escapeGT

For past GT's I've owned, I usually get a winter beater. I decided to be a daredevil this time and went with a new Firestone Winterforce snow tire and bullitt wheel package off eBay. Gonna drive the GT through the winter.

Went to the pool supply store and got two narrow water tubes and filled them with sand (about 50 lbs each). They fit just right in the back of the trunk right above the rear axle, and can come out easily when the roads are clear.

My '08 GT has traction control and its a 5-speed, and has so far handled 2 upstate NY snow\ice storms just fine. Stop & go traffic coming home during one snow storm did over-exercise the left foot (clutch).

When I got my license 34 years ago, rear-wheel drive was all there was around to drive in our house. I'll gladly take my setup over the 'front-wheel drive all-season tire slide fest' I've seen around here lately.

Rear-wheel drive rocks!

Sleeper_08

Nice to see someone else driving theirs in the winter. In my case the tires are Blizzak LM-25s on Steeda 18 x 9.5 rims. No weight in the trunk but Toronto usually does not get a lot of snow.

My other adavatange is that if the weather is really bad I can work from home or take public transit to get to work!

I concur on the left leg exercise - I get it every day driving home in rush hour traffic

The big disadvantage living in the Great White North is the waiting between the last track day in the fall and the first spring track day!

drfister

Yea these cars are alight in the snow. The biggest problem is not controling the car in the snow, its avoiding all the other morons who ride your *** and slam on their brakes at the last minute. Always gotta make sure u dont get some POS old *** car behind you, sometimes, they dont stop...

escapeGT

Wow Sleeper 08, 18x9.5's? When I was looking for a snow package there wasn't much choice...looking to go a little smaller on the contact patch. Also with the tighter wheel well, not much room compared to other cars where you usually have enough room to go to a skinnier\slightly taller tire for better snow traction. Stock size works for me.

Ditto on avoiding the uncoordinated crazies on the road. Try as I do to keep enough distance between me and the car in front, it only takes getting rear ended (like I did a few years ago) to be a little concerned.

I try to wash my GT once a week with undercarriage spray to keep the road salt and crap to a minimum.

Can't forget the most important thing...I get to drive my GT everyday. Makes it all worth it!

Sleeper_08

Ditto - the other drivers are always a big concern. It seems that a lot of people don't think there is any need to match their drivng to the conditions.

07musclemustang

yes skinnier is better for the winter. but im an alberta boy running oem "all seasons" DD with no issues to speak of.. yes avoid tailgaters and keep a decent following distance and my 2cents keep tcs off and use your clutch. . thats what its there for.

Sleeper08 congrats on gt running in t. hows the 401? (my wifes from north york)

Sleeper_08

I live at Yonge & Sheppard and commute to Don Mills and Eglinton so only go on the 401 from Bayview to Leslie every day. Most days that short piece is OK but there are days.......

The biggest aggravation is stop and go with the 5 speed and everyone else in an auto - they creep forward a foot at a time and then pull in ahead of me if I wait to go forward.

But it is all worth when I hit the race track

Sleeper_08

Because of my GT500 front calipers the rim choices are limited so the snows are on the same rims as my summer tires. Then finding a 27" dia snow tire to fit the rims led me to the 255/45/18 Blizzak LM-25 tires. They are "skinnier" than my 285/40/18 KDW2s but still a little larger than stock.

Ditto on getting to drive the GT year round!

drfister

Thats gotta be a bitch keepin those rims clean with all the salt and crud thats sloshed all over the roads. Keepin the DD stang lookin good in the winter is a job in itself. I feel your pain/

Sleeper_08

It is a pain, especially as the car is white and the rims are black. Fortunately the dirt doesn't affect the V8 rumble and the crackle of the SC so at least it sounds as good in the winter as the rest of the year