Winter Driving and the 05 GT

[saulsse]

In the Atlanta area we have been hit with ice. I had pondered when I would have to drive the 05 Mustang GT in snow or ice and I had to do it sooner rather than later.

Since I was at work when the storm hit, the car was sheathed in a thick coat of ice of about 1/4 thick.

The trunk was sealed shut by ice so it would not open.

Deicing the car which took about 30 minutes, I concentrated on the rear window and winshield.

In some areas of my commute home the ice was up to a 1/2 to 1 inch thick on the road.

Unlike some sports performance vehicles who tend to have more of the weight over the engine, the weight distribution appeared done rather well as the GT easily made its way through the ice.

A side note, during my drive I turned off the Over Drive and used the transmission's considerable gear ranges to benefit where and when how much power I wanted.

The OEM Pirellie's did rather well. Though occasional wheel slippage was dected, the Traction Control System did not activate.

ABS systems worked well, though I was not pushing the speed the occasional braking with liberal use of downshifting the automatic minimized problems.

Overall I found the GT to be very competant in icy conditions while observing SUV's having difficulty getting around the Mustang did not seem to mind the ice.

Stephen from Atlanta

[sranger]

I dove the truck to work on Firday becaus of the ICE threat. I could not stand the stress of driving the my GT in the ICE in Atlanta, simply too many idiots who do not slow down due to conditions. My hat is off to you....

I thought you had a straight shift car?

I guess I will see you at the Atlanta Mustang meeting in FEB..

[saulsse]

Nope. I have an automatic.

The 05 GT is the only vehicle I have, so it is either the car or walking and the walking was out.

The traffic was very light during the times that I commuted so there was not much out there to contend with.

I had to go up one very bad hill, but the car handled it much better than the SUV that came behind me. I think he or she got stuck at the crest of the hill.

The automatic is impressive when operating in ice. I used 2nd gear most of time on takeoff, just idled off to a start then accelerated.

Stephen from Atlanta

[tw0scoops123]

Wouldn't other gear ranges be worse in snow? If you put it in lower gears like 2nd gear or 1st, and diverted more power to the wheels, I would think it would slip more...then again I'm not exactly mechinical when it comes to cars. So if I'm wrong I apologize.

[saulsse]

In slippery conditions, you really want to control the power and your speed.
Starting off in 2nd low puts less torque to the tires and since you are not operating in overdrive, you are control your speed better.

In sloppy conditions, speed is a better controlled in the lower ranges.

When it comes time to stop, already being in the lower gears and at low speed allows you more time to react to the situation ahead.

There is another factor when it comes to winter driving.

Despite the myth of adding weight to the car and letting air out of the tires, you should never do so.

Instead maintain proper air pressure at all times for the front and rear. For the GT Mustang using the OEM Perille's it is 32 PSI on the front and 35 PSI on the rear.

Stephen from Atlanta