How well do Mustangs do in the snow?

[lovemachine]

How well do the Ford Mustangs do in the snow?

 

[Mark 1911]

I used to have one. They are rear wheel drive and sit low to the ground. Same is true for a Camaro. Rear wheel drives just don't do as well in the snow as front wheel or 4 wheel drive. It helps to have a little experience with driving in the snow. But it wasn't that long ago when most cars were rear wheel drive, and most people managed to struggle through the winters without getting stuck or spinning into a ditch, at least not much. If you get one, be prepared to slow down in the winter, and keep a shovel in the trunk in case you get stuck.

 

[eldirector]

For some, better than a Jeep.

Seriously, though, they don't do all that well. Rear drive, wide tires, decent power, and no ground clearance. Not exactly an "all season" car.

 

[kjf40]

How well do the Ford Mustangs do in the snow?

How good a driver are you

Any rear wheel with good amount of power is iffy, educated drivers make the difference.

Unless your talking about horses, they can run fine in the snow

 

[KLB]

Get dedicated Winter tires and it will be a lot better. I would recommend getting another set of wheels with the Winter Tires and keep Summer tires on your existing wheels.

 

[Titanium_Frost]

Dedicated snow tires OR really good quality all seasons tires are a must, TracLok is a definant plus.

I have/had a Thunderbird SC since 2000 and always drove it in the snow. Best fun of the year for sure.

 

[ATOMonkey]

IMO, the roads are usually clear enough in Indiana that it doesn't matter. The 2 or 3 days a year when there is actual accumulation on the road just means you get the day off.

 

[OneBadV8]

How well do the Ford Mustangs do in the snow?

Its not the car, its the driver. Seriously.

I drove one year round for a few years in high school. I would recommend a manual so you can cheat and start off in a higher gear. Put weight in the trunk and be smart about it and you won't have any issues.

 

[ghuns]

Get dedicated Winter tires and it will be a lot better. I would recommend getting another set of wheels with the Winter Tires and keep Summer tires on your existing wheels.

What he said. Slap a set of Nokian snow tires on it a go like hell. Those turn anything into a snow beast. And buy 4, not just 2 for the rear. If you are used to rear wheel drive handling, it's doable. If not, it will take you some getting used to. And here's hoping you get used to it before you run into something harder than a snow bank. I find rear wheel drives to be easier to save when things get exciting, but I grew up driving them.

 

[Titanium_Frost]

Its not the car, its the driver. Seriously.

I drove one year round for a few years in high school. I would recommend a manual so you can cheat and start off in a higher gear. Put weight in the trunk and be smart about it and you won't have any issues.

I second the manual transmission for sure (I thought that was a 'duh' from a Jeep owner)

But I caution against the weight in the trunk fix. It gives you minimally more traction in a straight line which is more than offset by increased braking distance due to additional weight and WAY more dangerous considering extra weight in the trunk makes your car want to fishtail more and once it is harder to stop.

If you want extra weight in a CAR like a Mustang, put those sand tubes in the rear floorboards so the weight is more in the center of the car.

 

[OneBadV8]

If you want extra weight in a CAR like a Mustang, put those sand tubes in the rear floorboards so the weight is more in the center of the car.

I assumed that was implied. I only used to add maybe 80lbs in the trunk/hatch laying right above the rear axle using the sand tubes. Don't add too much. A little bit goes a long way.

 

[04DarkShadowGT]

I drive 35-40K miles a year travelling around IN, MI, IL, and WI. I have owned a mustang since I was 24. Not always my only car, but at least one of them.

But even when it was my only car it was fine in the snow. I bought appropriate tires, put a little weight in the trunk and started in 2nd or 3rd gear. Once you were moving it was better than any car I have had since. It was heavy enough that it didnt follow the tracks as much as the smaller civis, sentras, and my curretn DD jetta.

Mileage wasnt too bad either for a V8. I wouldnt worry about, just be smart, think ahead, and learn to drive a rwd car in the snow. For decades people had no other option but RWD or 4WD.

 

[lovemachine]

I'm trying to decide if it would be worth driving a Mustang full time. An only vehicle kinda thing.

 

[VUPDblue]

I so bad want to make a joke......

 

[Rookie]

I so bad want to make a joke......

Something along the lines of, "about as well as your Jeep does offroad"?

 

[lovemachine]

I so bad want to make a joke......

Go ahead. I've heard worse from you in person.

 

[88GT]

Mr88GT drove one exclusively for years. Of course, it was a '92 before that had all that crap on cars that removed the driver from making decisions. It's do-able. Snow depth is usually a bigger impediment that slick surfaces. Slick is slick. No car is immune to that, some just handle it better than others. Follow the suggestions above (don't forget some kitty litter for traction; even if you have a shovel, you can polish the snow surface to a fine sheen with spinning tires; plus the kitty litter gives you some of the weight), take your time, be patient, and slow down. and it's not the going that's the problem. It's the stopping.

The ability to drive a high HP/torque rear-wheel drive vehicle without a bunch of assist technology in snow is a pre-req for obtaining/maintaining the man card. Or should be.

 

[Titanium_Frost]

Can't disagree with that Man-card statement 88gt!

 

[VN Vet]

I traded my front wheel drive VW for a rear wheel drive Mustant GT. The day I picked up my Mustang it snowed about 4 inches. I lived about 4 miles from the dealer and it took me most of a half hour to get home. I could not keep the back end from wanting to be the front end. The VW clutch was nothing as compared to the Ford clutch.

When I got home I tried for ten minutes to get the Mustang into the garage. After I got it into the garage, I left it there until the snow was gone.

It was me, and not the Mustang. Once I got used to the clutch in the Mustang I did just fine in then snow.

If you want a Mustang, by all means get one. I bett you'll love it.

Vv

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Gosh, you guys out of debt already?