OK, thanks for the reply. Those sound like they're a good tire to have in Texas since I never know what the weather is going to be like!

Sometimes like a couple of weeks ago, we can get ice! Not fun!

 

If I was daily driving there in Motown (or Chicago, my home town), I would have a set of snow tires. In Cincinnati, the all-seasons work reasonably enough, given the smaller snow amounts and fewer days we have it on the ground. I think they would be overkill in my situation.

In the case of the original poster, it sounds like his usage would be pretty low-key in the winter. So long as he doesn't get caught in the wet and watches his speed, snow tires might be more than what he needs as well.

While I have never driven on them, I do realize they are constructed quite differently and would bring added confidence while traveling in the conditions that would bring summer tires (and to some extent all-seasons) to their knees. Other rear-wheel car drivers I know report similar to what you mention here.

 

We have snow tires on our Subaru, but this is the first time I've bought snow tires in 23 years worth of driving in central Ohio. Even still they probably wouldn't have been necessary, but it gives me some peace of mind to have my wife driving a snow tire equipped Subaru when the roads are snow covered which happens here at least a few times every winter.

I did drive my first two Mustangs on occasion in the winter if I really needed to (both V8 Foxes), but I've always had at least one other FWD or 4WD car in addition to my Mustangs, and they were my first choice for winter driving, not the Mustangs. If a V8 Mustang was my only vehicle and I had to daily drive it year round, I'd definitely get a set of snow tires for winter use.

 

This is exactly what I'm talking about.

The point here: you're spending how much on the track pack? Why not get the summer high performance tires and use the track pack? Then throw some winter tires on and have confidence in the water, snow and cold.

I drive a 2008 Mustang GT.
I now Pirelli renamed the PZeroNero M&S lineup, not sure if they did anything else to them.
The only suspension upgrades I have are LCAs, and a better panhard rod. Just the LCAs made the Pirelli Pzero Nero's the weakest link in the car's setup. They're not that great of tires for performance, but they handle wet and snow OK. And they came on the car. Take it from me though: they will become a nightmare in the wet and snow when you get to about 50% of their treadwear. Mine lasted 25k miles before I replaced them. And I've never done a burn out or squealed my tires.

I'm a little chagrined here because someone asked me how the PZeroNero's were about 8 months ago. This was in the summer and before I bought the snow tires.

If you're tight on cash, the PZeroNero's work OK. They did for me for two years.
But if you can spend $1,500 on a track pack with name brand brakes... why stick with tires that will be the biggest thing holding you back on performance?

Just food for thought. You really can't go wrong either way, but there's a world of difference in the tiny details, neh?


EDIT: A counterpoint: the PZeroNero M&Ses definitely corner better in the warm dry stuff than the snow tires.... But I like excuses to jack my car up and look at the get-to-it bits underneath the car.

 

I think the original poster wanted to know if snow tires were a necessary purchase, given the limited frequency with which he would drive his car in conditions where all-seasons or winter tires would perform best. If he isn't really driving it much in the winter, then he is sticking with tires that are well-matched with his intended usage.

 

Like I said the new Mustang will be replacing a '73 Corvette. The Vette is not roadworthy for snow, too much torque for the P235/70R15 tires. I don't drive it in the snow nor do I plan to drive the new Mustang in the snow or rain or ice or anything but a nice warm dry day. In Virginia it will get cold for Virginia, just cool for the northern states,and I may want to take the car out for exercise when it is +/- 40F. I realize that the traction will be less on the cooler days, I was just wondering about the issues of the summer tires on a 'cool' day.

 

I know, I was just bringing out all of the thoughts that have been running through my head over the past two years and my observations on PZeroNero M&Ses. Figure someone else might benefit from my mental instability.

 

Obviously my comments are location biased, but anyone in the Midwest or East Coast knows about snow, and knows that not just the snow, but the cold weather effects on your tires. I would HOPE that most people would be a little more cautious given the inclement weather, but not everyone follows that philosophy.

Even for those of you in the colder areas (not snowy), a good set of all-seasons would preserve your sticky tires and help you in the cold mornings if you drive the car year round.

 

I currently run a PZero Nero M&S on my 'winter' wheels, and Yokohama Parada Spec 2's on my 'summer/track' wheels. The Pirelli's are more than capable for the weather. Given the choice again, I'd still go with a winter set, but when I initially got those, I didn't have a second set of wheels yet for summer use.

 

Ah, got it - thanks!

 

Continental also makes some awesome tires. I just recently bought 255/45/18 Continental Extreme Contact DWS (dry, wet, snow) tires for my supercharged 07 Mustang GT and these tires are awesome in dry, wet, and cold. Haven't tried them in the snow yet. They hook better in the rain than the stock BFG's hooked on dry pavement.

 

I've been driving my summer tires all winter. i have an 06 Tacoma 4x4 lifted with 33 inch tires that i drive on rainy and snowy days... but when its dry and cold i drive on my 2010 Mustang with summer tires without any issues...in fact i bought my summer tires with my new wheels in the winter, so when it gets hot again, i cant wait to see how much better they will grip. I still have my all seasons that came with the car in my basement...i don't think i will ever use them again...lol

 

You might want to look carefully into exactly what rims and tires you can fit onto a Track Pack car. If it's the 2011 Brembo package, then I bet you will be hard pressed to find a set of 18" rims that will clear the calipers.

 

Remember the 2007-2009 GT500's have the same brakes with 18's as does the 2010 GT500 verts..

Dave

 

18s are the smallest you'll be able to run, 17s are more than likely gonna be too small.

 

This thread is very much location driven. There is NO WAY I would drive in the winter on summer tires up here. All seasons are iffy 5 days out of the week.
Just last week it was sunny and fifty during the afternoon to only drop to the teens by 6pm. I could drive to work with my windows open, to only get stranded or worse, get in an accident, while still being very cautious.
This concerns me that you guys would "take the chance", possibly risking other people's lives to save you a few bucks. Obviously your road conditons are not as extreme as they are here. Just my observations, but they are called accidents for a reason.