How Well do S-197's Perform in Snow?

Hey guys. I currently own a 00 GT that i've been thinking about selling/trading for an 05 GT. I remember reading before that Ford designed the new GT's so that they perform better in the snow. How do your GT's go in the snow? Do they do well? Let me know, because this is something that will help sway my purchase decision. Thank you for your input.
Todd Reinecker

Mine doesn't do well in the snow as far as I am concerned. It gets really fishy on interstates with snow or slick surface streets. I stopped driving mine in foul weather altogether if I can.

That sucks. I want to get rid of my 00 GT and 95 Escort because i'm tired of maintaining/insuring 2 cars. The next car I buy will be a daily driver for me, but I didn't want to shy away from Mustangs. I would really like an 05 GT, but I need a car that will go in the snow. The 00 GT's are worthless when it comes to snow. I was hoping the S-197's were better.

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In order of importance....

1) Proper Tires (i.e. real snow tires, not just all season).
2) Driver Ability.
3) Drivetrain Layout (front drive, rear drive, all drive).

Too many people ignore #1 and #2 and just assume a rear drive cannot be awesome in the snow.

Ok, sounds good. I have driven a 00 Lincoln LS with snow tires on it thru the past 4 winters here in PA, so I should be able to get the S-197 thru the snow. I'm going to start looking at them soon. Thanks for the input guys!

My S197 is a bit temperamental in the snow, and even in the rain. If you're serious, plan on a set of snow tires, and swapping out the wheels. It's not that big of a deal....

'00 Lincoln LS is the same basic chassis as the S197 Mustang, by the way, along with Jaguar S-Type and 02-05 Thunderbird.

figure the difference in nice days to bad days then make you choice. why suffer the rest of the time for a FEW bad days

I drove my '07 GT through all of last winter here in upstate NY where it can get really bad. I did it on the stock Pirellis too. As long as you drive carefully it's fine. If it does get into a tail slide it's very easy to control and get out of if you know what you're doing.

I couldn't agree more I did the same thing and will do the same thing this year. These cars are not that bad in the snow at all. Im going to try to put two 30LB sand bags in the trunk when it gets really bad but thats more for an experiment than anything else.

Ive had mine thru 2 winters on my stock pirelli's and with the traction control on.
I have been daily driving to work 50km per day, I have driven 450 km through a blizzard and believe it handles the snow better than the Chev Astro or F150 that were my previous daily drivers. I have never driven a front wheel drive (besides a rental on occation) car so I never had any experience to compare with.

I drive my 91 POS Safari AWD in the winter and the Stangs sit in the garage. No need to drive it if you don't have to.

Nick

Just by looking at the mustang you can tell that snow wouldn't be thier strong suit as there's not much weight over the rear tires. However, common sense goes a long way with driving any vehicle in the snow. 2wd trucks aren't all that good in the snow either, but it doesn't stop people from driving them. Just drive smart and carefull.

I drove my 79 corvette during 5 winters of heavy snow. I used the positraction to my advantage and drove carefully. Unfortunately once I got a job which required me to travel on the highway, I had no choice but to buy an AWD. I can move much faster in the snow with the AWD, and don't have to worry about fishtailing at 40mph. Unfortunately when it is snowing, all the other Suvs and trucks don't really allow you to go slow and take your time on the interstate. If it wasn't for highway driving, I would still be driving the vette yearly.

The secret to winter traction is tire width, the narrower the better. I've owned several sports cars and drove them through Chicago winters with little trouble with all season tires 20 to 30 milemeters narrower than stock. It looks a little strange but works like a charm. A limited slip differential helps alot. I would buy cheap all season tires over the phone from the Tire Rack, mounted and balanced on steel "take off" wheels. For about $500.00 you should be able to get a complete set with some cheap wheel covers that will last at least five winters. As a bonus, the car slides nice and easy in the dry, salt crusted roads. If I didn't have a daily driver I'd do it to my '07 GT.

I'm just going to put 2 bags (50 lbs) of horse chow in my trunk and call it good. I don't worry about my driving....it's the other idiots on the road I worry about.

SNOW

My '06 wasn't too bad the first year with the KDWS's, the second winter was somewhat reduced. This year I expect better results with my new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S's installed. You need to take it a little easier and drive with your brain instead of your right foot in the snow. I've definitely driven worse cars in winter. I didn't buy a garage queen.

With the longer wheelbase of the S197 it is much more sure footed than the older designs. I drove one winter with stock tires. It did much better than anticipated. I wouldn't drive mine everyday in the snow. Snow tires and a light foot will make a WORLD of difference. Good luck.

Mustangs were not designed for snow All that salt....