So whats your ski vehicle?

[Glenn]

yup...hence the $1500 price tag I paid more for my 98 than I could have in a private sale but it was worth it knowing the gasket was already done.

Smart move!

 

[2Planker]

The S4 really gets such crappy mileage? How heavy of a lead foot you got? =P

I think the 02 A6 2.7t we had almost had as bad... well, maybe around 19-20

My 1993 Camaro Z28, modded, with high gears averaged 18, 20 if driven ok. =P

Say What ??? I had an '02 A6 2.7 Twin Turbo. With the 6 speed manual it averaged 28mpg on the highway, drove that car to over 220,000 miles and NEVER had anything go wrong. Brakes, shocks and T-belt at 120K, and oil changes every 7.5K as recomended.

Buddy has a '95 S6 w/ 550,000 miles on it, and still going strong ! Nothing but regular maintenance, and Nokion snows !

 

[Maksim]

Say What ??? I had an '02 A6 2.7 Twin Turbo. With the 6 speed manual it averaged 28mpg on the highway, drove that car to over 220,000 miles and NEVER had anything go wrong. Brakes, shocks and T-belt at 120K, and oil changes every 7.5K as recomended.

Buddy has a '95 S6 w/ 550,000 miles on it, and still going strong ! Nothing but regular maintenance, and Nokion snows !

We had the auto. Probly thats why.

 

[WoodCore]

1996 Subaru Legacy Outback wagon with blizzak snowtires all the way around. It's quite the storm tropper.

 

[Greg]

2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport. Just about to cross 170,000 miles. The thing just keeps going and going. Ski car as well as the daily driver.

 

[MikeTrainor]

2006 Toyota Corolla 9 times out of 10 due to great gas mileage. If there is a chance of bad weather I will take the wifes CRV. I usually commute with a ski buddy of mine so splitting gas in the Corolla is not that bad.

 

[mondeo]

'06 Subie Impreza STI.

Good:
Fast. Doesn't get stuck in snow. Can switch it to 95% rear drive, for some mad steezy doughnuts.

Bad:
Brakes are too large to fit 15" wheels, so I'm stuck with wide snow tires (BIG difference between 225 width and 185 width in the snow.) 23mpg highway, takes premium. Rear seats don't fold down, so purely a solo vehicle given my lack of any roof stowage.

Probably better as a ski car than the one Lotus Elise I saw at Kmart last year, though, ski rack, snow tires, and all. Gotta admire the guy, though. That's dedication.

 

[millerm277]

And I win the award for least practical ski vehicle. Nissan 300zx. With snow tires, it isn't too bad actually.

 

[MarkC]

2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport. Just about to cross 170,000 miles. The thing just keeps going and going. Ski car as well as the daily driver.

I am on my 3rd Cherokee and can honestly say that the things run forever. I had 195,000 on my 1990 when a deer got the best of it. 203,000 on my 1996 when a senior citizen ignored a red light, and currently have 118,000 on my 2000 all with no major mechanical problems. The 4.0 straight 6 is a beast.

 

[mondeo]

And I win the award for least practical ski vehicle. Nissan 300zx. With snow tires, it isn't too bad actually.

Sweet car, but, as mentioned, I've seen worse:

Probably better as a ski car than the one Lotus Elise I saw at Kmart last year, though, ski rack, snow tires, and all. Gotta admire the guy, though. That's dedication.

Seriously. 2000 lbs, mid engined.

At one point my brother had a 1989 MR2, complete with snows and ski rack in the winter. Things could get interesting fairly quickly in that bugger. Oh, and the heater didn't have a fan to go along with it.

 

[billski]

'
08 Audi TT Coupe -- AWD Turbo 4 6 Spd Manual -- Wifey's Ride Occasional ski ride

Can a TT really qualify as a practical ski car? Does it have any clearance? Or does she just follow the snowplow up and back?

In the old road hog days, we always found that too much horsepower, was too much power in the snow; spinouts, grip lost on snow too quickly, etc. We would deliberately run the cars in gear higher than normal just to keep the rpms/torque down.

 

[o3jeff]

Can a TT really qualify as a practical ski car? Does it have any clearance? Or does she just follow the snowplow up and back?

In the old road hog days, we always found that too much horsepower, was too much power in the snow; spinouts, grip lost on snow too quickly, etc. We would deliberately run the cars in gear higher than normal just to keep the rpms/torque down.

Clearance is probably the bigger problem. But I think the turbo is only a 200 hp car and with all wheel drive and stability control(or whatever Audi calls it) it probably isn't that bad. My Acura is only 200 hp with front wheel drive and my problem isn't with the torque.

 

[billski]

Clearance is probably the bigger problem. But I think the turbo is only a 200 hp car and with all wheel drive and stability control(or whatever Audi calls it) it probably isn't that bad. My Acura is only 200 hp with front wheel drive and my problem isn't with the torque.

I was talking about the 60's and 70s hogs with 300-340 HP V8's, rear wheel.

 

[Geoff]

Clearance is probably the bigger problem. But I think the turbo is only a 200 hp car and with all wheel drive and stability control(or whatever Audi calls it) it probably isn't that bad. My Acura is only 200 hp with front wheel drive and my problem isn't with the torque.

A TT has an inch less clearance than my GTI. I wouldn't drive it during mud month but I doubt it bottoms out very often in New England driving. If it has stock tires, that would be the deal-killer.

The 2.0T engine does indeed put out 200 hp but it's trivial to reprogram the engine control unit to do better than that.

 

[Greg]

The 4.0 straight 6 is a beast.

Precisely why we bought an 04 Grand Cherokee with one; the last year it was offered. Hoping we get 200K out of that beast too.

 

[o3jeff]

I was talking about the 60's and 70s hogs with 300-340 HP V8's, rear wheel.

You can still get them now a days with 400+ hp

The thing is an animal in the dry, never mind trying to drive it in the rain or snow.

 

[Glenn]

Precisely why we bought an 04 Grand Cherokee with one; the last year it was offered. Hoping we get 200K out of that beast too.

I wish they carried it over to the WK Grands. It's weird seeing them with V6's. Not sure how those 3.7's will hold up to the tried and tested 4.0's. I guess only time will tell.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

You can still get them now a days with 400+ hp

The thing is an animal in the dry, never mind trying to drive it in the rain or snow.

nice rims

 

[tirolerpeter]

Ski Car

I moved to UT in March of "07." By January "08" I was getting annoyed at the "chains or 4WD" restrictions on the LCC and BCC roads after a snow storm. I sold my Hyundai and bought a new 08 Subaru 2.5i Out Back Wagon with a 5spd MT. I have adapted the Thule racks I had on the Hyundai to fit on the Subaru roof rails so that I can put my Thule box on them so that the end of the box doesn't hit any part of the rear hatch when it is opened. If you have a newer Subie you'l know what I mean. However, unless I have company, I don't even bother with the racks/box. I use an "interior" box I made that fits behind the driver's seat through the narrower opening of the split rear seat. It is adjustable for ski length, and is also waterproof so I don't get melted snow into the vehicle. I really only need the roof box if I have more than three people in the car. It is only a 16 mile drive for me to get up to Alta/Snowbird from my house. I get around 16 mpg going UP the mountain road, and around 68 mpg coming back down. Over-all fuel economy for mostly local driving is around 25-26 mpg on regular. Just this week I pulled the stock Potenza "All Season" tires off and mounted some really nice Bridgestone Blizzak Revo 1 snow tires on their own alloy wheels. While I really had no trouble with the stock tires, I am a firm believer in dedicated snow tires for real snow driving.

 

[k2 four]

The S4 really gets such crappy mileage? How heavy of a lead foot you got? =P

I think the 02 A6 2.7t we had almost had as bad... well, maybe around 19-20

My 1993 Camaro Z28, modded, with high gears averaged 18, 20 if driven ok. =P

The S4 gulps down the petrol. IMHO the problem is 6th gear; at 75 the RPMs are at 3 grand. I set the cruise at 75. I had a 2001 S4 Avant before this one and it got about 21-22 MPG. The old one had the twin turbo 6 in it.