Skyset

Hey,

My 86 firebird has been my daily driver for a while now, and has given me no problems whatsoever. I plan on continuing to drive this through the winter...

I just need to know..What should I have done to the car? Is there any special things I need to prepare the car for the winter? How important are winter tires?

(p.s. I live in Canada)

Thannks

KnottyBuoyz

iTrader: (2)

I guess whereabouts in Canada you live is important too. If you're in Van or Victoria it's no big deal. If you're in Que or On I think snow tires are mandatory in the winter. I had to drive my '87 IROC once after a freezing rain storm and it was useless. Sitting on a flat level parking lot it wouldn't move.

Now if you're in St. John's then you're going to need snow porkies & studs! ;-)

I would recommend 4 snows all around if you're going to drive it in the snow. An oil spray if it's not already undercoated is a must if you hope to keep the car from rusting away after the salt gets at it.

FWIW don't do it if you don't have to.

Kevman

I drove my 5 speed, V6 car in the winter.... It sucks. The front nose acts like a snowplow, though..

studdmstr

Well when you get that fwd vtec in and put on those 30" wheels you can get some knobby tires and you won't have a problem with the snow at all.

89junkyardgta

Use oil spray, not undercoating, and have them wash the car before they spray it. Costs an extra $20 but should help the oil stick better. I would recommend any spray that creeps, so something really liquidy, not sticky and nothing with paraffin wax or ashphalt in it. This stuff will eventually stop sticking to the metal and allow water inbetween it and the metal. Don't go to some backyard garage that shoots used motor oil all over your car either. It really grabs the dirt and then the dirt will hold moisture. Most people seem to like Krown Rustproofing.

84zfargo

Even though it's a little late and you may have already prepared your car for winter here is my 2 cents. I have driven many f-body's in the winter in my younger days so here is my advice for winter driving. I don't see whether your car is a v-6 or a v-8, but I remember it making a big difference. If you have a v-6 I would recommend snow tires all the way around as the v-6's I drove did not steer worth a darn with all season tires. The v-8 seemed to provide enough weight so that I was able to get by without snow tires on the front. For the rear I would definitely recommend some studded winter tires and some extra weight in the trunk. With studded tires, posi, and about 60 lbs. of sand in the trunk I never had an issue for the 2 winters I drove my 84 Z. I didn't have the money for another car at the time and I couldn't bring myself to sell it. Can't comment on underbody protection from salt, we use very little here in ND.

Kevman

I saw that Canadian Tire has those Goodyear Nordic tires, I was gonna put them on my winter beater Plymouth..

GTA50

Yeah, this has probably gotten kind of old, but do the usual - tune up, oil change, check battery and alternator outputs, check belts, etc....

As for tires, I put Nokians on all four corners of my V6, 5-speed Firebird (which is my daily driver). That plus a little weight in the trunk and the car handles like it is on rails in the snow and ice!! Here in the Vancouver/Fraser Valley area, that black ice can be really treacherous. Last winter I even had to drive home in a white-out (if you can imagine that ). Actually, with those Nokians, I have seem to have as much traction as the 4x4's.

hedberg667

Can't be said enough, good snow tires are totally invaluable. Plus undercoat your ride and make sure to keep some tools in the car or some extra snow stuff like sand or ice melt. Its generally good to have and even better because it adds some weight to that loose back end. Me and my friend got his 84 stang stuck in a parking lot and we had to wait the night in a blizzard, just glad to know someone with a winch