Driving my DSM in the winter??
 

I have a 92 TSI that i'm thinking about driving this winter but i can't decide. I have only had it for a year and last winter it was down the whole time so i didn't drive it. The cars pretty clean, it barely has any rust on the under carriage and it had a little rust under the driver door handle, but i had it professionally repaired. Some people tell me to drive it and others say don't, what would you guys do.

There is a two inch drop on the car, and some people said it'll be hard to get through much snow, do they not know what they're talking about.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

Well if you drive it and don't wash it, you'll have more rust.
I'll probably pick up another dsm for a winter beater, we'll see. Or maybe another tempo or something. The mitsubishi cars like winter, but don't like the salt.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

Drive it. Wash it.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

drive it

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

It's a 92 Eagle. Drive it. It's not a Viper or in mint condition. Half the fun of an AWD is winter.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

I also say drive it, but i dont agree with the wash it part, i was told that when you wash it you re expose the metals to salt again. Also i know of 2 guys who bought trucks at the same time, one of them washed theirs at least once a week in the winter and the other one didnt wash at all over winter, the guy who didnt was still driving his when the other one was going to the junkyard because of a totally rusted out body, but that doesnt mean that it works that way on all vehicles.

Erik

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

Washing it definately helps, especially when it is around the freezing mark. Salt doesn't attack metal when it is really cold. I say drive it unless you are in love with the car, you can always find another from Arizona or something later on.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

My car doesn't have a spot of rust on it. I guess we'll see how rust free it is after the winter. I'm already not liking the idea of driving my King Ranch F150 on the salty roads though.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

i always drive mine. Messing around with Turbo deisels in the winter is great fun too :) I tend to not wash them often since I haven't had a cosmetically clean one in the first place. Even if it does have some needed TLC, id wash it to save future problems, hell i will probably even use my own advice this winter providing i get my car back !

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

Drive it.
When it snows hard, watch all them other cars have trouble moving in snow and getting stuck while you move forward.

Just remember to wash it.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

My laser will be staying parked except for maybe having some AWD fun in our pasture since I want to keep it away from anything which could expose it to salt(gravel road right in front of my house). Plus I only carry liability on my laser so the last thing I need is to get hit by some uninsured idiot that can't drive in the winter. I have a 4WD truck to get me through the shitty roads when needed.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

Drive it, I was surprised how much snow they can go through.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

I don't know how anyone can complain about the roads here as far as getting stuck unless you go out at 3 in the morning during a blizzard when the trucks haven't plowed, or if you live out in the boonies where they don't plow.

I have a lowered honda with terrible all-season "performance" tires on it, and I haven't gotten stuck in the 3 winters I have driven it.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

I used to go to work at 3AM to plow every time it snowed.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

Wax it before it snows.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

How many acres is the pasture? Sounds like some DSM snow races to me.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

25 acres of CRP right next to my house + 75 acres of pasture :D

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

Wow, that sounds like a blast. I wonder if I can find some mud/snow tires small enough to fit my car. :D

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

Mine has been driven in the winter since new and there is no rust on it. Even after all the rallying.

When Terina and I were living at my mother's house, she was driving her 94 Olds Cutlass Supreme FWD and I was driving my AWD. My mother's driveway is steep and short. She got halfway up and started slipping so she stopped. I pulled in next to her and stopped, winked at her and then continued driving up the driveway. She was pissed!!! I just laughed. That was about the time she decided she wanted to get an AWD. I say drive the sucker in what it was meant to be driven in.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

You'll have to come out with us to a winter rallycross. They are a blast. Just ask Allan D. and Brian B. I wish Allan would get those rally cross videos back up on the site. I miss those.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

drive it!

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

15" jeep rims is where it's at.

I'll have to get those vids up again real soon!

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

I'm surprised how many people say drive it. I guess I've had my car for 3 years and it hasn't seen snow since I've owned it. The car was from Colorado so I'm pretty sure it has never seen salt. Not bad for a '95 with no rust on the underside or shocktowers. I'd say park it and find a winter car.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

I really miss my old gsx in thw winter. Last year I drove my audi beater and stored the GSX, well it was a gay winter because a dsm in snow is uber fun.

I think that was the most fun Ive ever had in my dsm... in the snow.

Althought it did start rusting a little again from when I fixed it when I bought it. The bad spots are usually in front of and behind the rear wheels. They like to rust out there. Mine had 200k on it though and driven every winter except last.

If you really care about rust dont drive it- if you dont care so much and will take care of it- wash wax... grease works well to to repell the moisture.... Then drive it and have fun.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

I think 1g's are less prone to rusting than 2g's. 2g's seem to rust in the shock towers (as far as I've seen). If it's a 1g, I say drive it. If it's a 2g, I say park it.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

I appreciate all of your guys' comments and after seeing how many people said drive it i don't think that i really have much of a choice. But will it be any harder to get throught the snow because of the drop.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

Even a dropped AWD wont have any trouble. Mine with snow tires was impossible to get stuck. It only happened once, it was intentional and all I had to do was back up 2 feet and try again.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

Besides, you could always get an anti-rust coating done. They last at least 5 yrs - I got one done for one of my cars in the past and it lasted 3 hard Indiana winters until I sold it.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

Cars are made to be driven. Like shane said, its not a mint Viper, it already doesnt have a lot of resale value, so just enjoy it while it lasts, which prolly wont be too long. LOL

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

Not true, My 99 doesnt have even a slight bit of rust on it and its been driven every winter. None under the hood and none on the undercarrage. its all dependent on how you take care of it. If you wash it, and keep the engine bay clean, you wont have a single problem with rust.

Re: Driving your DSM in the winter
 

i park my 91 in the winter and use my svt.

and the svt is horrible in the snow :)
it's possibly one of the worst cars in the snow that i've ever had.


this last winter I did take it out for some doughnuts in the fresh powder. With summer only rubber, the car goes foward very fast. But, trying to stop is hillarious. The threds were so packed it'd spin the instant you hit the brakes.

my vote goes for park it.