Bob_Young

Looking for a set for my '13 V6 coupe (manual trans). Being an old-timer that's driven in snow (Syracuse, Boston, Pittsburgh & northern Indiana) my whole life; I can't get my head around the "need" for a full set of 4 snow tires.

For example, why is the Mustang worse in snow than the '71 Pinto that was my first new car; or the succession of 2WD F100s and F150s that followed it; or the GTO that preceded the Pinto? Each got through the winter with a set of snows in the back...that's it. Why does the Mustang need more?

It's got Pirelli Zero-Neros on it. Did OK the other night in a fresh snowfall except Traction Control went active when it climbed the lady friend's steep driveway.

aaquib1992

Because your mustang likely has more power, thus higher chances of spinning out should you get careless in throttle modulation. Moreover, I doubt your F150s/pinto had high performance all seasons (essentially summer tires in my experience, as they got hard as hockey pucks below 30 deg.F) that give you poor traction once it gets below freezing outside.

The RWD layout doesn't really help either, as you may get away with just snow tires in the rear to get you going in deep snow/ice but stopping will be a problem if you kept the Pzeros on the front.

Weight has a lot to do with it as well, mustangs are very light in the rear, RWD plus that weight distribution will equal bad things.

Bob_Young

OK, but what about the '66 GTO? That had more power than the Mustang. And all my 'golden oldies' had belted tires. Are they better in snow than radials?

Stopping's always a problem in the winter. Can't tell where the black ice is or whether there's ice under the snow. Slush is the worst; it's like grease. Unless the pavement's obviously clear and dry, I always drive like I have half the stopping ability I think I have in winter.

Maybe driving like Grandma is what has saved me. If I feel the rears starting to spin, I back off on the throttle and/or push in the clutch. MT makes you more sensitive to this.

aaquib1992

Can't comment on your GTO as I have never driven one, but whether or not your mustang is worse in snow is entirely up to where/how you drive it, and in what conditions. If your GTO did not require snow tires that is excellent, but it comes down to how confident you are with your mustang. Many members here do not run winter tires and get along fine, however I have always felt it's cheap insurance against other driver's poor judgement should I need to maneuver away in a panic situation.

You can drive as safe as possible, but when that careless SUV comes barreling at you from between the median, or the guy in front of you decides to stand on the brakes for no good reason, you're going to wish you had some softer rubber to help you maneuver out of said predicament.

Personally I have found Firestone Winterforce tires to be very good for their price (one of the cheapest winter tires out there) and I've run them for about 2 winters without problems. Very impressive tire.

Nuke

Snows on all 4's simply is the better option than just snows on the drive wheels. I, too, spent my entire life driving PA, NJ and IL winters and did fine on 2 snow tires. However, none of the DOZENS of vehicles that I owned meant nearly as much to me as my Stang does (well, that '78 Camaro may have come close) so if I HAD to drive my Stang in the northern winter, I'd certainly consider snows on all 4's.

up_yours_7

Nitto motivo is what I have for snow and they do great so far

stoneblue

This will be the 6th winter with my blizzaks, 16s with steel wheels, butt ugly but they work great. One year I let my son use 2 of them and I left the stock wheels on the front. That sucked. The car dosen't turn very well, Its well worth the exta money.

jomcgui

I have the firestone winterforce on mine. Christmas eve I went out and we had wet snow with 29 degree weather. Had a fair amount of slippage but my girlfriend was freaking out so I took her escape to the family functions. Since then I put about 145# of olympic plates in the trunk and passenger area. Tonight we had 6" and by 10pm it was that crusty slush all over. Took the car out in the parking lot for donuts/drifting to get my winter driving skills refreshed. 20 miles home on this slush covered highway. Kept a steady 45mph uphill downhill and past several rwd cars that were spinning out in the slush. The mustang was just solid. The winter tires don't have the squishy feeling that I remember with all seasons. Just grip and go.
I also left the traction control on. Tried with traction off and just didn;t have the control in turns. On my VW I'd leave TC off in the deep stuff. Never going back to driving in winter without snow tires.
BTW the firestones with about $100 wheels and tpms from tirerack were about $1100 at least back in october they were.

Nuke

The Firestone WinterForce is a great dedicated winter tire for the money. I put a set of 4 on my sons Camry a few winters ago in the Philly area when they had a record breaking winter snowfall and he absolutely loved how he was able to get around. Just sayin'...

MarkThorn

I chose the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 studded (quite expensive) but there's a lot of snow around here!
Believe me, those are the best!