Is Stabilitrak a Must Have For Driving in Snow?

[kc27]

I live in the Midwest US, and depending on the winter, can end up doing a lot of driving in snow. The roads I use are usually pretty quickly plowed and salted, but there are times where the secondary streets are snow covered while the plowing crews focus on the main routes. I am currently shopping for a Vibe, and my question is whether I should be limiting my search to only vehicles with Stabilitrak (electronic stability control)? If I do get a Vibe, I was going to outfit the Vibe with winter tires like the Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 tires.

Will the winter tires offer sufficient traction? Or, do those of you with Stabilitrak who drive in snowy conditions find that it is indispensable?

Thanks for any ideas on this.

[andrewclaus]

Traction control has never been a must have criterion for me. Nor has ABS, for that matter. They're nice safety features, and if available I would consider paying more for it, but I don't go looking for it.

If I were buying a car for a dependent and a new driver, that would be a different story. For myself, who grew up driving awful Chicago roads in the 70s in rear wheel drive vehicles, I don't feel I need it.

Some anecdotes: I fault one dead deer to traction control. A herd was crossing in front of me on a lonely road in dry conditions. I slammed on the brakes, expecting to skid, but I didn't. Because the car continued safely in a nice straight line, I clipped the last fawn and broke up its hindquarters.

Traction control can also be a little disconcerting when pulling out of gravel onto a busy road. It cuts down your acceleration when you really want it. That's mostly a good thing, but there are times a good driver can handle just a little spinning of tires.

Good luck in your search.

[kc27]

Thanks. The Vibe will be primarily used by a driver with three of years of driving experience, which includes winter driving. I was trying to find a Vibe with electronic stability control (esc) and the side curtain airbags. That is a hard combination to find. I stumbled across a 2005 Vibe that is has relatively low mileage - 110,000 miles, but neither side curtain airbags or esc. That's why I was wondering if anyone had real world experience with esc on their Vibe in the winter.

[Capt.Vibe]

As someone who has 9 years in severe winter driving with a Vibe I can tell you you don't need stabilitrak. This is coming from the perspective of a second generation Vibe. With a good set of winter tires and common sense driving to the conditions it is a beast to drive in the winter and behaves very well. The stabilitrak beeps and takes over once in a while but it is very rare, you almost have to induce it by going quickly around a sharp corner. The car is high up with plenty of ground clearance on even the biggest storms we get here, 30-35cm. Never been stuck, never even close to being stuck.

My car runs on Nexen Winguard 231 which are a studdable old school type winter tire with large tread blocks. While not as grippy as the Blizzak/Michelin X-Ice type micro-cellular tread, they are very good and last a very long time. Mine will be going into their 6th winter with lots of tread left and more importantly no change winter grip level. I had Blizzaks on the Vibe the first 3 years, they were fantastic the 1st year, good the 2nd but by the 3rd year they started to be not so grippy and I just drove them through the summer and purchased the Nexen's for the following winter. While the Blizzaks were slightly better than the Nexen's they were also double the price yet only got 1/2 the life out of them. Seems only the top layer of these micro-cell silica based tires provides the most grip once you burn through that grip degrades rapidly. The Nexen's because of the large treadblocks are also a bit noisier and have more rolling resistance which increases your fuel consumption. Overall, with pretty much any set of winter tires this car is fantastic for winter conditions.

[zbyers]

Winter tires will serve you much better than traction control will. I second the Blizzaks. They are the best winter tire I've ran. Going on 4 or 5 years of the Blizzaks, I think they will need to be retired after this winter and a new set purchased. Well worth the investment.

[kc27]

Thanks zbyers and captianvibe for passing along your experiences with the Vibe in winter. If I purchase this car, I will get four Blizzak tires.

[zbyers]

Always glad to help!

[vibenvy]

FWIW, traction control and side air bags are standard on ALL 09-10 Vibes.

I will be getting Blizzak WS80s for both our Vibes before this winter hits. We've been fine the past 9 winters with all season tires, but we're due for new tires so I figured I'd give the Blizzaks a go this time around.

[kc27]

Just to follow up on this thread: I ended up getting four 195/65R15 Michelin X-Ice Xi3 tires and put them on steel wheels. I got a chance to drive the Vibe in 10" of new snow last month, and was impressed with the traction and handling. I run Goodyear Assurance TripleTred All-Season tires year-round on my other vehicles. Those are pretty decent in the snow, but there is a noticeable improvement with a dedicated winter tire.