How good are gtrs in the snow?

[prelude_obsessed]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking at getting a skyline, a gtr model by next winter. Only problem is that they are quite old and I am planning on using it as my only car. How practical are they? Can I expect them to start every morning? Where I live anyting without a block heater is doomed. Can I outfit typical canadian winter things (snow ties, block heaters, rustproof) and expect at least 3-6 years of hassle-free use?

I am just finishing up highschool and need to make sure this idea is doable.

[Allan74]

TERRIBLE.

In RWD mode, they are manageable. In 4WD mode, they are a handful, as, as soon as MY font end get's TQ sent to it, the car pulls sideways HARD and is nearly impossible to drive.

....other's mileage may vary.....

[Zacho]

that they are quite old and I am planning on using it as my only car.

expect at least 3-6 years of hassle-free use?

I am just finishing up highschool

I think you answered your own question. A GTR is a 20 some odd year old car, turbo and known to be time bombs unless you spend the cash up front. My opinion anyway.

[mcfly]

I think they are awesome. Cold starting a gtr though is just nuts. frozen transmissions, frozen diffs, terrible cold enrichment fuel economy.

Still a blast to drive though.

[BNR32]

Got a set of good skinny snow tires and the experience I had was great. Drove it through one Ft. McMurray winter and one Saskatoon winter. I was driving through stuff that trucks were stuck in, started every day -30 no problems. Like Allan said though, if you get on the gas hard it likes to kick sideways a little, quite manageable though.

[prelude_obsessed]

Is it hard to find a very stock one or at least are stock parts easy to find. I would like to make it as un-modified as possible. Hopefully this will help it's reliability. I just really want a 4wd car and gtrs are selling cheaper than imprezas. My dream car is a prelude, I have always liked them, but my mom keeps telling me her fwd car plows everywhere!

[prelude_obsessed]

oh and thx for the fast replies.

[BNR32]

GT-R's like to understeer too, but its easy to correct with a good jab of the loud pedal :cool:

[Snow]

Is it hard to find a very stock one or at least are stock parts easy to find. I would like to make it as un-modified as possible. Hopefully this will help it's reliability. I just really want a 4wd car and gtrs are selling cheaper than imprezas. My dream car is a prelude, I have always liked them, but my mom keeps telling me her fwd car plows everywhere!

Look at JDM subbies then.

You can't be serious here. If Impreza's are out of your price range, any GTR that you can get for less will not be trouble free for 6 months... nevermind 6 years.

Just my $0.02...

Not trying to be a dick, just serving a cold plate of reality here...

[BNR32]

Look at JDM subbies then.

You can't be serious here. If Impreza's are out of your price range, any GTR that you can get for less will not be trouble free for 6 months... nevermind 6 years.

Just my $0.02...

Not trying to be a dick, just serving a cold plate of reality here...

Thats a good point haha, I got so excited reminiscing about the good old winter beater GTR thing I didn't even think of that. :rolleyes:

[DrMango]

Indeed. Go find a nice EVO or WRX and you will be a lot farther ahead. Its just plain better car for the fit you described

Kyle

[SVTong]

I drive mine everyday, and I love it.

That being said, I have a friend who DD's his Evo I and between the 2 cars, the Evo is a better winter car. Cheap, too - you're well under 10K for a really pristine 93 Evo.

[dah_hunter]

Evo's and WRX's are a lot cheaper.. and there AWD or 4WD is going to be better in the snow then a GTR..

I have a Minty WRX type RA for sale right now.. :-)

[Aaron]

Don't drive a GTR in the snow. They ATTESSA system is not designed for it. It's a performance vehicle.

If you get caught in the snow, sure it's OK. But don't make a habbit of it. Your transfer case clutch pack will wear out very quickly.

[mcfly]

Don't drive a GTR in the snow. They ATTESSA system is not designed for it. It's a performance vehicle.

If you get caught in the snow, sure it's OK. But don't make a habbit of it. Your transfer case clutch pack will wear out very quickly.

I don't see the issue using it year round. They are still using the same concept today on the g35x etc.

[DrMango]

I was about to say the same thing. Im pretty sure the Gs arent having much trouble with wear on canadian roads in the winter

Kyle

[natetheguy]

ya but i'm sure the ABS system has been retuned on the G models as the gtr abs is terrible in the snow but great in the rain.

[mcfly]

drive a skyline with no abs in the snow then drive one with it. The system still works, better then most for its age too.

[Allan74]

In all fairness, the comment I made about it being a violent drive might have something to do with the fact that I do not know enough about my car either, without tearing it apart, or driving other GTRs to compare.

Both of my Diffs seem to lock up rather quickly. This action sends the front of my car to pull sideways quite hard when TQ is applied to the front end......like a windshield wiper arm...and the rear wheels are the fulcrum (does that make sense ?).

If I had a 100% bone-stock GTR that I knew everything about, I might have a different opinion.

[natetheguy]

drive a skyline with no abs in the snow then drive one with it. The system still works, better then most for its age too.

I found that it only works in snow with an expensive pair of snow tires. even then my abs had tourette syndrome

[aaronisonfire]

Best thing I bet you could do is invest in decent snow tires. My GTST was terrible in the snow, but I didn't have snow tires on it.

So far my experience with RWD in snow has been awful. My 09 was sliding all over the place :O

[mcfly]

I drive a gtst around in the winter right now, snow tires on it.
Goes like snot, very nice to drive. No AWD though.

[inhumane]

gtsts are awesome for all conditions, except heavy snow im assuming since we dont get much snow, but i drive mine in rain or shine, just not when the throw salt on ze roads

[superdaveosbourne]

I drove my GTR in the snow for about a week before I put her away for the season. It was fun while it lasted but I didn't want to get a shit ton of salt thrown all over my nice underbody. I'm sure that with a good undercoating and snow tires it would be perfectly fine to drive all year round.

[DrMango]

My GTSt is awsome in the snow but thats with some of the best snow tires out there. If you are going to drive a Skyline in the snow then buy straight winter tires and you'll do better then you would think. Good rear end in these things

Kyle

[tazsgtr]

Drove my GTR last year with snow tires in Vancouver. We had a lot of snow (for Vancouver) and if any of you know what our snow removal budget for the city is like i.e. day late and a dollar short. I didn't have any problems and I've driven in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan in the snow in different vehicles RWD and FWD.

Only problem I had was my top secret bumper acted like a snow plow.

[DrMango]

Haha yeah Ive been there. My lip took a beating last winter when I was in Edson and some freek snow came through.

Kyle

[Terrh]

I would think if you got a torque split controller so you could set manual biases (say 50/50) then the car would improve dramatically in snow.

Snow tires are obviously very important too.

I've wintered in FC's and FB's, and even a supra once - GTR's can't be worse.

[DrMango]

isnt the stock torque split 50/50?

Kyle

[Snow]

^^^ From what I understand it varies according to the amount of slip detected by the rear wheels. In a 4x4 in 4H mode, it would be locked at 50/50.

[mcfly]

you can never achieve a full 50/50 split due to plate slippage.

[Rapier46]

I have only taken my gtr around my street in the snow. With torque controller. And summers. I tried it on rwd- did not move. In awd I basically moved as if I was on pavement. Not exactly, but awd makes gtr's doable in the snow. I found that stock awd setting was better than 5050

[DrMango]

^^^ From what I understand it varies according to the amount of slip detected by the rear wheels. In a 4x4 in 4H mode, it would be locked at 50/50.

Indeed. A GTR shouldn't exactly be in 50/50 all the time but like you said according to the amount of traction loss it would go as much as 50/50. Im just trying to understand what Terrh was getting at?

Kyle

[mcfly]

Indeed. A GTR shouldn't exactly be in 50/50 all the time but like you said according to the amount of traction loss it would go as much as 50/50. Im just trying to understand what Terrh was getting at?

Kyle

if you get a drag style tq split controller you can preset the system. Most attesa controllers make for a more active system, drag ones you can fix a line pressure to what you want.

[DrMango]

But that would be crap on a street only GTR right?

Kyle

[Snow]

Unless you left every light 4 wheels a smokin... no it would be useless.

[mcfly]

You are able to turn most of them off and let the attesa computer function normally.

[Allan74]

Unless you left every light 4 wheels a smokin... no it would be useless.

It's all about application and desired end result.

Mcfly and myself have both purchased Grid TS Dancer ETS Controller, mainly for Drag, that will allow us to not only PRESET, but LIMIT front TQ to keep things from coming apart from too much TQ transfered to the front end. Set it at 20% or so and make a run. It can be enabled or disabled, leaving the syetem to run as 100% normal otherwise.

I also have another ETS Controller that I had planned to use at first, but may not now. It is one of the controllers that 'fools' the G-Sensors in the car and keeps the system from removing front TQ in a cornering situation, as it normally does (Extreme TSC ETS Controller). This is the most common type that most people purchase for Road Course and Track use and is sold under many different name brands and flavours, all of which essentially accomplish the same thing.

[Terrh]

I would think the GTR system would easily achieve 50/50 splits on snow especially at light throttle with a dancer/similar setup. Those clutch plates will lock pretty hard when they aren't worn out, and the amount of torque going through the system when you're on snow and not douching it up is probably pretty minimal.