Hi all,

I have owned my 08 300c Hemi Sports for about 4 months now and before that I had an MY00 STI wrx Version 6. I'm looking to do some snowboarding trips with the new bus this winter but I was wondering if anyone has had any issues going up and down mountains in a 300c being RWD? I asked my local Jeep/Chrysler service center in Pakenham and they said to make sure I bring snow chains and take corners very slow as the 300c is allot heaver than the STI and obviously not awd.

I may just be being paranoid but I don't want to end up off the side of the cliff so if you have any tips let me know

 

Driving in snow with RWD is not that big of a deal. You might consider throwing a bag of sand and a shovel in the trunk for the weight. The sand could be useful sprinkling on ice to improve traction a little. When driving, the trick is to not overpower whatever traction you have. Tromping the gas pedal will just spin the tires. When tires spin, they get warm and melt ice and snow and turn it to water. Then you have zero traction. Gentle on the gas is the secret. Let up as soon as you break traction.
If you get stuck in deep snow, use the shovel to dig a path for all four tires to get back to where you had traction. If the car has ridden up on the snow, you may need to dig the snow out from under the car so the weight is on the tires.
Rocking the car might get you out of some situations. Put the car in forward or reverse and with VERY gentle pressure on the gas, go as far as you can, even if it's only an inch or two. Then let up on the gas and shift into the opposite gear as the car rolls back toward where it was and give it a very gentle nudge of the gas to help it roll as far as it can in that direction. When it reaches as far as it will go and starts to go back, shift in that direction to help it along again. Don't stomp on the gas, don't spin the wheels and don't slam it into gear. Gentle is the word. Imagine an eggshell between your foot and the gas pedal. Each time you reverse direction you should go a bit farther than the last time. Just us a small amount of power to help it go in the direction it is going and with some luck and care, you will get it rolling in the direction you need to go. Winter driving is a skill you can learn with practice. If you drive like an idiot you will only dig yourself a deeper hole and risk blowing up your transmission.
If you have some buddies along, have them get out and push to help with the rocking. If you are really stuck in very deep snow with no traction at all because the wheels are just hanging with the weight of the car resting on the snow, get out the cell phone and call a tow truck.

 

Nice one Thanks mate! So gentle is the go for sure. I will defiantly be getting some snow tires fitted also. I'll also grab a couple of Sand bags also thanks for the tip!
I have been pondering changing the wheels purely for aesthetics, does anyone know how wide you can go without getting guard rub? I figure the wider the better for grip..

 

There are some problems when it snows, but not not critical. And it's pretty much safe with tyres for winter.
P.S. I am a proud owner of 300 Chrysler for eight years now, so... And by the way, my friend, I'm from Russia, so I know something about driving in winter ))