Unfortunatly we will have to drive our GT droptop though harsh Alberta winters(kinda nuts considering there is no way my 69 428 Mach would even poke its hood out of the garage until the end of April). Fortunatly we have a heated garage so keeping it clean and protected is not so tough. Yesterday I ordered a set of Michelin X-Ice snow tires(never hurts to prepare to early)225/55/16 and some steel rims. Spending $1000 on winter tires instead of performance parts sucks. But come winter it should be able to do the job safely.What tires do you use in the snow?
Um, you need to cancel that order! Your car should have 245/45/17's. The width isn't really a big issue, but the tires you ordered are the wrong diameter. I drive mine during the winter too, but I get practically no snow and very little ice. Traction control works pretty well on our cars. The only real bad part is the convertibles take quite a while to get the cabin warm.
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Sometimes I think that government fits that old-fashioned definition of a baby: An alimentary canal with an appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
- Ronald Reagan
Um, you need to cancel that order! Your car should have 245/45/17's
That's not entirely true(pardon the pun).Just so you know I am not a new to the automotive scene I have owned many Mustangs and even a Corvette over the last 25 yrs and I was a mechanic for 6yrs. For winter tires you want more sidewall height and less width for improved ride and control on snow and ice.The 225/55/16 is the same size the V6 stangs use and is recommended for winter driving.They are virtually the same diameter as the 245/45/17 and there is next to no speedo error. 245's are brutal to use on snow or ice. Check this link for tire sizing cross reference.http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
To give you an idea of what winter is like here check out these pics(the second one was Halloween last year). Our 02 v6 was not to bad the first winter we drove it when the tires were new. But each winter as the tires(all seasons-yeah right) wore down it became more difficult to drive.The winters here are extreme. There was numerous times when we got freezing rain and the roads became a skating rink.Yipes!!!
somehow last night when I read this just before bed I missed the part where you ordered new rims for winter driving.
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Sometimes I think that government fits that old-fashioned definition of a baby: An alimentary canal with an appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
- Ronald Reagan
I drive my 2000 GT during winter time.
Up here in New England winter $#%#'s big time!
This january we had a blizzard and got around 3 ft. of snow over night.
Since I don't have a set of spare wheels I don't have snow tires. I am driving my sommer hi perf. tires even in a lot of snow.
If you know how to drive, and if you addapt to the situation it is working well. If you are having a set of spare wheels, I strongly recommend you a set of very narrow snow tires (205's - 225's). Godyear Ultra Grip 6 are awesome tires.
The narrower you go, the more traction you will get on snow. How ever dry traction suffers a lot.
I've only seen 1 winter in Michigan with my '02 GT Vert. Still has stock tires and is a challenge but doable. I've also owned 2 corvettes that I drove all winter but had a extra set of wheels for the rear with snow's mounted (guys at the tire shop thought I was crazy). The only thing that gave me trouble was when the snow got over 4" and was wet/heavy. Then those wide front tires would just act like a snow plow right up to where I lost momentum and came to a stop. Oh yeah, getting into the drive after the snow plow went by was a yoot too.
I run a set of Continental ContiExtreme Contacts in the stock size. They're good for the winter and great in the summer.
I used to swap rims and run Blizzaks in the winter, but it was a pain in the butt. The Conti's aren't as good as Blizzaks, but are more than adequate for most winter driving.
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-Jim- 2003 Black 10th Anniversary Cobra #353 of 10th Anniversary Editions. Born June 9, 2003
BBK CAI, Magnaflow Catback, MGW Shifter, M/T Drag Radials
Keep in mind I work for Firestone so I get tires pretty cheap, but when it starts to snow here in Indy, I just pull my car into the shop and swap my low-pro Bridgestone Potenzas for a set of Firestone Blizzak LM-22's. They are 235/40/R17's (i think...) and they are absoloutly magical how well they perform in the ice and snow. I say this after enduring my stangs first non-florida winter 2 years ago. The only thing is you have to take those tires off when the weather gets to be consistantly above 40 degrees, or they will wear like CRAZY. They are pencil erasers at non-freezing temps. Totally worth the money, though. If you take 'em off when you are supposed to, you'll get like 4 or more seasons out of them.
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Rio Red 98 GT Convertible
Full Densecharger cold air intake
Steeda Intake spacer
Steeda underdrive pullies
Flowmaster cat-back
Dropzone sport springs (2'' drop on all four corners)
B&M Quick-Shift Electronic Shift Kit
In Summary, all of the cheapest performance mods I could find.
At least it looks and sounds fast...
My mustang gt is my all season car as well here in NY. I don't change the tires for the seasons. Currently i'm on BF Goodridges TA Traction KDWS which is an all season tire. I don;t have much tread left on them though. The cold sucks and snow is the worst but the gt is better in the snow than my other V6 with didn't have T-Lok. Just gotta try to protect the paint as much as possible!
I plan on driving in the wonter here. In New Mexico if it snows and inch they cancel anything anyways. I'm planning on buying a junker jeep 4x4 in the future for bad weather driving.
I feel for you guys up north. Living is Missouri was bad enough for me. The worst we get down here is an occasinal ice storm where noone goes out. If it snows it only lasts maybe a day at most.
I feel for you guys. I lived in NY for 23 years. I moved to Florida 17 years ago and forget what others have to deal with up North. It may go into the 40s, but only for a few weeks and no snow.
Anyone drive their GT in the winter? 
