RevvdMedia
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I went to the dealer I intend to buy from yesterday for a second test drive just to confirm the '15 Mustang is the car I absolutely must have. I deliberately tried to get a test drive when the roads had some slippery sections as I intend to drive the car all year, except with proper winter tires in winter. Although I knew going in that using the all season tires during a test drive as a determination of how manageable a RWD sports car will be in the winter is a bit unfair, I went into it considering "If it doesn't get stuck on all-season high performance tires, it shouldn't get stuck on winter tires in worse conditions".
This review is mainly for those intending on driving on factory all season tires, the P-Zero Nero. I don't recall if the stock 235's and the upgraded 255's are the exact same all season profile or not, but that will also change how the car handles. I'd think since the GT was designed with a 155mph speed limiter, these tires are likely the W rated ones, which will perform worse than a lower speed tire in some regards.
The car I drove was the EcoBoost premium automatic with the 50 years anniversary package with the 255/40/19 all season tires, since the GT I was supposed to drive was crammed into the aftermarket parts area. I drove the car in snow/wet drive mode.
Review
Most of the roads the evening I drove were plowed, only a thin layer of frost if anything. It handled well and generally had very little issue. The back end would break loose if liberal throttle was applied. I took the car onto the freeway @ 80-100km/h with no drama. No excessive throttle was used. Upon our return, I decided to merge into traffic with the flow, which required about half throttle. This caused the back end to pull out a bit. I reduced my throttle input, it straightened out, then I got back on it a bit again and once again it became a bit squirelly. These tires seem to become pucks once it is below freezing. We decided to go up some side roads so I could stop it in snow and see if it could get moving again. The back roads handled well enough when moving. I stopped the first time in about an inch of mushy snow. The car got moving well enough, similar to a FWD car with all seasons. We went around the block, and going through a left corner with only 1/5 thottle or so caused the back end to kick out a bit and TCS/stability kicked in. The road around that corner was thin but packed snow. The last bit of the drive was down a side road with a bit more snow. I stopped in a section with about 2 to 3 inches of inconsistent mushy snow. I first started out with not much throttle, about 1/8 to 1/6 roughly. The car made very slow progress, the TCS was flashing and I was moving, but barely. While moving, I turned off the TCS while still on the throttle which caused more wheelspin and any faster forward progress. Reducing the throttle more reduced the wheelspin and I managed to pull out of the deeper stuff. From there we returned to the dealer.
Overview: The Pirelli P Zero Nero's were quiet and had good steering feel (especially on the EcoBoost). They seem to throw a lot of gravel to the underside of the car, much more than the winter tires on my Kia Sportage. Could just be less under-car insulation allowing me to hear it more?
Dry Performance - Good feel, quiet. Seems like they'll handle reasonably well.
Dry-Cold roads - Fair performance and grip, but too much throttle will cause the back end to slip, under much less throttle than expected when the roads "look OK".
Snow Packed roads - Seem good enough. As long as there isn't too much ice. Throttle is to be applied conservatively, but handling is OK.
Ice - Didn't get a good chance to test this, couldn't find any ice patches.
Snow - 1" or less - Seems ok. Traction isn't great, but you shouldn't get stuck on a flat road.
Snow - 1" to 3" - Seems as though if you have a clue what you're doing, and if you're on a flat road, you shouldn't get stuck, but it's not easy to get going. Anything more than this, or on an incline, may lead to trouble or getting stuck. Even once you start moving, even with a LSD, you're fighting the back end to keep it straight.
Snow - 3"+ - Didn't get to test but judging by how much of a struggle mushy snow was, I'd think except for powder, you're going to have issues getting around.
Outcome - If you live in an area that gets next to no snow, these could probably get you through. If you live in an area that gets a good amount of snow (accumulations of 2"+ at a time), freezing rain or ice, winter tires are an absolute must. You'll quickly become "that idiot that drives a sports car in the winter and gets stuck." No fault of your own, even the best driver could get stuck if the car isn't properly equipped for the situation.
All of this is besides the fact that I believe any area that sees below 40F (5C), snow or ice should have winter tires installed regardless. I've driven on plenty of summer tires, all season tires and winter tires and I can attest to how much of a difference winter tires make. I consider myself a well above average driver with a comprehensive understanding of vehicular physics and tire friction, and I still won't drive on all-season tires in winter on my own car.
This review is mainly for those intending on driving on factory all season tires, the P-Zero Nero. I don't recall if the stock 235's and the upgraded 255's are the exact same all season profile or not, but that will also change how the car handles. I'd think since the GT was designed with a 155mph speed limiter, these tires are likely the W rated ones, which will perform worse than a lower speed tire in some regards.
The car I drove was the EcoBoost premium automatic with the 50 years anniversary package with the 255/40/19 all season tires, since the GT I was supposed to drive was crammed into the aftermarket parts area. I drove the car in snow/wet drive mode.
Review
Most of the roads the evening I drove were plowed, only a thin layer of frost if anything. It handled well and generally had very little issue. The back end would break loose if liberal throttle was applied. I took the car onto the freeway @ 80-100km/h with no drama. No excessive throttle was used. Upon our return, I decided to merge into traffic with the flow, which required about half throttle. This caused the back end to pull out a bit. I reduced my throttle input, it straightened out, then I got back on it a bit again and once again it became a bit squirelly. These tires seem to become pucks once it is below freezing. We decided to go up some side roads so I could stop it in snow and see if it could get moving again. The back roads handled well enough when moving. I stopped the first time in about an inch of mushy snow. The car got moving well enough, similar to a FWD car with all seasons. We went around the block, and going through a left corner with only 1/5 thottle or so caused the back end to kick out a bit and TCS/stability kicked in. The road around that corner was thin but packed snow. The last bit of the drive was down a side road with a bit more snow. I stopped in a section with about 2 to 3 inches of inconsistent mushy snow. I first started out with not much throttle, about 1/8 to 1/6 roughly. The car made very slow progress, the TCS was flashing and I was moving, but barely. While moving, I turned off the TCS while still on the throttle which caused more wheelspin and any faster forward progress. Reducing the throttle more reduced the wheelspin and I managed to pull out of the deeper stuff. From there we returned to the dealer.
Overview: The Pirelli P Zero Nero's were quiet and had good steering feel (especially on the EcoBoost). They seem to throw a lot of gravel to the underside of the car, much more than the winter tires on my Kia Sportage. Could just be less under-car insulation allowing me to hear it more?
Dry Performance - Good feel, quiet. Seems like they'll handle reasonably well.
Dry-Cold roads - Fair performance and grip, but too much throttle will cause the back end to slip, under much less throttle than expected when the roads "look OK".
Snow Packed roads - Seem good enough. As long as there isn't too much ice. Throttle is to be applied conservatively, but handling is OK.
Ice - Didn't get a good chance to test this, couldn't find any ice patches.
Snow - 1" or less - Seems ok. Traction isn't great, but you shouldn't get stuck on a flat road.
Snow - 1" to 3" - Seems as though if you have a clue what you're doing, and if you're on a flat road, you shouldn't get stuck, but it's not easy to get going. Anything more than this, or on an incline, may lead to trouble or getting stuck. Even once you start moving, even with a LSD, you're fighting the back end to keep it straight.
Snow - 3"+ - Didn't get to test but judging by how much of a struggle mushy snow was, I'd think except for powder, you're going to have issues getting around.
Outcome - If you live in an area that gets next to no snow, these could probably get you through. If you live in an area that gets a good amount of snow (accumulations of 2"+ at a time), freezing rain or ice, winter tires are an absolute must. You'll quickly become "that idiot that drives a sports car in the winter and gets stuck." No fault of your own, even the best driver could get stuck if the car isn't properly equipped for the situation.
All of this is besides the fact that I believe any area that sees below 40F (5C), snow or ice should have winter tires installed regardless. I've driven on plenty of summer tires, all season tires and winter tires and I can attest to how much of a difference winter tires make. I consider myself a well above average driver with a comprehensive understanding of vehicular physics and tire friction, and I still won't drive on all-season tires in winter on my own car.
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