"Dan Smith" <dsmit28@columbus.rr.com> wrote in message
news:Rzomf.35305$lh.18964@tornado.ohiordc.rr.com...
>I was wondering if anyone has some expertise in all-season or snow tires
>for Mustang GT's. I have a 2003 GT and we had 4 inches of snow the other
>day. My car was almost un-driveable. I still have the original factory
>Goodyear Eagles on it, and was wondering if it is worth my money to put
>all-season, or winter only tires on it????????? Does it make that much
>difference? It is a 5-speed, and starting out from a dead-stop is the
>main problem I had---it just doesn't want to move at all, and rear end
>starts to go sideways as soon as you try to move.
> Any comments would be appreciated!
> Thanks!
http://www.tfrog93.com/120905.jpg
Outside Philly, and caught unprepared. I've got performance radials, and
they're past-due for replacement.
Normally, I like to put new tires on the car for my October inspection,
which means that I have best tread going into the winter. And, when I know a
storm is coming, I top off the gas tank for the weight in the back. That
usually sees me through most contingencies (that, and a very light and easy
throttle).
This "major snow event" dusted the area with about 3" of powder, but the
trailing edge of the storm soaked that with sleet/freezing rain. If I don't
shovel out, the car goes nowhere. And this was a heavy, annoying kind of
snow. (GREAT for snowballs, though.)
Even when the driveway is clean, I still have to wait for the plows, because
the snow drifts were up to a foot on my street.
The "main road" is a two-lane affair, heavily travelled in peak time. There
were two salted ruts going east (the direction of the morning commute), and
the west-bound lane looked as if it hadn't seen a plow. And this was at
11:30 in the morning, after plenty of warning about an impending snowstorm.
The highway was a disgrace. Plenty of slush between lanes, making
lane-changing an adventure. And the far right lane would suddenly disappear
without warning under snow that had never been properly plowed.
The ride home last night was a little better, but still some of the
secondary roads hadn't seen a plow. Plenty of separation and keeping to the
low end of 2nd gear....
Bottom line - the Mustang isn't really a snow car, although it CAN be fun.
You need to carefully plan ahead, to avoid having to stop on an uphill
stretch. You need to allow plenty of space between cars, and where possible
slow down enough so that you don't have to come to a complete stop at
lights...
Only once or twice have I been stuck (in 12 years with this one), and it's
been impossible to drive this car on only 3 or 4 days in all that time. I've
never had snows on it, or any tires other than my Comp T/As and now KDWS. In
snow and ice, driving these cars takes full and complete awareness and a
heightened sense of caution.
Still, as I'm so fond of pointing out, every idiot with a license drove a
big ol' rear-wheel drive automobile in all kinds of weather...until OPEC
pulled the plug. And I'm almost certain that I'm better than some of those
folks...
dwight
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