Winter

[RedWings44]

Anyone have any advice for the winter? This will be my first winter in a rear wheel drive vehicle (and it is my baby too). New tires are out of the question as of now because of other expenses but my currrent tires still have about half of their tread (Cooper Cobra Radial G/T tires if it helps anyone visualize it).

I know about frequent car washes to prevent rust and I have 90 lbs worth of dumbells in my trunk aside from the other stuff I have in there like my tools and what not. I drove it once in the slush/snow and can say I miss the minivan for the winter....but I have no choice anymore. Getting going from stop lights on uphill inclines was not fun.

Anyone have any other tips or anything for things I can do to my car to help it in the snow? Everything I know about winter driving comes from driving a much larger vehicle with front wheel drive. Thank you

 

[Americansilver]

This is by far one of the worst cars I have every driven in the winter . I put 300 lbs in the trunk in the winter and the tires are about as close as you could possibly want to the wheel well. I bought some chains for this year, but I have never tried them so I can't tell you how well they work, or if they hurt your tires. I have two sets of tires; one set for the winter and I don't really care about them so it doesn't matter to me if they are damaged. More weight really helps, some gas stations sell sand bags for $5, or you can get them for around $10 at a supply store.

 

[RedWings44]

Thanks for the advice. However, I dont think chains are legal on the roads in my area. I was working on purchasing a vehicle I could use for winter, but the thing was...if I bought a new car I wasnt going to be allowed to drive the Mustang anymore. Eventually I decided to buy the Mustang. Since it was from my dad, it was a no brainer....either pay $2500 for an s10 with 150k+ miles or $2000 for a Mustang with 71k and better gas mileage. We traded in our minivan because it was making some noises that required some major repair...this being the vehicle I am used to driving in the snow. Anyway, I am rambling again.

 

[Americansilver]

Ya, I would suggest putting as much weight in the back as you can then, and don't drive on a road that hasn't been plowed yet. Also new tires helps alot.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Buy some bags of kitty litter or sand or coarse rock salt and keep them in your trunk. if you get stuck, throw whatever is there under the tires for traction.

Keep a small shovel in the trunk too. Same reason. You can get a cheap military surplus shovel from a surplus store, or a small short spade shovel if you have the room.

spare wiper blade (i use old blades i've replaced) just in case the ice tears up your wipers and you can't see to get home.

Keep the gas tank as full as possible (more weight) when snow is due.

tires make a difference. If you can afford a 2nd set of rims with snow tires...do it.

Drive slow and with a light throttle. Sure it might take you a while to get somewhere...but you'll get there.

 

[Swmer6]

dont use any type of salt unless you have a tarp down because if any moisture gets in there your gonna get rust in your trunk