Posi, good for icy roads?

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basement

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Had the rear of my Dart up on stands and decided to check the gear ratio. Got just under 3 complete revolutions of the drive shaft to 1 tire revolution. So would that make it a 2:?? to 1 gear ratio? Also, both rear tires turn the same direction when I spun one of them so it seems it is a posi (sorry don't know the Mopar term for a positrac), are these very safe to drive in snow and icy conditions? I've heard two schools of thought on this subject?
Thanks
 
Nope Not safe. You will be sideways and going faster and melting more ice with Sure grip than Open Dog-Leg Jones... The cool thing about sure-grip & snow is, find a big lot and WRITE YOUR NAME! Car Calligraphy is the coolest. That should be a new competition!?!?!?! Kinda like crop circles. Kinda like drifting.. But Less gay. Kinda like Inner tubing too! (floating around atop rubber on ice) Well I'd have to practice my cursive to get all my girlfriends names right... *Teehehe* But I think we should give it a shot. What do you say back east guys? Give it a shot. Its 65 and sunny in California today, so I can do it in black ink...
 
Both tires spinning on ice causes the rear to kick out quick. Not good. An open rear would allow the tire with the least amount of traction to spin which keeps the *** end of the car in one place. Either way, you're not going anywhere. Nothing is really good on ice except studded tires anyway.

You most likely have a 2.73 rear gear.
 
This car is actually for my son who will be turning 16 and getting his permanent license soon. We live in the NW and would prefer him not doing his winter training in something unsafe, might be a good time for his mom to hand over her Grand Cherokee and buy herself something new:-D
 
I don't drive my Dart when it snows. I get no traction with the thing at all. I have a 4X4 I use when the wether gets bad.
 
Not the best for winter driving, no.

But, it's not like it's impossible. Especially if it's a manual. I've driven a mustang, a 74 Nova, and a Granada through several blizzards here in CO. It's actually pretty handy to learn, IMO..
 
ya sure grip is a nono on snow but almost anything thats rwd isnt going to do that well in snow
 
I'd go the other way, I like the limited slip diff in the snow.
2-17012.jpg

I have a 2004 Chevrolet Colorado that has a 220hp inline 5 cylinder engine, 5-speed manual, and a 3.42 rearend with a G80 locker (FULL lock at under 20 mph under power), and this thing sits 3" off of the ground. This thing is a TANK in the snow. I run 120# of weight in the bed and it will go through a foot of snow like its not there on cheap snow tires. We've also had over 220 inches of snow where i live this winter and I have not gotten stuck and even pulled out a 4x4 with it. You wanna talk about trusty, this thing is it!

I just wouldn't want to drive vintage iron on the roads in the winter, that's all.
 
A couple of things to remember.........
1. The latest winter tires are the best.
2. SureGrip helps IF you have snow/winter tires.
3. If the tires spin, SureGrip will ALWAYS take the rear of the car to the low side of the road.
4. Audi Turbo Quattro is the best car in snow, esp. if you lock all 3 diffs.
5. Here is a case of the worst combo.

200 treadwear Z-rated summer tires, TracLock, 5 Speed V8 and me driving!
PoorCar.jpg
 
Wussies! Wasn't suregrip made for "poor traction conditions"? I would much rather have suregrip in snow. The trick is to not start spinning and lose all traction. As long as you are moving (forward not sideways) you will go further. On ice, all bets are off no matter what you are driving!!!
C
 
yellowdartdave said:
A couple of things to remember.........
1. The latest winter tires are the best.
2. SureGrip helps IF you have snow/winter tires.
3. If the tires spin, SureGrip will ALWAYS take the rear of the car to the low side of the road.
4. Audi Turbo Quattro is the best car in snow, esp. if you lock all 3 diffs.
5. Here is a case of the worst combo.

200 treadwear Z-rated summer tires, TracLock, 5 Speed V8 and me driving!
Click to expand...


Now.. why is that familiar?

Hey, you took my car!

Oh wait, no.. Mine's that ugly bronzey-brown color, and I don't have TT-2 rims.
 
Twistex......Sounds like you have a Mineral Gray Stang.

Summer tires definitely have no traction even on dry roads at temps under 50 deg.!

clhyer...The house in the picture is next to the house I grew up in in Ohio.
I learned to drive in snow at 12 yrs old in a 62 Studebaker 6 cyl/ 3 on the tree with overdrive, Twin Traction and studded snow tires.
The best vehicle for snow that I ever drove was a 76 Chevy C30 wrecker with 4(6) wheel drive running studded snows. If I ever got stuck I always had a big winch and 300 feet of cable.
Ever drive a semi? Even more fun.
Now you know why I moved to Florida. The old I get, the easier it is for my feet (and other extremities) to get and stay cold. That and the Ohio State Gestapo.
 
Yellow... No, never drove a semi in the snow. I grew up and learned to drive in upstate NY - farm tractors, trucks and cars about as soon as I could look over the wheel. Now I live in GA for some of the same reasons you mentioned...
C
 
I like a suegrip over an open dif. in the winter. I wouldn't change 1 way or the other just for snow. In the north east we get just enough to be a pain.
Years agao when a kid,I had to climb about a 1/4 grade to get home that had about 3" of snow. I ended up spinning my way up the hill melting down through the snow while doing a little dance the whole way. I wouldn't not have made it with 1 leg.

Stop in town to make a left hand turn one time w/open diff and stopped right on top of an ice patch. There I was stuck with clean blacktop under 3 wheels.
 
yellowdartdave said:
Twistex......Sounds like you have a Mineral Gray Stang.
Click to expand...

Aye, that's it. I can never remember that color name. Apparently, it was the most produced one, too. God only knows why, it's only slightly more appealing than pea-soup green.
 
I personally like suregrips for snow, they are more fun and when you get stuck just back up! My '04 F 150 has one now and I have yet to get it stuck even when going skiing. (2wd) I would rather have a manual subi instead of an audi but both work well.
 
I have lived in the NW pretty much all of my life, my first legally driven car was a 73 Camaro with a 327 that was pushing around 500hp with a 4 speed, a posi and a scary set of big and littles. I drove it in the snow and ice with no problems.
If your kid has a brain in his head he can handle a posi in the snow, not like it snows enough to worry about it here anyways. Just do what I do when it snows anymore, throw a set of studded snow tires on the dart and go!
 
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