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Thread: 5 speed winter driving

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    5 speed winter driving

    Hello all, I'm on the verge of buying a mirage es 5 speed. But I have a concern about driving this car in the winter. I can drive stick fairly well but I'm not an expert and i'm worried about acceleration from a stop on hard packed snow. Is it 100% needed to buy some snow tires for a mirage? Also how does the transmission shift in extremely cold temps? A few times a winter we will drop below -20f.



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    Business Up Front Johnny Mullet's Avatar
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    The stock tires will do fine in the snow, but snow tires will be much better. The 5-speed works great and shifts smooth. The 17 model also has traction control which helps if you break traction, but if you get stuck, you can turn off the traction control to get some wheel spin.

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    There are several forum members in Canada who get along just fine in the cold temperatures. You might consider an engine block heater for those really cold nights.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Yes we are about 5 hours south of the Canadian border here. Luckily my car is parked inside a reasonably warm garage overnight. The most it will suffer will be 8 hours outside at work.

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        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Driving manual in winter is better. You decide when to change gears and also can start In 2nd in slippery conditions. In extreme cold any manual will feel very sluggish like shifting through molasses. It warms up soon.

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    The Mirage handles better than my old cars (80s VW, 90s Ford) in the winter, thats for sure, and I'm from Ontario Canada. I have had the Mirage 3 winters on the dunlops it came with and now Bridgestone Potenzas. I hope they are as good or better this wintertime

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
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    I forgot to mention it's a 5-speed so I just drive in 4th way more. With lots of snow it gunks up in the tires worse than some cars but just keep an eye on it so you don't screw up the allignment if it's that iced in

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Jibles View Post
    Hello all, I'm on the verge of buying a mirage es 5 speed. But I have a concern about driving this car in the winter. I can drive stick fairly well but I'm not an expert and i'm worried about acceleration from a stop on hard packed snow. Is it 100% needed to buy some snow tires for a mirage? Also how does the transmission shift in extremely cold temps? A few times a winter we will drop below -20f.
    After three winters in Europe with the Mirage, I can tell you there is no reason for worry. Here winter tyres are mandatory, and insurance coverage gets lost without. So my experience is with winter tyres on.

    I have frequently crossed the Alps on small narrow roads far away from any highway. My job takes me to many Ski events each winter. To be precise that is up the hill and high above the particular resort. Usually those roads are closed even in summer, and I have to be up there in winter. I take the car if I can, sometimes I must use a skilift or cable car.
    Let me tell you, the mirage drives surprisingly well under those conditions, in spite of the small diameter tyres and "only" front wheel drive. My car has manual transmission, and I think manual is better in extreme snow and ice conditions.
    Last edited by foama; 06-16-2017 at 05:59 PM.

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    Hey Jibles! From MN too!

    Drove it this past winter without any issues. I drove it on the stock dunlops too. I think with snow tires, it would be even better. I have a 15' 5-spd Mirage. Car handled pretty well in the snow. With the Traction Control on, it actually does very well. Below was my review of the car with Traction Control On. It does feel notchy but after it warms up, the notchy feel to the shifter goes away.

    Traction Control On:
    In my opinion, it's pretty good. It definitely regulates the car from massive wheel-spin. When it 'senses' a slide on the front wheels, it will automatically adjust itself to slow down and make sure you don't crash or slide any further. It will do everything it can to prevent it from sliding any further. You can hear and feel the abs and sensors working.
    From a stop, even with 2 inches or so of slushy snow, the car relieves itself from too much wheel spin. Acceleration isn't bad, especially with a manual transmission. Compared to my 02' Maxima I had, there's far less wheel spin probably because the Mirage is lighter and has much more skinnier tires. The traction control repeatedly flashes to notify you that it's working very hard as well, haha. But really, traction control does it's job really well in the snow. Personally, I'd rather have it off. I feel like I'm not in complete control of the car. TC is great for your average daily driving snow experience but if you really want to feel how the car drives in the winter, turn off the TC.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 43.4 mpg (US) ... 18.5 km/L ... 5.4 L/100 km ... 52.2 mpg (Imp)


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