#WinterDriving

Winter is either around the corner or already unleashing its full, snow-spewing furry. There’s no escaping its cold embrace. But life doesn’t stop just because it’s frosty and slippery outside.

The steady improvement in tire technology has led to snow tires that will help you get through just about any winter conditions. However, for the worst snowy conditions, especially when there is lots of smooth ice, no tire performs as well as a good set of tire chains.

I’d like to introduce you to a long-time friend and enemy of mine. It’s called the Snow Belt.

Main photo credit: Scharfsinn / Shutterstock.com

What is traction control? Well, before we get into that, let’s talk about traction itself.

When roadways get snowy or crusted with ice, you’re probably going to wish you had a Subaru.

As I gently nudged the BRZ’s accelerator pedal, its back end loosened up, just enough to send us sideways through the corner, the desired result.

“Driving this car in the snow is pretty darn cool,” said Dan Hassler, suspension and steering dynamics engineer at Honda, though, truth be told, he’s probably a little biased, having played a key role in developing the second-generation Acura NSX.

It’s only dinner time, but the area has descended into almost total darkness as we make our way towards the cluster of AMG-tuned Mercedes-Benz sedans gathered just a stone’s throw from the shores of Lake Winnipeg.

I’ve never been a “winter person.”

Like many of you, I wasn’t always a believer in the magic of winter tires.

A lightweight, rear-wheel-drive roadster – sounds like a terrible choice to drive through a snow storm, right?

If you were one of the lucky North Americans who got hit by your first winter storm of the year last night, you probably woke up to terrible driving conditions.

As the temperatures drop in cold regions of the country, so will average miles per gallon.