[purpleRac3r]

I finally was able to drive the new all-season tires in snow today. Granted, it was only about on inch, but snow it was. I got out on the roads before the street department salted them, so this is a good first test. The air temperature was 25 degrees F. I set the driver mode to Weather, except as noted.

First off, I was able to back down my moderately steep driveway with no slipping, and out into the street. Moving forward presented no challenge, as long as I kept a light throttle. Of course, a good blip of the throttle would get some spin, but nothing outrageous. Even starting uphill from a standstill with the manual trans was easy; again, light throttle. I went to a nearby subdivision that has several streets with no homes built yet to see what occured on virgin snow. Mashing the gas would get some wheelspin, but it was very controlable with virtually no sideways movement. What little there was straightened out as soon as I let off the gas. Some drag launches and panic type stops produced some slipping but it was almost boring. Some sharp ttwisting of the steering would get a bit of sideways motion, and I could feel the ABS independently function at each wheel to minimize slip and spin. The electronics do a spectacular job of keeping the car in control!

Next off to an empty untreated parking lot. With more room, I was able get a bit more aggressive in my traction testing. This included quicker accellerations, harder braking and turns under throttle. As expected, there was some slipping on all counts. What was unexpected was how well the car returned to full control as soon as I let off the gas. It practically corrected itself! And at no time did I encounter any trouble with the tires that the car and some intelligence on my part couldn't handle. I have every confidence that I could drive within reason to any destination in a few inches of snow. As long as there is no ice, or the snow isn't more than 3"-4" deep, these tires should get you around if needed.

Of course, as with any car driven in the snow, I encourage everyone who expects to to go out and in a safe location, get to know the limits of you and your car. A little "driver training" in an empty parking lot will go a long way to improving your driving skill in adverse conditions on the road. And you might have some fun in the process (driver mode to Track for the best donuts!).