before i got my ra i drove my dads g35 for about 6 months soo i was very used to the response and control of a rear wheel drive car. it never handled well in the rain and snow soo i got used to recovering and steering when the rear end sliped out.

THEN i got my ra. knowing it was front wheel drive i didnt think id have to worry about the back end slipping out (although i ended up a curb on a patch of grass after taking a turn too fast and having the rear go) but i HAVE had to deal with the front slipping during turns and etc during rain and snow and i cant figure out the best way to recover. anyone know how to handle having the front end slip during turns?

 

Gently turn into the spin to recover....but avoid all that by getting a decent set of snow shoes like Blizzaks or Nokians.

 

G35 is a nice car! give it a good early break heading to the corner then decel around apex. If you gas too much the wheel may just spin while you corner causing you to understeer. In snow nothing can really help that much because there could be ice. You pretty much just have to slow down if you don't have the proper snow / rain tires and take the corner easy. If you're going a moderate speed and feel that you are understeering int oa snow bank, make sure you have your hand on the ebrake and gas it through the turn. lol coming from a place that is pretty much winter most of the year I would know haha

 

also remember if ebraking in the snow while in the slide your car will point the direction your wheels are facing when you have control

 

Any time the road is slippery you can't power through a turn with FWD, you'll just understeer. Not much you can do about that.

 

If you're losing it, look in the direction you want to keep going and steer towards it and brake - that is what we learned at work for our defensive driving course.
Apparently the looking part is very important- many accidents where people end up hitting trees etc. occur when control is lost and people think 'I don't want to hit a tree' and look for the trees to avoid them. Its all very split second and reflex, but yeah, best chance is to aim for where you want to keep going - pick a straight line between points on the road and brake. ABS helps a great deal with pulling it off too

$0.02

 

I had the same problem with my ralliart. My other car is an older BMW. Awesome in the snow for donuts, but handles totally different than my ralliart. It takes a while getting used to the front of the car pushing instead of the back end coming around. Just do what I do. Find an empty parking lot after a snow storm and learn the way your car is going to react by forcing it to slide.

 

+1 on open parking lots, i think that everyone that lives in a climate that gets lots of snow/icey roads should practice "loosing control" so they don't panic in the situation

 

By the way if you saw that was my first post. I just bought an 04 RA about a month ago and I love it. Just wanted to say hello to all the RA owners and introduce myself. I live in Utah where we get a lot of snow, and parking lots are a plenty. You just have to watch out for cops. One time I was doing donuts in a parking lot and as I went around the corner of a building a cop was sitting right there. Barely escaped a ticket. If you do practice donuts make sure to not stay in the same lot very long as neighbors are likely to call the cops.

 

sounds good hahah...ive never understood that, why would it matter if there is no one in a parking lot and you decide to mess around? as long as your not defacing public property i dont see why not. then again i guess if you mess around too much and end up in the front end of a store youve got yourself a problem .

but yeah i dont get too much snow where i live but i do understeer quite a bit in the rain alone cause my front tires are dry performance.

 

Yeah it is messed up, but I once asked a cop about it and they said it can be seen as reckless driving if you are doing donuts or sliding and therefore they can give you a ticket. Personally I think everyone needs to learn the limits of their car in a controlled enviroment so they know how to react when something goes wrong. The area I live in has a lot of parking lots that border elderly peoples houses(nothing against the elderly),a nd they will call the cops over anything.

 

I agree, and so would many cops. It depends a lot on how you're getting your practice, and how you talk to the cop if you get pulled over.

Driving in a straight line then inducing a slide to see if you can recover is a lot different than doing 36 donuts in an empty parking lot just so your friend can get in on video to put on YouTube.

 

[QUOTE=Myszkewicz;3872410]I agree, and so would many cops. It depends a lot on how you're getting your practice, and how you talk to the cop if you get pulled over.

I honestly wonder how many cops would believe you were just practicing defensive driving if the saw you slinding in a parking lot. If your friend is taping you your definately screwed.

 

I learned to drive at the limit of my Sportback on the Auto-x track both dry and wet....I spined about 3 times ( two 180 and one 360)...but no one was hurt and it was a looooot of fun.

By the way...about one month ago I was with one of my buddies and his wife...I took a corner a little too fast going back to their house and the RA started to spin, but thanks to my track time I recovered it and keep going safely.

When we inspected the tires some of the tire shine liquid that I used the night before was in the tread area! Thats why I loose the back of the Sportback in the corner....so no more Armor All tire shine for me

 

yeah autox is another good way to find out about your cornering limits on dry or wet (rainy day)