The RA and snow are a match made in heaven. The 4x4 drive system is brilliant, and LSDs really help the car plow and go where others are stuck. Had 40cm of snow here in Finland last winter, didn't get stuck a single time.

Just get some decent tires, I'm running Nokian R's on 16" EVO IV Oz rims, the X-ice2:s should be brilliant as well.

 

How much are the Nokian R's over in Finland. I really want to go with those tires this year. I thought going 16" in the winter would look funny, but it really doesn't look that bad. Thanks so much for the pics.

 

zomg -25C! /me dies

 

I paid 600€ for a set, size is 205/60 R16. Yea I was worried about 16" rims as well, but they look OK and are much better in the winter. Narrower tires help in the snow as well.

 

I have a good set of dedicated winter tires, and nothing up here stops me!

Watch this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXpRPRqssM8

 

try -35C I've seen it... and she started with no engine block heater or battery heater. FYI -40F and -40C are the same Temp.

 

^^ true. I actually don't mind -20*C as long as there is no wind... perfect for playing hockey

 

I have the blizzaks and had absolutely no problems.

Only problem was starting the car when it is really cold.

 

The RA is an excellent winter car.

 

Oh, and getting through chain control. Sometimes they don't believe me when I say it is AWD.

 

Hell, I just use Conti DWS's and the car was a champ in Tahoe all last season, in some pretty good storms.

I had the old style Conti DWS's on my Evo 8, which basically has the same AWD and it was great in some serious storms as well.

Keep in mind we don't really get much ice in Tahoe so it's mainly all snow.

Here are some photos that still make me chuckle:

 

You roomed with a Scooby, cheater!!

 

It's a fantastic car in the snow. Being from New England the winters here can get pretty nasty real fast. As an example I have ice gaurds for tires on steel wheels...one night we got over 5 inches of snow in an hour and I drove nearly 15 miles on unpaved roads to get home with zero problems. If you're going to base your purchase strictly on driving in the snow then buy ten of em'.

 

Last two winters I ran 205/60/16 Blizzaks.

Multiple drives to Northern Michigan and what-not. I didn't even notice that it snowed out.

 

Ralliart is really nice in winter. But unskilled drivers will probably prefer FWD.

I had a Lancer SE '08 before the Ralliart and on the highway (100-120km/h) with light snow (for where I am, Québec), the FWD Lancer felt much more stable than the AWD Ralliart.

But the Ralliart is a blast in light snow on street corner or in empty parking lots!

Only advice, don't shift while doing 360s... Apparently the ECU don't like that... I did it by accident and never saw that many warnings on the screen before...


And, AWD does not mean invincible... Most people forget that you still have just 4 wheels and 4 brakes, so a AWD car does not help keeping you on track on curves or doesn't brake any faster... Most of the cars I see crashed on the side of the road are 4WD SUVs or AWD cars... People get overconfident and crash...