What?

 

What makes a Saab a great winter car compared to every other FWD car?

I have never understood this.

Yes, it is safety-minded. Which I think helps make it a good winter car.

But I don't think it handles snow different or better than any other fwd car.

 

I think it's the same thing with Saabs winning against cars with twice the power "from a roll."

It doesn't make sense but it is foolish to question it.

 

Sorry, I just never see a Saab run through snow like that.

Am sorry if yours was not able to do so. But then again I was just getting out of a snow bank, not driving up a driveway.

What makes a Saab a great winter car compared to every other FWD car?

I have never understood this.

Yes, it is safety-minded. Which I think helps make it a good winter car.

But I don't think it handles snow different or better than any other fwd car.

Dunno, probably a silly state of mind.

 

I dunno, but they are particularly good. My gf's car is not nearly as good in the snow (mazda) and it's FWD as well. Probably some combination of weight distribution, alignment, etc.

 

My Snowmosaab 9-5 Aero is unbelievable in the snow.

 

my 9k eats snow for breakfast. drives fine through it without a fuss

 

Hey.

I was looking for your 9000 video to send to a friend thinking about buying one and it said you removed it from youtube???? what happened?

 

snow tires make a world of a difference tho. my old cavalier was amazing in the snow with good snows on it. my all of my c900s have been good in too w/ good tires

 

I was racing in the snow last night with my baby is the back seat.*

 

Drove out of my very long driveway yesterday morning with a foot of snow on the ground, ice underneath. No worries. Snow tires make the car.

 

I have snow tires....just not on.........yet?

Anyways, Saabs have ALOT of low end torque, rather then lots of power to just spin the wheels.

 

Anyways, Saabs have ALOT of low end torque, rather then lots of power to just spin the wheels.

The low end tq IS what spins the wheels.

 

I guess I just Fail then.

 

The fact of the matter of how "good" a car is in the snow has to do with the overall weight over the drive wheels and the contact patch. Assuming traction levels available from the tires are equal (both cars have the same tires) a car like a RWD BMW, with wide tires and "perfect" weight distribution will suck in the snow. A saab C-900, a car that has the majority of the drive system sitting in front of the front wheels has a large large amount of it's overall weight on it's drive wheels. This fact makes it superior to other FWD or RWD cars that have less weight over their drive wheels.

A car like a 9000, or NG-900, that's another story. I would highly doubt those are any better than any other comparable GM car. Saabs used to have a reputation for being good in the snow cause they were. In comparison to other cars of the period. At this point in time, I think it's just something people say. They probably are about = to most other FWD cars. If you equip a C-900 with snow tires and compare it to a modern day FWD car, you too will probably say "Saabs are good in the snow"

THAT is why saabs are good in the snow. Well, C-900's anyway

 

I know what you mean, however my Viggen has impressed me in the snow - much more than I thought it would. Only reason I don't drive it in the winter is because I hate putting that much salt on it, and it doesn't fit through the nicer car washes.

After driving my girlfriends newer mountaineer for a bunch in the snow - I think I have figured out at least some of the equation.

Feedback. There is none in her truck. Sure it goes fine and stops well. But on the highway I have no idea what's happening. in my c900 I can tell if it's slick/grip/slide no matter what. She always asks "how are the roads?" I just say I have no idea, can't tell!

 

My Beater-etta was down right impressive in the snow a couple years back. It had 205's and a 5mt, I am willing to bet the weight over the drive wheels was nearly identical to most Saab's at close to 60%.

 

Screw it.

Saabs are great snow cars because I would have to walk instead. Disregarding the fact that I was picking up the car from the mechanic when I herd this.

 

The best car I have ever driven in the snow (and I have driven quite a few) was the Matrix we just sold. That thing was unstoppable, even on all seasons.

It was an auto and it had almost no torque, so there ya go.

The 9-3 is...ok, even with snows.

 

I believe it. The no torque thing really goes a long way.

 

My AWD Subaru was great in the snow, as was my Scirocco and my Renault (go figure). The only car I've ever owned that was worse in the snow than the Saabs was an Oldsmobile Alero (ugh) and a VW Rabbit.

 

Gotcha.

Plz keep us updated. My friend might take a look at that 9000 you posted.

He's kind of obsessed with them lol

 

I was gonna say the killer Gislaved Nordfrosts you could only find at the saab dealer.

 

i think its that fact it weighs like 2 tons lololol

 

well, anyone I see people driving around awd cars all the time and I think they forget that they only have 4 wheels and brakes like the rest of us lol

 

Most of the AWD/SUV/4WD cars are further off the road than other cars.

 

my 84 camaro with a shot 2.8 and 245/60/14's (it was 1995... buy those tires today I dare you! dinosaur?) was incredible in the snow.. but it was so wek, I couldn't evne break em loose on ice, with out REALLLLLLY trying... point, press hook, as it had no choise but to.

I firmly swedish cars have an edge in the snow becuase they were designed that way. how? I dunno.

Why is an FJ40 more capable in stock form than a CJ-7? similar weight, both 6 cyl, equal size, both straight axled..... etc. They just are.

 

After riding in my friends Focus, and another friends saturn the past two winters at home, one thing i notice is stability. My 9-3 is SOOOOO much more stable than either of my friends cars. The focus never seems to find where it wants to be on the highway in snow, whereas my car doesn't care, it just trucks along where ever i put it.

As someone else mention, predictability goes a long way, and the feedback also previously mentioned does wonders. if you don't know what your car is going to do, let alone know the road conditions, there is not much you can do about anything.

Also, as palmer said, driving to the mountains, i very rarely have trouble. I've come close to getting stuck on I70 once, and that was because a camry stopped going uphill on pure ice. I spun tires, then moved to the shoulder (where there was snow, for my snow tires to get some grip) and passed him. I've never skied at vail without seeing a car/suv (more typically the suv) flipped over on the way (there or back). But i have also never had a problem getting to vail, other than traffic caused by overturned SUV's

 

low end torque is partly what makes saabs suited for snow. think about it like this: you can have 258 lb-ft of torque at 2500 rpm or at 6000 rpm. the same torque at a higher rpm equals more power. Since you have limited grip in the snow, high torque at low rpm is favorable to get you moving with less wheelspin.