i've got VSC...

but i also have an xrs...

and it handles like a dream in the snow

 

Ive got VSC on mine too ^^

Only comes on the XRS model if Im not mistaken. No problems here in the snow, but then again, we don't get half the amount of snow you guys get in T.Dot!

 

Fantastic!



Yesterday we got our first "real" snow"....about 12= INCHES FOR MY 09 XLT w/ Trac and VSC! (I am in the States and my XLT had VSC)I had traded my AWD last summer for the Corolla and had been a bit skittish but off I went. Conditions were anything from a few inches of ice to quite a bit more than a few inches of snow!:ugh3:.

ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT I WAS IMPRESSED !!!! (I had a 2007 Hyundai Sante Fe before trading for the Corolla!. The Sante Fe was AWD w/ ABS, VSC etc, etc....the works!!!! (The MPG was also the worst in the snow! but I also liked the vehicle! IN Fact the Sante Fe was great except for the MPG!

Sante Fe:
I had locked up the fronts..... on purpose .....and did a few intentional skids before getting on the Freeway. The Hyundai always remained in a straight line....no matter what! To add some insult to injury (there were none and it more than held its own with any other vehicle I had owned too!:lol:ugh3:


Now to try out the Corolla....Gulp....?

No way. IMPOSSIBLE BUT........ The Corolla XLT w/ Trac, VSC (USA), STOCK alloy 16" M+S, ABS, EBD (Electric brake force distribution (what ever that is), etc with about 2000 miles on the clock.

BTW:HONDA CITY...... I am sure the 6 speaker + 6 cd changer stereo had lots to do with my success here!:lol:

The Corolla was simply incredible from the ice and the loose and packed power..............The ABS especially was fantastic and reacted much faster, QUIETER, and more accurately than the Honda Element..... had to add something to the stability ...right.....:lol::lol::lol I had the spare keys with me too ,just in case I was disappointed and was ready to trade (Seriously!)! NO KIDDING EITHER! I have always had AWD or 4x4 here for the past 30 yrs or so!

Yep....I am sold NOTE: I am still carrying the xtra set of keys at all times....Much more snow due all week and if it gets really bad, I am prepared to sell and take the beating if I must!

 

Today was our first storm for the winter (got about 8 ")

I was driving down the freeway doing about 60 and all of a sudden the traffic stopped. I have to say that at the time there was probably 1" of snow on the ground and the road looked clear.

There must have been an icy part on the road because i put on the breaks and started to loose traction and my car started to slide sideways.

i took my foot off of the breaks and turned into the slide and straightened out. There was a car at a dead stop about 50' in front of me so I slammed on the breaks and prayed for the best. I mean I was going to slam into about 10 cars.

My anti lock breaks kicked in and I stopped about 12" away from the last car.

When I finally stopped I turned around and saw all of the other cars that were going Along with me sliding off of the road, hitting the guard rail, bouncing off of each other. It was a real mess.

I believe that it was the car that saved me. Who Knows?

I don't have VSC.

 

VSC + Snow tires makes driving through snow a ton of fun. The only time i am nervous in the snow is when there are other drivers around me. if i'm alone with a snowy road i'm good. I just dont' trust other drivers.

 

I hear ya, most people in Toronto can't drive for beans. :disappoin

 

In Toronto, we got like 20cm of snow today. Driving was pretty tough especially in small roads where they haven;t plow yet. Did'nt have snow tires, had the factory tire Bridgestone Turanza, no traction control. The only problem i had was starting from a stop and that was all. But in small roads, can't even move.

 

Same here, drivers in NH aren't used to snow driving. Gotta love crawling along at 30MPH on the interstate from a tiny bit of snow.

 

same here




Our Calif visitors think 4X4 helps you stop faster!:lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

clearly a perfect day to test the snows and the car's handling. It was like driving on pavement. The winters did what they were supposed to do and the xrs did it's job. Now if we can get rid of all these idiots who think they can get through the snow with all seasons. Let's follow Quebec's lead and make it mandatory to have snows.

 

Got falken Ziex Ze 912s and they have no traction in the snow. I will probably not drive unless i am forced to and only if theres no snow on the road and less traffic.

 

Dont sweat it bud hahah. Its probably a good thing, if only you could see how much salt is caked onto my car right now, you'd be crying.

I can't wait to get this thing washed....

But they're forecasting MORE snow....DAMNIT!

 

Mine is a Canadian LE.
Snow was on Wednesday (2 days ago) about 4". Car drove and stops well even on unplough roads.
What really surprise me was the auto-climate. My temp setting is 23 C. When I drove off at 5 am at -4 C, heater/fan control was off. After a mile or so when engine temp starts to rise the auto climate kick in and start warming the car with fan running at #2 then as engine temp goes up fan speed increases as well to #5. (There's 7 speeds). When inside temp warms up fan speed drops to #1 setting. All these by itself and I did not even set the "auto" to On.
Tested driving on a ice covered parking lot. No trouble with stop- start. Brake good. ABS kicked in with little noise. Car stopped in a straight line.
Car have all season tires. No VSC and stuff.

 

Ahh.... with Toyota, if you turned AUTO off, the fan and mode is still automatic. To fully do a manual override, you'll have to fiddle with the fan (either up or down works) and press a mode (any one except front defroster). Only then will you have a fully manual climate control system.

 

The XRS has 4 new Michelin X-Ice 2s on the stock 17" rims w/o TPMS.
Handles quite well in the snow and ice.

 

Curious: Why did you get 17" winter tires on your stock rims? Why didnt you get 16" winters on steelies?

 

My wife reported it did great in the recent ice, no VSC on her car either, Goodyear Eagle RS-A's

My Mazda6 did excellent, don't even think it used the DSC, has Michelin Pilot HX's

We both slipped only once, in the same spot in the neighborhood, at a stop sign were water pools.

 

Our 09 CE (no VSC) is on WS-60 Blizzaks. Exceptional traction and control. We've had -30C here with super icy roads, literally hundreds of collisions everyday and some of the worst road conditions in memory.

It's all about tires...

 

My 2009 Toyota S did good in the recent storm through Pennsylvania. A little over 5 inches of snow with about an inch of ice underneath. I'm happy with how it drove and it got me home safely.

 

Got 35 cm here of snow on Friday. Took it out today on semi-paved roads with the stock XRS tires. Traction was....ok...but not superb. Definitely would not want it out in the storm that we had.

 

A Keeper!




With all the different computers kicking in and out...It was a pleasure, Even the FWD Corolla was quite a bit more "refined" than my 2007 AWD Hyundai Sante Fe which was pretty well loaded with computerized Braking stuff ...very effective ABS and VSC (USA version on the XLT .... gets my vote) and only had the 16" M+S too! They will stay for this winter....The "EBD" did not seem to show any difference yet. 8-12 inches of powder, a few inches of hardpack and slush, as well as your normal every day "mix" 1st vehicle I have owned without AWD in years!....Me thinks it is a keeper, and will see what the rest of winter has in stock for me!

 

With all the different computers kicking in and out...It was a pleasure, Even the FWD Corolla was quite a bit more "refined" than my 2007 AWD Hyundai which was pretty well loaded with computerized Braking stuff ...very effective ABS and VSC (USA version on the XLT .... gets my vote) and only had the 16" M+S too! They will stay for this winter....The "EBD" did not seem to show any difference yet. 8-12 inches of powder, a few inches of hardpack and slush, as well as your normal every day "mix" 1st vehicle I have owned without AWD in years!....Me thinks it is a keeper, and will see what the rest of winter has in stock for me!

I live on top of a hill. Tried engine braking going downhill in 9" of snow on 3 then 2 and I just steered it all the way down. No sliding at corners. Did'nt even have to use L.

 

I left Cape Breton Nova Scotia at 12:30 on Friday and got here in Stouffville Ontario at 11:30 yesterday. About 1950 km in 23 hours. There must have been 100 cars off the road. Even some tractor trailers. I have 4 studded Goodyear Nordic from Canadian Tire. No problem at all. But I was tired after driving all the way by myself.

 

I left Cape Breton Nova Scotia at 12:30 on Friday and got here in Stouffville Ontario at 11:30 yesterday. About 19500 km in 23 hours. There must have been 100 cars off the road. Even some tractor trailers. I have 4 studded Goodyear Nordic from Canadian Tire. No problem at all. But I was tired after driving all the way by myself.

Slightly off topic, but this is your 2nd long trip from NS right? Anyway, I don't think studded tires are allowed in ON

 

Blizzaks, VSC, Traction Control, ABS... I don't have any more room on my options list for worries... and it's a good thing! :naughty:

09 XRS

 

No Offense, but I find ABS to be more of a winter annoyance than anything. It's made for people who don't know how to brake correctly in slippery conditions, and it always seems to avoid user input. Basically you stop when it allows you to and don't have much control. You can slam on the brakes and all it does is pulsate, and you hope it stops in time. If anything I hope the next car I get doesn't haven't, if it does I'd unhook it. Just my opinion but I drive these cars all day long, and hate ABS in the snow.

 

No, studded tires are not allowed in Ontario but if you come from out of province it's ok to use them. And yes I was here in July too. Our youngest son lives here in Stouffville with his wife and one year old daughter. When grandma wants to visit , you visit. HA HA.

 

the tourenza all season tires that come stock are horrible. you'll find yourself sliding all over the place. I do not recommend using them in winter at all. I wouldn't be, but I cant find any place in town that still has the black steels in stock...some places have been back ordered since november!!

 

I decided on the worst day of the winter this past Friday to get my snows. The stock turanzas were just aweful in this crap, especially the 15cm + we got on Friday. I put Michelin Pilot Aplin 3's on factort Toyota steels, not a bad deal at all. What an awesome tire, the drive home was a whole lot easier, and the Trac, VSC, Alpin combo was amazing.

 

yup i agree they suck... i live in northern ontario and have been driving in snow since november. unfortunately i can't find steel rims to buy new tires.

 

Painful winter... do they make 4wd rolla'S ?

We also have a lot of snow here. The ABS is really a pain in the a$$ but doing a good job most of the time. But when it gets really icy you won't stop at all and finish where you don't want to. The good thing I found about this car is that the car will always stay straith no matter how slippery it is and how hard the brake is applied. This is great.

Nevertheless, handbrake is definitely my best friend in emergency stopping condition in combination with the foot brake. You will definitely shorten your stopping distance if you know how to use is well. (please don't blame me doing a 180 and say it is my fault :ugh3: from the fact you read this on TN)

In the traction departement the 09 is decent but not outstanding. If you want the thing to bite in the snow just don't buy an ice tire like I did and don't go to with 205 go for 185 width. Mine are Yokohama that are more suit for ice than snow/slush. This can sometime be an issue around here.

Drive safe

 

i have new good year nordics on my 09 corolla and they seem to perform quite well in snow conditions. car feels planted in the snow. my biggest gripe with this car is how easy it is blown around by the wind, which always requires steering inputs and can make things interesting occasionally. other than that, very happy with the car.

 

I have the Goodyear Nordic winter tires too. You can not expect summer traction in the snow. I am quit satisfied that both the tires and the car and ABS is working well. I am getting better traction in this car as compared to to last car.