winter prep....

[yaris2010RS]

okay, i know its early but i need to start preparing for winter. im not in a situation to make my car a sleeper (parked all winter) so i need to prepare to drive it in snow. currently its sitting on the ground with stock rims and tires.

my main question is what is better for the winter (if it matters at all), raise the coilovers all the way up or put the stock suspension back in the car?

my original thought was to just raise it up on the coilovers but after reading info about lowering kits and the pros and cons to springs vs. coilovers (if u lower ur car with springs and dont change shocks they will work at bottom end and wreck them), i was wondering if the same applied to the higher end of the coilover shocks.......

also i know a big thing too is to change to winter tires, i will see how the first snowfall goes and decide from there.

also how important is it to change to stock intake? i have also been considering that.

we have lots of time before winter becomes a reality so any input is appreciated.

[yaris2010RS]

thx for quick reply. the adjustment issue im not too worried about, when i put the kit in i coated it with ani-seize. im more concerned about the shock wearing due to over extension of the shock

[127.0.0.1]

winter tires and as much lift as possible

[teddy]

I can tell you winter tires were like night and day. Everything on my Yaris is stock and I think it generally does fine in the snow. Not fabulous like on ice or that freshly fallen slushy stuff, but it's not bad. I have never been stuck.

[yaris2010RS]

i have only been stuck once and really it was cuz i went where no yaris should go.... and that was snow a foot deep with a hard surface on it..... when the wheels broke it....omg.... 2 hours later iu was free. lol. dont think winter tires would have helped me.

has anyone ever driven a lowered yaris in the winter? how bad could it be.....

[landrym28]

has anyone ever driven a lowered yaris in the winter? how bad could it be.....

My car isn't lowered, nor have I driven a winter in a lowered car, but I'm sure hitting a nice big piece of "What you thought was snow was actually a hard piece of ice" wouldn't be pretty! :biggrin:

[sleey0]

This will be my first winter in my yaris. I just installed tokicos and nf210s sono going back now. I will just try my best to keep everything cleaned at least once per week.

My injen intake will stay on as I doubt it will hurt anything.

I will say that winter tires are an absolute must, at least where I live.

[why?]

driving a low car in snow is not fun. I had a Saab Viggen, and my front lip was used as a snow plow many times. By the end of my time with it my front bumper was attached by wire, because it always hit something, and constantly fell off. It was a ton cheaper using wire every 6 months or so than replacing clips.

just to show how low it was. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14277392@N05/1572186148)(not my car or pic. i wish i could take pics like that.)

[sleey0]

Well, I will be parking in plowed areas whenever possible. If I have to walk a bit so be it;)

Guess it is a good thing I went with NF210's instead of the MI springs lol.

[BailOut]

I live in an area of higher elevation that sees 300-400 inches of snow each year. I just run an all season tire year round (right now I'm on Kumho Solus KR-21s) and keep Spikes Spiders handy for the deep stuff.

[yaris2010RS]

I live in an area of higher elevation that sees 300-400 inches of snow each year. I just run an all season tire year round (right now I'm on Kumho Solus KR-21s) and keep Spikes Spiders handy for the deep stuff.

what are spike spiders?

[sleey0]

Snows a lot.here and with cheap winterforce tires i never needed any studs or spikes.

[BailOut]

what are spike spiders?
http://www.spikes-spiders.com/

I run the Compact version, as do others here on the forums.

[sleey0]

^

lol

I live in a pretty damn snowy area but you'd have to be in the Rocky mountains to need those! hahahah

[BailOut]

The Rockies, or in my case the Sierra Nevada mountains. :smile:

[nemelek]

I always try to get a coat of wax before the snow falls.

[yaris2010RS]

do those count as "chains" on tires?

[jambo101]

Oil spraying the whole car is a good idea at this time of year,as oil spraying seems to be a Quebec/Ontario phenomenon you are in luck as i'm sure theres a Krown outlet or something similar somewhere close by..
http://www.krown.com/#process/

[BailOut]

do those count as "chains" on tires?
They sure do. I also find that I use them more often than chains because they're so much easier to mount and dismount, and I don't have to get my sleeves dirty while I do it.

Granted, they're expensive, but I enjoy the convenience they offer.

[yaris2010RS]

chains in my area are illegal......do these qualify in the same category?

and good call with the oil spray, never thought about that

[MUSKOKA800]

has anyone ever driven a lowered yaris in the winter? how bad could it be.....

Yes, my office was near you (at 401 & Hurontario) and I commuted there from Burlington, ~100 kl round trip daily.
The Yaris hasn't got much clearance riding on my TRD suspension (1.5" drop) and add to that I ran 14" steelies with 175/65/14 (Echo spec.) winter tires it rode another .5" lower. So the total drop was approx. 2" from OEM ride height.
Basically any snowplow berms or snow in general more than 5" deep was challenging as the bottom of the car drags and of course will eventually loose traction as the car is lifted off the ground. The front lip launches any piles over 6" deep up and over the car. Spectacular :eek: , but not to practical or safe.
For this coming winter I plan to upgrade to new taller winter boots for those 14" steelies.
All that said, as long the roads are plowed a Yaris equipped with winter tires is excellent in our climate. I wouldn't hesitate to take mine anywhere at any time of year.
NOTE: I once drove through on storm on the OEM Goodyear LS three-seasons and was sure I wouldn't make it home due to the Guelph Line hills along my commute. Switching to winter tires made a HUGE difference in traction and confidence.

[DebbyM46227]

Have any of you ever used RustCheck? www.rustcheck.com

Back in the early 80's they first came to my city (Indianapolis) and I had my 1980 Turbo TransAm done by them, I think it's the oil method. I didn't keep the car long enough to see if it really worked.

They are still in business here but I never see any cars in the stalls being treated when I drive by.

[Lil Abner]

To the OP, I use to drive a 2000 Celica GT-S, which was lowered 2" from stock. Basically, I could NOT drive over a pop can. I ran 2 sets of tires. Some Good-Year GS-D3's in the summer, and Good-Year ICE snow tires. My snow tires were 1 size larger than the stocks. This added some ground clearance. SOME. When it got deep, you could hear the snow and ice dragging under the car. It took a lot of skill, but the Celica was a tank. In 8 years, I never got stuck. I did however have to clean out the snow/ice build-ups under the car and in the wheel wells once a week.

I'd say get some nice snow tires and leave the suspension alone. Just learn how to drive it. In my opinion, a front-wheel drive with snows is better than a stock 4-wheel drive Tahoe. Trust me, I pass the 4x4's that are in the ditch!