Daily S15 question

[Aru]

Hey everyone!
Im new the forum and i will soon be an s15 owner probably one of the first in Alberta Canada as it just hit its 15 year old point and can be imported. I have had many unconventional cars as dailies so i have no issues with that my only question and the question i know will make everyone cringe is how it will hold up in the winter. Unfortunately due to parking space this will be my only car. Year round. Im a detailer so keeping the body clean and protected is no issue for me in the winter but as per how it will handle Canadian winters is beyond me there is no information on the topic because they can finally be imported here. Im thinking big winter tires some sand bags being careful and a heating block but being a spec r i know there may be alot more precautions to take, any information would be helpful!
thanks everyone!

 

[Revoemag]

Underseal, all the things.

Most Jap imports don't come with it. Extremely good set of tyres. Remember that these cars are drift focused, turbo charged RWD with an LSD in the snow/ice/rain is not a pleasant experience in my opinion. It's extremely easy to kick the back end out on these, happens to me in the wet/damp if I take a corner / roundabout too quick, snow is pretty horrendous and I wouldn't use mine in it. Doesn't mean to say you can't, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Do-able? Perfectly yes. Stressful? Most definitely.

 

[pegliobaglio]

You say that but I had to drive mine through the snow a couple of years ago as I was inbetween dailies and I found the car very easy to drive in the snow, totally predictable when the arse kicks out and actually found it quite enjoyable and I don't even take mine out in the rain normally ha ha I also wouldn't say they are drift focussed it totally depends how you set the up. Mine is set as a fast road car, 1.5 way diff all adjustable arms set to a good frs I have no issues driving mine fast whatever the weather you just have to be a bit more cautious getting on boost but ,as I said , if the car is well set up then it's very predictable so if you know your car well I don't think you will have any issues just don't take liberties in it and you will be fine
I wouldn't do it out of choice though as I love my car and is really just a dry weather car but could be done so long as you are sensible . I know a few people who use theirs daily and are really good reliable cars ! As above make sure you underseal it properly and also make sure you have the right antifreeze mix ( as I'm sure you will anyway as you are more used to the cold than us ha ha )

 

[Revoemag]

True, but we are comparing British snow to Canadian snow, it's like comparing our Summer to Summer in Dubai or Florida. Whole different ball game.

True you can set your car up to be whatever, but I would have said they are tail-happy drifters from the factory, I have no doubts you could make an excellent road/track car with superb grip, as they handle superb from stock.

I actually use mine as a daily, so it is driven in the rain often enough, given I live in Scotland. It's alright, but I am taking it off the road and buying a winter car, it's just not something I would feel comfortable with driving in Winter, coming home at night in the snow would be terrifying.

 

[pegliobaglio]

Yeah that's true, even the snow I have here is probably not on the same level as you have but either way I enjoyed my snow adventure and actually found it easier to drive in the snow than my corsa. Oversteer is a lot easier to control imo
Saying that being Canada and the fact they are used to the snow surely they are better prepared to deal with the conditions and therefore their roads should be better to drive on? Maybe not I don't really know .
I have a daily and don't drive mine in rain or snow if I can help it so I can't really say anything ha ha if you don't feel comfortable doing it then don't do it . Simple as that really. As you say different ball game entirely to what we have here so prob better off asking someone with a high powered rwd motor out there what they think

 

[Auss15]

I driven Canadian winters and they can be hell, from experience I would fit snow tyres for winter and do the best to underseal the body to protect it from the salt. Just use your normal winter oils and anti freeze..

 

[Clarkey]

Snow isn't an issue, the salt is. S chassis rot like hell with a bit of road salt and this is the reason mine will get parked through the winter.

 

[Auss15]

Clarkey, Canadian Mid West Winters are a lot different to UK Winters