Is anyone else in northern climates just getting their S550 out of hibernation? How does it feel?

[MRGTX]

Any other long suffering northerners here? Have you begun your annual ritual of reviving your hot rod?

I know that Mustangs can be safely driven in winter weather and plenty of you guys do just that. In fact this was my original plan for my car until a little hatchback fell into my hands and took the burden off of the Ford. So since I don't HAVE to expose the Mustang to corrosive road salt, I don't.

This time of year, my Mustang and Dart start to come out of their extended sleep. Once the roads are dry and free of salt, all bets are off. Here in CT, we usually have salt free roads until early November so there's at least four months (usually five) for car enthusiasts without their preferred machines. The positive side of this is that we get a chance to experience them all over again with fresh eyes.

I have about 100 miles on my 2020 GT so far this year and I have to say that it feels amazing. It feels quicker than I remember and louder too. I had also forgotten how good the car handles. No, it's still not a true sports car but it feels pretty damn close. The chassis feels incredibly rigid, turn-in is crisp, grip is surprisingly high (even on cold roads). Basically, I'm reminded of why this Mustang managed to pry my beloved S197 out of my hands and why I had no trouble justifying thousands of dollars of upgrades to accentuate what was already great about this car.

What has your experience been like?

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[StangTime]

I am to the west of you, over the border in Ontario, a land of high taxes and high insurance rates. The excessive use of salt and brine means there's no way in hell I am driving such a nice car to an early grave. I have a 2014 Ford Fusion that I use for commuting and you can see the toll it takes on it. I won't subject the Mustang to that.

I store it in my garage from Nov 1st to Apr 1st. Remove the collision portion of my insurance and save. During this time before it gets too cold in the garage I will do small upgrades and whatever maintenance I can. Does it hurt to park it for 6 months? The withdrawal pain is severe.

Soon it will be time to wake it up. Hopefully the weather is dry enough to take it for a run. The forecast is calling for temperatures barely above freezing so I probably will have to wait longer.

 

[Strokerswild]

I drove mine last weekend for the first time since November since it was freakishly unseasonably warm. Good stuff.

Unfortunately, as I type this, we are getting a batch of heavy, wet snow. I had hoped to get it back out this weekend to burn up the rest of the old gas and dump in some fresh and do some datalogging on the new winter mods, but it's looking to be cold.

 

[Jimmy]

Mine is my only car so it gets driven all winter (although I work from home so most days I don't drive), however when I switch over from the winter tires to the summer ones there is a noticeable improvement in how the car drives. I'll make the switch in a few weeks.

 

[LSchicago]

I did my first start of the season last weekend, waiting for salt to wash away, and now warmer temps again.

 

[Jerry Carguy]

160 miles on my 2021 gt which I bought last November. I have a sink plumbed into the garage so I can hose off the salt. Works well.

 

[br_an]

We didn't see a lot of snow in Idaho this year so I got to drive mine pretty frequently on the nice days - ie cold but dry. Thank God for performance winter tires

I imagine I'd be ecstatic about taking my car out of hibernation right about now.

 

[tobaccokid]

Here in MA thankful that I had much of my 2019 GT350 protected with PPF, given the winter gravel and broken road pieces. Had a few afternoons where temps were minimally acceptable, mornings not.

Glad I sold the Cup 2's and put on 4S's. Still can be tricky on cold temp roads, depending of course how one drives. Based on forecasted weather looks like it'll have to wait until April ?.

 

[Enduro Man]

Drove through a second winter with Nokian Hakkas and a Krown treatment. But minimal snow driving and reduced mileage, thanks to working from home. I'm just about ready to put the Michelins back on, except 1) there's freezing weather still in the forecast for Toronto at month-end and 2) I injured my back after slipping on ice last week. Those wheel/tires are damn heavy, and I need all the strength I can muster!

 

[Vertex]

I drove mine last weekend for the first time since November since it was freakishly unseasonably warm. Good stuff.

Unfortunately, as I type this, we are getting a batch of heavy, wet snow. I had hoped to get it back out this weekend to burn up the rest of the old gas and dump in some fresh and do some datalogging on the new winter mods, but it's looking to be cold.

Same here I’m just north of Duluth so I feel you! Just got my Mach 1 delivered November 4th with HP. I managed to get a hair over 500 miles on it before parking as I have a 60mile round trip commute to work. Got 0 fun miles on it as far as cruising around just to show it off or enjoy listening to the amazing engine and exhaust. Can’t wait to get it out!

 

[Balr14]

I have parked my "good" car for the winter, in the past. But, for the last couple years, it has not been necessary. We have not got enough snow or really cold weather to bother with. I wore a winter jacket twice this winter. The rest of the time, I wore a hoody.

My GT certainly likes the cold, dry air. It feels like it has about 50 more horsepower.

 

[BombZombie]

Another Minnesotan here - mine is going in for an alignment this Friday (first outing since November). I live a few miles from the place so it won't be too bad, but I'll be driving very carefully since the roads will still be cold. Itll go right back in the garage till the temps warm up more (safety sake).

 

[mikgt]

I try to strike a reasonable balance, between protecting the car from winter, and driving it. Roads are clean enough for me to get out some on a nice day. Weird day a week ago, we hit a record high temp, and had a great drive top down.

 

[FinitePrimus]

I try to strike a reasonable balance, between protecting the car from winter, and driving it. Roads are clean enough for me to get out some on a nice day. Weird day a week ago, we hit a record high temp, and had a great drive top down.

Same here. The salt thing isn't as catastrophic as people make it out. I've driven many vehicles through every winter without seeing a carwash until spring only to start seeing rust after 10 years.

I store my Mustang from around November (when it starts getting too cold) to March. I've driven it twice so far this year as there was nice warm sunny days. A little salt dust isn't going to take years off the life of the vehicle here and there so I start driving around March on nice days. Many in my area (Ontario) store until May. That's too short of a season for me.

The only issue I have is with the summer tires meaning some nice sunny days are still too cold for the hockey pucks.

 

[16Fastback]

Let mine out for a run this week, felt great to get behind the wheel. I've got 27k on my 16 still feels new I never get tired driving. car show season coming up got some final touches to complete.

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