Bear with me . . . Mustang in NY snow driving

[rachmiel99]

I know the snow discussion has come up on here before, but . . .

I've ordered an '11 V6 6-speed manual with the Pony package, and it will be my only car. So of course, a lot of people are telling me I'm going to be miserable in the snow.

But I've been thinking:
* When I was a kid, I drove RWD cars in the Rockland County area (including an '80 Mustang with the 200CID six), and I remember doing ok . . .
* The new cars have traction control . . . but then some people say it actually hurts you in snowy driving.
* Does it make a difference that I'm in the New York area versus, say, Vermont? Do any of you have experience driving in the Rockland/Orange/Westchester area?

Many thanks!

 

[2k05gt]

What Hurts you now is the wider tires, If you plan on driving in the snow you might buy a set of 16 inch V6 Rims and put some snow tires on it, you will be fine.

 

[salprint]

This was my first year with my '09 in the snow and I did ok with it. I live on Long Island, NY. It has traction control, I don't know if it helped or hurt, but I really didn't have any problems. Ya, if you aren't careful ANY car will get away from you, but I found braking and traction to be satisfactory. I drive about 25 miles to work each day.

 

[BlackedOut04GT]

I have been driveing my '04 GT for 3 winters now. Your best bet (for next winter) is a set of winter tires that are narrower then your stock ones. You should check out Craigslist, they have a lot of spare rims that you can use for snow tires. I put about 160-200lbs in the trunk to help give me better grip. Keep your Traction control off in the winter! All it will do is put the brakes on when you start to spin your tires and you will have a hard time getting any where.

 

[MustangGT2002]

really, no traction control? I remember one time in the rain when i had it off and spun out so i thought that would be similar in snow. I'm totally paranoid this year trying to drive mine. I never even had the car out in the rain before but due to some circumstances had to ditch my everyday driver and have unfortunately haven't been working since May so i haven't been able to get another car. I think im more upset at breaking my clean record with the car lol but oh well.

I have been driveing my '04 GT for 3 winters now. Your best bet (for next winter) is a set of winter tires that are narrower then your stock ones. You should check out Craigslist, they have a lot of spare rims that you can use for snow tires. I put about 160-200lbs in the trunk to help give me better grip. Keep your Traction control off in the winter! All it will do is put the brakes on when you start to spin your tires and you will have a hard time getting any where.

 

[AlbertaEthan]

I'm up in canada driving the new v6 in the winter and so far its not too bad. I'm just putting winters on today but even with the all seasons, it hasn't been an issue with the snow and ice we've had so far. The biggest thing is to throw something heavy in the trunk in order to get some traction. You'll be fine

 

[RedPonyV6]

People drove RWD cars for a long time before FWD was even invented! Any car can be dangerous in the winter if you aren't cautious, that's all there is to it! I live in Buffalo, we have some pretty rough winters, I made it through the winter with wide ZR-rated summer sport tires.. I wouldn't recommend it, but I didn't have the funds for a set of winter tires. I threw a 70lb bag of tube-sand in the trunk, and I did alright. Just baby the clutch, or even start in second gear, either way just start slow, if you give it too much gas you will either lose it and spin or lose traction and get nowhere.. You shouldn't have any problems, though! As for the traction control debate, experiment for yourself. I drove a Mini-Cooper for a while, and the traction control was awesome, I could pretty much floor it in any amount of snow and it would slow the wheels down enough to get traction, granted it was FWD so it may be different.. My Mustang doesn't have that option, so I can't really give you a definitive answer on that.

If you're gonna drive in the snow, though, make sure you get that baby undercoated!! Don't let it get ruined!