that allowed for some slip.

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

Chains work fantastic, especially on hills in very slick conditions. Even better than using studded snow tires. They are for extreme conditions, though. Going very slow through deep snow, like going through a storm in the mountain ranges are when you need them most.

In a lot of passes they are required at certain times of year. In Oregon, when you go through certain mountain ranges, you have to carry chains or have traction tires (studded tires or blizzak type). During very bad storms it can be CHAINS REQUIRED. You can get a ticket from the state police if you don't have them.

ODOT current chain requirements

(this will change later, but right now there are several passes with chains required).

We have to use chains at work for the Postal Vehicles. I live in a town with a lot of hills and the rwd LLVs don't do well in snow and ice. I don't like using chains on cars I care about, though. If you break one, it usually tears up the fenders. I don't think I would drive my Maxima through a pass in the winter in a situation where chains were required.

I have a set of studded tires for my Maxima and also for my QX4. I have them mounted on wheels, so I just swap them over before a storm.

mtcookson

iTrader: (2)

http://www.mattracks.com/

jaguax

iTrader: (1)

Can't you melt/push the snow away by flooring it though? (assuming it wasn't too packed and/or ice)

mtcookson

iTrader: (2)

If you could, it would probably take hours. It would be quicker to pull out a shovel and move the snow yourself than to do that. I don't even think you could get the tires to even warm up a hair spinning on snow/ice though.

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

you'll smell the tires burning pretty quick. and the chances of getting traction like that aren't that high.
that being said I have done it before, and you are only digging down to the pavement to get traction.
but it is bad for your car.

and remember you aren't me, so don't try it.

92 Max

Spinning your wheels just melts the snow to ice (friction). You get NO traction on wet ice. What you want to do is use a deft touch on the gas to just get the wheels moving without spinning, or rock the car out of the rut. Use first gear so the wheels won't just spin even faster and melt the tires in further. Try to stay on the snow and not on the packed snow and ice. Snow gives the tires something to bite into, packed snow and ice affords little or no traction.

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

Very well put.

I saw two people with cooked engine on my 2 mile trip home (brother was driving, I was 16 with no car) from school my junior year, from revving their way up a decently steep hill. His car didn't spin tires once, because he used his pedals like they were china glass that he didn't want to break; nice and smooth. 1993 Camry LE 2.2L A/T (VERY boring car to drive.. my mom's 1999 same-thing), so I doubt it's VLSD but he didn't have a problem.