Winter/snow driving your Mustang?
 

Okay so after being properly rebuked in another thread I started for tee-ing off on someone on the road in excess of 100mph, it's time to shift down to a more tame and relevant topic.

I'm the new owner of a 2013 Mustang V6 Pony that I've re-tuned and made some Premium enhancements to. I live in a pretty cold and snowy state in the winter time. One hesitation I had in purchasing my Mustang was winter driving.

I've driven rear-wheel drive vehicles for a long time in the snow. It's not the funnest thing, but it can be done with the right amount of caution and without doing stupid stuff.

Here's my concern on the Mustang however. I would think it's pretty easy to end up sending more power to the rear axle than intended and end up turning the car sideways or spinning out in the snow. (If you live in a snowy state, you know there are different kinds of snow too, some providing more traction that others, but in general, snow is still slick however you cut it.)

I will say I am impressed with the traction control of this vehicle in the rain. I have to dial it down like everyone else when it rains, but it has incredible traction control in the rain. So I'm hopeful for the snow.

(On the other hand, in a Dodge Challenger I drove in the rain once, the rain was sheer and utter Kryptonite.)

Question: Does anyone here have experience driving their Mustang year round in snowy, winter weather? I'm interesting in knowing what to expect. I don't want this thing in ditch, so I plan on taking it extra easy. But again, I'm concerned about inadvertently sending more power to the rear axle than I intended. It's a powerful vehicle, even as just a V6.

I'd love to hear some experiences here. Thanks!

I drive mine year round. We can get a fair amount of snow in New Jersey. I ended up driving home in a blizzard on the turnpike in February, about 90 minutes, and it did fine. They key is to just use the necessary caution. I saw many cars wiped out on that drive.

My 08 was a DD and my 14 is my DD and I have driven in the snow. It wasn't bad as long as you take it easy and don't spin the rear wheels. Also probably the hardest part of driving in winter was getting out of my driveway since it's gravel. With all those snowstorms last year the ice built up in our driveway and made it impossible to get my car out in just one try.

Winter tires are a wonderful thing.

ran mine all year around for several years on the stock all season prellies. No problems at all traction control is your friend to say the least. I like it off most of the time tho.

I *am* going to do that. This came with summer tires, so I am going to get all season or winter tires, yes. I may just go ahead and swap these 18" for the Premium 19" while I'm at it.

Why?

I ran my 11 v6 and 12 GT year round in snowy Indiana on all seasons. Just don't be stupid and all is well.

Good plan with the summer tires, Erik. When the temps get below 40, those Pirellis will become your worst enemy. Also, some weight in the trunk can increase traction by bearing down on your drive wheels. (As a long-time reloader, I've found bags of lead shot to be the perfect compromise between maximum weight and minimum volume, leaving a decent amount of trunk room available for hauling.)

I used to place four 50# bags of concrete in the back of a 1980 Dodge van I had a while back (3 on the floor -- fun to drive for a van) in the winter time -- worked like a charm. Almost felt like a four wheel drive. (Almost.)

I thought of adding some weight to the back this way, yep, yep.

Agreed.

In the OPs case, his car came with stock BF Goodrich or Michelin. These are standard on the v6 and only different because of transmission. He should be fine with either because they are all seasons.

Yes, The Pirelli summer tires are a death wish in winter. Worst tires ever. However, Pirelli all seasons aren't that bad.

"The Old Farmer's Almanac" says we're in for another one just like last winter, Patrick. I'm not really up for that; guess I'll be thinking about sneaking down to Houston. Having trouble talking the cat into it, though.

Tire Rack has some great prices on snow tires.. I'm sure with all the "nanny" systems on this car, snow tires should work well and make the car very capable- especially in the snowy northeast lol

Btw that wasn't a sales pitch.. I just checked prices there is all.. Lol

Winterforce tires(have run studded and non) with two bags of sand(60 lb) in the trunk, zero issues for 7 years of the worst MA could dish out.
Ran the GT 1 year with studded, no issues, now I have a beater truck for winter duties.

I drove my previous 2012 GT through the winter with all seasons. I am lucky, I drive to the airport and back. However, some of the slick, winter driving on back roads increased my trip timewise. Slipping made me nervous. Not planning to do it with my 2013 GT with nicer rims and summer tires...haven't figured out what to do yet....

someone is selling a set of those blitz whatevers in the for sale section

What size winter tires do you guys use? I've been looking around for tires. PMCTire look good and they recommended 17" - 215/65-17 for a good winter tire size instead of the current 18" - 235/50-18. Makes sense as the 17" are a little thinner and should be high enough with the 65 - 17.

We can get a decent amount of snow so I'll need 4 winter tires and probably some weight in the back.

Might want to get those 17" tires with an outside diameter that closely approximates your warm weather tires. That way your speedo readout should be close enough to what you're currently seeing to keep the law off your back. Just a thought.

That is a great thought. Didn't think of that. :(. Thanks for the pointer.