Shelby in Snow

Stoked · Dec 10, 2017

I grew up driving RWD sports cars in the snow too...Not with 500 hp, but the cars were light enough to be somewhat butt pucker-inducing when the roads are slick.

All it took back then were snow tires and some sand bags. lol...

It's not driving in the snow that worries me, its other people. Especially where I live. People don't respect the weather or know how to drive in it. Literally. I constantly see people driving around in cold, icy, rainy weather with tires that are near bald, and driving WAY too fast. Giant 4X4 trucks with mud tires swerving around in rush hour traffic in those same conditions like they're somehow immune to it.

It just isn't worth the trouble or the hassle of dealing with an accident (much less being injured or killed in one) to pull out the 350 in the snow....

kesando · Dec 10, 2017

First post...
Auto Fanatic on YouTube has an opinion on the subject

SVTinAR · Dec 10, 2017

I grew up with a fair amount of snow driving experience but I got to the age that playing in the snow in a car or even trying to drive on snow and ice has just plain lost it's allure for me. A good driver can get a decent car to go in the snow but if you suddenly need some whoa it's like unguided missile time on the incoming trajectory. But, worst are all the other drivers out there on the road who are under-experienced, under-equipped, don't understand vehicle dynamics and have way too much confidence in themselves and their vehicle. They are going to get someone and it may well be you. I still work downtown part time but if it snows (or especially if we get ice) I just stay home with the car in the garage and watch all the mayhem on TV.

Should have noted that being in Arkansas they do next to nothing on highways and streets to deal with snow and very, very few people have much experience with the stuff except for playing bumper cars.

Zombo · Dec 10, 2017

I instructed at several Audi Club winter driving schools in the past. You'd be amazed at what an AWD sports sedan with winter tires can do in those conditions. One student, with a older Chevy SUV, RWD with a man. trans. (it may have been a older Blazer) had trouble with some of the exercises and just couldn't get it around the skid pad at all - Audi's TTs with the Haldex system couldn't either - properly driven conventional quattros would just take a nice set at a huge slip angle and go round and round - great fun.

Obviously AWD does not help with the stopping, but comes in handy with the going and turning. A Mustang in snows would never make it up my road - hell, it took me 5 tries in my wife's A4q last winter when she got stuck - granted, it was on end of life all seasons, but it wasn't that much snow.

No SUVs needed or wanted at my house, just a pair of man. trans., longitudinal engine Audis quattros.

stanglife · Dec 10, 2017

UnhandledException said:
If you are wondering how this car handles in snow, you dont need to wonder anymore. It handles superb.

Facts:

Weather: Snow started around 9:30 am and we had 6.5" of snow by 5pm and temperatures as low as 25F. It became very icy and slippery fairly quickly past 3pm.

Tires: Michelin Alpine PA4. 285s all around on stock wheels.

Slope of my driveway: 9 degrees (which is fairly steep). I measured using my tools - 7' level and a plumb bob and measuring tape.

Tests:

From level ground, drive up on my driveway

Stop in the middle of my driveway, and start going again

Stop from 25 mph

Curve handling at 35 mph

Going down a steep turn

Go up and down my driveway about 20 times to make the snow very compact to the point it turned into ice. My wife fell on her butt trying to watch me twice. You can not even walk on tire marks now to the point I am actually wondering how the hell I am going to get 2+ inches of ice off tomorrow morning.

The car have passed all my unscientific tests with flying colors. Granted I haven't owned an AWD car in my life, SUV or Sedan - my comparison is really against all other RWD cars I have owned and driven in snow with snow tires. Those are:

BMW 2009 335i
BMW 2010 E90 M3
BMW 2014 and 2015 F10 M5 (Yes I owned 2 M5s)
BMW 2015 F80 M3

Of all these cars, E90 M3 was hands down the best car in snow. It was light, naturally aspirated, good LSD. I would rate that car probably 6-7. Following that is the 335i a rating of 5. The F80 and F10 were both marginal, probably a rating of 3 for both. I have had great difficulty in the M5 even though its a much longer wheelbase, heavier car. The problem was the insane torque down low. BMW also does not make a "weather" mode in their cars which is a huge problem in my opinion. There is no reduced torque/power in a true sense. Its more of reduced throttle sensitivity. Whereas with the Shelby I may be wrong but car feels like 200 hp. Plus the biggest difference is the ability to modulate clutch. Yes DCT allows starting from 2nd gear, but not from 3rd gear and it doesnt slip the clutch based on your input to reduce torque.

Anyways, all in all, I cant tell you how pleased I am with this. I know this is very unconventional. But I am taking all the precautions. I have XPEL on 50% of the car. I have 3 coats of sealant on the rest. I have sprayed the undercarriage of the car with fluid film (which seems to work because after parking I heard what I can best describe as soda sparkling noise) and I got one of those undercarriage spray things that I will use while the car is on jack stands.

Final statement : SUVs are so overrated. We dont need big ass SUVs guys. We dont need those houses on wheels (Escalade, Suburban, Tahoe, I am talking about those ugly looking cars). Good tires and a clutch pedal and a balanced car is all it takes (and not being an idiot and some common sense). Yes, if you get a subaru WRX and snow tires, you ll beat me. But anyone else with their all seasons? Good luck.

Btw, while conducting my tests, I have almost been hit twice by amateur SUV drivers (and MDX and a Cherokee). One couldnt stop and locked the wheels. The other panicked while taking a turn when seeing me coming from opposite direction and hit the curb sideways.

Hope this helps to others who thought about doing this but didnt do it because they thought a RWD 500+ hp car cant do it in snow. This car is meant to be enjoyed

UAmach1 said:
I loved when I had my Mach1 and it snowed. I'd see nothing but trucks and SUV's putting around and i'd just roll by with 2 Blizzaks in the rear and stock all-seasons in the front.

Great, now there's two of them ;)

;0 ) ;) :cheers::cheers::cheers:

Guardstang · Dec 10, 2017

I've been driving in the snow since 1977, so far so good. Southern Ontario can be funny, Buffalo is an hour drive away but they can be clobbered by snow and we got nothing. We can have a very mild winter buy then during spring break Whamm, 10 inches in a few hours and then its melted in 2 days. My wife's Journey is the first car we bought snows for , all our other vehicles have been FWD with all seasons. My only concern with winter driving is how deep the snow gets--you can get around on the main streets no problem because they are constantly plowed but subdivisions get done last and its that last bit of getting to my driveway that concerns me the most.

JAJ · Dec 10, 2017

All the comments in this thread about SUV's are interesting but there's more to it than all wheel drive. I did 1000 miles over the last 10 days in winter conditions in the mountains. Two snowstorms and dense fog along the way. I was in the family Explorer and I wouldn't want any of the other vehicles for this. I've driven in snow for decades and the Explorer has Blizzaks and AWD. It'll pretty much go anywhere. But the most important thing is visibility. The SUV is higher and you can see better. At night, in heavy snow and fog, you're above the headlights, not behind them (just remember to turn off the automatic high-beams). It just makes difficult driving easier. The last factor is the idiot factor. There are way too many yahoos in pickup trucks going 80 MPH on snow. If one of these guys starts to spin and tags you, it's going to be ugly. An SUV isn't much better, but it's better.

Tank · Dec 10, 2017

It's hard for me to tolerate salt on my Tacoma, can't imagine putting my 350 through that.
Have fun OP :cheers:

torque124 · Dec 10, 2017

UnhandledException said:
If you are wondering how this car handles in snow, you dont need to wonder anymore. It handles superb.

Facts:

Weather: Snow started around 9:30 am and we had 6.5" of snow by 5pm and temperatures as low as 25F. It became very icy and slippery fairly quickly past 3pm.

Tires: Michelin Alpine PA4. 285s all around on stock wheels.

Slope of my driveway: 9 degrees (which is fairly steep). I measured using my tools - 7' level and a plumb bob and measuring tape.

Tests:

From level ground, drive up on my driveway

Stop in the middle of my driveway, and start going again

Stop from 25 mph

Curve handling at 35 mph

Going down a steep turn

Go up and down my driveway about 20 times to make the snow very compact to the point it turned into ice. My wife fell on her butt trying to watch me twice. You can not even walk on tire marks now to the point I am actually wondering how the hell I am going to get 2+ inches of ice off tomorrow morning.

The car have passed all my unscientific tests with flying colors. Granted I haven't owned an AWD car in my life, SUV or Sedan - my comparison is really against all other RWD cars I have owned and driven in snow with snow tires. Those are:

BMW 2009 335i
BMW 2010 E90 M3
BMW 2014 and 2015 F10 M5 (Yes I owned 2 M5s)
BMW 2015 F80 M3

Of all these cars, E90 M3 was hands down the best car in snow. It was light, naturally aspirated, good LSD. I would rate that car probably 6-7. Following that is the 335i a rating of 5. The F80 and F10 were both marginal, probably a rating of 3 for both. I have had great difficulty in the M5 even though its a much longer wheelbase, heavier car. The problem was the insane torque down low. BMW also does not make a "weather" mode in their cars which is a huge problem in my opinion. There is no reduced torque/power in a true sense. Its more of reduced throttle sensitivity. Whereas with the Shelby I may be wrong but car feels like 200 hp. Plus the biggest difference is the ability to modulate clutch. Yes DCT allows starting from 2nd gear, but not from 3rd gear and it doesnt slip the clutch based on your input to reduce torque.

Anyways, all in all, I cant tell you how pleased I am with this. I know this is very unconventional. But I am taking all the precautions. I have XPEL on 50% of the car. I have 3 coats of sealant on the rest. I have sprayed the undercarriage of the car with fluid film (which seems to work because after parking I heard what I can best describe as soda sparkling noise) and I got one of those undercarriage spray things that I will use while the car is on jack stands.

Final statement : SUVs are so overrated. We dont need big ass SUVs guys. We dont need those houses on wheels (Escalade, Suburban, Tahoe, I am talking about those ugly looking cars). Good tires and a clutch pedal and a balanced car is all it takes (and not being an idiot and some common sense). Yes, if you get a subaru WRX and snow tires, you ll beat me. But anyone else with their all seasons? Good luck.

Btw, while conducting my tests, I have almost been hit twice by amateur SUV drivers (and MDX and a Cherokee). One couldnt stop and locked the wheels. The other panicked while taking a turn when seeing me coming from opposite direction and hit the curb sideways.

Hope this helps to others who thought about doing this but didnt do it because they thought a RWD 500+ hp car cant do it in snow. This car is meant to be enjoyed

I so f**ing agree with you here ! We dont' need any SUV"s around ! They are more trouble than it's worth.... Tons and tons of bad handling, gas guzzler metal. Remember, stopping distance does not improve with AWD, you need good winter tires for that .
I took my wife's GTI out yesterday in snow for a spin (Conti winter tires), and I could outaccelerate and out-brake any big SUV with AWD (GTI is FWD, for the non connoisseurs). :headbang:

VertMustang98GT · Dec 10, 2017

The salt factor here in Ohio is what draws me to getting a DD/Winter Vehicle which is my Raptor.

From 2005 to 2011 I drove my 1998 GT 5 Speed, year-round. A little bit of common sense goes a long way on the road (TC didn't come on my 98).

The first Winter I drove it was a bit of a learning experience but after that. I have loved RWD/AWD in the snow vs. FWD. I drove a Fusion from 2012-2015 in the Winter's but I didn't really like FWD in the snow compared to RWD/4WD based vehicles.

I can respect someone driving their GT350 all year, looking forward to more input.

lsiunsuex · Dec 10, 2017

So good snow tires plus driving responsibly help for sure? Ice is ice, but so long as traction can be had, it's doable?

[video]

milner_7 · Dec 10, 2017

SUV's are great if driven properly and with care. I don't have one bit I do have a daily driver. A Mazda 3. Good on gas, handles good in the winter. I will never drive my 350 in the winter and that's why it will stay looking new and running new for a long time coming. For me its all about keeping care of my baby.

rick81721 · Dec 10, 2017

torque124 said:
... gas guzzler metal. Remember, stopping distance does not improve with AWD, you need good winter tires for that .
I took my wife's GTI out yesterday in snow for a spin (Conti winter tires), and I could outaccelerate and out-brake any big SUV with AWD (GTI is FWD, for the non connoisseurs).

Gas guzzling? Yet we are driving GT350s?? :headbonk:

MulhollandMonster · Dec 10, 2017

rick81721 said:
Gas guzzling? Yet we are driving GT350s?? :headbonk:

The disconnect is amusing. The GT350 is about as self-indulgent and nonutilitarian as it gets. An SUV is more practical by far...I don't drive around muttering to myself what cars people should and shouldn't have.

gearhead2685 · Dec 10, 2017

Man the only thing salty in here is the haters not the roads LOL

Shelby in Snow

Stoked

Well-Known Member

kesando

Member

SVTinAR

Well-Known Member

Zombo

befejezett

stanglife

Well-Known Member

Guardstang

Well-Known Member

JAJ

Well-Known Member

Tank

9/11 - Never Forget

torque124

Torque

VertMustang98GT

Super Moderator

lsiunsuex

Well-Known Member

milner_7

Well-Known Member

rick81721

Well-Known Member

MulhollandMonster

Laus Deo

gearhead2685

Well-Known Member