How does the smart do in snow?
OK, so I live in colorado and we're preparing for snow, I've been wondering how it does in snow? I have people ask me all the time and i cant give them an answer because i have only had my car since May of this year! Does anyone have an answer for me??
Views: 4
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Cherie on -
It's great -- at least I can speak for 6 inches! We had a snowstorm this year (doesn't often happen in North Carolina) and we each put our demo through its paces -- one of the guys tried to put it in a spin and it just wouldn't happen. I'd be interested to hear from some people with more regular snow -- but it did great here.
-
Permalink Reply by Ryan on -
Yeah.... i live in eastern Pennsylvania.... but have only had my Smart since the end of April, so I also don't personally know how well it does. Mine's a Brabus... and the sales specialist at the dealer was like "Yeah... you might want to look for snow tires by late october". Think the tires on the Pure, Passion, and Cabriolet models are more all-terrain tires, but the ones on the Brabus appear to be more of a street tire.
-
Permalink Reply by Fred on -
In Boston, we had a lot of snow last year. I have a steep incline in my driveway and the ESP let me crawl right up the driveway. My Mercedes wouldn't do that! I have driven it in 5-6 inches of slush and if you are careful, you should have no problem. I have read that folks have installed snow tires and have had no problem at all. Good luck!
Cherie said:It's great -- at least I can speak for 6 inches! We had a snowstorm this year (doesn't often happen in North Carolina) and we each put our demo through its paces -- one of the guys tried to put it in a spin and it just wouldn't happen. I'd be interested to hear from some people with more regular snow -- but it did great here.
-
Permalink Reply by Kaylynn on -
Well I'll let you know once we get our first big snow in Denver. Its already snowing in the moutains. So far my passion has done great in the rain on the highways (i-25 and i-70). I'm just waiting for the big snow to come. Everyone says we're going to have a bad winter in colorado so hopefully my smart will hold up like it has been. I'll keep you updated.
Cherie said:It's great -- at least I can speak for 6 inches! We had a snowstorm this year (doesn't often happen in North Carolina) and we each put our demo through its paces -- one of the guys tried to put it in a spin and it just wouldn't happen. I'd be interested to hear from some people with more regular snow -- but it did great here.
-
Permalink Reply by Alan Brask on -
I lived through a horrible Chicago winter last year with my Smart, and it performed so well we started it taking on errands around town because it was easier to handle on ice and snow than my wife's all-wheel-drive Mercedes SUV. There is absolutely no weight out beyond the axles, so it doesn't want to "spin." It's light, so there's not much weight to drag to a stop. The front tires are narrow, so they cut through the snow and make excellent contact with the pavement. I took it to an empty parking lot after the first snow last year, and had a blast whipping it around the icy asphalt until I was both impressed and confident.
This year I'm driving an hour or more each way to and from work, so I'm ordering snow tires just to make sure. But as long as the roads are plowed recently enough for the Smart's ground clearance, I consider it a solid performer. Personally, my biggest concern is the idiots who think 4-wheel-drive will help them on ice. SLOW DOWN ALREADY!
Good luck.
-
Permalink Reply by Ryan on
-
Alan Brask: Well.... 4WD does help quite a lot for larger vehicles.... and helps even more if the axles are locked to have TRUE 4-wheel drive like my Jeep Wrangler that i'm tryin to have running by winter just in case my Smart isn't up to snuff... not that differential crap where one front and one rear tire spins. Ice is a whole different story no matter what car though. I will say though..... i don't really think confindence driving in snow should be based on whether or not the car has and is or isn't in 4WD.... but more based on the confidence of the driver. I kinda have that frame of mind a lot where if you THINK something bad is going to happen, it more than likely will. Kinda like how my mom always says "Aren't you worried about hitting or seeing a deer?" All i think is.... the more i worry "Oh my god, there might be a deer", the more i'm going to be LOOKING for a deer. The more i think i might slide in the snow, the more OVERLY cautious i might wind up driving. If you worry about something constantly... you're going to be focusing on that.... and if something bad DOES happen... you probably won't be able to focus quite as intently on how to avoid/correct the problem. Kinda like my mom doesn't know how i can make a car fishtail in the snow, or kick the rear wheels out a bit around a corner (When nobody is anywhere nearby, mind you), and still be able to get the car back under control quickly and easily. For one, it's because i'm doing so intentionally, and i know that if the back of the car wants to go one way, you generally want to turn the wheel towards the direction it wants to move to help the front tires keep traction, and to get the rear wheels back in line with the direction you're trying to drive.
I think the people that are even MORE of a hazard on the road during snowy weather and snow covered roads.... moreso than those that think 4WD makes them driving gods.... are those that think that driving slower is the best thing to do. I'll be honest... i don't really drive slow unless the roads are REALLY bad and i had slid previously. I've driven my parent's 2001 Pontiac Trans-Am in some relatively heavy rain where i saw people pulled off to the side of the road.... going extremely slow.... but i was doing like 55-60. Why? Because i observed the road. It hadn't been raining for very long.... there weren't any large puddles to worry much about possibly hydroplaning.... and i'm used to driving in the rain. i don't mind the rain... just like i don't mind the snow. Ice... again, different story. Last year i had to pick my boss up twice and drive him to work because his... i believe a Mercury Sable or something like that.... couldn't make it down his rather steep hill. At the time, i was driving my rather crap-tacular Dodge Durango, which had 4 wheel drive. Went up the first little incline of the hill he lives on... but didn't dare go up the second part that was a bit more steep. On the way back down the hill, which was pretty much of a sheet of ice, mind you.... i put it into 4 wheel drive Low, and just let the engine keep the speed down for the most part, VERY gently applied the brakes, and came to a stop at the bottom....... just as a plow was getting ready to make it's way up his hill. :-/ Think that day i may have did like 45-50 the entire way to work, even on the 55mph highway where people TYPICALLY do 60-70.
Wow... didn't realise i typed that much.
-
Permalink Reply by jackb on -
Just keep in mind that the first few moments on the road after rain starts can be some of the trickiest. The thin film of oil that coats most highways will be lifted off the road surface, but not yet washed away. Wheeee!
Ryan said:Alan Brask: Well.... 4WD does help quite a lot for larger vehicles.... and helps even more if the axles are locked to have TRUE 4-wheel drive like my Jeep Wrangler that i'm tryin to have running by winter just in case my Smart isn't up to snuff... not that differential crap where one front and one rear tire spins. Ice is a whole different story no matter what car though. I will say though..... i don't really think confindence driving in snow should be based on whether or not the car has and is or isn't in 4WD.... but more based on the confidence of the driver. I kinda have that frame of mind a lot where if you THINK something bad is going to happen, it more than likely will. Kinda like how my mom always says "Aren't you worried about hitting or seeing a deer?" All i think is.... the more i worry "Oh my god, there might be a deer", the more i'm going to be LOOKING for a deer. The more i think i might slide in the snow, the more OVERLY cautious i might wind up driving. If you worry about something constantly... you're going to be focusing on that.... and if something bad DOES happen... you probably won't be able to focus quite as intently on how to avoid/correct the problem. Kinda like my mom doesn't know how i can make a car fishtail in the snow, or kick the rear wheels out a bit around a corner (When nobody is anywhere nearby, mind you), and still be able to get the car back under control quickly and easily. For one, it's because i'm doing so intentionally, and i know that if the back of the car wants to go one way, you generally want to turn the wheel towards the direction it wants to move to help the front tires keep traction, and to get the rear wheels back in line with the direction you're trying to drive.
I think the people that are even MORE of a hazard on the road during snowy weather and snow covered roads.... moreso than those that think 4WD makes them driving gods.... are those that think that driving slower is the best thing to do. I'll be honest... i don't really drive slow unless the roads are REALLY bad and i had slid previously. I've driven my parent's 2001 Pontiac Trans-Am in some relatively heavy rain where i saw people pulled off to the side of the road.... going extremely slow.... but i was doing like 55-60. Why? Because i observed the road. It hadn't been raining for very long.... there weren't any large puddles to worry much about possibly hydroplaning.... and i'm used to driving in the rain. i don't mind the rain... just like i don't mind the snow. Ice... again, different story. Last year i had to pick my boss up twice and drive him to work because his... i believe a Mercury Sable or something like that.... couldn't make it down his rather steep hill. At the time, i was driving my rather crap-tacular Dodge Durango, which had 4 wheel drive. Went up the first little incline of the hill he lives on... but didn't dare go up the second part that was a bit more steep. On the way back down the hill, which was pretty much of a sheet of ice, mind you.... i put it into 4 wheel drive Low, and just let the engine keep the speed down for the most part, VERY gently applied the brakes, and came to a stop at the bottom....... just as a plow was getting ready to make it's way up his hill. :-/ Think that day i may have did like 45-50 the entire way to work, even on the 55mph highway where people TYPICALLY do 60-70.
Wow... didn't realise i typed that much.
-
Permalink Reply by Mike Prpich on -
Hi, we got away with no snow last night (at least in Lakewood) and the weather is supposed to break by Friday, so hopefully we won't need the snow question answered for a while. Mike
-
Permalink Reply by Ryan on
-
jackb: i think that depends on the road. If you're talking about oil on the road from say.... oil leaking from cars.... the majority of that get's diluted and washed away during heavy rain, and more than likely even moreso for the spring thaw and such. not like there's 5,000 cars constantly leaking a quart of oil every 20 feet.
If you're talking about the oil that's used in the blacktop.... well.... the vast majority of the roads around here aren't "new" enough to worry about that. That situation also depends on how much oil they put in the blacktop. the proper amount doesn't really make it slippery. it's when they add too much oil to the mix (as they've done to a few spots that i know of, or have heard of) that a little bit of wetness goes a LOOOOOOOOOONG way.
-
Permalink Reply by Julie on -
Purchased my in Oct 08. I'm in Minne-snow-tah! I love it! No snow tires. We took it out on the first 4 inches, to see how it handles....COULD NOT make it do a donut! The ABS brakes work great because the car is so light it just stops! ESP is what keeps it from doing donuts. If I can get it out of the drive way it's the car of preference. If you've live in snow you know what I mean!
-
Permalink Reply by John on -
We've had snow on the roads in Anchorage for about two weeks. My smart does GREAT, good traction, hardly any sliding or fishtailing, and that's without studded tires. Better than I expected. Nonetheless, I'm planning to leave it in the garage most of the winter and drive my old car. Other drivers are slipping and sliding and I don't want to risk getting my new smart banged up.
-
Permalink Reply by Todd Blackley on -
I just got my snow tires on this year and I expect to drive a lot (to work and back) this winter. P.S. I live in Park City (7,000'), UT with 3 ski resorts so this should be a good test.
Photos
© 2012 Created by izzysmart.
