FiST and FoST owners

"Bairclaw" (bairclaw03)
11/09/2015 at 19:47 • Filed to: None

How are the cars in bad weather? I live in NY and we get the occasional blizzard and my WRX’s have been amazing in snow but I've been looking into a FiST and my parents are worried about snow. And how about long drives? 3+ hours?

DISCUSSION (19)

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Bairclaw
11/09/2015 at 19:50

I DD a RWD Ranger in Colorado year round. You’ll be fine in anything

daender > Bairclaw
11/09/2015 at 20:01

I sat in the back seat of a FiST for 2.5 hours and then the front passenger seat for about 2.5 more hours. It’s a great cruising car with surprisingly quick throttle response or good gas economy (can’t have both at the same time, lmao).

Übel > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
11/09/2015 at 20:14

Didn’t you spend like a full day stuck in a snow bank?

thedevilinside > Bairclaw
11/09/2015 at 20:15

In the last 2 weeks I’ve done 2100+ miles in my FoST. It is comfortable enough. Lots of road trips and no issues other than it revs high on interstates compared to the muscle cars I’ve had.

FoST came with summer tires new which was is not good. Get the right tires and you’d be fine.

Axel-Ripper > Bairclaw
11/09/2015 at 20:18

Get an 80s BMW and snow tires. Source: Been there, done that. Especially for a first car. Don’t go new. So much nicer having a reasonably shitty car that you don’t have to worry about rust or things hitting it.

Kinja'd!!!

Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed > Bairclaw
11/09/2015 at 20:40

With a set of winter tires, the FoST feels almost like a AWD car the way it hugs the road. Loads of grip, and the torque vectoring really shines. Starting from a stop on a snowy hill takes a little clutch finesse, which reminds you it’s FWD.

Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed > Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed
11/09/2015 at 20:41

I run 225/45R17 Dunlop Wintersport 3D’s, which are fantastic FYI.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Bairclaw
11/09/2015 at 20:50

FieSTa owner in VT here; its pretty OK in the snow with appropriate tires. (I ran hateful Michelin xIce xI3s last two winters, but I never got stuck, and the hairy situations were annoying as opposed to endangering, this winter I’ve got Toyo Observe Garit-KXs on it, but it hasn't snowed yet, so I can't comment on those yet) The ground clearance means you can play snowplow on unplowed roads... Its a surprisingly comfortable and quiet long distance hauler for such a small car. The quick steering means its not a car you can forget about while going 80, but it can pass anything that is remotely traveling close to the speed limit effortlessly and the suspension damping is tuned for high speed, meaning, in my experience, that its actually more comfortable at fast highway speeds than secondary/suburban speeds. If you drive like a little old lady and keep it under 60mph (its not super aerodynamic) you can extract over 40mpg for extended periods, if you’re not in a hurry.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Übel
11/09/2015 at 20:51

an hour. but I was being a dipshit

jjhats > Axel-Ripper
11/09/2015 at 21:05

What could possibly go wrong

Axel-Ripper > jjhats
11/09/2015 at 21:10

A lot less than a new driver in a new performance car (FiST, WRX) in snow.

Bairclaw > Axel-Ripper
11/09/2015 at 21:33

This will be my fifth car in four years

Bairclaw > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
11/09/2015 at 21:36

Thank you! Very helpful

Bairclaw > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
11/09/2015 at 21:40

Convince my parents, I’m already on board. They pull the whole “my house my rules” so what they say goes.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed
11/09/2015 at 22:02

goddamn I wish Wintersport 3Ds came in FieSTa friendly sizes. My favorite performance winter tire, hands down. Perfect compromise in tread compound and sipe design, and with a carcass that’s actually responsive and not jarring (cough. Michelin cough). Damn I miss running Wintersports...

Trunk Impaired 318 > Bairclaw
11/09/2015 at 23:31

I drive/drove my 86 MR2 year round and with snow tires it was unstoppable, I also drove it back and forth from Philadelphia (4 hours) and it was fine. Basically any car you get will be fine in NY winters as long as you put a decent set of winter tires on it and if an MR2 can do it, anything can really.

61hp > Bairclaw
11/09/2015 at 23:38

Within the first two weeks of having our FiST we drove from Salt Lake City to San Francisco, down the coast to Carmel and on to LA, then drove home. The ride, while choppy and a bit rough around town, was quite composed and relatively quiet on the freeway, about as good as you can expect for a short wheelbase car running 40 series summer tires. Girlfriend found the passenger seat (base cloth seat) more comfortable on the road trip then our Focus Titanium we had before the FiST.

Haven’t had too many passengers in the back seat, but we drove my parents around when they were visiting and did a couple 1-2 hour drives and they did not complain.

We just picked the car up in August, so no winters yet, so can’t comment on that. However, with snow tires it should be totally fine, even with some nice all-season tires most weather would not be an issue.

jjhats > Axel-Ripper
11/10/2015 at 07:30

disagree 100%

Brian Silvestro > Bairclaw
11/10/2015 at 22:46

ooo a post I can actually contribute to!

I own this car

Kinja'd!!!

Last winter I put on blizzaks. The car performed better on snow, ice, sleet, and mud much better than any AWD car I’ve ever driven on all-seasons.

I’ve also ice raced it, and it worked.

Tires are what make the car, you can go buy a Z06 and put winters on it and it’ll outperform your WRX in snow if it has the wrong tires.