Winter driving

[DarkestHour]

Six inches of snow overnight. I'll let you guys know how my car does in a couple hours. Need to shovel the driveway first.

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[Blue Horse]

Six inches of snow overnight. I'll let you guys know how my car does in a couple hours. Need to shovel the driveway first.

Where in Minnesota do you live,I used to live in Woodbury Minnesota, then retired to S/W Florida 16 years ago.

 

[thumper]

two things i've been struggling with the most driving in the snow/ice is on hills. i haven't gotten stuck yet (i am on pirelli sottozeros). i have a GT PP 6spd, and i've been forced to disable snow mode and traction control otherwise there is no chance of climbing any hills with either or both of them on (i'm talking 15-30%+ grades they have where i live). the combination of both pulls power back so much the car will either stall even with your foot down to the floor on the gas pedal, or the service advancetrac/abs fail warnings come on as it gives up altogether.

so with the nannies turned off, the car always adopts a tail out full opposite lock to the left attitude when climbing the hills. and when starting off on pack/black ice with all the nannies on or in 2nd with even light throttle, the tail will drift right with the crown of the road...

is anyone else getting this?

 

[Cobra Jet]

I've driven (19) Mustangs in the snow, all prior with NO modern day electronics to "assist" - this includes my 94 Cobra. The 16 EB even though equipped with the electronic assists, I've driven it without in the snow.

It's called drive with common sense.

1) always have full tank of gas

2) air down tires by 2-5lbs - this gives more contact patch to the road and to get through snow

3) never try to full throttle it off of a stop

4) give yourself PLENTY of braking distance between you and the car up front - I don't care how many safety features the car does or does not have, DO IT

5) get (3) 50lb bags of kitty litter or rock salt - place them in the trunk. This provides more weight over the rear wheels (including full tank of gas). It also provides traction IF you need to take a bag and dump it under the wheels. Besides come spring, donate the litter to an animal shelter or use the rock salt for whatever.

6) manual trans equipped vehicle - start in lower gear such as 2, it helps with regulating wheel spin

7) Z-rated or Summer only tires - sure they are best for warm/hot weather, but you CAN drive on them in the winter IF you're using common sense AND providing the tires are NOT bald....

8) put a small compact shovel in your trunk - this way if you DO get stuck, you can dig out the snow from under the tires where slipping.

9) don't rush trying to get from A to B because of the weather - you're going to get there, rather be safe than sorry.

10) don't "get comfortable" and think to yourself "yes, this is cake, I got it", because the moment you take it up a notch is when the shit will hit the fan in snow or ice conditions

11) be cautious and do not underestimate the ignorance of other drivers around you! If someone is getting too close from behind, move out of their way into another lane and let them pass... If the driver in front is constantly braking because they are "driving scared", again if possible get into another lane. Both drivers described above will be the ones to cause an accident because THEY are being careless in bad weather

12) make sure al areasl of your visibility is CLEARED before heading out on the highway or roads... Meaning, clear all of the snow or frost off ALL windows and mirrors!! Turn on those defrosters, use them!!

If you drive S-M-A-R-T in the winter with ANY rear-wheel drive performance vehicle, you'll get through it with no issues.

 

[BoostedCanadianPoney]

I've driven (19) Mustangs in the snow, all prior with NO modern day electronics to "assist" - this includes my 94 Cobra. The 16 EB even though equipped with the electronic assists, I've driven it without in the snow.


7) Z-rated or Summer only tires - sure they are best for warm/hot weather, but you CAN drive on them in the winter IF you're using common sense AND providing the tires are NOT bald....

.

I disagree, I lost traction many time with my pzeros because of the cold, even when its not snowing or raining, it is extremely dangerous to drive summer only in below freezing temps

 

[GJarrett]

Good post. If I can add something from my extensive 4x4 offroad and 2wd snow/ice experience, you can "air down" the tires a lot more than 2-5 lbs if you do not plan on driving fast - which in extreme snow/ice conditions should not be as issue. In ice/snow with higher profile tires in my other vehicles I go to 20 lbs and it makes a WORLD of difference with traction. This is my first low profile tire vehicle so I don't know how that would work, but would have no problem trying out 25 lbs or a little less.

 

[BmacIL]

I've driven (19) Mustangs in the snow, all prior with NO modern day electronics to "assist" - this includes my 94 Cobra. The 16 EB even though equipped with the electronic assists, I've driven it without in the snow.

It's called drive with common sense.

1) always have full tank of gas

2) air down tires by 2-5lbs - this gives more contact patch to the road and to get through snow

3) never try to full throttle it off of a stop

4) give yourself PLENTY of braking distance between you and the car up front - I don't care how many safety features the car does or does not have, DO IT

5) get (3) 50lb bags of kitty litter or rock salt - place them in the trunk. This provides more weight over the rear wheels (including full tank of gas). It also provides traction IF you need to take a bag and dump it under the wheels. Besides come spring, donate the litter to an animal shelter or use the rock salt for whatever.

6) manual trans equipped vehicle - start in lower gear such as 2, it helps with regulating wheel spin

7) Z-rated or Summer only tires - sure they are best for warm/hot weather, but you CAN drive on them in the winter IF you're using common sense AND providing the tires are NOT bald....

8) put a small compact shovel in your trunk - this way if you DO get stuck, you can dig out the snow from under the tires where slipping.

9) don't rush trying to get from A to B because of the weather - you're going to get there, rather be safe than sorry.

10) don't "get comfortable" and think to yourself "yes, this is cake, I got it", because the moment you take it up a notch is when the shit will hit the fan in snow or ice conditions

11) be cautious and do not underestimate the ignorance of other drivers around you! If someone is getting too close from behind, move out of their way into another lane and let them pass... If the driver in front is constantly braking because they are "driving scared", again if possible get into another lane. Both drivers described above will be the ones to cause an accident because THEY are being careless in bad weather

12) make sure al areasl of your visibility is CLEARED before heading out on the highway or roads... Meaning, clear all of the snow or frost off ALL windows and mirrors!! Turn on those defrosters, use them!!

If you drive S-M-A-R-T in the winter with ANY rear-wheel drive performance vehicle, you'll get through it with no issues.

All excellent advice, except this. I am a very competent driver and my wife and I would not have made it home to Chicago from Detroit today had I been on summers (occasional whiteout conditions, hills and subpar plowing on I-94). It was a straightforward drive because I have snow tires on, and would've been a bit, puckering, shall we say, on all-seasons.

PSA: Don't drive on summer tires in the winter, particularly if you live in a place where it snows regularly between Dec and Mar. The rubber compound in summers gets extremely hard, and there's no tread pattern that's going to help you get traction if the friction coefficient is super low because the rubber is rock hard. This is outside the risk of cracking that can happen and cost you a bunch of money. I would say this no matter what kind of car, as regardless of how many drive tires you have, braking and neutral cornering are not improved by all/4 wheel drive. Don't be a cheap-ass, people. Get all-seasons if you don't get much snow in your area, but mostly just cold, and get winters if you do get snow often. You can get by on all-seasons if you practice the above points with RWD.

 

[mindys]

As Bmac said, do not drive on summer tires if you get snow in the winter, especially the P Zeros that come with Performance Package cars. All it takes is a very thin film of snow on the road and just a slight incline and the PZeros will become absolutely worthless. Even with my winter tires and no weight in the trunk if there is a hill that is absolutely covered with snow (and I have no weight in the rear), the rear will walk sideways even with soft acceleration! If you want to drive this car in the winter, then winter tires + some bags of sand/salt for added weight in the rear which you can use in an emergency if you lose traction.

 

[swat 79]

Pretty much, if it is dry Summer Tires can get the job done but you have to be careful and drive cautiously until they warm up. If the ground is wet (>40) or there is snow on the ground, it is legitimately nerve racking and very dangerous.

 

[Machelen]

As Bmac said, do not drive on summer tires if you get snow in the winter, especially the P Zeros that come with Performance Package cars. All it takes is a very thin film of snow on the road and just a slight incline and the PZeros will become absolutely worthless. Even with my winter tires and no weight in the trunk if there is a hill that is absolutely covered with snow (and I have no weight in the rear), the rear will walk sideways even with soft acceleration! If you want to drive this car in the winter, then winter tires + some bags of sand/salt for added weight in the rear which you can use in an emergency if you lose traction.

Not really for the snow tires, I have Hankook Icept Evo that I have been using since 2013 winter and with 6 or 7/32nd on them now. On a hill covered in snow in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, I had no problem with getting up straight. No fish tails no drifting etc. Maybe you turned off traction control? Or 5 Inches plus snow on the ground?

For everyone, an advice, if you running normal mode, DO NOT TURN OFF TRACTION CONTOL; otherwise, a bit ice or snow on the hill is all you need to get a happy "fish":amen:.

 

[BmacIL]

Not really for the snow tires, I have Hankook Icept Evo that I have been using since 2013 winter and with 6 or 7/32nd on them now. On a hill covered in snow in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, I had no problem with getting up straight. No fish tails no drifting etc. Maybe you turned off traction control? Or 5 Inches plus snow on the ground?

For everyone, an advice, if you running normal mode, DO NOT TURN OFF TRACTION CONTOL; otherwise, a bit ice or snow on the hill is all you need to get a happy "fish":amen:.

Agreed. Not much weight in the back is needed with snows. I have some there currently but not intentionally for this and maybe 50 lbs tops. Also, too much weight back there will make the car act a bit like a pendulum if it starts moving around. Polar moment of inertia for you...

 

[metalhead79]

I had a couple spots where the rear kicked out a little on my winters with two 70lb sandbags in the trunk, one over each wheel well and in snow mode. I either gave it a little too much gas or these Sottozero 3's are going to give me grief later this winter when we start getting the 4-6" snowfalls.

 

[Machelen]

I had a couple spots where the rear kicked out a little on my winters with two 70lb sandbags in the trunk, one over each wheel well and in snow mode. I either gave it a little too much gas or these Sottozero 3's are going to give me grief later this winter when we start getting the 4-6" snowfalls.

How much tread do you have on them? and does the road get plowed?

 

[statix]

I've driven (19) Mustangs in the snow, all prior with NO modern day electronics to "assist" - this includes my 94 Cobra. The 16 EB even though equipped with the electronic assists, I've driven it without in the snow.

It's called drive with common sense.

1) always have full tank of gas

2) air down tires by 2-5lbs - this gives more contact patch to the road and to get through snow

3) never try to full throttle it off of a stop

4) give yourself PLENTY of braking distance between you and the car up front - I don't care how many safety features the car does or does not have, DO IT

5) get (3) 50lb bags of kitty litter or rock salt - place them in the trunk. This provides more weight over the rear wheels (including full tank of gas). It also provides traction IF you need to take a bag and dump it under the wheels. Besides come spring, donate the litter to an animal shelter or use the rock salt for whatever.

6) manual trans equipped vehicle - start in lower gear such as 2, it helps with regulating wheel spin

7) Z-rated or Summer only tires - sure they are best for warm/hot weather, but you CAN drive on them in the winter IF you're using common sense AND providing the tires are NOT bald....

8) put a small compact shovel in your trunk - this way if you DO get stuck, you can dig out the snow from under the tires where slipping.

9) don't rush trying to get from A to B because of the weather - you're going to get there, rather be safe than sorry.

10) don't "get comfortable" and think to yourself "yes, this is cake, I got it", because the moment you take it up a notch is when the shit will hit the fan in snow or ice conditions

11) be cautious and do not underestimate the ignorance of other drivers around you! If someone is getting too close from behind, move out of their way into another lane and let them pass... If the driver in front is constantly braking because they are "driving scared", again if possible get into another lane. Both drivers described above will be the ones to cause an accident because THEY are being careless in bad weather

12) make sure al areasl of your visibility is CLEARED before heading out on the highway or roads... Meaning, clear all of the snow or frost off ALL windows and mirrors!! Turn on those defrosters, use them!!

If you drive S-M-A-R-T in the winter with ANY rear-wheel drive performance vehicle, you'll get through it with no issues.

:clap2::clap2: So True!

 

[metalhead79]

How much tread do you have on them? and does the road get plowed?

Not even 1000 miles on them yet, lol. Road don't get plowed in my neighborhood. I was starting in 1st gear, so that could have been it. Probably should been in 2nd...

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