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MightyMouseTech

I LOVE driving my smart in the snow!

43 posts in this topic

The smart car is doing the right thing. Slow is OK. Try to ignore the MORON. You'll probably pass him when he ends up in the ditch.

Remember the tortoise and the hare- slow and steady wins the big race.

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So does your smart slow right down too in deep snow - like almost come to a stop? What do you do?

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I got bogged down twice yesterday too with conti winters, the TCS is sometimes annoying, I'm going to check & see if they can be studded, just run across the bridge to Quebec. ;)

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I got bogged down twice yesterday too with conti winters, the TCS is sometimes annoying, I'm going to check & see if they can be studded, just run across the bridge to Quebec. ;)

A used tire can not be studded. Only brand new unfortunately.As for the hitting deep snow, you should try and carry a little more speed through the corner and just keep the pedal to the floor. Let the traction control do it's job.

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Running through drifted snow this morning has further sold me on running narrow tires, no drama, no ESP trying to keep the rear under control. I will have to check tonight if the traction control can get me stuck in our parking lot, running very slow speeds into deep snow.

Edited by Huronlad

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So does your smart slow right down too in deep snow - like almost come to a stop? What do you do?

Yeah, as stated below by MightyMouse, you need momentum going into the turn and without a bit of speed you are going to get stuck. The unfortunate thing about TC on the 451 is that at the moment that you do start to spin, it cuts power to the wheels and then you are really stuck! Some 450 owners have retrofitted a TC cutoff that was available on the Smart Roadster (saw this somewhere on this forum but can't find the link!) Not sure if anyone has attempted this on the 451 yet? TC cutoff would be great when stuck as you sometimes need to spin to rock back and fourth to gain momentum, etc...MightyMouse - Carrera 4s would be really nice. I used to see one pass my bus stop on Carling and Booth everyday after work @ 4:00pm. Really nice car and would be a blast to test in winter.

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MightyMouse - Carrera 4s would be really nice. I used to see one pass my bus stop on Carling and Booth everyday after work @ 4:00pm. Really nice car and would be a blast to test in winter.

Carling and Booth? Was it silver? If it was, there is a good chance it is my brother-in-laws mother. She has a 2006 and lives right beside there. She has a plate "TURNSMEON" :P Still can't believe they let that plate get though.

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I have the "come to a complete stop" problem too, Tan - don't feel bad. It's interesting to "feel" what the programming is doing in a closed scenario (like a parking lot) but agreed, in an intersection, it's terrofying. -Iain

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Last night was even worse than the night before for the wind! I drove at 70-80 km/h in 5 even though the road was clear, which pissed off more than one other driver. It also isn't a very good ad for the Smart. After getting home I was thinking that since the front of the car is wedge shaped driving it faster might help hold it to the road. It would also get me home in 45 minutes instead of an hour so I would be terrified for a shorter period of time - if I lived to tell about it!Am I just being a wimp, or what? :huh: I have a Breville expresso maker, which ROCKS! I use it to make a mug of good old fashioned coffee which is the best I've ever had. When I was buying the Smart, the saleskid gave me a cup of coffee then asked me if I liked it. I told him that it didn't compare to what I got out of my Breville machine and he didn't argue. The only problem was that I couldn't find a matching burr mill for it but just a few days ago I settled for a Cuisinart one. It has a three year warranty, a digital display, and the ground coffee isn't full of static electricity and doesn't go everywhere when I scoop it out.

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I ordered the Pirelli SnowControl 190 tires in factory sizes mounted on the Sport Edition SM3 rims and TPMS senstors from tirerack.com. It was ridiculously expensive (like $1,450 CAD with shipping), but I'm loving every minute of driving on icy roads. I have driven a great many vehicles over the years, and I can honestly say that the Smart is undeniably the best two-wheel-drive vehicle I have ever driven on icey roads. No, it won't push deep snow, but the catlike grip on ice makes me feel totally safe driving at insanely high speeds. I drive to work these days almost entirely in the left-hand lane, passing dozens of SUVs and 4WD half-tons. I'm sure other motorists think I'm totally insane blowing by them at twice their speed, but the car is just that good! I never expected a Smart to make a good winter vehicle, but I'm completely thrilled with this unexpected advantage.

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You're right, higaran: with a set of superior snow tires helping along the car's in-built electronic traction controls, the smart IS that good!

Cheers,

Bil in the British Columbia mountains

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Yes, I also find that the smart handles at least as well in the slippery stuff as any other car that I've owned. I haven't had huge problems with the deep stuff either (stuck twice in almost 4 years), though I don't have much occasion to drive in deep snow. I've actually been driving a rental Nissan Versa this past week and I've found it to be the worst thing I've ever driven on greasy roads. To be fair, though, it doesn't have snow tires, traction control, ABS, or other electronics that come standard with the smart.garth

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Well, from the sound of it, I may be the only one, but I LOVE driving my smart (450) in the snow! It may be due to my tires (studded Hakka's in the back, Blizzak WS-60's in the front) but this thing is a blast. Leaving a light I just mash the accelerator, transfer all the weight to the rear tires and take off. I often see drivers with SUV's catching up to me at the next light and having them stare at me and wonder what the hell just happened. And having the really skinny tires on the front makes highway cruising in snow no problem, it slices through ruts. My front tires still have to scrub in, so they will still get better, as it is still a little easy to lock up the front tires and get the ABS going, but is nearly completely avoidable now with modulation.I am getting tired of seeing the traction control light flashing the almost the entire time I am driving though.... :lol: With the right amount of throttle, you can manage the wheel spin so that only the light is flashing, and the car is doing very little to tame the wheel spin. Leaves large rooster tails behind the car!Had a blast driving to work this morning, just had to share! It is nice finally not being the slowest car on the road leaving a light.Although, my F.E. went to hell. With mixed hwy/city for an hour drive I got around 6.5 LPH.... :rolleyes:

What size are you Hakka's? I cant find studable 175-55R15 tires anywhere.

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Where in Ontario, can you get studded tires? Anywhere in southern Ontario? Last I heard, they weren't allowed. Has there been a change in the laws? My Jeep is dying and the blue smart is going to be my year-round ride.

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Where in Ontario, can you get studded tires? Anywhere in southern Ontario? Last I heard, they weren't allowed. Has there been a change in the laws? My Jeep is dying and the blue smart is going to be my year-round ride.

Wow, this is an old thread from the past!No, studded tires are NOT legal in most parts of Ontario, but I drove for two full winters with them on and never got harrassed using them. I bought them online from the states (185/55/15's), I'm sure there are places to buy them in Quebec, as they are leagal there.This year however, I am not using them, I am going to try the new Toyo GSi5 in the factory sizes.

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