winter driving

[binka]

hi,
i'm a new xlr owner(05 bought recently)
so far so good... i really , really love this machine but this is my only car and i live in michigan( and so far, i still have a job)....has anyone driven this car in snow or should i look for a winter car? binka

 

[Little Woman]

Welcome to the site. You are going to have fun and make some great friends on this site.

We live in Illinois and my husband Kevin, aka Cubby, hasn't driven his in the snow. The X goes night night for the winter.

 

[First Robin]

Indiana?

Welcome to the site. You are going to have fun and make some great friends on this site.

We live in Indiana and my husband Kevin, aka Cubby, hasn't driven his in the snow. The X goes night night for the winter.

Did you move? I thought you lived in my home state, Illinois. I grew up with rear wheel drive but I also have an SRX for bad weather driving although I certainly would not be afraid to take the XLR out in the snow. First Robin

 

[Little Woman]

Did you move? I thought you lived in my home state, Illinois. I grew up with rear wheel drive but I also have an SRX for bad weather driving although I certainly would not be afraid to take the XLR out in the snow. First Robin

Thank you First Robin. Maybe I am blonde. We do live in Illinois. I corrected it.

 

[First Robin]

Blonde????

Thank you First Robin. Maybe I am blonde. We do live in Illinois. I corrected it.

Only your hairdresser knows for sure and they usually won't tell !!! First Robin

 

[Cadillac Tech]

hi,
i'm a new xlr owner(05 bought recently)
so far so good... i really , really love this machine but this is my only car and i live in michigan( and so far, i still have a job)....has anyone driven this car in snow or should i look for a winter car? binka

Binka, your XLR can be driven in the snow. You may want to look into snow tires (tirerack.com). With the transmission in the rear of the vehicle,they have more weight on the rear drive wheels. Be careful and I hope you enjoy your time here.

Bruce

 

[427]

I have a 2006 XLR and I've driven it thru two New England winters so far ... I plan to put the snow tires (on stock rims) on shortly for this upcoming winter season. To me, the stock tires are crap ... Had them on a previous car (Acura RL) and disliked them on that vehicle too. That car was AWD and the tires were not very good in the snow.

When I bought my snow tires, they didn't have any run-flat options ... So I ended up with a regular Dunlop Winter Sport M3. At Tire Rack (as Bruce suggested), I now see there are run-flat versions.

Driving and handling were far superior than the stock tire ... In the rain, snow or on dry pavement too. There was no added road noise either (typical of many snow tires). If they didn't look so weird, I'd leave them on all year long ... I was that impressed with the M3's (second set I've owned).

The XLR does not handle any differently that other RWD vehicles (I've even used Corvettes in the snow when I was younger) ... Just use common sense, keep it slow and allow for longer stopping distances. The biggest problem I see is ground clearance ... Ruts in the road and switching lanes on the highway can sometimes be challenging.

Hope that helpz,
Jack

hi,
i'm a new xlr owner(05 bought recently)
so far so good... i really , really love this machine but this is my only car and i live in michigan( and so far, i still have a job)....has anyone driven this car in snow or should i look for a winter car? binka

 

[binka]

thanks for the information from all of you. i bought the dunlop m3's and am going to give it a shot. the binkster

question 2...what does one do if the battery in the fob dies and you don't have a spare?

 

[Lola's Mom]

The Binkster?! How funny .... do you happen to be related to The Cubster???

Well, seriously, usually you will get a message on the DIC that indicates you will need a new battery .... but, sometimes weird things will happen with your doors or trunk and you will guess right away that this must have something to do with the fob battery. You can get a spare battery at your Cad dealer or really most anywhere ..... just make sure it is FRESH .... there was an issue for awhile where member's were ordering them from a Boutique online and they were old.

 

[binka]

no relation. actually i'm binkys dad, and borrowed and tweeked her nickname, in honor of her because she loves my little silver car almost as much as i do.

 

[Cadillac Tech]

thanks for the information from all of you. i bought the dunlop m3's and am going to give it a shot. the binkster

question 2...what does one do if the battery in the fob dies and you don't have a spare?

The first thing you should do is to get atleast 1 more FOB.(You can have up to 4). Also make sure that you have your emergency key. You may want to go ahead and replace the battery in the FOB that you have. If the battery in the FOB gets weak you can insert it into slot in the glove box, and that should allow the vehicle to start.

Bruce

 

[427]

Just wondering ... Did you get the regular tires or opt for the run-flats? And later on, please give us some feedback on the M3's.

thanks for the information from all of you. i bought the dunlop m3's and am going to give it a shot. the binkster

 

[binka]

i got the regular ones, and i will update you on my winter driving travels or maybe travails. binkster

 

[427]

Couple suggestions for winter driving:
1) For starting off in the snow, I usually do the shifting from second gear (less wheel spin and more traction than in first gear). If you leave the trans in manual mode (like 5th), I believe it will automatically start off in 2nd (someone correct me if I'm wrong).
2) Going up hills, learn to "feather" the traction control to limit slip.
3) If stuck, you can shut down the traction control and try to power/rock out.
4) Winter wiper blades come in handy during freezing rain and sleet conditions.
5) Remember, it usually takes at least one storm before "other" people remember how to drive in the snow.

Good luck in your winter travels!

i got the regular ones, and i will update you on my winter driving travels or maybe travails. binkster

 

[PassionDiva5150]

The Binkster?! How funny .... do you happen to be related to The Cubster???

Well, seriously, usually you will get a message on the DIC that indicates you will need a new battery .... but, sometimes weird things will happen with your doors or trunk and you will guess right away that this must have something to do with the fob battery. You can get a spare battery at your Cad dealer or really most anywhere ..... just make sure it is FRESH .... there was an issue for awhile where member's were ordering them from a Boutique online and they were old.

Hopefully, not from the "Swaim Boutique"

 

[standby-V]

I bought some luggage from the Swaim Boutique and the stitching is all coming out, but the Swaimer said he would give me back my money in about 4 months or was that years......What a guy.
I bet we get left over turkey burgers with cranberry sauce and some Ripple wine, not to mention eating in the dirt in the back yard. Maybe we can go steal some fake turf from a local football field.

Hopefully, not from the "Swaim Boutique"

 

[binka]

427 noted and thanks...my number one concern is ground clearance or lack thereof. b

 

[rwd]

I don't know whether you got two or four tires, but for a daily driver in areas with frequent snow, I'd consider putting snows on the front, too.

FWIW, some ground clearance can usually be gained by playing with different tire sizes and profiles, but, in this case, that ship's sailed.

 

[binka]

got new at all 4 corners.

 

[rwd]

That's good to hear. Hope the tires do a great job for you.