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Driving in the winter!

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Old 10-14-2009, 03:12 PM
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rumtillidie
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Exclamation Driving in the winter!

Hey guys I just wanted to ask about winter driving. What is so bad about driving the mustang in the winter? I'm planning on putting on my winter tires on it because I'm not able to pay for the insurance on my other car which is front wheel drive. What can happen while I'm driving in the snow with the mustang? Something to do with the rear tires?

BTW my winter tires size are: 195-65R15 is that going to work?
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Old 10-14-2009, 04:07 PM
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WannaBeGearHead
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Anything can happen when your driving in the snow lol Mustangs are rear wheel drive cars making them a little more squirmy when driving in the snow. I don't know if that size tire is ok but I think a lot just depends on the tread pattern of the tire.

You can get around with Mustangs in the snow you just have to be smart, careful and find a good route to get to your destination (ie avoiding big hills, side street etc.)
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Old 10-14-2009, 05:22 PM
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rumtillidie
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Originally Posted by WannaBeGearHead
Anything can happen when your driving in the snow lol Mustangs are rear wheel drive cars making them a little more squirmy when driving in the snow. I don't know if that size tire is ok but I think a lot just depends on the tread pattern of the tire.

You can get around with Mustangs in the snow you just have to be smart, careful and find a good route to get to your destination (ie avoiding big hills, side street etc.)
Thanks for the info! Even when driving the mustang in the rain the car sometimes slides at the back but the traction control kicks in and stops it from sliding. That's only when I'm turning and i accelerate fast hehe. I'll try and take a picture of the tire and you guys can tell me if the tread pattern is good.

My old car didn't even have traction control....when it slid it did many circles on the road embarrassing lol.
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Old 10-14-2009, 07:06 PM
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Jazzer The Cat
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One help is the narrower width of the tires you are running on your ride. A wider tire will tend to ride on top of snow and not cut down into it and compact for some traction.

Please give us the make/model of tire and will help you decide if it is a good tire for the snow. Some higher performance tires are going to have trouble in the snow as the tread pattern can get compacted with snow and act like a slick. A snow tire will likely have lots of broken blocks on the edges so the snow falls out upon rotation.

Jazzer... the new Mad-Mod of the Tires/Wheels section, so watch out y'all
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Old 10-15-2009, 09:23 AM
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jmsjags
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like jazzer said a skinnier tire will perform better in the snow and rain because it doesn't have as much contact area with the road. it will "slice" through the snow and rain rather than floating over it (hydroplaning). make sure u get some winter or all-season tires too. high performance summer tires will lose traction in cold weather and they also don't have very good tread patterns for navigating harsh weather.

and if it does snow or ice over one day, u can throw some sandbags in the trunk for added traction
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Old 10-19-2009, 11:50 AM
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smitty2919
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i like to throw 2 50lb sandbags in the trunk over the wheels(right behind the back seat) and some snow tires.

first time for driving my mustang in the winter and with a 5speed as well. picked up some V6 16" aluminum wheels and Michelin Pilot Alpine, both off craigslist. wheels were $130 and tires were $200 used one winter basically new. ohh they are 205/55/16's

just dont be stupid and drive defensively. take your time and be smart when going places thats all. stangs are already a fairly light car so keep that in mind as well. im driving the stang going from Tbirds and a Mark8(alot heavier) so you bet your a$$ im going to be quite patient in the snow.
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Old 10-20-2009, 11:56 AM
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rumtillidie
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Originally Posted by smitty2919
i like to throw 2 50lb sandbags in the trunk over the wheels(right behind the back seat) and some snow tires.

first time for driving my mustang in the winter and with a 5speed as well. picked up some V6 16" aluminum wheels and Michelin Pilot Alpine, both off craigslist. wheels were $130 and tires were $200 used one winter basically new. ohh they are 205/55/16's

just dont be stupid and drive defensively. take your time and be smart when going places thats all. stangs are already a fairly light car so keep that in mind as well. im driving the stang going from Tbirds and a Mark8(alot heavier) so you bet your a$$ im going to be quite patient in the snow.

I have two single 12" subwoofer boxes in my trunk on each side so I think that is going to help with the weight! Sorry about not posting the picturs guys, I've been sick since friday but I will post soon! Also how much does rust proofing cost? I've never done it before but seems like I'll have to for the mustang! Remember I'm in Canada not the US!
My old car was all rust underneath hehe and I mean everything!
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Old 10-21-2009, 07:26 AM
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smitty2919
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look into POR-15....its a paint on rust proofer/rust converter that i have heard good things about. little on the expensive side but if you dont want rust it may be something your looking for.

http://www.por15.com/
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Old 10-21-2009, 08:23 AM
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rumtillidie
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Winter Tire


My Tire


Thread Pattern on the Winter Tire



What do you guys think of the tire? My dad says it might not fit because the tire we have on now is 60R15 and the winter tire is 65R15...also the rustproofing I can get done for $100, but the mechanic said he uses ceramic rustproofing, another mechanic can do it for $60 but its the oil based on. What do you guys say about that?

Last edited by rumtillidie; 10-21-2009 at 01:06 PM.
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Old 10-22-2009, 11:17 AM
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colin@tirerack
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A 195/65-15 is about 25" in diameter. The 225/60 size you have is about 25.6" so they they should fit fine.
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