Forgive me if this is redundant, but I'm new to the forum and looking for a quick answer...

I owned an '09 GTS in the past and loved it, but it was terrible in the snow. I left the military and moved back to snowy Rochester, NY, so I chose to trade in the lancer for my wife's Xterra and kept my Toyota Tacoma.

Long story short, my Tacoma is getting old and I'm considering a Ralliart. Obviously the turbo is fun, but the AWD is attractive for the snowy conditions here too. Without getting too deep into brands of snow tires and what not, please just answer if the ralliart is stable w/ snow tires or if a ralliart is just a bad idea for the snow.

Thanks! If everything works out, you might be seeing more of me here and less of me on Tacomaworld.com!

 

I get mine within a week and have never driven one in snowy conditions. That said, I live in a place that has lots of snow, so it was a big consideration for me. From what I have read, it operates very well in the snow (with good winters of course). There are some videos and comments on youtube with respect to snow. I'm new to the forum too, but have read people say it is good in snow.

 

Last winter my Ralliart got me through the blizzard on bald stock summer tires....was it easy? NO WAY! But it still got me through and finally ive got some new all season shoes to try out for this upcoming winter. The car itself helped me survive the drives I needed to make through the storm.

 

Ever seen the Top Gear episode where they drive an Evo down a ski slope covered in about a foot of snow and the driver is STILL able to stay in control of the car??? Case closed!!!

 

mind you the driver of that EvoX in that particular TopGear episode was a professional drift and rally race driver Tanner Faust...


As with any car in any condition, your mile may vary from what's been documented and stated...

 

I rocked all seasons last winter and there was a lot of snow up here. Ralliart handled like an absolute champ

 

Yes, but a regular driver wouldn't be faced with having to drive down an unplowed ski slope either, so in my opinion:
Professional driver on unplowed ski slope = Average driver on paved roadways

 

Haha and he said he would rather be in that Evo in those conditions than any other 4X4.

 

You know that winter storm that CRIPPLED NYC for like, a week?

The night of the storm, I just finished snowboarding up in the catskills and drove 180 miles back into NYC, pass stuck cars, pass stuck PLOWS, pass buses, pass SUV's, on the sidewalk, wrong way down the street, sideways down the street , with continental DWS all-season tires. that's all you need to know.

 

I have some blizzaks on mine and i'm telling you man this thing is a beast in the snow. It's the most fun vehicle i have ever driven in snowy conditions. I have never been stuck, and have even had to pull a couple buddy's out this past winter and it worked fine. Mind you this is my first AWD vehicle. The ralliart has the evo 9 all wheel drive system, which if you look up, gets awesome reviews. It's a very solid ride for the winter season.

 

I had Michelin x-ice xi2 which were very capable. Drive once in snow with winters tires and you will never go back to poor season. The car has triple limited slip differentials and a 50:50 torque split. There is nothing better in snow. It's in a different league to the part-time AWD crap they stick on FWD cars as a $3k option.

 

We have similar winter conditions in Winnipeg as Rochester i think. Slushy and snow covered roads most of the time. Big snow falls usually cripple the city... My RA was fine with factory A/S Dunlops. Only got stuck once and it was during a blizzard getting into my driveway and the two foot deep snow drift was totally deceiving.

 

I have Blizzaks and driving the RA was a blast in the snow last year. I'm looking forward to it snowing this year. I've since installed Swift springs and a Whiteline rear sway bar, so I wonder if that'll make things more interesting in the snow.

 

i also live in rochester ny. have a 2010 ralliart lowered on eibachs. had winter tires on last winter and it drove great . no problems at all. im only lowered 1 1/2 inchs. i wouldnt go any lower in rochester with (as you probably already know) heavy snow at times and potholes everywhere.i had a hell of a time getting a RA here . at the time there was only a black one in rochester. i originally wanted the silver , but the closest one was in texas. my second choice was the rotor glow(so glad i got it instead) was in wisconsin. the dealer flew there and drove it back for me. if you get one and want to do tune or mods hit up STM ,there the best around here.

 

Here in the Great White North where it snows all year round... My RA handled fine in the Winter I was going around all sorts of cars that just couldn't hack it. Set the Diff to SNOW and put it in manual and select sport or even normal and I got out of a snowed in parking spot at my university no problem. Then bombed all the way back to my Res and then went drifting. The ABS, tractiong control and 4 good winter tires will get you though winter here in Canada. Hell you could even stud them... then you may as well climb trees.