y8s - I'm guessing you're flying into Reagan Nat'l? What time, flight info, etc? IF I'm totally free, might help you out. My buddy Scott flew back last snow storm into Dulles and a nice maintenance guy helped him out. He gave the guy a $20. I think he was trolling the parking lots being a good Samaritan that wouldn't mind being tipped. In other words, not quite blatant about, "hey, for $20 I'll clean off your car!" but rather "You need help? I've got a shovel and brush." My friend said he would've gladly given him $40 at that point, seeing that he wasn't prepared for it. Plus the guy let him stay in his truck or whatever while the guy cleared out the car.

 

Hell I haven't seen my Miata since last friday. I think I see the top of the stock antenna now.

 

Maybe it's my tires (exclaim uhp), but my miata absolutely sucks in the snow. zero traction, period.

don't flame me, but i thought that the torsen would help in this department.. In the snow, it feels just like an open diff to me.. I can't see it, but it feels like only one side is even spinning, the other side is just dead..

Any tricks to getting some more traction? I drove the car today and got stuck in my yard on the way home because i tried to go around my other cars in the driveway, so tips would be appreciated lol

 

Get snow tires and you'll be amazed. I have not used them on the Miata, but I assume they work the same on any car. Also a narrower tire in winter is better.

 

Get better tires. If your getting stuck, give the parking brake a click or two to put preload on the torsen.

 

Everyone who has a pickup says 50# of sand will help, but I'm not so sure. You could try a bag or two in your trunk, or just see if you can tell a difference between an empty tank and a full one. If you can, add the sand as well.

 

I had blizzak snow tires on my previous car, a 528i. It worked pretty well -- but still not nearly as good as my V50(awd) or wife's subaru, neither of which have dedicated snow tires.

I don't really intend to drive the miata on the snow a lot, i just happened to get a little overconfident today and promptly got stuck.

I'll try the preload tip tomorrow - i was hoping there was some kind of trick to it!

 

I have driven on falken zeix in the snow and ice. I could handle anything pretty much. I never drove it in serious serious snow. I just went to work one day, and when i left there was about 4 inches on the road, I made it just fine.

 

With the exception of my old subaru ('98 impreza wagon), my miata on blizzaks was the best handling car I've ever driven in the snow by far.

 

We have snowy roads 4 months a year, and there's quite a few people here that use the Miata all year.
Although, I'm the only one I know that use a turbocharged one during the winter :P

Getting a little extra load in the trunk always helps, but then again it sets off the balance in the car, so the handling will change. If you have traction issues though, get the sand!

Running now on H-marked highway "winter" tires from Germany, and they're working just fine. Can't say I notice too much difference from the Blizzaks I had, but I had an open diff back then.
The whole "narrower tires are better" kinda depends, since we all know a Porsche Cayenne won't run smoothly on 175/80/16.
Running on 195/50/15 myself, and it's narrow enough.

Using the Miata during the winter is pure fun, but I would NEVER use it without the proper tires. Running on tires made for happy summer days is just stupid.

And last, but not the least, a couple of pictures to set the mood.
My baby 2 nights ago, testing a bit of photo technique:

 

I will second that.

I lived in Alaska for about 20 years.
One of the best cars I have driven on ice and snow was my Miata, wearing a set of studded 185/70/14 Nokian "Hakkapeliitta 4" tires.
Having a Torsen diff also made a huge difference.

Blizzaks, I have doubts about.
They have this super duper soft "outer skin" which wears out in one winter. Next year, they are just ordinary tires.

 

Last year I drove the miata all winter long, but I've been driving it on and off the last 5 or 6 winters so I was already used to it. I prefer not to drive it through the winter, but as long as there isn't much snow on the roads it gets me around just fine.....and faster. lol

Sadly though its still sitting outside, not covered, with the turbo out of it, wide open to the elements for the past 6 months. I would be driving it around now if I was able to get things sorted about before the snow got here, but now I'm just going to leave it be till spring. I honestly don't even want to think about whats going to have issues now from sitting for so long....

 

It is harder to get stuck with an LSD, but it's easier to kick the rear end out with an LSD. However, LSD or not, both need some traction on both sides to work, unless you have a locking differential.

 

The only drawback I have experienced with the Miata in the winter is, the pads and rotors freeze after extended highway drives.
You get on the brakes and nothing happens for the longest time, till the ice is melted/scraped off the surfaces.

I found out the hard way.
I was incredibly lucky, too. Sailed through two intersections and ended up in the middle of a gas station at 3:30 am. There was no one around.

It was thanksgiving night, and I drove from Palmer to Anchorage (I swear there was not a single track on the fresh snow) at a steady 70 mph. The whole experience was "otherworldly".

 

After not being able to go up a 1 degree hill from a full stop, in an inch of snow, I decided to never drive my miata in the snow again. :|

FWIW this was with RS2s and stock mazda clutch diff.

 

I was worried about handling in the snow so it's reassuring to hear that a miata can handle quite well with proper snow tires. I'm just afraid the salt is going to destroy my car.

I'm still contemplating whether or not to get a winter beater this summer because of it.

 

I put 6 cement blocks in the back of my truck and as long as I don't drive like an idiot then everything is fine. It defiantly makes a difference. I still get some understeer and skidding w/ breaking if the road surface changes or if I go in too fast.

 

<6" = fun
<12" but >6" = butt clinch
>12"= try to get car out of the drive way and get stuck in the street
FML

 

Salt will destroy your car. You ever see those guys who have live bait wells in the back of their trucks at the Skyway pier? Ever notice all of the rust? Or the guys that drive in the water at the Pinellas side of the Gandy bridge? Their **** is ruined.

 

That's a tire issue, not a car issue. Every winter Norway gathers around the computer to watch you americans drive your cars on the snow you get once a year, and laugh our asses off at people sliding into whatever.
Taking the car out on these kind of tires is just , and you're a danger not only to yourself, but to everyone around you.
It's like driving a motorcycle without a helmet or a car without a seatbelt.
-pure stupidity-

As for the salt, we also have the fear of it eating up our cars, but my Miata is the cheapest car I have. Both in purchase and in parts, so I can't really come up with a good argument to not use it during the winter.
There are also treatments to use, like oil or Tectyl, which protects your car. I recommend using it even if you don't use the car during the winter, since the metal rusts a tiny bit, even on dry days.

And if you have proper tires, it's just crazy fun