driving in the snow?
07-16-2009, 08:58 AM
#11
6th Gear Member
I've driven in northern winters for over 36 years in a lot of different cars. Yeah, you'll be able to drive it with decent tires and extra weight but you'll be sorry you did after that very first near-miss and the poop in your pants. Also, you may have great traction and may be the best winter driver but that won't stop all those other morons out there from hitting you.
Do yourself a big favor. Get a beater and park the Stang for a couple months. You'll still be able to drive her on those days the roads are clear.
Do yourself a big favor. Get a beater and park the Stang for a couple months. You'll still be able to drive her on those days the roads are clear.
07-16-2009, 11:40 AM
#12
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Missouri
Posts: 10
another realization for winter driving:
the problem isn't with power and FWD/RWD/AWD set-up, it's stopping. anyone driving anything can get 3000+ lbs of whatever moving, it's stopping that machine that is the problem (a 4x4 truck can just as easily end up in the ditch as we can). Give yourself at least double the stopping distance you normally do (aka don't tailgate someone), keep your wheels from locking up when braking (pump brake pedal if need be), slow down waaaay before a turn to prevent having to use the brakes (#1 reason people slide out is braking through a turn in bad wheather imo), and avoid sudden changes at all costs (i.e. sudden stops/braking/starts, jerking the steering wheel to make a missed exit, abrupt lane changes, etc.)
I put ~300 lbs in my trunk every winter using sand bags/tubes and i REALLY notice the difference. your fuel economy decreases ~1 mpg for every 100 lbs of cargo, so im down to ~24 mpg in the winter with the trunk weight, but if you look at the numbers, 3 mpg decrease for a 15 gal. tank is about a net loss of 45 miles per tank full, which is only like 2 gallons of gas. So, putting sand in my trunk costs me ~$5 extra in gas difference per tank. IMO, $5 a tank extra for the added weight is worth it for as much as it helps me in bad wheather, especially after i had to pay the bill for my show-boating accident trying to drift a turn in snow a few years back. . . and dealing with my parents response lol
the problem isn't with power and FWD/RWD/AWD set-up, it's stopping. anyone driving anything can get 3000+ lbs of whatever moving, it's stopping that machine that is the problem (a 4x4 truck can just as easily end up in the ditch as we can). Give yourself at least double the stopping distance you normally do (aka don't tailgate someone), keep your wheels from locking up when braking (pump brake pedal if need be), slow down waaaay before a turn to prevent having to use the brakes (#1 reason people slide out is braking through a turn in bad wheather imo), and avoid sudden changes at all costs (i.e. sudden stops/braking/starts, jerking the steering wheel to make a missed exit, abrupt lane changes, etc.)
I put ~300 lbs in my trunk every winter using sand bags/tubes and i REALLY notice the difference. your fuel economy decreases ~1 mpg for every 100 lbs of cargo, so im down to ~24 mpg in the winter with the trunk weight, but if you look at the numbers, 3 mpg decrease for a 15 gal. tank is about a net loss of 45 miles per tank full, which is only like 2 gallons of gas. So, putting sand in my trunk costs me ~$5 extra in gas difference per tank. IMO, $5 a tank extra for the added weight is worth it for as much as it helps me in bad wheather, especially after i had to pay the bill for my show-boating accident trying to drift a turn in snow a few years back. . . and dealing with my parents response lol
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