Last night was the first, somewhat significant snowfall in Toronto, Canada. I took out the SRT8 around midnight just to test it after a fresh layer of snow was on the ground, including some ice too. Basically the car drove well. If you drive safely you'll get to where you need to go. Braking was harsh obviously, especially with snow. The AWD did do a somewhat good job, sometimes it would take a couple seconds for AWD to kick in and snap the car back into straightness. It was fun sometimes driving without the TractionControl on. After testing even a light snowfall from last night, I WOULD get snow tires if I could. I'll continue to see how the Jeep does in harsher conditions in the upcoming weeks. I'll keep everybody up to date. Any questions, just ask.

- SRTGR8:cool:

Were there any serious inclines and declines and how was it on the highway at speed? How were the panic stop tests and evasive maneuvers? These are necessary tests for they duplicate "real life" situations.

I think the SRT-8 JGC needs winter tires for driving in the snow.

I bought Bridgestone Blizzak DM-Z3 265-50-20 for all 4

They are night and day in the snow next to the stock setup.

I think the SRT-8 JGC needs winter tires for driving in the snow.

I bought Bridgestone Blizzak DM-Z3 265-50-20 for all 4

They are night and day in the snow next to the stock setup.

To each his own. I am highly satisfied on how mine handles on Snow and Ice. Living in Chicago, I am used to snow, and started out with RWD years ago. Only drawback is the low front Fascia. That I wish was about 3 inches higher.

I'm sure we'll be hearing alot more on the subject as time goes on. I'm still waiting for my first snowfall here in Pittsburgh. My old Grand Cherokee could handle 18" of snow without complaint but my Jag is RWD with Pirelli P Zeroes and I can't climb a 5 degree incline with a light dusting of snow. I expect the SRT8 to fall in between (hopefully much closer to the Jeep and not the Jag).

If you don't drive like an idiot, you'll be fine. The SRT engineers themselves stated that they did thorough winter testing and there is no need to buy Winter Tires. If you choose to do so, then fine.

Also, I love how people compare winter tires to the stock, performance tires. OBVIOUSLY if you buy a specialized item, there will be a big difference.

I live in Grande Prairie Alberta Canada and we have got alot of snow this year.. the snow plows are having a hard time even moving it. My friend has the jeep srt8 and he says he really enjoys how it gets around

I think the SRT-8 JGC needs winter tires for driving in the snow.

I bought Bridgestone Blizzak DM-Z3 265-50-20 for all 4

They are night and day in the snow next to the stock setup.
did you get a different rim for the snow tires? if so, what kind and size?

Last Thursday, Mother Nature dumped about 10-12 inches of the white stuff on us here in IL. At the height of the storm, even the snow plows were getting stuck because of the whiteout conditions. My fire engine and several others were stuck more than once. When my shift was over, I couldn't leave the station because we had drifts 2' high on the drive. After about a 3 hour wait, a snow plow finally made a single lane up to the station. I was able to leave the station & start home. Most of the streets had not been plowed yet so there was a single path made by other brave & foolhardy individuals to drive in. The GC handled the situation quite well. There were times when I was seriously cringing because I KNEW that I was plowing snow with the front spoiler. At no time did I feel like I was even close to being stuck on the 10 mile trip home. Of course when I got there, I had to leave the GC in the middle of the street while I quickly used the snow blower to move enough of the 3' drifts off of my driveway so that I could get out of the middle of the street. With a little more ground clearance, I wouldn't be afraid to tackle even the worst snow storms that we get here in the Midwest. As a matter of fact.....I did.:)

You are on target.....The low front fascia is the only concern. It handled the ice and snow without a problem.

You hear that regular GC owners? There's a plow option available for your Jeep :D

Driving on the compacted sleet we had in St Louis last week was not a problem at all. From what some others were saying, I was concerned about how it would handle traction wise. But the front end hooked up and I could really tell it was engaged and digging in. I stopped in the middle of a steep hill and off we went. I could also feel the front wheels getting traction during turning.
I've always have had a 4x4 vehicle (20+ years) and the GC SRT8 was the perfect compromise between a performance vehicle and 4x4. I am not disappointed.
I now feel comfortable knowing I can go out and not be concerned about a traction issue.
Don't get me wrong, snow drifts, ice ruts and plow piles can cause you problems. Common sense still prevails.

Everyone enjoy your SRTs.

Dave

what I have noticed with the snow tires rather than the goodyears is that I get to speed faster and stop faster. The stability program takes care of any slipping with either way. You can't hurt the snow tires with this thing nothing slips could not even wear the tire mold whiskers off for 200 miles and I did try to start with. It keeps me from having fun in the snow, but maybe it is more fun to stay out of trouble and it does that so very well. My son in law just got ran into buy a pick up, if he had been in the jeep with the snow tires he would have avoided the accident completely. In his car was not able to avoid it. The snow tires just help that much. I really believe it is that much better, not only how I get around, but stay out of the way of other careless drivers.

Ron, Your right about the snow tires being an improvement. but I'm never going to go to the hassle of having two sets of tires and/or wheels to change out twice a year. I was looking at it as is. Your also right about the other driver.

You are on target.....The low front fascia is the only concern. It handled the ice and snow without a problem.

Cliff notes: Some will insist on winter tires, some on a "winter fascia" (a standard Grand Cherokee front bumper cover) or both!

Were there any serious inclines and declines and how was it on the highway at speed? How were the panic stop tests and evasive maneuvers? These are necessary tests for they duplicate "real life" situations.
How's the x5?
It does pretty good in the white stuff.
Flex

WEll I've had several days of snow already over the past few weeks. Including Icy conditions and slushy - you name it! Thanks to lake effect I've had it.

Firstly I'm pleasantly surprised how well the SRT handled. As some have said if you drive sensibly it does well.

I do get impression that it doesn't stop as well probably because of the wide tires on the other hand the AWD takes care of traction when accelerating. I kinda like making the yellow light come on.

I'm sure it would do better with good snow tires but there have been so many threads discusiing so many options I really don't want mess with another set of tires unless absolutley necessary.

The worse thing is keeping the car clean and keeping the slush out of the vehicle. I've ordered some weathertech mats which should take care of that.

How's the x5?
It does pretty good in the white stuff.
Flex

No snow yet here in NJ. Ironically my 18" wheels with Pirelli Ice and Snows are arriving today. Everyone knows my stand on driving in the snow, better safe than sorry.

I think the SRT-8 JGC needs winter tires for driving in the snow.

I bought Bridgestone Blizzak DM-Z3 265-50-20 for all 4

They are night and day in the snow next to the stock setup.
How many miles have you put on those tire? Any problems with drivetrain? I was told not to run all 4 tires the same size.I'm looking for winter tires - from alberta canada.

How many miles have you put on those tire? Any problems with drivetrain? I was told not to run all 4 tires the same size.I'm looking for winter tires - from alberta canada.
I have 275/40 20 on stock wheels no problems. The diameter can't change with wheel width they are the diameter they are made. It is just plain silly to think that the different width rims make them different sizes when mounted. They are the diameter they are made they can't get any bigger or smaller.

No snow yet here in NJ. Ironically my 18" wheels with Pirelli Ice and Snows are arriving today. Everyone knows my stand on driving in the snow, better safe than sorry.

Well, I am staying stock here in NJ, so we can compare notes if we ever get any freaking snow to drive in :eek:

if you have two same size tires and 1 mounted on a 9" wide rim and one on a
10" rim would the one on the 10" rim not have a small diameter because it has to spread out to cover the width.If you stretch a low profile tire out it has to give somehwere or are the fronts balloned larger because of rim width.If you have problems will DC cover the repairs because of different tire sizes.

if you have two same size tires and 1 mounted on a 9" wide rim and one on a
10" rim would the one on the 10" rim not have a small diameter because it has to spread out to cover the width.If you stretch a low profile tire out it has to give somehwere or are the fronts balloned larger because of rim width.If you have problems will DC cover the repairs because of different tire sizes.
The belts on the tire determine how big around it is not the rim. Sorry the hight may change ever so slightly but the circomference (sp) can't change the belts hold the tire together around the outside. The diameter may change but the distance around the tire can't.

Made it through the first snow here in Chicago with stock rims/tires and had no problems. The stock setup felt secure, even on unplowed roads, just don't drive like an idiot (which goes against everything I belive in :D ) and you should be fine.

Live in Northern Alberta...lots of snow/slush/ice, no problems at all!! This thing is awesome in the snow. I was rwally skeptical about this unit, all the negativity about the AWD, but its impressive. I put on winter tires, even though we didn't need to, Bridgestone Blizzaks LM-25 245/50-R20 all the way around, and its amazing. The only thing is that the stock command start sucks, like no way of telling you if you can't see your vehicle, that it actually started, and that you can't take your keys out and still have the vehicle running. It sucks if you want to go in the store quickly. Other than that, its awesome!!!

Today's drive home was an interesting test... I'm running on stock tires in Minneapolis, here's the [censored] we got today:

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=143923


Slick roads leave one motorist dead, dozens in the ditch

The morning rain gave way to snow in the early afternoon hours and traffic chaos wasn't far behind.

Dozens of spin outs, crashes and other ice related accidents have left cars and trucks littering metro ditches, ramps and hills as drivers deal with the first real dose of winter so far this season.
The freeways weren't covered in 5 inches of snow, they were coated with 1/4 inch of ice (rain combined with the snow and froze, big time)!! And I'm running 39 psi on warm tires, so you could really feel the ice under the tires, i.e., you weren't on concrete or soft stuff, at all (I had to crank up my pressure for 0°F weather)! :eek:

I got to say, the Jeep on stock tires was better than fine. The only time I came undone on the freeway was for less than a second, when I punched it too hard in first (on purpose, I was testing it). Traffic was moving really slow, so for the most part my speeds were pretty low, but I did hit 60 mph, at one point, and went through a hilly & curvy stretch at 50 mph, no problem.

When I got close to home, on an empty street, I really got into the pedal, in first, on ice! The traction control light came on, but it just took off, no fish-tail, no tc bang, no nothing. 0-60 mph in < 5 seconds in rain, shine, snow and ice?! :D

Not too shabby for driving on performance tires, on an ice rink! Feeling pretty good about this truck in inclimate winter weather, now. http://www.cherokeesrt8.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif :cool: ;)

Great to hear. Looks like there have been some pretty positive stories so far with the stock tires!!

Looking forward to testing mine out - if it ever snows up here in Mass!!

I was pretty pleased with it, actually, perhaps even most with the braking. My older '93 GC couldn't stop on ice woth a [censored], period, but this SUV was solid on ice. I wouldn't push your luck and I didn't test any panic braking on the ice (well, I did give the brakes a good push in the parking lot and that was fine), but normal braking was fine. :cool:

Unfortunately, I did have to do a manic panic brake at 70 mph yesterday morning, in pouring rain at 32°F, when some old codger in a Buick literally ran me off the road... That worked out fine, too. But... :rolleyes:

Not to be an arse, but I must admit, I'm a little surprised about people from the North East worried about weather & snow. Does it really snow that much in Connecticut and Mass.? I was under the impression that the weather is mild out there? :confused:

I'm not even sure it snows that much in Minneapolis, compared to Toronto, it's too bloody cold here to snow! Buffalo, NY? Now there's some serious snow, talk about being on the wrong side of the lakes... But the Jeep, along with everything else, would be buried, so what does it matter? :D

I think you'll be pleased, I was. I don't think you have much to worry about, at all, after yesterday's mess/test. Go out and play in the snow in your Jeep with confidence, it's solid. http://www.cherokeesrt8.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif :)

I am in fort collins, CO and let me tell you, this thing sucks in 24in of snow!! Got stuck backing out of the garage when there was only about 12in. Put it away til the next morning... It gets me place to place but I am not going to go off the ebaten path anymore. We had way too much snow in 24 hours and there are tons of bigger 4wheel drive cars stuck and I don't want to be one of them.

We definatly get a good amount of snow here in Mass. I wouldnt want to be driving a rear wheel drive car year round. My sister cant even move her 300c
out of her driveway when it snows an inch. So far this year the snow hasnt came yet. That just means were gonna be hit with it well into March!!:eek:

RWD absolutely sucks in the snow, though. I wouldn't compare that to a 2.5 ton SUV delivering power to all 4, even in a unique manner.

She absolutely needs snow tires and 200 lbs of sand bags in her trunk, or a body... :D ;)

Or is the 300C AWD?

I used to drive a RWD in Minneapolis, and 10 days a year, or so, it was so dangerous (as in all over the place) I promised myself I would never, ever do it again.

Isn't that Colorado situation a little unique? The whole area is shut down, isn't it? I've seen pictures of snow up to a grown man's waist. Nothing's going to run well in that! :confused:

Basically a JGC SRT8 is a two wheel drive vehicle but the traction control helps that out some? How through the antilock brake system, applying braking action to the spinning wheel, much like a posi system. My 02 Overland was much better as it had posi in both axels so all 4 wheels pulled but it lacked a lot of the great engineering in the SRT8. I wouldn't ever trade back for my 02. As far as driving in this current Minneapolis Weather I haven't so far as my JGC has never seen snow/salt just rain and a lot of it! (on the way to Topeka for the SRT NATS, I drove through a severe thunderstorm with blowing rain and tree branches for about an hour, from along the highway in Southern MN) I did comment to the SRT ENGS there and personally thanked them for designing such a great vehicle) These tires are designed to run fast on a road course and do that well, they hook good even on the Drag Strips, brakes are awesome except for rotor wear and loss of braking action due to the Dot3 Brake Fluid boiling and the brake hoses expanding due to the heavy line pressure. The Engineer actually recommended the "Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow Radial Tires" as these they did test. Sizes? Running any tires with the stock wheels would be easier with the air pressure sensors. Gene