The G8 is supposed to be my wife's next car. One question she has brought up is how will it handle in bad weather? Rain soaked roads, sleet and snow?

I'm trying to convince her it will be ok because I dread her getting a front wheel drive car.

Any links about the handling characteristics of the G8/Holden?

Hello,

This is not specific to the G8 or Holden but you can go to www.youtube.com and search Bosch ABS. In the results you will see demos of Anti-Lock Braking Systems, Electronic Stability Control, and Traction Control. :angel: Most manufacturers won't say it's Bosch, but most times it is. Some of them don't call it ESP either. Anyway they all operate in pretty much the same way.


This is a sample link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tSy5tHtT1g
(not to mention "Fifth Gear" is cool show):driving:

Hope this helps

It has Stabilitrak and near 50/50 weight balance so it can't be that bad. It should be better than the GTO in bad weather. Tires are key though. If your wife is a good observant driver and can recognize and react to the cars body motions then she should be fine. But I know how my wife drives so there is no way I would feel comfortable having her drive a RWD car in the snow.

My wife is the typical woman driver, so observant isn't in her nature.

I told her that we we're keeping her POS Malibu as a beater car and she would be driving it in bad weather....Should of seen the look on her face... :confused: LOL

She's never owned more than one car. I'm used to having a spare or two sitting around.

I'm afraid she will be looking at an Acura TSX or a Mazda 6 because of the RWD thing. I'm hoping the styling and one of these centuries a test drive will sell her on the G8.

A set of snow tires and it will be better than a FWD car w/o snowies.

I've compared my GTO with snow tires (drove it two winters now in Wisconsin) to my Grand Prix with all season tires. The GTO handled better, hands down. Of course hit the T/C button and the fun began. I can't count how many SUV's in the ditch I saw as I rolled by. In the end, it comes down to three rules my Dad taught me... you can't start... you can't stop.. and neither can anyone else. Slow down a bit and you'll be fine.

Like said, tires are a BIG factor. Consider the near perfect balance of the Solstice as a rwd vehicle, pretty solid driver - on dry pavement only. Rear end likes to come out so easily in the rain if you are not ready for it. (For rain the tires are too wide and wrong tread IMHO)

But if having TC, LSD, ABS, and just a little bit of bed weight made my 07 Colorado (2wd) perform flawlessly in a Great Lakes winter, then I do not see any particular problems with driving a G8 in inclement weather. All of my fwd cars have been great in snow and on ice, but still got pushed around in heavy rain.

I'm a big fan of snow tires, and can't imagine driving a rear wheel drive car without them here in northern Indiana !

The biggest variable in this equation is the driver.

I love living in Texas, well, at least central Texas. There's hardly ever any snow or ice to deal with! I can get summer tires and not worry about it. Usually, if it gets icy, businesses and schools even close down.

I'm afraid she will be looking at an Acura TSX or a Mazda 6 because of the RWD thing. I'm hoping the styling and one of these centuries a test drive will sell her on the G8.

Not that I want to dissuade you from getting a G8 in your garage, but FWD isn't really so bad, in fact in foul weather its better. I've been driving a Mazda6 for 4 years and love the thing to death. Handling is great, decent power for a V6, and with the hatch model, there isn't a thing I can't transport. I'll be hanging on to my 6 when I get the G8.

As to the poster comparing RWD with snow tyres and FWD without, its not really a fair comparison. Try putting snow tyres on the FWD and see which gets you through the best :)

CHL........tell her it has all the latest safety features one could ask for. I find this car the best handling Holden yet, and with all the latest stability features she wil be in good hands. I can only comment on weather conditions up to and including heavy rain, and it passes these conditions with flying colours.

One of the car mags, C&D or MT had a magum wagon for a year and said with the traction control they had no problems in the snow...cannnot remimber if they had winter tires on? I n snow and Ice(nothing helps ice but chains) I found the biggest problem is the other drives...I would not trade the good weather handling of the RWD for the sometime FWD weather...now in upper NY ? nah rwd...

The G8 has something taht Charger does not even have available (according to GM) standard LSD. Combine that with traction control and the balance of 50/50 and I hope to be amazed. Another winter and so far no problems with my aforemention front weight biased 2wd Colorado with only all-season tires, but lsd, abs, and tc.

I'm a big fan of snow tires, and can't imagine driving a rear wheel drive car without them here in northern Indiana !

Had Dunlop snow tires on the GTO for two winters and no issues either. Actually drove better than the Trailblazer at speed in 4x4 with all-seasons. At low speed the 4x4 was better.

GTO was much better than most 4 cylinder FWD cars with all-seasons. A FWD with a big V6 is a different story.

Stabilitrak is amazing. I drive my DTS threw snow/ice like there is none. The only thing we have to worry about is traction:gears:my TC will be off. Not that much snow/ice down here in Charlotte, cant vouch for feet of snow.

Had Dunlop snow tires on the GTO for two winters and no issues either. Actually drove better than the Trailblazer at speed in 4x4 with all-seasons. At low speed the 4x4 was better.

GTO was much better than most 4 cylinder FWD cars with all-seasons. A FWD with a big V6 is a different story.

Thank you very much for the comparison to a 4x4 Trailblazer, I can directly relate to that. I will definitely get snow tires all around for my G8 once I get it, so I hope to get around just fine. It's been 16 years since I've driven a RWD V-8 in winter, but I imagine that I'll do fine. That car was a '79 Bonneville coupe with a 455 bored .040 in, and I drove it in Pennsylvania mountain roads with no trouble. The handling of that car was decent for the time, but not anywhere near what a G8 should be. As mentioned before, easy on gas, easy on brake, and leave plenty of distance (with an escape route at all times to avoid others!) and I'm sure it will be great. I think a manual transmission GXP will do even better with the quick ability to depress clutch and benefit from 4 wheel braking without engine resistance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acNkX1RY8CA

this is a 10 min "advert/review" of the new ute, which a lot is spent explaining the safety systems.

ESP on: full steering lock + full throttle = no wheelspin

Nice vid.

I've only had to encounter snow covering the roads once or twice in 3 years with my GTO. But, the one good snow we got (a couple of inches), the GTO was as good as anything else I've had. I agree that the 2 best changes for winter driving are snow tires & driver attention. I did have traction control on but still goosed the throttle in that snow. It would slide so fast it would scare you. But, that was being irresponsible. The G8 should do as good or better.

Love the video! Thanks for posting the link!

A G8 ST may not be in my future, but I'm trying to convince my dad that it should replace his '95 S-10. He loves performance, but occasionally needs to do some work with a vehicle too. It looks like an ST would be perfect for him.

I don't think RWD will be a problem anymore for my wife after see what new technology has done to help steering and braking. I drove RWD drive cars in winter weather for years so no big deal for me. The LSD is a big plus.

GTO does fine with snow tires. G8 should be better.

CHL

You and I are in similar positions. We will be getting a new car in a year or so for my wife to drive. I keep dropping hints on the G8, etc. She has her mind fairly well set on a new Malibu. FWD gives her a "feeling" of confidence and control on the road. That is a hard obstacle to overcome. She's used to it. I must say our 99 GTP does handle well in snow and ice. It is front weight biased and all that weight over the front drive wheels makes it pretty good in the frozen stuff. Good luck, I'll keep working on my wife but I bet another FWD is in our future. If they would come out with an AWD version of the G8 then the tables would be turned INSTANTLY.

CHL

You and I are in similar positions. We will be getting a new car in a year or so for my wife to drive. I keep dropping hints on the G8, etc. She has her mind fairly well set on a new Malibu. FWD gives her a "feeling" of confidence and control on the road. That is a hard obstacle to overcome. She's used to it. I must say our 99 GTP does handle well in snow and ice. It is front weight biased and all that weight over the front drive wheels makes it pretty good in the frozen stuff. Good luck, I'll keep working on my wife but I bet another FWD is in our future. If they would come out with an AWD version of the G8 then the tables would be turned INSTANTLY.

One other way (if you haven't already) would be to compare all of the safety features of the car. The Malibu doesn't have Stabilitrak (that I know of) & more than likely won't have a limited slip differential. If that's the case, then she could be stuck with one wheel spinning wildly if she gets onto a slick spot. Plus, the G8 has traction control. Even if the Malibu has TC, the LSD helps it work more effectively.

I'm a big fan of snow tires, and can't imagine driving a rear wheel drive car without them here in northern Indiana !

Here Here! It's amazing what snows on all four corners will do for a rear drive car.

I drive a 90 325 in the snow (if it ever snows here) and have no fear of getting stuck or flying off the road. Although if you drive like a total tool any car/truck will get stuck.

I live in Buffalo. It snows, get over it.

To me there's 2 major components to driving in the snow. Driver and tires. I got new snow tires before winter this season and they made a world of difference over the older all seasons.

However my dad's awd subaru owns the winter.

I live in Buffalo. It snows, get over it.

To me there's 2 major components to driving in the snow. Driver and tires. I got new snow tires before winter this season and they made a world of difference over the older all seasons.

However my dad's awd subaru owns the winter.

Could you please have it not snow as much next year then? Thanks, I, and many others, appreciate it!

:wall:

Could you please have it not snow as much next year then? Thanks, I, and many others, appreciate it!

:wall:

Sure, it's called move to the south!

CHL

... If they would come out with an AWD version of the G8 then the tables would be turned INSTANTLY.

AMEN!!!

I live in the Chicago area and most of the people posting about driving RWD cars with no trouble have not seen a REAL winter of snow and ice. I switched to FWD after driving RWD cars for years and vowed I would NEVER go back to RWD. Regardless of who makes it, my next car will be either FWD or AWD. I am not a hot-rodder who wants to burn rubber at every light and stop sign, but I do enjoy driving a car that is responsive and has the power to allow me to DRIVE out of trouble.

I see that one of the Infiniti's is advertising that it has "intelligent" all wheel drive -- it is RWD until AWD is needed, then it switches to AWD. How long before Pontiac discovers this idea and reinvents this wheel? How long before we see Pontiac AWD high performance cars?

Richard, I'm from New Berlin, WI, about 90 miles to your north and I'm currently nearing lease-end on a 2005 G35 Coupe, Auto / Sport. As you know, all Infinitis come standard with EST (Electronic Stability Control) and traction control. I dutifully swap all four of my 19s with the Potenza RE050As every winter for my 17s with Blizzaks and I've done alright every winter- until this one. I'm really torn between the G35x and the G8. Believe it or not, guys, that awd G35 sedan has been tested at about 5.5, 0 to 60 by MotorTrend, so it's not a slouch. But I sure miss a smallblock under my rear...

Something everyone could benefit from as well is going to a HPDE (High Performance Drivers Education). Hands down will make most a better driver.

Your wife will be fine with a little schooling...provided she doesn't take offense to the thought that someone is teaching her how to drive "correctly" :)

As others have mentioned tires will make the difference, so go ahead and buy with confidence, I say.

You do not want to get caught in snow with summer tires, especially on a RWD car.

Really depends on where you live. If you get an occasional 1-6 inches of snow and the roads are plowed quickly, then all-season option would probably be just fine. Otherwise, a dedicated set of snow tires for winter are a better choice. There are performance winter tires as well if you are going to leaving them on all winter and don't want to sacrifice too much in the handling department when the roads are clear.

I currently have an 07 Trailblazer 4X4 with rear locking diff and all seasons. I can say that his has been the best vehiclr that I have ever driven in the snow *But* even with all the snow we have had in Michigan, I can say that there really isn't a need for a SUV with 4X4 hardly at all. I think I have only used my 4X4 maybe twice in all the snow. What I do like is the stability control traction control and the locking diff along with ABS which the G8 has with the exception that it has an LSD over lock diff which is better IMHO. So I don't think I will be missing all that much when I make the jump to the G8

You do not want to get caught in snow with summer tires, especially on a RWD car.

Really depends on where you live. If you get an occasional 1-6 inches of snow and the roads are plowed quickly, then all-season option would probably be just fine. Otherwise, a dedicated set of snow tires for winter are a better choice. There are performance winter tires as well if you are going to leaving them on all winter and don't want to sacrifice too much in the handling department when the roads are clear.

Any recommendations on where to buy nice 19 inch rims and performance winter tires for the G8?

Any recommendations on where to buy nice 19 inch rims and performance winter tires for the G8?
I buy all my tires at tirerack.com. You can get wheels as well and they will mount and balance them and them ship them to your door so you can just slap them on. Looking at their site, they don't show wheels yet for the G8 GT.

That said, for the best winter performance, you want a narrow tire with a small contact patch. The best for winter traction would be a dedicated snow tire in the smallest wheel diameter and narrowest tire that will fit (while maintaining the same overall height to avoid speedo issues). Of course, this would negatively impact handling when the roads are clear and dedicated snow tires tend to wear out fast as well when you not driving on snow/ice and especially when temps are above freezing.

The other end of spectrum would be keeping the stock wheel diameters/aspect ratio and go with a performance winter tire. Disadvantage would be less traction than a dedicated snow tire, but it would wear better in non-winter conditions and handling wouldn't be as compromised as well.

So, you really have to strike a balance depending on what you what. Most guys will go with the smaller wheel size that is already available for the car (for example 18" on the G8 GT).

I buy all my tires at tirerack.com. You can get wheels as well and they will mount and balance them and them ship them to your door so you can just slap them on. Looking at their site, they don't show wheels yet for the G8 GT.

That said, for the best winter performance, you want a narrow tire with a small contact patch. The best for winter traction would be a dedicated snow tire in the smallest wheel diameter and narrowest tire that will fit (while maintaining the same overall height to avoid speedo issues). Of course, this would negatively impact handling when the roads are clear and dedicated snow tires tend to wear out fast as well when you not driving on snow/ice and especially when temps are above freezing.

The other end of spectrum would be keeping the stock wheel diameters/aspect ratio and go with a performance winter tire. Disadvantage would be less traction than a dedicated snow tire, but it would wear better in non-winter conditions and handling wouldn't be as compromised as well.

So, you really have to strike a balance depending on what you what. Most guys will go with the smaller wheel size that is already available for the car (for example 18" on the G8 GT).

Thanks. This is very informative. Bottom line is that I have several choices to make.

I assume tirerack.com will be showing tires for the G8 GT by next fall????

Thanks. This is very informative. Bottom line is that I have several choices to make.

I assume tirerack.com will be showing tires for the G8 GT by next fall????
As far as winter tires, yes. I would imagine they would have a selection of wheels by then as well if you want to go with winter tires/rim combo. Unless you are looking to save money, I would definitely put them on separate wheels - it is much easier to deal with them this way and if you get a fluke snow storm early or late in the season, you can throw them on and take them off just as easily.

I'll let you all know how it handles in bad weather. We're supposed to get 6-9 inches of snow tonight. That should be interesting in my summer-only tires! Not gonna lie...I'm a little nervous.

Mike

A little nervous.....

You should be downright frightened.

I'll let you all know how it handles in bad weather. We're supposed to get 6-9 inches of snow tonight. That should be interesting in my summer-only tires! Not gonna lie...I'm a little nervous.

Mike

I hope by the time you get to the end of your driveway, you forget about driving in snow. I have a CTS with all-seasons and if the snow is more than 3 inches, it can't climb a hill.

Summer-only tires and snow are a really dangerous combination.
Do dealerships even let people drive their new car home in snow if the vehicle has summer-only tires?

Ummmmm, yeah. So we haven't even gotten the bulk of the snow yet and all I can say is thank goodness for traction control. That car is downright scary with summer tires. Everything was fine on the highway, but as soon as I pulled into the office parking lot, I just tapped the gas and I was sliding sideways. I only slid about a foot before traction control kicked in and snapped me back into place. I'll probably turn of TC when I leave tonight (and the lot is empty) and just see what it does.

I have a sneaking feeling that I'm not getting home until pretty late. :banghead:

Mike