the little Vibe that couldn't

[ashleymc_38]

So as some of you know, lower Michigan just got dumped with snow last night which lead to some horrible road conditions this morning. This is my first ever drive in actual heavy snow and I can only say two words "It sucked!" I've driven my car through slush before, but when it comes to actual 4-5 inch mounts, I couldn't believe how easily it was to get STUCK!! I was going up the driveway of my work and my car slide of someones else ruts and I got stuck...spinnin tires....wasn't going anywhere...boy was I pissed. Everyone else got up the little drive fine...ppl who had a chevy malibu, a VW jetta, a sebring...what the hell was wrong with my car...so now I like to call my Vibe "the little Vibe who couldn't." At least the lawyers next door inside the office were nice enough to come out and save me and my car..lol. Whoever thought that lawyers would be so nice lol. Even driving on the expressway to work this morning I almost crapped my pants b/c of how bad the Vibe handles in the snow. I can't say my vehicle was the only one having trouble though...soon as i got on the expressway, was looking over at the westbound side of I-94 and watched a Venture (van) spin out onto the grass...further up the road was a lexus facing the wrong way on the grass and right across the expressway from that was a jeep grand cherokee sitting in the grass between the eastbound and westbound sides spinnin the hell outta its tires trying to move but they must of known they weren't goin newhere. All i can say is .....snow sucks!!!!

[KNINE]

Quote, originally posted by ashleymc_38 » At least the lawyers next door inside the office were nice enough to come out and save me and my car..lol. Whoever thought that lawyers would be so nice lol. EWait 'till you get the bill!

[keithvibe]

I too got a nice snow fall today... 2inchs of snow topped by 3 inches of sleet then topped by 3 more inchs of snow.. and with the awd on my vibe driving down unplowed roads I wasn't even worried about getting stuck.. this car is SWEET!sorry your having such difficulties with traction.. looks like it's time to invest in a good set of snow tires for your vibe

[tnpartsguy]

^5! isn't Always Drive Great Keith!?!??!Sorry you got stuck Ashley. If you're still on the factory tires, I can't say I'm surprised, the Goodyears suck, even on the AWD car.

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by ashleymc_38 »All i can say is .....snow sucks!!!!You'd be surprised, with GOOD tires, the FWD vibes handle quite nicely, even in snow...

[ashleymc_38]

Man, I just don't want this car to be worse than my old one. I used to have a Plymouth Acclaim and once I spun out going down a bridge at 45mph during a snow storm (b/c I was stupid and thought that the roads weren't that bad) that was the end to ever thinking that, that car worked like a dream in the snow!! Its better to drive like a granny sometimes then to make stupid mistakes driving like an idiot. Better safe then sorry. But I will say that I'm sure that that awd option works like a charm!

[Kari]

Quote, originally posted by ashleymc_38 »Its better to drive like a granny sometimes then to make stupid mistakes driving like an idiot. Better safe then sorry. Truer words were never spoken.

[Mavrik]

Sorry your winter experience was so horrible. I haven't gotten stuck yet here in alaska with my lowered Vibe and we have a record snow fall and its only Feb

[prathman]

"It's better to drive like a granny sometimes than to make stupid mistakes driving like an idiot."A very good attitude to have when driving in slippery conditions.I agree with a number of previous posters that substituting a good set of snow/winter tires can make a huge difference. And they're much cheaper than body work.

[Mavrik]

Quote, originally posted by prathman »"It's better to drive like a granny sometimes than to make stupid mistakes driving like an idiot."A very good attitude to have when driving in slippery conditions.I agree with a number of previous posters that substituting a good set of snow/winter tires can make a huge difference. And they're much cheaper than body work.Yeah winter tires is a must. funny how people always seem to forget how to drive in the snow between snowfalls too... I drive like grandma

[AKLGT]

i used to get stuck in my vibe GT depending on how thick the snow. the issue is you can't stop. if you stop in thick snow, you're not gonna get going. i remember getting stuck in my driveway the last winter i had the car. LOL

[Digger]

We got 13 inches yesterday and last night. The AWD vibe went like a charm. I drove home with the bottom of the car dragging the snow all the way. Today , some of my friends wanted to see if I could make it though a unplowed parking lot that had a small uphill in it with about a foot of snow. went right though.

[coldmm803]

sorry to hear about you getting stuck, i've been thru that with my previous vechile (dodge dakota w/ basically bald tires). good tires is like night and day on the vibe, i got michelin pilot exalto A/s and they are amazing compared to the contis that my vibe came with. a few weeks ago i went out in the snow (to a parking lot) and could not break the vibe loose, even pulling the ebrake didnt do anything.

[ajflan]

I have always liked how the vibe handles in the snow. However, i just installed my tein s-techs, which may have increased the difficulty of driving through the deep stuff. I was having some issues in my neighborhood this morning. More issues than before i lowered it.

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by ajflan »I was having some issues in my neighborhood this morning. More issues than before i lowered it.A small price to pay IMHO!

[ajflan]

Its definitly worth it. I put them on saturday, and im just loving it. Besides, i enjoy a challenge!

[AKLGT]

we have s-techs on Mav's vibe and i had the TRD springs on mine. really, the snow wasn't too bad, but going up hills or stopping/starting was tough. if not for the many miles needed to drive all over for my occupation, the vibe gt did OK (i would not say well). but now, i will never go back to anything other than AWD for winter.

[Stang2Vibe]

I have to agree with Hope on this one. I've learned that it's just best to park my Vibe GT once it snows. It can't get going, especially up hills. Have to burn off half the tire tread in second gear just to climb a hill. I even tried high quality dedicated snow tires. It helped, but any more than about 2 inches of snow and forget it.About a year and a half ago I bought an old Jeep Cherokee 4X4 for about $1900 to use as a winter beater. Turned out to be such a great car that I use it most of the year now. Put a set of 4 Blizzak ice tires on it last winter that are used for winter only and that thing goes everywhere. I put it in 4 wheel drive and was able to climb a long, steep, winding hill last night that was covered in ice with little problem. I often drive like a maniac (though I've been getting much better over the last 2 years or so), but when it comes to winter road conditions, you are very right that it's best to drive in grandma mode. Use extra caution and prepare your vehicle for the winter season properly and you won't regret it.BTW--the Acclaim is a good car in the snow, I have a friend who has one. Front wheel drive and a good weight for it's size. The Vibe is too light of a car I think for slippery conditions with the 2 wheel drive setup, particularly with the gearing in the GT. My sister had an '03 Corolla 5-speed with winter tires and she said her car was fine in the snow. My '03 Vibe GT is based off the same Corolla and is not so good. I have to think that the gearing makes a difference, but I also tend to drive in more extreme conditions than my sister did so I don't know that it's a fair comparison.

[kostby]

The Corolla probably had 15" wheels and 70- or 75-series tires, too. One of the problems with the Vibe (with standard 16" wheels and 55-series tires) as a winter vehicle is the larger tire "contact patch". Lower profile tires are wider, which means less effective winter traction, because there is less friction (resulting from fewer pounds-per-square-inch of force) generated by the larger contact patch of wider tires. Another example of this principle is that it's easier to write with a freshly sharpened pencil on paper, than with a dull pencil.Some owners go to the extent of buying winter wheels and tires in 'minus 1' or even 'minus 2' sizes, thus buying a 15" (or even 14") wheel & winter tire combo appropriate to the car.I can handle getting stuck in the "once every 20 years" blizzard. If it's every week or two, that's another matter, and I'd definitely buy winter (steel) wheels & tires.

[kevera]

I finally invested in a set of blizzacks this year and let me tell you,what a difference.I have s-techs and never get stuck.But,I used the rs-a's for 3 winters with no problems,I actually liked them.

[dcbridgwater]

I have an AWD Vibe and yesterday I drive from Syracuse,NY to Hartford,CT in that winter mess that hit the North East. I had no problems getting going or skidding, I am running 195/65R15 Michelin X ICE tires.

[shane_c]

I have winter tires on my Vibe and find it pretty bad in the snow. It likes to slide around when going around turns and sometimes it seems hard to get going.

[DopeVibeGT]

Mine doesnt do all to well in the snow, either. But, my front tires are low on tread..... I have a set of blizzacks on rims in the garage that I used on the Grand Am when it seen snow, just never got around to putting them on the Vibe. =T

[BlueCrush]

I have never had a problem with my AWD in the snow. Even when I was dropped 2" w/225-40-18 Falken Ziex ZE-512 All-season tires on and I was plowing snow with my front end. It is all in the tires and how you drive in the snow. Unless you end up with 8+ feet like in NY. lol.

[OldVibeGuy]

I live in the Adirondack Mts in NY. My GT does fine in the snow. We just got 37" yesterday. No problems, it's all about the tires and driving straight. Speed and turning don't mix.

[AKLGT]

i had 15" rims with studded winter radials. still had issues. but i think stang brings up a point about the gearing particularly in the GT. the torque steer was bad so in winter, i'd kinda lurch to the side and would completely throw off (to me) any traction i may have had. even though Mav's vibe does a little, it isn't near as bad as my GT was.

[DopeVibeGT]

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »I have never had a problem with my AWD in the snow. Even when I was dropped 2" w/225-40-18 Falken Ziex ZE-512 All-season tires on and I was plowing snow with my front end. It is all in the tires and how you drive in the snow. Unless you end up with 8+ feet like in NY. lol.Put it this way, my GA was lowered for many years, a lot lower than a vibe, and that thing loved snow. Even with the belly draggin', it pulled right through the snow.But of course AWD will go good in the snow. LOL

[Whelan]

LOL I love my AWD.I already made a post about it on here and how awesome it was through this crap storm.Last night my friend met me at the bar with his work van. Ford E250 w/ snow tires and a total weight about 8,000 pounds. He has his own oil and HVAC service business. We pulled into a parking lot that was a sheet of hard snow/ice. The car didn't even leave tire prints!!! Had a nice shiny glaze over it too when the light hit it. I pulled in and parked he did as well. When we left a little while later, lol the fun started.He backed out fine but when he put it in L to get out of the lot he spun and spun and spun, and the car hit the limiter and stalled out, (removed)!!!I drove my AWD Trix down to him, pulled a 3 pointer, and came back up, put the window down and said, sorry for the luck while laughing. I almost had to drive him home, but he finally made it out spinning tires and all. I parked all over the place too, we took my car down the street to another place, pulled right up to the snow covered parking space, parallel parked it right in. He was so impressed and was def. lovin my AWD.Slower than a GT/XRS, but more capable to get you home!P.S. - AWD donuts are fun!!!!!!!