How does your Yaris handle in the snow?

[07WYarisRS]

The low torque and HP output makes it better then a car with more HP.
Too much torque/power to the wheels spins the tires and this causes traction problems any time. With less power its harder for the tire to brake loose.
Kinda like a poor mans traction control LOL

[featherz]

Ok, I am thinking about pulling the trigger on the spikes spiders for the Yaris. Anyone tried these and have any comments? They are the 'sport' type with the chains between the spiked areas. I'd prefer goclaws, but they don't make those for the small Yaris tires.

[NickNickNick]

The Yaris handles very well in the wintertime...I had it from December onward last year...Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was great. ABS came in very handy though, a couple of times.

[fnkngrv]

Originally Posted by stuffy

geez echo hrs, that's some hardcore love of an economy car!

here is a previous thread on this subject:
http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=623

I am with Echo....I will be parking my Yaris during the winter as well. As for the tire webs that I posted earlier I figured I would clue peeps in because some states won't allow studded tires, plus these kind have ther webbing that builds around the inside and outside of the sidewall which you would think would help in deeper snow....I mean you aren't going to be plowing through 18 inches of snow, but hey....who knows how brave someone might be....I did it a few times in my Tercel.

[stuffy]

I am with Echo....I will be parking my Yaris during the winter as well.

i guess once you've added enough mods, the yaris stops being an economy car.

as far as winter driving, i found the yaris to be fine in the snow, but when driving any vehicle, the most important thing is to adjust your driving for the conditions, people who think 4 x 4's give anymore traction in snow are fooling themselves.
the yaris is probably on the poorer side for winter driving, simply because it is a light, small car, but i didn't have any problems with mine last year as far as getting stuck or finding myself in a ditch.

[PaddyMac]

Snow an after action report. I had the displeasure to drive my yaris sedan in the monster snow that we got in the DC and Richmond region. What I learned the yaris handles very nice on the ice, snow, and slush with all season tires. It does not take much snow about six inches to get the yaris stuck, keeping a shovel and salt in your trunk will get you moving again quick.
What i am going to do for next winter, Add stanch strap to the kit in the trunk and learn where to hook the strap up if i need a pull. winter tires or chains for sure waiting for abs to stop the car can be frighting.

[Snyprwlf47]

This was my most recent snow experience. I was honestly surprised with how well the yaris handled the huge amount of snow there was. Enough that my bumper was pushing snowXD

[Twistoffate0817]

First, make sure you have the proper air pressure in your tires. It makes a ton of difference in my yaris when its filled to 32 psi. Second, remember its not a truck. It will slide and be tricky to handle in the snow. With ice just forget it...any car is horrible on ice. The Yaris is not horrible with snow, but its not that great either. This winter we have seen 75 inches of snow and i have driven in all 75 inches of it. Go slow, check tires.

[enobmort42]

Meh. I slid sideways into a curb a couple days ago and knocked my alignment out of whack. My wheel is now at a 30 degree angle until I get it taken care of. I was only going about 20-25, too. Fragile little things lol

[wispaintstyle]

I love driving mine in snow. The rear end doesn't grip, but that just adds to the character.

[Aothachos]

i have 195 55 15 tires toyo tpt tires, my yaris drives great in the snow i sometimes get bored of how safe it is so in back roads with no one around i sometimes pull the e-brake to slide all over the place :)

[nemelek]

I have had cars that were better and worse than the Yaris in the winter.

[127.0.0.1]

2010 yaris automatic is pretty good in snow. and with trac and vsc, it is a lot better than
vehicles without trac and vsc. I had a chance to skidpad and drift my 2010 HB and

it drives like a little FWD should in snow
trac makes driving in snow FAR better
vsc helps prevent 'stupid' when accelerating on a corner





and this is with OEM MS tires. snows tires, of course, are better.

aftermarket wide rims and wide tires, it will be crap in snow

[Yaris#2]

I had a 2008 Yaris 2dr AT for the past two years. My wife drives it most of the time and she had no problems in the snow. We just got a 5dr MT with ABS and I can't wait to try it out in the snow. I normally drive a 97 Nissan pick-up and can drive it without problem in up to 12" of snow no problem. Its just a matter of taking your time to accelerate, brake sooner than you think you need to and mainly, "Watch Out for all those other idiots that think its summer!"

[YAR1S]

This was my last experience.
about 8 - 10 inches.
Once the snow dug out a few feet ahead of me (to get some speed up) I did very well in the snow.
The yaris handles as good as any other front wheel drive car with a smaller engine.... but I'd like to think the yaris is better of course! ;)


One problem I find is that once the snow gets over about 8 inches or so, the snow tends to compact itself within the wheel wells and makes it hard to drive in. Otherwise no problems! :)

[exit90a]

I have only had this car for a few days. We got 4 inches of snow just after I bought it and it has gone well for the most part. It does not have ABS and that is taking a little getting used to in the snow. It's the first car I have had in 10 years without ABS. Also, it is quite difficult to accelerate lightly from a stop and avoid spinning, strange for an auto trans. I have read on this forum that the throttle is electronic "by wire" technology and adaptive to drivers style as well. Maybe the previous owner had a lead foot and this is why the car seems so abrupt. I am going to try disconnecting the battery and reset to my driving style if possible. What do you think?

[birdman]

My '08 LB doesn't have ABS. Is it much better having the new Star Safety System than without?

[yaris2010RS]

lol? thread brought back from the dead....lol, great time to do it too

after having my yaris for almost a year now i can say i love it in the winter. from driving a camry and a ml500 the yaris is amazing in snow. it beats the camry by far but comes very close to the all wheel drive ml500. only thing it doesnt have is the ground clearance.

also mine has abs, trac and stability control. the camry also has abs and trac but its amazing the advances from 2001 to 2010, i hated teh trac on the camry.

as for stability control (i think thats what its called) its purely epic. i was testing the system in a parking lot last year and i cant believe how much it really helps, no matter how deep the snow or how black the ice is.

i personally use all season tires and i dont see a rush to run to winter tires.