How does your Stinger handle in the snow?

[SoCalStinger]

About to take a road trip in two weeks to go skiing up north. For those living in snowy climates, how does your Stinger handle? Debating if I should look into getting some chains.

 

[MurlinatoR]

They handle pretty well believe it or not. Cornering is the hardest part as I've got the summer Michelin Pilot's.

 

[POS VETT]

What kind of tires do you have on your Stinger?

 

[SoCalStinger]

What kind of tires do you have on your Stinger?

Stock 19" summer tires.

 

[POS VETT]

Stock 19" summer tires.

Bring chains/cables.

 

[brancky3]

For those unfamiliar with winter driving - a CAR is not good or bad in snow; TIRES are good or bad in snow. Driving with summer tires in the snow is a death wish.

 

[SoCalStinger]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Do I need to get chains for just the rear or all four wheels?

 

[POS VETT]

All four. You want to be able to steer with the front tires and not just the rears.

 

[SoCalStinger]

All four. You want to be able to steer with the front tires and not just the rears.

Thanks

 

[Stingin' Away]

Thanks

Some Pirelli's are about $1k if you have the money. It's worth protecting a $50k car.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/Tire...arRatio=35&rearDiameter=19&rearSortCode=57430

 

[upstatedoc]

my stinger is a beast in the snow, but I have AWD and the 18" all seasons

 

[SoCalStinger]

my stinger is a beast in the snow, but I have AWD and the 18" all seasons

Do you ever use chains?

 

[upstatedoc]

Do you ever use chains?

noooo

 

[jamesc]

If you are not familiar with chains and how to install, be very careful. There is real potential to tear up the wheel wells and quarters of your car.

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[Jay Tea]

SoCal - To respond to your original post, my recent experience:

Up until a few days ago, my 3 month-old 2018 GT2 AWD was mostly a garage queen, waiting until fair weather. Well, I got tired of waiting, so ...

With all the heavy snowfall in the Sierras, I decided to put the Kia to the test on a particularly snowy day, and began by shredding over I-80 (Reno to Sacramento), then down CA-49 to Mariposa, back up CA-49 to Jackson (Bear Valley / Coulterville is a heavenly Richter Scale of switchbacks and extreme elevation changes), and finally returning over CA-88 (past Silver Lk and Kirkwood) in heavy snowfall. Traffic was very light the entire trip, and Valentine 1 protected my insurance rates!

I was very impressed with the the car's balance while traversing snow-covered roads under throttle (corners included). The car felt solid and planted, traction was seamless, and I never felt uneasy with a threatened slide.

I returned home after 11 hours of elated exhaustion. The Stinger is one of the more confident AWD road vehicles I have ever driven in the snow. It is not a track car (like my S2000) but is a great winter GT car ... can't wait to take it back to the mountains for more snow-play! Wheeeee

BTW, for winter driving, I am running General Altimax RT 43 235/45R18 V-rated M+S tires all 4 corners.

Finally, as a disclaimer, I have decades of track experience with cars & motorcycles, and have been testing Newton's laws on snowy roads since the 1960s ... I do not recommend aggressive driving on public roads!

 

[Jay Tea]

SoCal - you never mentioned if your Stinger was AWD or rear.

If you are driving an AWD, traction devices are not required in CA for R1 or R2 conditions, as long as you are running All Season (M+S) at all 4 corners.

If you DO want to carry extra traction devices, Kia recommends only AutoSocks (instead of metal chains). AutoSocks do not last very long on dry roads (look at reviews), but they are cheaper than body-work when the steel chains break a link and tear-up those beautiful fenders.

Also, only drive wheels are recommended for traction devices. All four tires are NEVER recommended, as this can put too much stress and damage front-to-rear drive components.

 

[SoCalStinger]

Thanks [MENTION=1775]Jay Tea[/MENTION] I'm AWD.

I was up in your area two weeks ago, thankfully the road conditions didn't require chains but I brought them just in case.

 

[gregc]

After having my '18 GT2 AWD in New England Weather.....

It's a decent winter car. Weight and traction with the stock 18" all-seasons is decent, I probably won't buy snow tires for this car, I see it as limited by front clearance and visibility more than traction for my use. The traction control gets a little funny in more situations than some of our other vehicles. Balance and overall traction is good, heated seats/mirrors/wheel are nice, front defrost heats up quickly and covers well.

The front end design only gives about 5" of clearance so snow banks and piles are a concern. There are several places in the front and front wheelwells where ice and snow pack in. I'm nervous about the long-term durability of the front and rear fascia plastics, they seem less solid that other cars I've had. Ice also builds up under the hatch door (but still outside the rubber seals so doesn't get into the car itself).Big open wheels can tend to have ice blocks form that make a very rough ride 'til they thaw. (I usually pull my Stinger in the garage for a couple hours after each storm)

No fog lights + super-bright LEDs make night time heavy snow more of a problem. Visibility becomes even more constricted when there's ice build up on the windshield and back window. Driving position is also very low which means you can't see over snow banks etc.

All in all it's a good winter car. Not as good as the Land Cruiser or Sequoia that we used to have....In most cases I'll take my wife's '16 Pilot if it's available because it's higher - better visibility and ground clearance and I don't worry about getting it all salty

To be fair, though, I'm not generally going on untreated roads and wouldn't NOT go somewhere because of the road conditions. Stinger always makes it up our 15% grade driveway without any complaints and has handled well.

On some previous cars I had dedicated summer/winter tires - I wouldn't want to be on the 19" Michelins during the winter here, I'd definitely had snow tires then.

 

[CARmello Yellow]

About to take a road trip in two weeks to go skiing up north. For those living in snowy climates, how does your Stinger handle? Debating if I should look into getting some chains.

the michelins are horrible in the snow... you will get where your going, thats about it.

 

[rickpiltz131]

I deal with 6 months of snow and ice in SoDak. Tires are everything. Awd does not stop or turn you. I run X-Ices and this car outperforms my Rover on crappy roads. I snowboard every weekend (800+ days) and this car is awesome for those conditions!

Just to prove a point, my wifes BRZ (rear wheel drive) outperforms every dumbass around here that uses all seasons [tires that are a compromise in all seasons].

My favorite mode is sport mode because a can powerslide through corners. Love this car!

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