David Adams Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Okay, sooooooo, I just got a house in New York with my beautiful fiancee, Holly. She's going to be leasing a car soon but until then, she's going to be driving my F-150 to work and back. Which means, I'll be driving Derpy . . .my Conquest. Snow has fallen and will continue to fall, probably until about March-ish . . .so if anyone here has any tips for safe and relatively stress-free travels, I'm open to ALL suggestions (short of buying a new car, that's not feasible right now). She has plenty of tread life (despite her primary use) and stock suspension (despite her primary use). I know some of you more experienced Northerners can help a driver out. Although I've been drifting for the better part of a decade, I really . . .REALLY . . don't enjoy doing it unintentionally, LOL! -Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 You will hate driving the SQ. If you have some extra cash, buy a FWD or 4WD winter beater. I'm sure some people here will tell ya they drive theirs in the winter and it will be fine, but it has been my experience it's not so much about personal driving ability as it is about keeping your car intact. You may be able to handle it fine, but the other drivers who don't care will be the ones who slide into you. Not to mention what the salt will do to your car. However, if you HAVE to... start from second gear on slick roads, put the best snow tires you can use on the back, and keep weight in the back- I usually kept salt, a shovel and other emergency gear back there for WHEN you get it stuck.... not IF, WHEN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy larry Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Noooo Not Derpy! I'd put something heavy in the trunk area, put on some skinnies in the back that would except some radial chains. The salt on the roads is all I'd be worried about and the other peeps like Burton said.. I feel Sad for Derpy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Chains and studded tires help, but most, if not all of the NE states do not allow studs or chains for fear of destroying the roads. Check with the local road commission to see if you can use them, and if you can, do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucw458 Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Buy a beater like a 90s ford escort for under 1k and save the SQ. Like others said it's not you, it's the people who will crash into you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Adams Posted December 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Well, that's foreboding and unsettling . . .like I said, can't buy a car right now, it's out of the question. Not to shoot down the idea of that, but we're still making the necessary adjustments as far as the house (housing in Long Island is . . .well . . .insane) so we have to get that squared away first before I can even consider additional modes of transport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyWadd Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 My solution for driving in the winter was 3 sandbags in the back and 205/55/16 snow tires all the way around. Firestone winterforce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Adams Posted December 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Well I can put my mustang wheels in the back, LOL! Those puppies are 40 pounds a piece (I weighed them). But getting snow tires will probably be the solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucw458 Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 There's a couple escorts on CL in your area for $500. That's close to the cost of snow tires. I bet they could be talked down to $200-300. Perfect for a winter beater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white quest ky Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Buy my montero lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technology Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 snow tires, that's all. Skinny ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Adams Posted December 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 So skinny is better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 So skinny is better? When it comes to snow and ice driving, yes. It would seem you'd want the biggest patch of tire possible on the road, but all that does is give more surface area touching slippery stuff. Plus, it's easier for a narrower tire to create and traverse the ruts in deep snow. Even if you have to drive the SQ in the snow now, a winter beater will be in your future. The NE is full of cars (well, they were before cash for clunkers anyway) that are rusted to hell, smashed all over but still plugging along great. As long as it moves and the heater works, you're golden. The best beater I ever had was an old Dakota. I got it for $600, used it for 3 winters then sold it to my neighbor for $400 when we moved. It had rust holes in the floor and all over the outside, but the 4X4 and heater worked, and it would go thru anything. Also if you are able to buy a beater and keep from using your SQ in the salt, don't get excited and start driving it as soon as spring hits and the roads are clear. At that point, there's still salt dust on everything and can get on the underside of your car very easily just driving around. I always waited until there were at least 2 or 3 big rainstorms in the spring to wash away the salt before I ever got my nice cars out of storage. The undercarriage washes help, but they also help to push salty, soapy water deeper into the nooks and crannies of the unibody where it will stay forever and try and rot your car from the inside out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technology Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Yeah, with wide tires, you end up doing more skating and skiing than driving. If there is snow on the ground, this is especially true. The skinny tires cut through deep snow, wide ones try to smash it down and drive over it which is much harder than cutting through. My kia spectra has never gotten stuck, my conquest got stuck a lot when I drove it in the snow. I learned that winter wasn't for starquests. The third car/winter beater will appeal to you soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyWadd Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 (edited) Yes i agree with the skinny tires, more pounds per square inch of force to get traction with. Dont forget to run low tire psi it will help alot. Make tire more flexy and improves the threshhold of breaking traction so now the tire will flex a bit better and not break traction but flex first, every little bity helps.Tonight i drove mine down the sloped driveway and could not get back up on the packed snow. Dropped the air down in the tires and it heped me get back up , along with a full sack of oil absorbant kitty liter Wich you can replace with traction sand , so it you have those traction sand bags in your trunk area and get stuck, you can dump that sand in front of your tires to get going.Don't forget about when its super cold you can put cardboard in front of the radiator to speed up warming up the engine it blocks air flow when driving and insulates when you stop. Having a winter ready sqc is alot of fun i think and worth the effort. A winter beater is awesome too but then you have to title and register and insure it and all used cars need stuff done like coolant flush and other little tune up stuff plus you always need tunes so you gotta buy a radio so a $300 car car end up to be a $950 car that still needs tires for $500 more and then its a $1450 used car LOL. I am biased though i used my red 87 driving 40 miles a day to work for two years in the snoWhttp://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z388/starionkiller/red%20conquest%20assorted%20pictures/th_2010-12-18101751-1.jpg^^looked like that every morning http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z388/starionkiller/red%20conquest%20assorted%20pictures/th_2010-12-04065949-2.jpg^^Then 45 minutes later at work (thats back when my heater core went out, i freaked out and ended up with three heater cores after going on a buying / begging frenzy) Edited December 31, 2012 by JohnnyWadd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dred_85.5_TSI Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Yeah, people that have lived in the frozen north of the US know all about "winter beaters". Just not something you have to deal with much in the south. I agree with every comment. Drive the SQ as little as possible before you find a beater to get you through the snow and salt. in the mean time thinner winter tires and weight ballast in the rear of the car. thats about all you can do other than drive very carefully. My family is originally from upstate New York near Rochester so I know all about winter beaters and driving in the snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Adams Posted December 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Well, I always have my F-150, his name is Michael. It's an amazing vehicle and he's definitely an awesome winter vehicle. I don't mind driving that, which is another reason why I'm hesitant to buy another car (having 4 cars is tacky unless they're 4 nice cars). Once Holly gets her car, things will be back to normal with my F-150 as my primary source of transportation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threedoor Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 (edited) Well, that's foreboding and unsettling . . .like I said, can't buy a car right now, it's out of the question. Not to shoot down the idea of that, but we're still making the necessary adjustments as far as the house (housing in Long Island is . . .well . . .insane) so we have to get that squared away first before I can even consider additional modes of transport. You mentioned Long Island... if you are in NY City, store the car, and the truck and take public transportation. If I misunderstood, and you are not in the city then get snow tires all around, not just the back. You need to be able to steer Keith Edited December 31, 2012 by Threedoor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMNDSTAR87 Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Nooooooooo don't drive that thing up here....even If u have no issues driving it in the snow it's the other morons out there u have to worry about...trust me I know.....I'm in mass and chains can be used for only 3mths...u gotta do what u gotta do though...good luckgig out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Adams Posted December 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 HAHA! Thanks for the tips guys, I really appreciate everyone's help. I will look into getting a winter beater but man, the missus won't dig that. As I mentioned, once she gets her car, that will mean 4 cars out there, she won't go for that. Since we'll only be on this Island for 18 months or so, I think I can survive for now, just minimizing my travels and driving the truck if I need to go anywhere in the snow. Fortunately for my sanity, I don't live anywhere near the city. I live in Setauket which is about an hour to an hour-and-a-half away from the city. I'm closer to Montauk than Queens. I hate city life, LOL! I love the suburbs, super upscale, ritzy, but relaxed and charming. None of that . . .city stuff. It's probably because I was born in the city (Queens, NY) that I hate it so much. I was also born in the hood, which is why now that I can afford to do better for myself (especially with my fiancee) I will. But yes . . .I digress, I'll investigate further into the idea of a winter beater, but it'll have to wait until next winter most likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burton Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Shame... You'll only be there for less than 2 years, and only have to drive the SQ in the salt for a very short time before your truck is available to you again. You're gonna be pretty bummed you drove it for that short time when you're out of NY 5 years from now and rust holes start popping out around your wheel wells. For me, in the NE, I worry less about my ability to drive or those around me, and worry more about what that salt's gonna do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psu_Crash Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 For me, in the NE, I worry less about my ability to drive or those around me, and worry more about what that salt's gonna do. That's the first thing I thought of reading this post. The salt in NY is absolute HELL on your vehicle. My starion doesn't see the road at all once snow flies and until the first good rain storm after it's gone.You can pick up a beater subaru for a few hundred bucks and those things are tanks! Even if you were only stuck in the area for 1 winter you will seriously regret driving the Conquest. Do everything in your power to find something else. They are terrible in the snow and the possible damage can be hearbreaking.I know others have said basically the same thing ... but ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screemin eagle Posted January 1, 2013 Report Share Posted January 1, 2013 Lol snow on Long Island isn't really that bad. They take care of the roads when it snows pretty good. I do agree with the salt they use here its pretty nasty. Like previously stated go on Craig's list and buy a cheap fwd beater. Chains are a no no hear and studded tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viper1355 Posted January 1, 2013 Report Share Posted January 1, 2013 When I lived in PA, I tried to drive my quest in about a half inch of snow once, and that was it, never again. Honestly, It would probably be more cost effective to pick up a winter car and sell it when you get out of NY, or even come summer. Figure a good set of 4 snow tires will cost you at least $500, if not more, plus chains and possible maintenance to the quest... Say you buy a beater for a grand and then sell it later for $500-600, you've come out ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screemin eagle Posted January 1, 2013 Report Share Posted January 1, 2013 It is rairley that bad with snow here. The plow and sander trucks are out in full force clearing the snow. They love to milk the over time. The worst you are going to have to deal with is digging your car out after the storm. I know your from down south and your not used to the snow driving but it's really not that bad. Also again CHAINS and STUDDED tires are a no no here you can get tickets for using them. If you need some help with anything I'm about 25 min from you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts