thinking of buying 04 gt just wondering how the 99's annd are in the snow?

[stangman 50]

Hello all im thinking about buying a new car in the spring my choices are 04 tibron gt, focus svt, or a stratus r/t, my dad has a 200gt that is his pleasure car so it sees no winter, and he keeps telling me to forget those other junks and get a 04 gt a" real car" and i agree with him but this will be my yr round car. now i know that these cars are not made for snow but what im asking is that if you put 4 snow tires on some 15 in rims with a good amount of weight in the trunk and with the traction control, how would it be, i live in new england so there is a fair amount of snow, i understand that the 17" z-rated goodyrs dont do much but if i did the set up above how would it be? i dont understand the difference between what i drive now which is a 96 s-10 with the l-35 motor it has 180 hp and 245 tq and it has limited slip and snows ans weight and it goes very good i never had a problem, also i know the mustang is alot lower but i will not drive in a blizzard with no car or truck my life isnt worth my job please help me decide thanks guys...

 

[FallenPhoenix]

I just think of the underbody rust and think "ouch!"

Slippery roads were never too bad with my old firebird, peg leg and all. Of course down here I drove in heavy snow maybe twice. Get a beater or something I say.

 

[stangman 50]

i dont want to get a beater car then id have 3 cars i have a 91lx that is my fun car and now i need a new daily driver, any of my choices are nice cars and they all will get rust, scratched and dirty, im willing to except that fact. any car i end up with will turn out this way

 

[LByellowStang]

I lived through an Indiana winter driving a 2000 V6 Mustang, no ABS or Traction control. I bet having a GT 5 spd would be better since it has trac-lok just make sure you get the ABS option, it is no longer standard. I don't drive my GT in the winter since I have a beater and my tires aren't all season.

 

[snoopy98]

well i

live in florida now but if i was to take my mustang up to michigan i know i would get stuck in the snow mustangs just aren't meant for snow i think way to much torque and to low to the ground.

 

[XTONKAX]

Meh.

Stay on main roads, drive slowly, put a couple bags of salt in the trunk, maybe some Blizzaks. You'll be fine. Utah gets some snow occasionally. Makes it fun!

 

[COLFLAG]

i dont want to get a beater car then id have 3 cars i have a 91lx that is my fun car and now i need a new daily driver, any of my choices are nice cars and they all will get rust, scratched and dirty, im willing to except that fact. any car i end up with will turn out this way

hey guy I also have 91 LX notch with similar gear as yours and coincidentlaly I just purchased a 04 GT and it is ok in the snow as long as you are on a level surface . it really craps out on any sort of incline tho even my own driveway but I am like you my car and my life are not worth risking so if the snow gets too deep I just stay home

 

[stangman 50]

COLFLAG thanks for the reply do u have snow treads on the 04 and traction control and weight in the trunk or is your car stock when u tried to drive it in the snow? thanks

 

[1of3901SpringGT]

My car has toyo tires(no better than stock in snow) on it and no weight in the trunk. As long as you stay in when it is a blizzard and drive real slow in snow you should be ok. I live 45 minutes north of detroit so we get a fair amont of snow and I go 30 min to college 3 days a week snow or not and I am still alive. So get the stang it is well worth the hassle in winter because you will love it in the summer months.

 

[DBMSTNG]

my advice would be to stay away from the Mustang as a winter car. especially in new england. i live in the lake effect snow belt. i drove 1 winter in the snow with my stang. i have no idea how i managed not to get into any trouble. there were 2 times that i somehow managed to get home only to get stuck in my driveway. groundclearence is your enemy once the snow starts piling on. 1" or less isn't that bad. it's once you start getting 3"+ that things get tricky.

 

[COLFLAG]

COLFLAG thanks for the reply do u have snow treads on the 04 and traction control and weight in the trunk or is your car stock when u tried to drive it in the snow? thanks

NO snow tires and I found that when attempting any sort of incline the car actually seems better when I turn the traction control off. not much better but marginally better. I may have to look into some snow tires like the blizzaks next year

 

[Wills Black 98]

Its a rear wheel sports car, dont forget that. however i drive my car year round and would definately not trade it for any other car. we see quite a bit of snow and it makes it. as long as its not an icy steep driveway its fine!

 

[4.6MustangSteve]

with some sandbags in the trunk and a light foot they are fine in the snow. Snow/winter tires would definately help out.

Oh yea, you'd regret getting any of those three other cars you listed. They are sooooo slow.

 

[Acidpete]

I had my 2000 gt 5 speed in Indianapolis from winter of 2000 through last year. No problem, buy my snow tires and you'll be fine. Seriously, I've moved to Dallas and don't need them. The power isn't the problem w/ most cars, it's the driver and the tires. Sand bags and Blizzacks, you'll be glad you did!!! Good luck.

 

[Steedaq]

I live in GR Michigan and I have a '99 35th GT with 120K miles on it that I drive year round. I've never had actual snow tires and have used Goodyear gatorbacks, and BFG g-force kdsw. On bad days the traction control helps as does a full tank of gas. I've found that on slush, light snow and icy snow its really not bad at all. The problem that I've run into is when the snow is higher than the tire profile (around 4 inches?)-- in this case it can get tough going (I've needed a couple of pushes) but then again I've never had actual snow tires. I've found the keys to making it through the bad days is just to take it slow, get as much speed as possible before going up steeper incline hills, and keep the tail of the car behind me . I do recommend having the car undercoated, because the areas that are not will oxidize. I'm getting a little oxidation in my trunk and on some parts of the chassis.

 

[01'TRUE BLUE GT]

Mustangs go just fine in the snow with the right winter tire/wheel combination and good driving abilities. The last storm we had here, I even drove right past idiots in 4x4s that couldn't drive in the snow ... anybody else can do the same with the skills and tires to do it with.

I have four 15" V-6 wheels with 205/65/15 tires which are blems that look exactly like Blizzaks. I try to keep my tank full in the winter, never had to put any weight in the trunk and ALWAYS turn off my traction control (it's useless) and I never had any problems in the winter ... even in fairly deep snow (5-8"). Too much throttle can get you into trouble quick, but being cautious, smooth, using some common sense and everything else I already mentioned above will get you by with no problems in the winter.

15" wheels do clear stock calipers without any issues and you have more choices in tires than you do with 16" or bigger. The smallest and most narrow tire that will safely support the weight of your car will do the best in the snow, but your handling will suffer some in dry conditions ... keep that in mind. Good luck on your decision and don't let anybody tell you Mustangs suck in the winter ... that's bs.

 

[JonJon]

Get snow tires and you will be fine. I've been fine 4 winters in MA with my GT.

 

[RallyeStang]

True Blue GT has some good advice...

I'm with '01 True Blue GT...good advice. My 2002 GT 5-speed is a real trooper in the snow. Of course the obligatory snow tires are what makes it all possible!!!

Last year, I outfitted my '02 GT with some new Crown Vic Police steelies (black, 16" x 7") and some tall and narrow Mastercraft GlacierGrips snows (made by Cooper), in size 225/60R-16. And the car plows through the snow without a problem.

In fact, just yesterday, Salt Lake City got hit with a real biggie...18"+ in the front yard here in Sandy, Utah...and my first real test of the Mustang! After a bit of shoveling to clear the driveway, I loaded up the family and went to exchange some gifts...right in the middle of the storm. The street in front was pretty torn up with some SUV and truck traffic, but wasn't plowed. I pulled out and off we went...

Didn't get stuck once. I did however scrape the underbelly on some hardpack (probably just scraped some dirt off the mufflers/cats at the most), but the car kept up and even motored around other traffic with amazing control (traction control was on 95% of the time...just to see how it worked.) Of course, I learned to drive in snow here in SLC back in the 70's (with a heavy Buick Centurion 455 sedan), so I had a bit of practice. Even the wife and kids were tickled on how well the GT did (and we were out for about 6 hours on roads that were NOT plowed.)

Get some good tall snows on cheap 15" or 16" steelies (total package for my was just shy of $600 for 4 tires and 4 wheels), and maintain a nice steady pace when driving in the rough stuff. You'll be amazed!

Good luck.

 

[Kyle-02GT]

I currently have an 02 GT 5 Speed and I live in Erie, PA. (3rd in national snow fall last year). So far its been a pretty light winter but by all means don't get be in a snow storm without studs it isn't fun. Once I put the studded tires on and about 150 lbs in the trunk its drives alright just don't slam the pedel down. The studs are noisy, black steel rims are ugly, and they don't hold dry pavement well but if you drive smart and avoid the big snow storms if possible i don't see you having too many problems....

 

[Acidpete]

My snow tires for sale 2 seasons, 250 for all 4 + shipping. Convinced yet?