RWD Classic (Spitfire, MGB, Herald or similar) in the snow?

[LOGiK]

Has anyone who owns a classic RWD taken it out in the snow and if so, how well or badly does it perform?

I ask because my 1100 which is now in the back garage undergoing repairs after a minicab wrote it off was absolutely great in snow - I could overtake a lot of 4x4s quite easily where as the 2010 fiesta courtesy car has been pretty terrible (I figure due to wide tyres, weight and possibly high tyre pressure, will know about that tomorrow)

I'm just curious as to how the RWD classics fair, particularly in comparison with modern RWD cars.

[mybrainhurts]

Austin/Morris 1100...?

I used to hammer one of those when they were modern technology...

Agree they were great in the snow but, when the rear end let go, they were bastids to retrieve.

As to RWD, I used to have a TR6 in the 70s. It really surprised me. It was extremely good in the snow, getting me home from work, up some very steep hills, when almost everything else had failed miserably.

I ought to qualify that. Traction was excellent...

However, try to steer it on the throttle and it was brown trouser time....

[mattius]

I've had the spitfire out in original spec a few times in the snow, tbh it wasnt that bad, just have to watch that read end round roundabouts etc. But getting up hills etc with the skinny old tyres was actually not bad at all, it performed better than many moderns.
Biggest problem i had was keeping the windows de-misted.

Wouldnt even dare taking it out in its current spec, its too damn twitchy in the wet let alone the snow.

[LOGiK]

my guess was old and light with thinner tyres would be easier than new and heavy with fat tyres

[velocemitch]

My Alfa GTV is brilliant in the snow, admittedly I have Snow Tyres on it all year round anyway but I was astonished how well it gripped, especially with some weight in the boot.

[mybrainhurts]

LOGiK said:

my guess was old and light with thinner tyres would be easier than new and heavy with fat tyres

My TR6 was heavy with fat tyres...

[Gnostic Ascent]

My TR4 is fantastic in the snow. Not a problem. Take it reasonably cautious around roundabouts but if the back end does step out a bit it's a doddle to catch it.

Can't get the XKR down the lane to the road again!

Auto, wide tyres and heavy. Recipe for going nowhere in the snow.

[rallycross]

I had an old chrome bumper MGB GT and it was pretty useless in the snow, was easy to get beached/stuck; was good fun to have a play around in but i I was going somehwere I would always take a fwd car out instead of the MGB.

[LOGiK]

mybrainhurts said:

LOGiK said:

my guess was old and light with thinner tyres would be easier than new and heavy with fat tyres

My TR6 was heavy with fat tyres...

TR6 doesn't weigh much more than a modern fiesta

[davepoth]

Narrow tyres dig right in, so on reasonably fresh snow they are brilliant providing you have ground clearance. Once it gets to ice it's more or less as bad as anything else though.

[austin]

It's very good in the snow actually, and good fun.

A bit cold as it doesn't have a heater and the grit lorry going the other way wasn't much fun.

[davejf]

My dad takes this out in the snow. I'd much rather be in it than any modern car.

[dan_swin]

No problems, and good fun

[Nigel At]

Roof up, just rolled out of a garage, where's the on-the-road photo

[Eagerbeaver]

My old Morgan 4/4 (which lets face it is just an old fashioned Spitfire) was great in snow. In fact my wife and I were just saying yesterday about how we were amazed at how well it coped.

Skinny tyres once again.

[RichB]

I took this out in the snow

[velocemitch]

Good on yer

[entwisi]

I used to drive my classics all year, best in the snow waas my 63 Mk3 Zephyr 4. A huge heavy thing sat on 175 tyres with a first gear so low that it only went just past walking pace.. It was also wonderfully controllable on oversteer and huge steering wheel made accurate control a breeze. Next best was the Triumph Vitesse Mk1 2 Litre, I could donut that thing all day and oversteer was order of the day all year round so come snow you were used to it!