Will a Mustang EcoBoost survive a Michigan winter?

[cppawlow 11]

So I'm currently looking at my choices for my next car and the 2015 Mustang is at the top of my list. My main issue with it is winter driving, will winter tires be enough? I know the 2015 will have a winter mode according to some of the articles I've read, but I'm wondering how much I'll have to fight the car.

 

Does anyone have first hand experience in their Mustangs that would recommend or not recommend the Mustang as a daily driver in Michigan? I really want one but I don't want to regret it too much in the winter, although the $4-$6k difference between an EcoBoost Premium and a Lincoln MKC could buy a good snow tire/rim combo and quite a few sandbags...

 

Attached is the one I want, although I'll likely add the performance pack:

[mike92b 0]

Any car with rear wheel drive will suck in the winter. You can help offset that though by putting winter tires and sand bags in the trunk to add weight. The mustang is a great looking car. I would buy it.

[danglin 102]

Driving your Mustang in the Winter? Sacrilege!!!!!

 

Actually, I have had mine out in the winter before, but there was absolutely no Salt or snow out, and it was a couple of years ago. Tires is the most important thing to have. I can vouch that even a 4WD truck with all season tires is crap in the snow. If you put some weight in the trunk and a good set of snow tires, your Mustang would motivate just fine. Buy one, you won't regret it...

Edited August 28, 2014 by danglin

[atomcat68 686]

Any car with rear wheel drive will suck in the winter. You can help offset that though by putting winter tires and sand bags in the trunk to add weight. The mustang is a great looking car. I would buy it.

I live in New England and drive a 2005 Mustang. This winter was terrible with a foot of snow falling every few days. My Mustang had Hankook tires (all season, not even snow tires). It was great! It never got stuck and the biggest surprise is that it very rarely engages the traction control!

 

With this generation of Mustang, when you get moving, don't push the gas too quick and let the car roll forward. Once it does, it will move along. You will be driving around 20 mph, but it will go, and won't slide too much. Of course you have to pay attention to the car. It will tell you everything it will do. I even turn the radio off while driving when the snow is coming down fast.

 

This 2015 Mustang will be a new car, but I think it would be a safe bet the same rules will still apply. Remember a turbo is only a turbo when you push it, which you will not be doing in the snow. and the last thing is that the handling will get worse as the tires age, so make sure they are always good and rotate them when routine maintenance is performed.

 

I hope this helps.

[RaZor 8]

It always amazes me when this topic comes up. I have numerous friends in Canada and we often discuss cars and invariably many of them state that they do not even consider a RWD car - because of the driving in snow "issue" - or park it for the winter. It always causes me to flashback to my 3rd car and first new car.

 

It was a '65 Mustang GT. I lived in Michigan. Unless you owned a Olds Tornado (or a couple foreign jobs), everyone drove a RWD car. How the hell did we manage? Well, I bought 2 extra rims and had snow tired mounted on them and put them on with the first snow. Sand bags and a shovel in the trunk - yep. And if I even left town on even a short trip, the emergency kit was added to the trunk which included flares, even blankets and such. Back then there wasn't even high pressure car washes around to clean the underbody routinely - like there exists today. But there was Ziebart.

 

The only time that I ever got stuck was in college when my attention waned when a very amorous girlfriend . . . shall we say . . distracted me from my driving . . . and I ran it into a ditch/snowbank.

 

Even though I now live in sunny Fla, I have only owned two (2) FWD cars in my entire life (more than 2 dozen new car purchases during that time). As atomcat states, just learn how to drive in the snow. It can be done . . . millions of people did it in the snow belt.

[phil1336 62]

What did we all do living in Northern Climes when (all) Vehicles came with RWD? Up until several years ago with the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor was killed off, it too was RWD! Stop Texting, Talking, Tweeting, Uploading, Downloading, and simply start driving in the conditions present, period! MFT and SYNC can`t do that for you!

[silvrsvt 4,411]

Worse part of driving a RWD car is just getting off the line when your stopped. I had no problems driving and stopping in my 06 Mustang GT in the snow, but I'd spin the tires at times, even in third gear in deep enough snow.

 

I'd personally wouldn't go in if it was over 4inches, but the normally have it down to pavement within 24 hours, so wasn't an issue.

[RaZor 8]

I suppose part of the problem is that tire manufacturers have pulled one on many - with their 'all-season' tires. That snow tires are not needed. Au contraire IMO. This is what I have heard from my friends that still reside in the north country. They (all season) were not even available (or even thought of probably) back in my day (up north). From I have been told - they have questionable value in snow conditions. Again, I can't speak from personal experience in this regard.

 

But I do remember a couple of fairly large challenges that I conquered each and every time - back then.

 

Our driveway was an elongated loop that had a significant incline to it with the loop starting round 30 to 40 feet up from the street. Just guessing but, IIRC there was about a 12-15 foot rise in elevation from the street to the level where the house was (in the loop area). At the top/end of the loop was the unattached 3 car garage. Per GoogleEarth, the length of the driveway is around 100+ feet - although a real accurate measuring (using their tool) is hard to get and use - as the lot (still) has many, many trees. But I suspect that you can get a picture / idea.

 

The key was to get enough speed to start up the driveway AND then to maintain momentum whilst climbing the incline, taking the fork to the right where the driveway split, - without spinning the rear tires - as if you lost it, there was no restarting. Just back down and try it again. It made me a better driver.

 

One year my best buddy and I traveled to the upper region of the Lower Peninsula to a hunting cabin - way back in the woods - to go deer hunting. Of course, as things often happen in life, as we approached the area of the cabin, the light snow storm (that was going on throughout the entire trip) turned into a near-blizzard. So much snow had fallen and accumulated, it was really difficult to even see where the road was (once we got off the main highway and began penetrating the forest area on the un-plowed roads).

 

There was another problem. Night, and darkness was rapidly enveloping us, reducing vision even more, as we ventured further and further into the forest on what was just backwoods 2-lane gravel roads. At one point we left the forest and came upon an open area that was part of a farming area. I don't remember exactly, but it seemed that there was about a foot of snow on the ground. But we were doing good so far.

 

As we both had been there before (in previous years), there was one big moment / obstacle that we knew was coming up. Right in the middle of this open area, the road came to a T - requiring a 90 degree turn - either to the left (towards a farm), or to the right - our route to the hunting cabin. But we were young (teenagers) and you know what that means - invisible / no hill is too tough to climb.

 

As we approached this intersection. it became clear that the problem was going to be detecting exactly where the hell that intersection actually was to make that right turn. Hell, it was difficult to even see where the road that was under our tires. Being an open area, and with the wind blowing pretty good, it had filled the swales with snow and had caused drifting - creating false contours. So there wasn't any real contours visible to assist in defining the road / intersection. Oh crap! Where is that intersection?

 

Well we found - but only after passing through it. Fortunately the swale was not that deep in that area and there wasn't a drift to stuff it in and we ended up in the field beyond the intersection. I guess that it was just instinct but I hit the throttle and was able to swing the car to the right (your damn right the rear tires were spinning now) and managed to get it back on the road without ever stopping.

 

It was one of those "Holy shit! That was close!" moments.

 

Long story short, we made it to the cabin and had a successful hunt. But it just goes to show you that RWD cars (esp Mustangs) can be driven in the snow - even in conditions that one might question even venturing out in.

 

But I would recommend that you hydro-clean, at the least, the entire undercarriage and inside all fenders, side-skirts / rockers panels (etc) on a very regular basis. Gots to take care of your 'Stang.

[ranchero 4]

Ford seems to think you can drive one in the winter. If a new Mustang is sold in my state (Wyoming) or others with winter climates like mine (Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc.), it will be built and delivered with an engine block heater. So Ford expects you will drive the car in extreme cold.

 

And I will. A manual transmission helps a lot from zero to five mph and the flexibility using a manual provides makes even a RWD car controllable.

 

As has been said in more words: "pay attention". I've survived many winters in Colorado and Wyoming with RWD manual transmission cars and am quite confident my winter problems will not be because I can not drive a RWD Mustang but rather because some ditz can not stop or steer a 4WD / AWD SUV that is way too big and powerful for her.

 

- ranchero -

[Rich B. 3]

Nothing new here but also living in ME, I'd say not the best idea but can be done. Don't count on keeping the car too awfully long, winter is like the Black Death with the underside of cars here (rusting, corrosion).The secret is narrow as possible tires (all 4 snow tread is good idea) and as mentioned extra weight in trunk. Put chains on and your better than AWD. Car does sit way too low and could be pending on storm as you'd be plowing through. Fluffy snow OK but that wet packing stuff, forget it.

 

But you already know all this and maybe learned the difficult way from old postings. Must have another new Mustang by now lol.

Edited May 7, 2018 by Rich B.