Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes
Suspension travel/stiffness, anti-sway bars transferring impacts to opposite side, weight on the axles, tire aspect ratio, probably no auto-start to thaw the vehicle and windows sometimes-otherwise people sit and idle until it's safe to go), engine block heater?, clutch pressure for feathering (often the only way to start rolling), car basically made to accelerate-bad for snow and ice, and so on. Only a fool would believe that the tires and ground clearance are the only limitations. Can you DD it? Sure, I've seen crazier, but the more exotic it gets, the more difficult it is and the more you have to be careful and do other things to ensure you are going to be alright.
|
For most people living in Michigan (his location), and in most urban areas (where most people in Michigan live) where the roads are regularly plowed the above is way overblown. It is not the perfect car but his question was "Am I nuts to consider this". Go to Michigan in the winter, at least in the urban areas and see lots of Corvette's, all having most of the same issues this car does, again, not the perfect car but not "Nuts". Your experience in the woods of Alaska are possibly different.
Engine block heater, if needed, has to be added to virtually every car, weight distribution is far closer to evenly split than most RWD cars (far more weight on the drive wheels), auto start is completely a luxury and not needed, "clutch pressure for feathering" - ok it has a clutch, as many cars do - not seeing the sudden issue, tire aspect ratio - I would expect an 18" wheel, with narrower Winter tires could be used, I would check.
Most performance cars (even my RWD ATS which I drive all over Ohio, Indiana, Ontario and Michigan as part of my job) also have a "Snow" setting which deadens the throttle response to make the high hp issue much less of an issue).