Diesel Rabbit "snowmobile"

[bscutt]

Ok, I am constantly amazed by how well these cars do in the snow. DC got hit with lots of wet snow this afternoon and I was passing cars in the uncleared lane and passing stuck cars all the way home. The General Altimax tires are just amazing when combined with super low engine speed and torque from this engine. I was going places only 4 x 4's were going. Even got stuck on an icy hill behind other stuck cars (would have been ok if I didn't have to stop), and was able to get out of it with patience and turning the wheel side-to-side.

I guess the guys up north that have these cars probably have the same experiences, but around here, panic sets in when the first flake falls and driving around those who don't know how to drive can be fun (not!).

I hope to keep this car on the road forever. :~)

[coke]

My tires were bald on my Jetta, and it snowed. We only had one car, so we had no backup.

I bought a set of tire chains from napa and put them on. Could have climbed a mountain of ice after that.

Win.

[bscutt]

Yep - unstoppable!

[the vegenator]

Do you lower your tire pressure for snow driving?

I'm amazed at how well the Jetta handles. I did manage to slam a curb when taking a curve a tad too fast though - luckily, no noticeable damage.

[Quantum TD]

I used to have a Rabbit GTI that I bought at a junkyard for $400. I put a fuel pump and hose on it, and ran the crap out of it. I didn't know when I bought it, but it had Nokia Snow tires on it. The thing was a bear in the snow. I would try to do e-brake donuts, and it would only slide for about 3 feet. Compared to that to the old Volvo 240 wagon I had. That thing would be all over the road.

[chopper03]

I love my Rabbit truck in the snow,30 miles to work and never lose traction and I have
several large hills here in east tennessee. (maybe thats why they call us hillbillys)

[vwkook]

I do a lot of ice fishing on Lake Winnebago in the winter. I do have great Hankook snow tires on, but when I get on the ice I throw cables over them.

I have gotten stuck in my pick-up, but only due to being high strung. If I were able to lift this thing six inches, it would be unstoppable.


82vdub-Do you fish at all?

[82vdub]

82vdub-Do you fish at all?

No, I haven't fished for 30 years.

[Ira B]

We got quite a bit of snow and a good hard freeze around Thanksgiving and I was amazed at how well my 81 Rabbit P/U handled it. When I bought the truck it came with another set of wheels w studded snow tires and they work like magic on this thing. There were lots of vehicles in the ditch all over the place including a surprising number of 4WD SUV's but Truckie never had any trouble at all.

[Fatmobile]

When those SUVs lose control, they really lose control ,..
apperently they like to roll,.. people around here who drive them don't wear seatbelts and get ejected,
and they don't push out so easy if you do get stuck

I put a set of chains on my Rabbit a couple years ago and tried to get stuck.
I drove through my yard, the snowplow had a levee of snow along the road, I drove right through it and onto the road.

The city load put 2 piles next to each other, I tried going between them and it died.
I started up and gave it hell, it pulled right out,.. but I lost my muffler.

[coke]

*reminds himself not to buy any of Fatmobile's cars.*

[82vdub]

but I lost my muffler.

Rabbit droppings?

[bscutt]

Rabbit droppings??? I love that. Didn't think of that when my tailpipe fell off.

Nope no tire pressure reduction for the snow but I haven't been too meticulous about keeping it at normal pressure when it gets cold out so it may have been a couple of pounds low.

Coming into work this morning I was amazed at the abandoned cars left in the middle of the highway. This was the biggest mess I have seen in about 30 years here. Trees down across the roads this morning - we got a very wet snow, really heavy, and up to 8 inches in some areas. Hope they get the mess moved by quitting time.

[vwtyp133]

In preparation for a 2-week ski trip to NorCal & Idaho, I put 175/70-13 Dunlop Graspics on my '79 Dasher diesel, and also pre-sized a set of cable chains for the fronts. As in the scenarios already mentioned, I drove past a lot of 'stuck' vehicles, helped out a bunch of 'stuck' drivers, but the Dasher never once became immobilized, nor did it even require mounting up the tire chains during the 3,300 mile trip. OTOH at -5F outside temps, it could have used a bit more heater output on some of the downhill stretches of road.

bscutt said it with, "panic sets in when the first flake falls... ", for a lot of folks. Some people who get into trouble may also become impatient with other drivers who are 'taking it easy' to stay in control. Living in the SoCal mountains, I've pulled lots of cars & 4 x 4 trucks (and several California Highway Patrol cruisers!) back onto icy/snowy/muddy roads with my old Ford station wagon(!), after they'd executed 'macho' maneuvers that grossly exceeded the logical thinking & reasonable driving necessary to maintain safe travel. Short-sighted drivers aside, some vehicles are better 'balanced' for traction & good handling in a wide range of road & weather conditions.

[Otto]

Nothing better for the snow than a diesel rabbit with studded snow tires. I've had 4WD trucks and much preferred the rabbit, hands down. If it won't climb a hill going forwards, it will in reverse!