i sometimes chuck a bag of spuds in the boot. makes a big difference getting up hills
What`s a 2 month old MX-5 doing out in the cold?
Being used properly…
Fair comment, it doesnt go out in the snow anymore! cant wait until the summer.
Too right - unless it’s a museum piece, get it out there and use it!
Good mate of mine has a motorcycle that is in better-than-new condition - it’s painfull to see him spend 4 hours cleaning and polishing it after every short trip… Get it out and use it - otherwise stick it in a museum!
[;)]
With home being in the Yorkshire Dales I’ve had plenty of driving experience in the snow. One of the last times, before I moved down south, it had been snowing quite heavily, but I set out on my 25mile journey to work. For the first 6 miles or so it was horrendous conditions but I somehow managed to get up a steep hill that was covered in snow and snow drifts either side without too much problem. I really wish I had a photo because I’m sure you wouldn’t believe I managed to get up there in the 5!
Best to keep in a low gear, and keep your speed steady, don’t accelerate quickly and anticipate what is happening in front of you, as someone said, try and brake using the engine rather than brakes. And leave plenty of space between you and vehicle in front!
mine lives outside all year. bit of a job on a cold morning but once the hood & screen have defrosted warmed up & softened a bit it’s stop in the next lay by unzip & roof down.
yesterday on the M5 hood down, glorious sunshine then 5 mins later, snow. i thought what the hell, slow down carry on, 10 mins later sunshine. with that heater you dont get cold.
Had to board mine this morning via passenger door - drivers lock frozen, and water nor de-icer helped!
Luckily it thawed on way to work (1 hour later)…
Remember - don’t use ice & snow to practice your drifting techniques. (I did once and bent a wheel - not MX5 tho).
I am not even bothering to drive out in it!
Holy thread bump! 2008 to 2010.
Agree with everything else but not with this part - the higher the gear the better.
My MX5 is actually on axle stands at the moment whilst I get the wheels refurbished (what better time of year to do it!) but we have an auto rear wheel drive BMW and front wheel drive Audi on the driveway.
I try not to use the Beemer in this weather but the Audi isn’t bad.
Was on sheet ice last night in Cardiff at traffic lights. Engaged 1st gear, dropped throttle gently - result, instant wheel spin, no forward motion at all. Re-engaged 2nd gear, gentle throttle and away we went - almost (but not quite) as if the ice wasn;t there. We also live at the top of a small hill at the bottom of which is a roundabout which stops you getting any kind of run at it. However, managed to take the roundabout in 3rd and then just kept a light throttle on all the way up the hill - again, no problems.
and if I do have to use the Beemer in these conditions I switch the box to manual mode and engage 2nd gear to move off. If you look at a standard auto box with a winter button, all this does is take 1st gear out of the equation
I have not driven my 5 since monday it is to bad, good job my husband has a celica to get us to work and home again
must admit, not looking forward to driving my car tomorrow - might have to take hubby’s instead! Have resisted going anywhere in a car since Tuesday but have no choice tomorrow.
must admit I borrowing a bigger car tomorrow, mine still stuck in garage & iced in
Has anyone tried snow chains on an MX-5? Are they worth the money, and is there any risk of damage to the car?
It wouldn’t be too bad if I could make it the hundred yards from my drive to the main road 
Luckily I live in the fens, so climbing hills in the snow’s not a big problem. this is the 1st time I’ve ever experienced driving a rear wheel drive in icy conditions ( only had my '5 since September) apart from a couple of “experimental” self induced slides, on a safe empty road, I’ve not had any bad experiences yet (knock on wood)!
As with all driving, it’s about being able to read the road correctly & being mindful of weather & road surface conditions…in fact I’ve found the MX 5 so much more communicative about road conditions, compared to any thing I driven before, that it’s probably got my out of a lot trouble on slippery surfaces
Sideway to varying amounts down the A3 last Feb. A hair-raising experience and no options to stop to up the tire pressure to 40 psi on Toyo T1-Rs. Didn’t have any weight in the back either. Reckon the driver behind was wondering what the Fπ©« I was doing.
Looks like I’ll be getting a spare set of wheels with snow tyres sometime, possible Vredesteins or similar.
I drove back home the other morning (0730pm,4th, first day of snow), via the M4 past Swindon to Chippenham. Despite the radio saying slow down and matrix signs showing 3rd lane closed and 40mph, I was being for ever being overtaken by White Van Man and HGV’s going like the clappers regardless of the road conditions.
Back when this thread was young, I mentioned that I’d got a set of winter tyres but hadn’t tested them yet (well, strictly they’re all season tyres, not full-on snow tyres).
In last February’s and this January’s snows they’ve been great. My particular problem is that I need to reverse up our steep-ish driveway then drive up the never-gritted hill out of our road. Lots of neighbours just gave up trying, but I managed fine except for the first snowy day this year when 6" of snow fell and I failed to get up the hill. In hindsight, I made 2 mistakes - bad technique (I tried to move off uphill instead of getting going on level ground) and forgetting about tyre pressure (they were on about 28 psi - dropped them to 24psi and the next day had no problem).
Sounds about right