Winter wheel/tire discussion
#101
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Join Date: December 14, 2007
Location: State of Jefferson Mountains USA
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Funny stuff here.......grew up with nothing but rear wheel drive or 4 wheel drive for the rich. Was no front wheel drive then...... Everyone had two sets of rear tires, and those with money had two sets of rear rims. Drove every day in the snow to school, work, and anywhere else we needed to go. Type of car made no difference. All the snow did was change the driving time and cause one to be more careful. This was in northwest Iowa from in the 50's and 60's and central Kansas in the 70's.
And I'd bet most of those that whine about SRA have little or no experience on snow. Snow is the great teacher.
#102
Shelby GT500 Member
Thank you sir. It seems expensive to take your tires down to a dealership/tire shop and have them switch the tires out every 6 months or so, so I thought maybe it would be more cost effective to just keep a spare set of rims. That's so foreign to me. I have driven on ice/snow about 8-10 times in my life, never more than one day at a time and I never had trouble with it because I just took my time. Living in Texas, you can imagine that cities (such as San Antonio where I live) pretty much shut down with an accumulation of sleet on the roads. I do have to say, I'm glad I don't have to worry about two sets of tires for a Mustang. I think I'd have to own another vehicle and drive it during the winter.
#105
Cobra Member
I live in Western South Dakota, and have the Bridgestone Blizzaks on both my 2011 GT and my wife's VW Passat wagon. You cannot beat them. The car handles fine in the snow, as long as you remember you are driving in snow. I also use 2nd gear to start on ice. The car has so much torque you could probably start in 3rd. No slipin' and slidin'
#106
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Join Date: September 28, 2010
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Thank you sir. It seems expensive to take your tires down to a dealership/tire shop and have them switch the tires out every 6 months or so, so I thought maybe it would be more cost effective to just keep a spare set of rims. That's so foreign to me. I have driven on ice/snow about 8-10 times in my life, never more than one day at a time and I never had trouble with it because I just took my time. Living in Texas, you can imagine that cities (such as San Antonio where I live) pretty much shut down with an accumulation of sleet on the roads. I do have to say, I'm glad I don't have to worry about two sets of tires for a Mustang. I think I'd have to own another vehicle and drive it during the winter.
yes exactly, this is the reason people are getting 2 sets of rims. and also because many of them want to have a nice, shiny pair for summer. I have never been to texas (just to the dallas airport) but I know and frequently visit the southeast (TN, NC, SC..). I know that snow is not something you see everyday there.
if I was living in the US, I probably would also get a winter beater for like 3000 bucks or so...but here I just don't have the room, renting parking spaces is difficult and expensive.
#107
Bullitt Member
Join Date: March 17, 2010
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I drove my 2010 all thru last winter (lots of snow) and this winter (barely any snow) with no issues on the standard Pirelli P-Zero Nero tires. I put (4) 50lb bags of sand in the trunk to help with traction. The only time I ran into issues is when the depth of the snow went above the height of the floor pan of the car. Other than that, the car went great, and I surprised a lot of people. As it has been said multiple times now, getting a dedicated set of snow tires mounted on their own rims is the way to go living in MI. That is what I plan on doing starting next season, when I will be driving my 2013 GT.
#108
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Join Date: January 25, 2010
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Reinforcing the other posts above:
- my 2010 GT is my only car, I live in Massachusetts, and it gets me through the snow no problem
- a set of real snow tires is a very good thing
- better yet, find a set of wheels and tires for the winter and save the good ones for the summer; if you watch used listings like Craig's List for a while you can probably come up with a set of wheels and snow tires for about $500 if you aren't too picky (if you are getting the brembo brakes, that limits your choices quite a bit)
- my 2010 GT is my only car, I live in Massachusetts, and it gets me through the snow no problem
- a set of real snow tires is a very good thing
- better yet, find a set of wheels and tires for the winter and save the good ones for the summer; if you watch used listings like Craig's List for a while you can probably come up with a set of wheels and snow tires for about $500 if you aren't too picky (if you are getting the brembo brakes, that limits your choices quite a bit)
#109
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Join Date: September 4, 2011
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Like other have said, get a set of winter tires and you won't have any
problems. I have Hankook I-pikes on my car on a set of 18" GT take-offs
I found on craigslist. I went with 215-55R-18's they're the closest
diameter I could get to my 255-40R-19 summer tires. Plus narrower
is better IMO for winter tires. I also have a 2WD F150 FX2 SuperCrew
that has a set of Blizzaks (also in the picture) on it, again no problems
in the snow. IMO the limiting factor for the Mustang is ground clearance.
I think you need to be smart about how deep the snow is before you
verture out.
problems. I have Hankook I-pikes on my car on a set of 18" GT take-offs
I found on craigslist. I went with 215-55R-18's they're the closest
diameter I could get to my 255-40R-19 summer tires. Plus narrower
is better IMO for winter tires. I also have a 2WD F150 FX2 SuperCrew
that has a set of Blizzaks (also in the picture) on it, again no problems
in the snow. IMO the limiting factor for the Mustang is ground clearance.
I think you need to be smart about how deep the snow is before you
verture out.
#110
GT Member
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I bought some cheap ones with Rims online. I love my mustang in the snow. It seems to do just as well as my Jeeps ever did, and cough cough my prius (Mt Goat) did...
#112
Cobra R Member
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Yeah, it filters just about everything else!
Don't take all the posts saying "it will be fine" the wrong way. Your car isn't going anywhere the first day/beginning of a decent storm. After the roads are at least plowed, then yes it's doable.
Don't take all the posts saying "it will be fine" the wrong way. Your car isn't going anywhere the first day/beginning of a decent storm. After the roads are at least plowed, then yes it's doable.
#113
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Join Date: January 7, 2011
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I have a 2011 GT with an extra set of rims and snow tires and i grew up with rear wheel drive, so just take your time and if you have hills to go down, just put it in neutral and lightly ride the brakes down the hill. I know some guys will say to keep it in gear but remember when it is in gear, the drive train is still turning and pushing. Trust me i know from experience.
#114
I have a 2011 GT with an extra set of rims and snow tires and i grew up with rear wheel drive, so just take your time and if you have hills to go down, just put it in neutral and lightly ride the brakes down the hill. I know some guys will say to keep it in gear but remember when it is in gear, the drive train is still turning and pushing. Trust me i know from experience.
#115
Shelby GT500 Member
Yeah, sorry, you never put a vehicle in neutral going down a hill. You have no control over the wheels other than stopping them from rotating, and if you're doing so on ice, you're just begging to lose traction. Youtube is full of videos of cars, in park, sliding down iced roads and bouncing off cars parked along the curb. Not a good idea.
#117
GTR Member
Thread Starter
OP, if you're still out there (since you haven't replied to this), if you're in MI, look at ordering from www.buyfordracing.com. I ordered my 18" GT500 wheels yesterday and had them today. I ordered the Blizzak LM-60s from Tire Rack yesterday as well and got them today from their South Bend, IN warehouse. You might be able to go with another wheel if you're not going to get the Brembos, but this was one of my only choices for my setup.
#118
Tires/rims for winter
For those in northern climates what tire/rim combination do you run in the winter? I just ordered a V6 with the performance package and summer tires but will obviously have to use something different when the seasons change. Thanks
#120
Thanks, my last car was a 08 speed3 interestingly enough. I slid around one winter with the stock potenzas and decided never again. On the Stang it looks like I'll have to go with 18's and winter tires. Can't find 255/40-19 winter tires.