Winter tires help

mustangsinnj

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Hey all I just brought a 2017 gt350 and want to daily it. Looking for either all season tires or I can do winter tires as last resort. I have to to get thru the cold and snow. I wont be driving in snow i have a truck. But at least thru the cold when its 20 degrees here. Any leads. Looked on line not much out there for these tire specs. Wondering if I should go down to 255 front and 275 back for the winter and then switch in the spring. Is that even possible?
 

blue 07

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Just thinking of driving that car in the winter gives me the chills !! Goodyear Duratrac or Nitto Grapplers ought to work, LOL ! Leave it in the barn or store it if at all possible. To put four winter tires on it might not be far off for paying winter storage for it .
 

jvandy50

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Should have bought a focus rs or sti....
is this really a good option for winter? my JKU may be on it's last leg...not trying to thread jack OP sorry

OP, the MPSS was a little sketch in the cold...I've yet to try out the MP4S but i'm guessing the same.
 

ANGREY

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My smartass answer is to load up your truck with your most precious belongings, face toward the rising sun and turn right and keep driving until it doesn't get cold (dragging your GT350 in tow of course).

On a serious note, there's no free lunch. Any set of tires that performs even halfway decently in Summer/dry conditions is going to do poorly in cold temps. There's just not a magical tire compound that can stay soft and grippy in Summer, wear for long periods of time and not firm up in even moderately cooler temps.

This usually precipitates running a truly dedicated set of winter tires in the Winter, not driving the car at all or sucking it up on shitty roller skates for any max performance dry/Summer tire.

IF, (and that's a big if) I were willing to live in cold climate, I'd try to scoop up a set of the OEM wheels off someone who's upgraded and slap a set of studded Winters on it and just swap wheels in the Winter. But before I did that I just wouldn't drive the car in it.

Driving a GT350 in Winter conditions is like trying to wear a parka in Miami and wondering if there's any Winter weather clothing that keeps you cool in South Florida.
 

03reptile

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Hey all I just brought a 2017 gt350 and want to daily it. Looking for either all season tires or I can do winter tires as last resort. I have to to get thru the cold and snow. I wont be driving in snow i have a truck. But at least thru the cold when its 20 degrees here. Any leads. Looked on line not much out there for these tire specs. Wondering if I should go down to 255 front and 275 back for the winter and then switch in the spring. Is that even possible?
I have a 2019 GT350. I live in Maryland and drive it year round as long as the roads are dry and free of salt. I wanted an all season tire as the summer only tires that come on all GT350's are downright dangerous when temps drop below 50 degrees. I spoke with Ford Performance and also a race tire specialist that sells race tires and has years of performance tire experience. He suggested the following size tires that would not negatively effect the speedo and give me solid handling and all around good performance: Front= Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 275/40/19. Rear= Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus N-spec 285/40/19. The rears were designed by Michelin for Porsche Panamera and turbo cars and as a result, the width of the 285's (rears) is wider than the 305 Cup 2's I took off!! I've put 3K on them and I'm very pleased with the performance, quietness and wet weather traction. They are not as sticky as the Cup 2's were; however, they are safe in cold weather and the tread wear factor is 500! It's a very acceptable trade off and I'm delighted with the tires so far. There is also no tramlining with the all season tires which was very prevalent in the Cup 2's.
 

Klaus

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is this really a good option for winter? my JKU may be on it's last leg...not trying to thread jack OP sorry

OP, the MPSS was a little sketch in the cold...I've yet to try out the MP4S but i'm guessing the same.

They were built for rally racing and are a blast in the winter. Cant speak to RS but I had a built subi that was more fun in the winter than in the summer. We get 80 to 100 inches of snow where I am at, there is no way I would even attempt taking a gt350 out.
 

ANGREY

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I have a 2019 GT350. I live in Maryland and drive it year round as long as the roads are dry and free of salt. I wanted an all season tire as the summer only tires that come on all GT350's are downright dangerous when temps drop below 50 degrees. I spoke with Ford Performance and also a race tire specialist that sells race tires and has years of performance tire experience. He suggested the following size tires that would not negatively effect the speedo and give me solid handling and all around good performance: Front= Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 275/40/19. Rear= Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus N-spec 285/40/19. The rears were designed by Michelin for Porsche Panamera and turbo cars and as a result, the width of the 285's (rears) is wider than the 305 Cup 2's I took off!! I've put 3K on them and I'm very pleased with the performance, quietness and wet weather traction. They are not as sticky as the Cup 2's were; however, they are safe in cold weather and the tread wear factor is 500! It's a very acceptable trade off and I'm delighted with the tires so far. There is also no tramlining with the all season tires which was very prevalent in the Cup 2's.

Everyone moans about tramlining and they're relieved when it's gone, but the reality is, tramlining = traction. When someone says "I swapped and no more tramlining" that means the front tires aren't gripping as well.

If the trade off is acceptable to you, awesome. My point is, there's no free lunch. There's no tire out there that is the answer to all things to all people.

If it's top notch grip, it ain't going to be cheap, it ain't going to be worth a shit in rain or cold weather and it ain't going to last very long.

Conversely, if it works well in the rain, if it's economical, if it lasts a long time, if it works at peak performance over a very wide range of temps, then it's PROBABLY not going to perform AS WELL in max dry, Summer conditions.

The same tradeoff happens with brakes. I see guys all the time say "swapped and no more dust or noise!" well, yeah, that's because either the setup is A) crazy expensive, B) Has less initial stopping power or C) Fades more.

Rarely is there a silver bullet that resolves all issues and it's almost always a tradeoff. If you want tires that are gonna be worth a shit in cold weather, they're not going to perform as well in the Summer.
 

mustangsinnj

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I just want tires that will get me thru winter. Then I can trade them out when spring arrives. Thanks for the new specs. I heard Ford performance was giving out specs to sub in the cup2 for winter. I want to drive my car as much as I can. Not really driving in the snow but on nice sunny 30 degrees I am out and about still with the car. I didnt buy it to have it sit.
 

AustinSN

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is this really a good option for winter? my JKU may be on it's last leg...not trying to thread jack OP sorry

OP, the MPSS was a little sketch in the cold...I've yet to try out the MP4S but i'm guessing the same.

The factory under tray on the RS (at least on the early models) could pack up with snow and sag. Not sure if they made changes to it but a lot of guys put metal trays under the car.

I had a set of Alpin PA4s on my RS and the grip in the snow was downright shocking. Team O'Neal had an RS that they lifted slightly, put 15" rally tires on it and their $100k Subaru rally car couldn't get away from it in the snow. It's the real deal.

Also, I wouldn't run 4s in the cold, they will do it but until you get a little heat in them they still want to slip, even at parking lot speeds.

I have a 2019 GT350. I live in Maryland and drive it year round as long as the roads are dry and free of salt. I wanted an all season tire as the summer only tires that come on all GT350's are downright dangerous when temps drop below 50 degrees. I spoke with Ford Performance and also a race tire specialist that sells race tires and has years of performance tire experience. He suggested the following size tires that would not negatively effect the speedo and give me solid handling and all around good performance: Front= Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 275/40/19. Rear= Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus N-spec 285/40/19. The rears were designed by Michelin for Porsche Panamera and turbo cars and as a result, the width of the 285's (rears) is wider than the 305 Cup 2's I took off!! I've put 3K on them and I'm very pleased with the performance, quietness and wet weather traction. They are not as sticky as the Cup 2's were; however, they are safe in cold weather and the tread wear factor is 500! It's a very acceptable trade off and I'm delighted with the tires so far. There is also no tramlining with the all season tires which was very prevalent in the Cup 2's.

This isn't a bad idea.

My only concern is if the weather is like Colorado for the OP. It's not uncommon for it to look dry and to have a sneaky snow storm show up out of no where.

Proper winter tires do extremely well in very cold temps and if the snow does catch you off guard you aren't going to be worried about not getting the car slowed down, or up a hill.

If it was me, I might square up a set of 295/35s. Pirelli winter sottozeros in a 295/35 are just over $300 a piece on tire rack and will fit on all your wheels. If you feel like it, I've always been a fan of buying a winter set of wheels. If that's the case, I may even step down to a 10" or 10.5" wide wheel to open your options. You can cut the price in half of those same Pirelli's (right now at least on Tirerack) if you run a 275/40r19, and have a dedicated set of wheels for shit conditions. They are only 2% taller than factory so your speedo shouldn't change much.

By the book a 275 should fit on a 11" wheel but that's pushing it.

FWIW, I have never used the Pirelli Winter Sottozeros, but they have to be better than even the very best all season in the snow.
 

jvandy50

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The factory under tray on the RS (at least on the early models) could pack up with snow and sag. Not sure if they made changes to it but a lot of guys put metal trays under the car.

I had a set of Alpin PA4s on my RS and the grip in the snow was downright shocking. Team O'Neal had an RS that they lifted slightly, put 15" rally tires on it and their $100k Subaru rally car couldn't get away from it in the snow. It's the real deal.
thank you for the details, the JKU may be down for the count and the F250 I'm gonna buy may not be leaving it's owner until spring...so i was left with a dilemma for snow days(if we even have them this year). the subi is cheaper, and something i might could trade fairly straight across for, but i know nothing about them lol
 

AustinSN

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thank you for the details, the JKU may be down for the count and the F250 I'm gonna buy may not be leaving it's owner until spring...so i was left with a dilemma for snow days(if we even have them this year). the subi is cheaper, and something i might could trade fairly straight across for, but i know nothing about them lol
Subaru's do very well in the snow. More of a traditional style differential setup vs the RS, but it works just fine.
 

CobraBob

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When I bought my '19 Genesis G70 Sport, it came with summer-only Z-rated tires. Excellent rubber on the twisties and around town. My intent was to buy dedicated winter tires next month. However, after estimating the cost of a winter set of tires/wheels, I decided instead to garage it in late November with a car cover, and bring it out again in early April like I used to do with my '04 Cobra. This is possible for me because my wife and I work together so I can ride with her. Driving a nice car in Connecticut during the winter is not fun since the roads get crappy with sand and left over snow, so sacrificing driving my G70 for the 4 months is a better option for me. And I save money and miles. Doesn't work for everyone, but it does for me.
 

03reptile

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Everyone moans about tramlining and they're relieved when it's gone, but the reality is, tramlining = traction. When someone says "I swapped and no more tramlining" that means the front tires aren't gripping as well.

If the trade off is acceptable to you, awesome. My point is, there's no free lunch. There's no tire out there that is the answer to all things to all people.

If it's top notch grip, it ain't going to be cheap, it ain't going to be worth a shit in rain or cold weather and it ain't going to last very long.

Conversely, if it works well in the rain, if it's economical, if it lasts a long time, if it works at peak performance over a very wide range of temps, then it's PROBABLY not going to perform AS WELL in max dry, Summer conditions.

The same tradeoff happens with brakes. I see guys all the time say "swapped and no more dust or noise!" well, yeah, that's because either the setup is A) crazy expensive, B) Has less initial stopping power or C) Fades more.

Rarely is there a silver bullet that resolves all issues and it's almost always a tradeoff. If you want tires that are gonna be worth a shit in cold weather, they're not going to perform as well in the Summer.
You made my case. It is definitely a trade off with tires and ceramic brake pads. BMW's are famous for dusting, but boy do they stop! If the OP isn't spending lots of time at the track, then The tires I bought will serve him well on public streets.
 

662

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Capture.PNG
Ventus V12 evo2 (K120) | Passenger Car Tires | Hankook USA

These are my winter tires, of course no snow driving, but for lower temps and rainy conditions they are great.
 

pwrshft99

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Just my opinion here but OP, you said you already have a truck?? Maybe sell that for what you can get and put your tire money towards a better winter/daily?

I always see Rangers/Explorers popping up for under $1500ish. Plus junkyards are full of them for cheap repairs.
 

ANGREY

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STI's are amazing in the winter when paired with all seasons or winter tires. My STI and WRX were the best winter vehicles I've owned

Might have more to do with the fact that they're all wheel drive than the tire. I rented a Dodge Charger to go from Denver to Vail (only vehicle they had left at the airport) in the middle of a typical Winter storm. Good thing I grew up in cold weather country because I don't care what tire you put on a Dodge Charger, it ain't gonna make it a great Winter vehicle. Rear wheel drive and torquey is a bad combo for slippery conditions. The only thing going for the GT350 is the high rev nature so it's naturally kinda torque limited at lower rpm.
 

Venom351R

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Might have more to do with the fact that they're all wheel drive than the tire. I rented a Dodge Charger to go from Denver to Vail (only vehicle they had left at the airport) in the middle of a typical Winter storm. Good thing I grew up in cold weather country because I don't care what tire you put on a Dodge Charger, it ain't gonna make it a great Winter vehicle. Rear wheel drive and torquey is a bad combo for slippery conditions. The only thing going for the GT350 is the high rev nature so it's naturally kinda torque limited at lower rpm.

Not necessarily. One year with my STI we got an early snow storm in October and I had yet to remove the summer tires off the STI. I was going to work and made a left hand turn onto the road my work place is on ( slow turn from an almost stop ) and the car continued to just slide over into the other lane. I corrected it but it continued to slide off in the other direction and went off the side of the road. The only thing keeping me from getting back on the road was the lip on the pavement from the dirt to the road surface. I had zero traction and it was all due to the tires. Any other time when I had my winter tires on there was not any snow storm we had here that I got stuck in. There were times when I was plowing snow with my headlights and the whole undercarriage was packed with snow and it still wouldn't stop it. Snow tires + Subaru AWD = unstoppable.
 

nickf2005

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I'll mirror 03reptile's remarks. He turned me on to the Michelin A/S3's on the GT500 forum. I'm now running them on all 4's in stock sizes. I've been very impressed with their cold and wet traction in addition to what I can do with them in the Summer. No, not the best summer tire, but they're good enough for me. I'd give them serious consideration.

Sent from my SM-G975U using the svtperformance.com mobile app
 

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