500 (Abarth) Anyone else enjoying the snow?

Introduction

A few pictures of the A500 in the snow today. It seems to handle it quite nicely, so long as you drive appropriately:

ASnow2013a.jpg


ASnow2013b.jpg


ASnow2013c.jpg


ASnow2013d.jpg


ASnow2013e.jpg


I find that with 500s, if the going gets slippery just driving through the gears and using the strong way the cars pull on tick-over will see you right in most times.

Verb

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Looks good! I assume you have snow tires? What Kind of wheels (rims) are you running the snow tires on?

I wondered how a car with a pretty short wheelbase would handle in the snow. Did you notice any more desire to rotate than any other front wheel drive car?
 

scout

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Looking good. I think I prefer your gray one to the red one :p
 
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that looks nice actually - never thought i'd like red - but i do!

Im finding tickover snow driving is best - as there isn't huge bundles or torque and the engine adjusts at the RPM to cope :)

Ziggy
 
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OrangeSport

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I assume you have snow tires? What Kind of wheels (rims) are you running the snow tires on?

No, standard Abarth 16s with stock tires.

I wondered how a car with a pretty short wheelbase would handle in the snow. Did you notice any more desire to rotate than any other front wheel drive car?

500s are dead easy to drive in snow. One of the best "normal" cars I have used in the snow.
 
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OrangeSport

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that looks nice actually - never thought i'd like red - but i do!

Im finding tickover snow driving is best - as there isn't huge bundles or torque and the engine adjusts at the RPM to cope :)

Ziggy

Thanks. I think it needs the stripes to break it up, but yes it does look good. Particularly on the Abarth.

Using tickover is great. It just pulls nice and steadily, certainly in the first three gears.
 

Verb

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I give up. What is "tickover" driving? I thought tickover was low RPMs (idle) so I don't understand what tickover driving is.
 

scout

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I give up. What is "tickover" driving? I thought tickover was low RPMs (idle) so I don't understand what tickover driving is.

Allowing the car to pull itself on tick over, the snow providing less friction than tarmac means it doesn't stall.
 
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OrangeSport

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Yeah, the 500 pulls itself along well with no throttle. It makes for smooth, controllable progress on ice and snow.

I am sure other cars can do the same, but my previous 500 was the first car I tried it in, after finding it would drive smoothly through the first three gears with no throttle.
 

VeinsInMyAcid

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Have to agree about the 500 and snow.

Drove my A500 last year on snow and ice and it was quite easy (on summer tyres too), didn't try tick over because it was going up mounting roads.
ASR gets annoying though when you want to do figure skating in frozen car parks :)

Didn't manage to get anywhere with the wife's grande Punto sporting though, at was useless on snow
 
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