Lesson learned on Winter Driving

[SheepDog]

Next time in order to get it back into the garage instead of shoveling for hours, put a large bath towel under the rear tires. You would be amazed at how well it works to gain traction and a bit of momentum.

Sponsored

 

[xmadror]

Dealt with black ice this weekend during the work commute.
It made things interesting. You can feel the weight when you need to brake! (I came from a car that was ~315kg lighter, subaru brz)
I was oversteering in a corner when all of a sudden I lost all traction on the front wheel and had to 4 wheel drift the rest of the corner (traction control was fully off, low speed).
I also had the car start spinning the wheel under light acceleration in 4th (with tc on) which made the tail happy and missed a turn because I couldn't stop in time so I kept going instead.

Overall the ebm is better in the snow then my brz was. But worse on ice.
At least staying off the boost helps a lot even is it sucks the fun out.
On the bright side since we've had snow my mpg improved by ~2!

I probably make it sound worse then it was. Since it's my 1st winter with my ebm and the 1st time I encountered black ice I needed to establish some sort of base line and tried a few thing to see how the car would react. I'd say I learned some valuable info after this that could help me in an emergency situation.

 

[Brodirt]

Maybe Im too cautious. Forecast here in NYC was a balmy 46 high so I was gonna drive to work today.
Problem is that at 7am temp was 31, no snow, but with the summer only tires on my EBPP I kept it in the driveway.

 

[Hack]

Dealt with black ice this weekend during the work commute.
It made things interesting. You can feel the weight when you need to brake! (I came from a car that was ~315kg lighter, subaru brz)
I was oversteering in a corner when all of a sudden I lost all traction on the front wheel and had to 4 wheel drift the rest of the corner (traction control was fully off, low speed).
I also had the car start spinning the wheel under light acceleration in 4th (with tc on) which made the tail happy and missed a turn because I couldn't stop in time so I kept going instead.

Overall the ebm is better in the snow then my brz was. But worse on ice.
At least staying off the boost helps a lot even is it sucks the fun out.
On the bright side since we've had snow my mpg improved by ~2!

I probably make it sound worse then it was. Since it's my 1st winter with my ebm and the 1st time I encountered black ice I needed to establish some sort of base line and tried a few thing to see how the car would react. I'd say I learned some valuable info after this that could help me in an emergency situation.

That's why I use traction control all the time. IMO it's worth it. I've gone into slides like you are describing and the computer did something and I was in good shape again.

I also get better fuel economy in the winter. Definitely have to drive easier.

 

[69mach1-395]

Maybe Im too cautious. Forecast here in NYC was a balmy 46 high so I was gonna drive to work today.
Problem is that at 7am temp was 31, no snow, but with the summer only tires on my EBPP I kept it in the driveway.

If it were me with my tires, I would do it. Not sure which tires you have though.

 

[LSchicago]

I totally agree with not driving on summer tires in cold temps. However, I don't know how people can go all winter without driving their Mustangs! I live in Minneapolis and in addition to some days with crappy, salty, icy, snow packed roads, we also have winter days when the roads are perfectly clear and dry. I use all-season tires in the winter and take my car out every chance I get. To each his own....

I just drive mine on nice days. If it snowed I wait until after a good rain, and it's dry out. I don't want the salt on my car.

 

[NoVaGT]

Maybe Im too cautious. Forecast here in NYC was a balmy 46 high so I was gonna drive to work today.
Problem is that at 7am temp was 31, no snow, but with the summer only tires on my EBPP I kept it in the driveway.

If you just drive like a normal, sane person, using SO tires when it's cold is fine, as long as the roads are clear. And Firestone's Indy 500s are amazing in the cold, ridiculously so, and also in the rain.

The Pirelli SO tires are crap....truly crap. And I used to defend them. They're a few generations of tire technology out of date now.

 

[Deleted member 35786]

I just drive mine on nice days. If it snowed I wait until after a good rain, and it's dry out. I don't want the salt on my car.

I do not miss those days. That is why I moved south years ago, you can have it.. Now I have punishing heat/hummidity to deal with.

 

[LSchicago]

I do not miss those days. That is why I moved south years ago, you can have it.. Now I have punishing heat/hummidity to deal with.

It will be 53* today in the Chicago area, but it's raining. I deal with cold better than the heat & humidity.

 

[Deleted member 35786]

It will be 53* today in the Chicago area, but it's raining. I deal with cold better than the heat & humidity.

We have Hurricanes so there is that... Michael missed us by 70miles and trust me it was a huge pucker factor.

 

[cbrookre]

I live in Minneapolis. Our fall has been pretty short. Think it lasted a week. I always get the oil changed before I park my Mustangs for the winter. This year the season and weather prevented me from doing that earlier when I planned on it and usually do.

So here we are in early December. I either park the car without the oil change or I venture out to the dealership for that free oil change. I looked at the weather and saw a window of sunshine. We had an inch or so of snow last week but Minneapolis does a tremendous job of getting the roads clear. I talked to my dealership and they said bring it in. Are you sure it's ok to drive it? Sure. Come on down.
My gut was telling me to skip the fall/winter oil change since it was so late but hey what the heck. I love driving my Mustang. I have a 17 GT with PP so it has the summer tires. What could go wrong?

Main lesson I see out of this: change your own oil, no driving necessary.

Glad you made it home safe and sound! My Mustang stays home when it is snowy out, but that is pretty rare out here.

 

[Blue Moon]

It will be 53* today in the Chicago area, but it's raining. I deal with cold better than the heat & humidity.

No matter how cold it gets, you can always put on another layer of clothes. But when it gets hot and muggy, you can only take off so many clothes before you have to stop.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

No matter how cold it gets, you can always put on another layer of clothes. But when it gets hot and muggy, you can only take off so many clothes before you are arrested.

Fixed

 

[LSchicago]

No matter how cold it gets, you can always put on another layer of clothes. But when it gets hot and muggy, you can only take off so many clothes before you have to stop.

Or get arrested!

 

[WildHorse]

It's just the tires. Put good tires on, and S550s are just fine in the snow.

Never once felt outta control.. even today with a fresh 5" of snow and -2c temps. Didn't drive like grandma either. Pro tip: keep traction control off with a good set of dedicated winter tires (TOYO G3 ICE in my case).

Sponsored