I hate to sound rude, but having grown up learning to drive in NH and now living in snowy UT, the joke is that after a snowstorm the first people you find in a ditch are the 4x4/AWD crowd.
As I'm sure you now realize, AWD only helps you start. For everything else, you're still at physic's mercy. I hope you're able to get everything back in working order (ps get a wheel alignment)
ICE POSSIBLE DRIVE WITH CARE...
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Speed_Racer
- Posts: 383
- Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 7:58 pm
- Location: Salt Lake City
'12 Kizashi,'03 SV650,'04 DL1000
Wow, good to know. This reminds me of the Goodyear Eagle GAs that came stock on my Altima. Even with almost full tread, they couldn't keep from hydroplaning. I got rid of them after one incident where I found myself going backwards at 60 mph on the highway next to a guardrail during a downpour.KuroNekko wrote:Agreed. The tires are not as good as they used to be on wet roads back when I bought the car with 7500 miles. Now, with 21,000 miles, the ESP comes on more than it should because of the tires losing traction. There is still a good amount of tread left, but I will not be getting these Dunlops again given it's clear there are better tires out there for this car.
I've glanced at some of the tire offerings for our 235/45/18s on tire rack and it seems like we've got a good selection. For summer and rain, I'd be leaning towards almost anything Bridgestone, with Continental in second place. The Continental SportConti series is quite nice, but I only have experience with it on the Porsche, while I've had Bridgestones in almost every size.krell wrote:What tire you recommend to replace them dunlops
You'll find various opinions but for me, Continental Pure Contacts. They do not corner as firmly as the Dunlops but are way more secure in wet and snow. Rain is another issue with the Dunlops. They hydroplane pretty badly and worse as they wear. The Contis seem to drive as well in wet as dry. Practically zero hydroplaning.krell wrote:What tire you recommend to replace them dunlops
Former driver of a 2011 SLS AWD Platinum
Someone asked about my second incident, so here it is. I'll try to keep a little more brief this time.
Later that same Saturday evening, my fiancée had a dinner date with some old friends from high school. By that point the weather had improved from freezing rain to just lightly snowing. I was still rattled about my earlier incident, and didn't want her to drive because she gets fairly anxious about driving in general let alone in inclement conditions.
So we went to pick up her friend and I dropped them both off at their destination uneventfully. I was super cautious around each turn on the way. Fast forward a couple hours to the time that I was supposed to get my fiancée, and the weather had worsened significantly. Not to the point of blizzard conditions, but I digress.
On the way home I was trying to plan out a route that was devoid of the steepest hills, and avoided the interstate highway. I had a pretty solid route drawn out in my head, and was at the point in my course that I needed to make a right turn somewhere. One of my coworkers refers to the area that I live in as "median hell", and after this weekend I'm inclined to agree with him.
The particular street that I tried to turn onto had one such median. But this was no ordinary curb median. This is one of those medians that's like 3-ish feet (1-ish meter) tall, for some reason. I was trying to be cautious, but apparently I wasn't being cautious enough. I decelerated to what I thought was an acceptable speed, and entered the turn, but again, I started sliding.
This time though, my foot wasn't on the brake when I entered the turn. I thought I was done slowing down, and had my foot on the gas so I could pull through the turn. I tried to put on a little gas in order in the hopes that I'd be able to pull out of it. It did help somewhat, but I was worried of trying to put too much gas, spinning the crap out of all the tires and just accelerating into the wall.
I assume that applying a little more gas helped because I was able to bring my Kizashi around so that way when I did make contact with the wall, the front-left corner of the bumper just lightly bounced off the wall. If I hadn't done anything, I probably would have hit a much more direct angle resulting in more force being applied to the point of impact.
Again, I think I got lucky because when I got home to examine it in the dark, I don't think there was anything more than a couple minor scratches to the clear coat. No cracks, and no dents. I think my one saving grace was the ice actually. Do to the freezing rain, the entire bumper and front grill was covered with a few millimeters of pretty solid ice. When I got out to inspect the damage, I could feel gap in the sheet of ice that enveloped the front of my car around the point that I thought the bumper hit the median. The impact seemed like it scraped off the ice, and didn't really get to the paint.
Takeaways:
1. I realized after that day that the TCS only really helps if the back tires start losing traction, when you start to experience excessive oversteer. This really doesn't happen in Kizashi's though. The TCS didn't kick in when I experienced excessive understeer, and the car started sliding.
2. I suck at driving in the snow. I thought I was ok at it, but I am a little more realistic about what mine and my Kizashi's capabilities are in the snow as is currently equipped.
3. I'm not sure how I have 19 inch rims either. I just know that's what it says on the tires
4. I have not had a chance to get the wheel off yet. I do not have to proper facilities to do that at the moment. I did have an issue with the tire pressure in that tire the next day, but I wasn't surprised that the impact and subsequent temperature drop had a detrimental effect on the tire pressure. Since I re-aired the tire, the tire pressure sensor has not gone off again.
5. I have experienced no significant issues with the alignment over the past few days. I had to drive all over the city on Christmas Eve/Day to visit family for the holidays, and the steering seems solid. I'm getting my Kizashi inspected by my insurance on Thursday next week, but am afraid my insurance is going to try to swindle me. I have a $500 deductible, and they said if my claim is estimated at more than $750, they were going to gimme a 30% surcharge on my premium (and I already have a 10% surcharge because my fiancée got in a major accident in my other vehicle 1.5 years ago). I’m worried that if I decline any of the insurance money, I’m still going to hit with a big surcharge.
5.5 I’m considering on having repairs/replacement (if any) done by the dealership, whom I’m also assuming is going to try to overcharge me.
6. Is it worth it to wash my Kizashi, ASAP? They salt the crap out of roads where I live, and I realize that salt is bad for my Kizashi. It's just that there's still a lot of snow melting. And my Kizashi going to get dirty again the instant I pull it out of the car wash.
7. That wasn't as short as I wanted it to be. Sorry.
Later that same Saturday evening, my fiancée had a dinner date with some old friends from high school. By that point the weather had improved from freezing rain to just lightly snowing. I was still rattled about my earlier incident, and didn't want her to drive because she gets fairly anxious about driving in general let alone in inclement conditions.
So we went to pick up her friend and I dropped them both off at their destination uneventfully. I was super cautious around each turn on the way. Fast forward a couple hours to the time that I was supposed to get my fiancée, and the weather had worsened significantly. Not to the point of blizzard conditions, but I digress.
On the way home I was trying to plan out a route that was devoid of the steepest hills, and avoided the interstate highway. I had a pretty solid route drawn out in my head, and was at the point in my course that I needed to make a right turn somewhere. One of my coworkers refers to the area that I live in as "median hell", and after this weekend I'm inclined to agree with him.
The particular street that I tried to turn onto had one such median. But this was no ordinary curb median. This is one of those medians that's like 3-ish feet (1-ish meter) tall, for some reason. I was trying to be cautious, but apparently I wasn't being cautious enough. I decelerated to what I thought was an acceptable speed, and entered the turn, but again, I started sliding.
This time though, my foot wasn't on the brake when I entered the turn. I thought I was done slowing down, and had my foot on the gas so I could pull through the turn. I tried to put on a little gas in order in the hopes that I'd be able to pull out of it. It did help somewhat, but I was worried of trying to put too much gas, spinning the crap out of all the tires and just accelerating into the wall.
I assume that applying a little more gas helped because I was able to bring my Kizashi around so that way when I did make contact with the wall, the front-left corner of the bumper just lightly bounced off the wall. If I hadn't done anything, I probably would have hit a much more direct angle resulting in more force being applied to the point of impact.
Again, I think I got lucky because when I got home to examine it in the dark, I don't think there was anything more than a couple minor scratches to the clear coat. No cracks, and no dents. I think my one saving grace was the ice actually. Do to the freezing rain, the entire bumper and front grill was covered with a few millimeters of pretty solid ice. When I got out to inspect the damage, I could feel gap in the sheet of ice that enveloped the front of my car around the point that I thought the bumper hit the median. The impact seemed like it scraped off the ice, and didn't really get to the paint.
Takeaways:
1. I realized after that day that the TCS only really helps if the back tires start losing traction, when you start to experience excessive oversteer. This really doesn't happen in Kizashi's though. The TCS didn't kick in when I experienced excessive understeer, and the car started sliding.
2. I suck at driving in the snow. I thought I was ok at it, but I am a little more realistic about what mine and my Kizashi's capabilities are in the snow as is currently equipped.
3. I'm not sure how I have 19 inch rims either. I just know that's what it says on the tires
4. I have not had a chance to get the wheel off yet. I do not have to proper facilities to do that at the moment. I did have an issue with the tire pressure in that tire the next day, but I wasn't surprised that the impact and subsequent temperature drop had a detrimental effect on the tire pressure. Since I re-aired the tire, the tire pressure sensor has not gone off again.
5. I have experienced no significant issues with the alignment over the past few days. I had to drive all over the city on Christmas Eve/Day to visit family for the holidays, and the steering seems solid. I'm getting my Kizashi inspected by my insurance on Thursday next week, but am afraid my insurance is going to try to swindle me. I have a $500 deductible, and they said if my claim is estimated at more than $750, they were going to gimme a 30% surcharge on my premium (and I already have a 10% surcharge because my fiancée got in a major accident in my other vehicle 1.5 years ago). I’m worried that if I decline any of the insurance money, I’m still going to hit with a big surcharge.
5.5 I’m considering on having repairs/replacement (if any) done by the dealership, whom I’m also assuming is going to try to overcharge me.
6. Is it worth it to wash my Kizashi, ASAP? They salt the crap out of roads where I live, and I realize that salt is bad for my Kizashi. It's just that there's still a lot of snow melting. And my Kizashi going to get dirty again the instant I pull it out of the car wash.
7. That wasn't as short as I wanted it to be. Sorry.
My Cars (Their Names)
'93 Ford Escort (Jorge - Prior)
'06 Kia Optima EX (Sakuya - Prior)
'11 Suzuki Kizashi SE AWD (Azumi)
'09 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Base 5MT(Akari - Prior)
'11 Chevy Cruze Eco 6MT (Erika - Prior)
'12 Suzuki Kizashi Sport SLS AWD (Kitsune)
'93 Ford Escort (Jorge - Prior)
'06 Kia Optima EX (Sakuya - Prior)
'11 Suzuki Kizashi SE AWD (Azumi)
'09 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Base 5MT(Akari - Prior)
'11 Chevy Cruze Eco 6MT (Erika - Prior)
'12 Suzuki Kizashi Sport SLS AWD (Kitsune)
I'm glad to hear you were very wary when driving in the snow again and were lucky enough to have a layer of ice to protect the car from any real damage. I think your takeaways are important points, especially about the esp not helping when understeering. I ran into that same issue the first time I drove ours in snow.
You should have the factory jack in the trunk. If you've never used it, it's not a bad thing to learn. You can take off the tire and get a good look around. If it's just a missing sensor or a disconnected wire, you may be able to fix it yourself and not worry about an insurance claim altogether. Definitely worth at least $500 imo.
I'd wash the car not to clean it, but to get the salt out of it, especially the underside and places where salt water can sit. Eventually it will hurt the car's finish. It's not really possible to keep a car clean in the winter (same salt here), so I don't worry about that. I just want to keep the car from rusting or having electrical problems from corroded grounds or electrical points.
You should have the factory jack in the trunk. If you've never used it, it's not a bad thing to learn. You can take off the tire and get a good look around. If it's just a missing sensor or a disconnected wire, you may be able to fix it yourself and not worry about an insurance claim altogether. Definitely worth at least $500 imo.
I'd wash the car not to clean it, but to get the salt out of it, especially the underside and places where salt water can sit. Eventually it will hurt the car's finish. It's not really possible to keep a car clean in the winter (same salt here), so I don't worry about that. I just want to keep the car from rusting or having electrical problems from corroded grounds or electrical points.
KansasKid,
What's the mileage on your car? What condition are your tires in (tread life)? Uploading a photo of your tire tread may be helpful.
What's the mileage on your car? What condition are your tires in (tread life)? Uploading a photo of your tire tread may be helpful.
2025 Mazda CX-50 Preferred Hybrid
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Sold)
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Sold)
Yeah, I know about the jack in the trunk, but I wasn't keen on trying jack up my car in the slushy parking lot of my apt. complex, and I haven't gotten around to finding a dry slab of concrete in some random location nearby yet. I'll work on that tomorrow. I'm also going to wash all the crap off of her tomorrow. Most of the ice has melted on the roads, so hopefully she'll stay clean for more than two days...SamirD wrote:You should have the factory jack in the trunk. If you've never used it, it's not a bad thing to learn. You can take off the tire and get a good look around. If it's just a missing sensor or a disconnected wire, you may be able to fix it yourself and not worry about an insurance claim altogether. Definitely worth at least $500 imo.
I'd wash the car not to clean it, but to get the salt out of it, especially the underside and places where salt water can sit. Eventually it will hurt the car's finish. It's not really possible to keep a car clean in the winter (same salt here), so I don't worry about that. I just want to keep the car from rusting or having electrical problems from corroded grounds or electrical points.
Point of Clarification: I realized just now that my Kizashi has 18 in. wheels, not 19's. I have this weird false memory where my old roommate and I had a conversation about how my wheels were 19's instead of 18's like their supposed to be, have been believing it for some time now
. Anyways, I scraped up the front-right wheel pretty bad on the curb, and I called the dealership to see about a replacement. They said something about $644 for a replacement rim and $15 for balancing. @KuroNekko - The mileage is around 8500-9000 miles, and when I took my Kizashi in to the dealership to have the tires rotated at 6800-ish miles, they said that there was some uneven tire wear that was possibly alignment related. Due to a miscommunication, they fixed it for free with out me having to argue with them for a couple weeks over the TSB for the alignment issues. I am going to go see my car buddy tomorrow who's visiting for the holidays before he starts his new job in Jordan. He worked in the tire dept. at Sam's Club for like 2.5 years, so I trust his feedback on car stuff in general, and tire stuff in particular. I will try to get a picture of the tire wear, and post his thoughts to the group here in the near future.
My Cars (Their Names)
'93 Ford Escort (Jorge - Prior)
'06 Kia Optima EX (Sakuya - Prior)
'11 Suzuki Kizashi SE AWD (Azumi)
'09 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Base 5MT(Akari - Prior)
'11 Chevy Cruze Eco 6MT (Erika - Prior)
'12 Suzuki Kizashi Sport SLS AWD (Kitsune)
'93 Ford Escort (Jorge - Prior)
'06 Kia Optima EX (Sakuya - Prior)
'11 Suzuki Kizashi SE AWD (Azumi)
'09 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Base 5MT(Akari - Prior)
'11 Chevy Cruze Eco 6MT (Erika - Prior)
'12 Suzuki Kizashi Sport SLS AWD (Kitsune)
Ahh yes, outdoor car stuff sucks. I'd find a well-lit parking garage and even if it cost you an hour or so, get in there and see what happened. You might be causing more damage by continuing to drive it.KansasKid wrote:Yeah, I know about the jack in the trunk, but I wasn't keen on trying jack up my car in the slushy parking lot of my apt. complex, and I haven't gotten around to finding a dry slab of concrete in some random location nearby yet. I'll work on that tomorrow. I'm also going to wash all the crap off of her tomorrow. Most of the ice has melted on the roads, so hopefully she'll stay clean for more than two days...
Point of Clarification: I realized just now that my Kizashi has 18 in. wheels, not 19's. I have this weird false memory where my old roommate and I had a conversation about how my wheels were 19's instead of 18's like their supposed to be, have been believing it for some time now
18s sounds more like it.
Which type do you have? Sport or 20 spoke? Because I've found sets on craigslist via searchtempest for less than the dealership:http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/pts/4227585555.html
Very, very good advice. I spent a day doing this with my Altima on an ice covered parking lot when I lived in Nashville. Great practice that helped every day. I have yet to find a nice parking lot to do this in the Kizashi.bootymac wrote:Honestly one of the best things you can do is find an empty snow/ice covered parking lot and learn the limits of the Kizashi and how to handle it when it loses traction
