General Panda in the snow

[HannsG]

Is the Panda really that bad in the snow?

I have had a Z4M before and the short wheelbase and RWD made it undrivable in snow. The M3 after that was fantastic with the LSD and winter tyres.

I thought the FWD Panda would be fine in snow. Unless it's the short wheelbase.

Best all seasons for the Panda are?

 

[irc]

The normal FWD panda is fine is snow. It's just even better with winter tyres, and awesome with snow tyres.
Of course it is less good on summer tyres with only 2 or 3mm of tread, but even then I reckon they are better than most cars.

If you want bad in snow try a Lotus Esprit!
However, if you want unexpectedly brilliant in snow try a 2CV.

 

[portland_bill]

.....However, if you want unexpectedly brilliant in snow try a 2CV.

Original Mini automatic. Surprisingly brilliant too.
Maxi on 155 tyres (not HL) with a sack of spuds on the front crossmember. There really was room under the bonnet to place the sack.

Absolute rubbish - Dolomite 1500 with the standard jerky throttle action. Hopeless.

 

[irc]

And for those on 2 wheels... CZ175. Crude 2-stroke from the wrong side of the iron curtain. Rode like it was made out of the iron curtain. Didn't really go over snow as through it but always seemed to get there anyway. Haven't seen one in 20 years. Probably just as well.

 

[DaveMcT]

And for those on 2 wheels... CZ175. Crude 2-stroke from the wrong side of the iron curtain. Rode like it was made out of the iron curtain. Didn't really go over snow as through it but always seemed to get there anyway. Haven't seen one in 20 years. Probably just as well.

I had one of those. It was the iron curtain version of the same NSU design that became the BSA Bantam. Rough, heavy, but it always arrived though not exactly in style.

 

[Sweetsixteen]

Completely offthread, but interesting!

I started on a green Bantam, then went 'upmarket' with a Tiger 100! Both great bikes in bad weather. Moved on to a Triumph 500, then 650 with sprung hub, then a Bonneville.

Now a born again biker looking for an interesting Hog. Probably useless in snow, but so what!

 

[DaveMcT]

Completely offthread, but interesting!

I started on a green Bantam, then went 'upmarket' with a Tiger 100! Both great bikes in bad weather. Moved on to a Triumph 500, then 650 with sprung hub, then a Bonneville.

Now a born again biker looking for an interesting Hog. Probably useless in snow, but so what!

Soory to be boosting the hijack. I went to the Tiger 100 pre unit with narrow finned alloy cylinders. It looked the dog's but was a nightmare horrible vibration everything fell off and it leaked like a sieve. After that it was Japanese bikes (before and after the kids).

The latest rides are a Suzuki Kettle in need of work and a BMW R1200GS. It goes, stops and handles amazingly well. 65K miles to date and likely to hit at least 100K before the engine needs major work.

 

[portland_bill]

I had a Yamaha RD400 that was very good in snow. If kept upright and balanced, which was surprisingly easy to do, it would go anywhere. If you know the bike, it will be as much a surprise as it was to me. Replaced with an XS400 4-stroke, not to be taken out in slippery conditions at all.