9-3 Snow clearance

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Interested in Saab - 19 Oct 2004 12:46 GMT

I'm considering buying a 9-3 hatchback and was wondering how these cars
handle in snow?

Yes, Saabs are made in Sweden, but what kind of snow do they get there?
Do they get the fluffy light stuff or the heavy wet stuff?

I live in the northern east coast of North America and we get heavy wet
snow due to our proximity to the ocean. There doesn't seem to be much
clearance underneath this model car ( 3 to 4 inches ) and I want to
know how well it handles in high wet snow ( 6 inches and up),
particularly after some big 4 x 4 has just created some monster rutts
in the road.

Any experiences?

Reply to this Message

Henrik B. - 19 Oct 2004 13:07 GMT

> I'm considering buying a 9-3 hatchback and was wondering how these cars
> handle in snow?

Very well.

> Yes, Saabs are made in Sweden, but what kind of snow do they get there? Do
> they get the fluffy light stuff or the heavy wet stuff?

They get both in Sweden.

No problems. It's probably the the FWD car you can drive in wet/snowy
conditions.

Cheers!

Reply to this Message

Dave Hinz - 19 Oct 2004 15:14 GMT

> I'm considering buying a 9-3 hatchback and was wondering how these cars
> handle in snow?

Fantastic.

> Yes, Saabs are made in Sweden, but what kind of snow do they get there?
> Do they get the fluffy light stuff or the heavy wet stuff?

Yes.

> I live in the northern east coast of North America and we get heavy wet
> snow due to our proximity to the ocean. There doesn't seem to be much
> clearance underneath this model car ( 3 to 4 inches ) and I want to
> know how well it handles in high wet snow ( 6 inches and up),
> particularly after some big 4 x 4 has just created some monster rutts
> in the road. > Any experiences?

I enjoy passing 4x4's with my Saab. They have always sold well in the
New England area in part because of their spectacular winter handling.
Personally, I found the 1960's vintage Saabs more fun to drive in the
snow, but that might be because I can be more aggressive with something
that's very paid off.

The biggest factor is snow tires. All-season tires are a compromise that
work fairly well in summer, and fairly well in winter. Better to have
a set of (4) winter tires so you can get the full benefit of the car's
handling in adverse conditions. Nokian makes good tires (in Finland)
that can be found here pretty easily.

Hope this helps,
Dave Hinz

Reply to this Message

Retro Bob - 19 Oct 2004 19:03 GMT

>I enjoy passing 4x4's with my Saab.

Absolutely. If you put snow tires on, you can pull out stuck SUV's.
If you have all seasons, you will still be at the top of the pack
but towing them out might be a problem.

>They have always sold well in the
>New England area in part because of their spectacular winter handling.

Yep. I live in NE. Saabs are great in the Winter. I don't usually put
on snow tires - but it still does fine. With reasonable new all season
tires, I was able to handle a 7" unplowed storm with no difficulties
(including drifts and trucks ruts/banks).

BTW - I think if you measure that clearance on the 9-3, you'll find
that it's more like 5". It might be a little less if you have a center
muffler (no sport exhaust installed) but the rest of the car clears
the ground by quite a lot.

Reply to this Message

Dave Hinz - 19 Oct 2004 19:11 GMT

> BTW - I think if you measure that clearance on the 9-3, you'll find
> that it's more like 5". It might be a little less if you have a center
> muffler (no sport exhaust installed) but the rest of the car clears
> the ground by quite a lot.

In the '62 Saab 96 I used to have, I could make car-shaped troughs in
the snow which was several to many inches deeper than the ground clearance
of the car. The ridges in the floorpan, the exhaust system, and the wheel
tracks behind the car were impressive.

Got pulled over by a local cop one evening; I was practicing winter
driving, kind of during a blizzard before the plow trucks came out and
ruined my fun. He was, er, less than sympathetic to my technique of
using a snow emergency to play, and suggested that I "practice my winter
driving techniques" in some other township.

Dave Hinz

Reply to this Message

LauraK - 19 Oct 2004 22:32 GMT

>BTW - I think if you measure that clearance on the 9-3, you'll find
>that it's more like 5". It might be a little less if you have a center
>muffler (no sport exhaust installed) but the rest of the car clears
>the ground by quite a lot.

Saabs are very deceptive; what you see isn't always what you get. They're
bigger than they look on the outside and higher than they look.
Saabs are wonderful in winter. It feels like the tires dig through the snow and
ice, find bare road surface and dig in, like those old Tiger Paw commercials.

laurak@madmousergraphics.com
http://www.madmousergraphics.com
web design, print design, photography

Reply to this Message

ma_twain - 20 Oct 2004 00:39 GMT

>>BTW - I think if you measure that clearance on the 9-3, you'll find
>>that it's more like 5". It might be a little less if you have a center
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> http://www.madmousergraphics.com
> web design, print design, photography

I can speak from almost 20 years of fun in the snow with a Classic 900.
The lowest point is over 6 inches off the ground. These cars are great
in the snow, but driving them on the salted roads tends to lead to a
rust problem eventually. If you have an SPG or lowered Saab, you may
have issues with the snow.

Reply to this Message