Winter driving

[IS+1]

I swtiched from an AWD Audi A4 to my RWD IS300 4 1/2 years ago, and have driven my car year round since then. I'm currently using Blizzak WS60's which I highly recommend. With a bit of common sense, I haven't had any problems in the winter (which lasts close to 5 months here). Some tips I'll share for driving in heavy snow/ice conditions include (many of these have been touched on already, and some are not specific to RWD):

-this goes without saying: use four snow tires, without these, none of the following points will help you

-apply the gas and brakes gradually, and equally important lift off gradually; be gentle with steering inputs - this point cannot be emphasized enough (as the old saying goes, pretend you have a raw egg under the pedals, and the goal is not to break it).

-rather than using excessive speed as momentum to climb steady inclines, try to maintain a constant moderate speed instead - this will often be enough

-do not drive faster than the flow of traffic, and minimize passing - traversing the "snow barriers" between lanes caused by traffic can be more unsettling in a RWD car

-do not park on uphill inclines

-brake in a straight line before a turn, not during, and accelerate gradually out of the turn

-control your speed when going downhill by using low gear, not the brakes

-if you think snow is bad, ice is way worse; 90% of the time I can recover when skidding/oversteering in the snow (in fact I often do this intentionally when no one is around - the fun of RWD!!), but on ice, once you lose it, you're done.

- and yes, practising in an empty lot, or taking a winter performance driving/ice racing course will do wonders.