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Re: best snow going 2 wheel drive saab Posted by Snowmobile [Email] (#686) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Snowmobile) on Sun, 14 Jan 2024 14:57:24 In Reply to: Re: best snow going 2 wheel drive saab, Paul from Palmyra, PA, Mon, 8 Jan 2024 10:30:05 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
When we got our first 9-5, we still had 2 c900s on the road in winter so I was able to take all 3 out and compare how they drove in the same snowstorms on identical roads. So a 1989 na c900 (no abs), a 1993 na c900 (abs), and a 2004 9-5 arc, all with snows. I compared the 9-5 with and without TCS turned on.
By far, the 1989 was the best. Fastest acceleration, stopping, and cornering. The 9-5, even with TCS on was the worst by a landslide. It may partly be the narrower tires on the c900 and lighter weight. I suspect center of mass and mass distribution are a factor also. One doesn't need much power to maximize acceleration on snow since grip is the primary issue. Also abs doesn't allow you to selectively lock up brakes to stop faster in deep snow.
That said, our c900s don't see snow anymore (they are on a zero salt diet due to old age). We have tried many different snow tires on the 9-5s and it really hasn't mattered much. They just simply are meh in snow. OTOH, they are much better highway cars than the c900, so it's a matter of working with their strengths... Not sure what we would replace them with!
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