General 500`s in the snow

[Pip Wheeler]

Hi everyone
planning to buy a 500 but am a bit concerned how they drive in the snow, what are your thoughts?
regards
Pip

 

[mikeegee]

Hi everyone
planning to buy a 500 but am a bit concerned how they drive in the snow, what are your thoughts?
regards
Pip

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/221607-snow-driving.html

 

[Jai]

Hi everyone
planning to buy a 500 but am a bit concerned how they drive in the snow, what are your thoughts?
regards
Pip

it's not the car you should be worried about, it's the driver. any car can be lethal/rubbish/good/safe. the weakest point is always the one behind the wheel.

hence hordes of huge 4x4s slithering all over the sho in the last bit of snow, RWDers sliding like lugers, and me tip toeing through in tippex, or the mrs in the panda. im not brilliant on the stuff, but i will take time and adjust style to suit.

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/221607-snow-driving.html:bang:

oh and always use the search function

 

[306maxi]

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/221607-snow-driving.html

To the OP

I'd like to just say disregard pretty much everything in that thread. It's complete and utter BS. The main things that make for a good car or a bad car are unsuitable tyres and a crap driver. Some people claim that the 500 is the best car ever in the snow and some people say that it's not so good and tbh I'm in the latter group which is why I bought some winter tyres.

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/166084-winter-tyres-people-going.html

£200 for 4 tyres plus the cost of some cheep steel wheels from a Punto (£30 in my case) and then you've got a car which will get you through the worst weather that the British isles can throw at you, well unless you start to get a few feet of snow in which case you're not going anywhere even in a 4wd

In anything bar pop form with 175 wide tyres the 500 is overtyred and in any decent snowfall will struggle to get up anything more than a gentle gradient. It's no worse than any other small car to be honest but it's not the surefooted mountain goat that some would like to suggest it is.

 

[mikeegee]

To the OP

I'd like to just say disregard pretty much everything in that thread. It's complete and utter BS. The main things that make for a good car or a bad car are unsuitable tyres and a crap driver. Some people claim that the 500 is the best car ever in the snow and some people say that it's not so good and tbh I'm in the latter group which is why I bought some winter tyres.

Agreed wrong thread quoted.
.
https://www.fiatforum.com/500/221449-how-good-500-snow.html

A much better thread with valid points of view and most survived like myself without purchasing"winter tyres"https://www.fiatforum.com/500/166084-winter-tyres-people-going.html

 

[306maxi]

Why put winter tyres in inverted commas? Makes it sound like they're not actually winter tyres? No one's ever tried to suggest that you can't get through the winter without them, simply that the 500 isn't surefooted on summer rubber.

 

[mikeegee]

Why put winter tyres in inverted commas? Makes it sound like they're not actually winter tyres? No one's ever tried to suggest that you can't get through the winter without them, simply that the 500 isn't surefooted on summer rubber.

Browsing on a Blackberry in a dimly lit room Maxi and
I don't disagree about the tyres either but I survived and is £200 better off than you are.

 

[petbal]

We have had an exceptional winter in terms of snowfall. The very real probability is that we will go many winters without a repeat and unless you live in Scotland or regularly drive the likes of the A66 you are unlikely to experience more than a very few days driving in snow in future winters. I anticipate most of us will base our car choice on suitability for the remainder of the year's needs rather than the exception and certainly I would hope so lest we end up with even more unnecesary 4x4's!

 

[jnoiles]

They're fine in the snow

 

[Cucciolotto]

We have had an exceptional winter in terms of snowfall. The very real probability is that we will go many winters without a repeat

Spot on!

Pip I appreciate that you study every aspects of the car but the drive in the snow shouldn't imo even remotely make you decide to buy or not that particular car. I tend to think that it is the driver that mostly makes the drive easy (or not) in the snow.
One if it snows that badly just try not to use the car and two think of how many days of real snow an average a year we've got, think more about the pleasure of the 350 odd other days.
And three what would be your alternative anyway, not sure Yaris, 107 and Co are snow world beaters either. Maybe a Panda 4x4 though...?

 

[306maxi]

Spot on!

Pip I appreciate that you study every aspects of the car but the drive in the snow shouldn't imo even remotely make you decide to buy or not that particular car. I tend to think that it is the driver that mostly makes the drive easy (or not) in the snow.
One if it snows that badly just try not to use the car and two think of how many days of real snow an average a year we've got, think more about the pleasure of the 350 odd other days.
And three what would be your alternative anyway, not sure Yaris, 107 and Co are snow world beaters either. Maybe a Panda 4x4 though...?

Well if the global warming people are to be believed then this will be a far more common occurrence. The jury's out on that one though

 

[Cucciolotto]

Well if the global warming people are to be believed then this will be a far more common occurrence. The jury's out on that one though

I thought it was meant to be loadsa rain in winter and drought in summer..?

 

[306maxi]

I thought it was meant to be loadsa rain in winter and drought in summer..?

Tbh I think they just blame anything they can on global warming

 

[VilleV]

I have 15 years of experience of driving in nordic winter conditions and this winter we´ve had the most snow in long long time. The 500 has proved to be a decent drive in extremely slippery conditions and I´ve had no problems what so ever. Tho I use studded (185 55 15") winter tyres and I have esp on my car. I would think that the biggest problem with a short wheelbase car would changing lanes when there are piles of snow between the lanes, but even that´s fine and no hassle at all, the car goes like it´s on rails!
On slippery surface the 500, like most ff drive cars, has a tendency to understeer, but if you lift the throttle mid corner it can be a little tail happy. That´s just something fun to play with and the esp stops you before you get into any trouble, but also something you should be aware of if you´re not that accustomed to driving on snow.

 

[YouKnowWho]

Browsing on a Blackberry in a dimly lit room Maxi and
I don't disagree about the tyres either but I survived and is £200 better off than you are.

That's a short sighted opinion.

Winter Tyres will always be better than Summer Tyres for the type of weather we have had recently.

Therefore a car with Winter Tyres will fare better than an identical one with Summer Tyres. Simple logic so far.

Whether you choose to use Winter Tyres comes down to whether you believe the cost is worth the 'benefit'. This is not stating that you can not do without Winter Tyres, which everyone knows is not accurate ...but ... how many accidents would have been avoided if everyone had winter tyres?

The original argument is the same for every safety device, people used to say "I am such as a good driver that I don't need seatbelts" - now we see the folly that in that argument.

IMHO, anyone that purchases any device (ranging from ESP, Headlights, Winter Tyres) that allow them to be that much safer on the road, without compromising someone else's safety (HID lights) .. then such people should be praised

Banging on about how well you did without them is neither smart nor constructive

 

[YouKnowWho]

Tho I use studded (185 55 15") winter tyres and I have esp on my car.

It's amazing what you can do with Studded winter tyres

 

[306maxi]

That's a short sighted opinion.

Winter Tyres will always be better than Summer Tyres for the type of weather we have had recently.

Therefore a car with Winter Tyres will fare better than an identical one with Summer Tyres. Simple logic so far.

Whether you choose to use Winter Tyres comes down to whether you believe the cost is worth the 'benefit'. This is not stating that you can not do without Winter Tyres, which everyone knows is not accurate ...but ... how many accidents would have been avoided if everyone had winter tyres?

The original argument is the same for every safety device, people used to say "I am such as a good driver that I don't need seatbelts" - now we see the folly that in that argument.

IMHO, anyone that purchases any device (ranging from ESP, Headlights, Winter Tyres) that allow them to be that much safer on the road, without compromising someone else's safety (HID lights) .. then such people should be praised

Banging on about how well you did without them is neither smart nor constructive

A far more intelligent way of putting the argument across than I ever manage. Added to that summer tyres wear more in winter than they do in summer, your alloys won't get screwed by salt etc etc.

 

[flyingscot]

Of course in Britain All-Season Tyres are probably the best bet if you ain't into wheel changing- good in cold, snowy conditions and good in mild, warm summers.

 

[Cucciolotto]

I have yet to see chains on a british car, sorry for my ignorance but are they illegal here or something?

 

[306maxi]

I have yet to see chains on a british car, sorry for my ignorance but are they illegal here or something?

I'm certain they'd be illegal in terms of using them where there isn't significant snow. Studs are also illegal in the UK for use on public roads.