Anyone drive all winter?

[frostysteven]

I live in central Illinois. I replaced my summer tires ( listed in for sale section) with all season. I drive in all temperatures, but not when salt or snow is on roads.

Question, where did you get your stripes?

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[Zach@Granger]

Just got my GT Convertible. And since I live in Ottawa, I’m not going to drive it in the winter. That said, I’ve been told that some people do.

Is that right? Does anyone here drive a Rear Wheel Drive Mustang with a V8 engine in a snowy winter? In other words, is there anyone living in a climate like mine who drives their Mustang all year round?

Living in Iowa with a bunch of snow and ice, we do not have too many on the roads, but there are definitely some who do.

 

[fishinrich]

As long as there's no salt on the roads I wil be driving.

 

[MAT1955]

@mwillems NO NO NO. All companies in the area except Oil Shield use waxy, gooey coatings that are worse than nothing as they trap moisture. Some coatings are black and those coatings are the worst - dealerships often use these. Knowledgeable purchasers of sports cars will not touch one that has had this done as it disguises the rust from moisture trapped under the coating. IMO you have two choices in your area. Best - Oil Shield, second best some Canadian Tire stores are licensed by a Canadian company called Corrosion Free. Their product is also a clear light oil and is used by many trucking companies. You can google Corrosion Free and read the testimonials. If you have access to a lift you can buy the spray cans or a spray system from them and DIY. Oil shield did all of my Mustangs including my 2024 GT premium convertible. My local Ford dealer put the Corrosion Free on my new 2026 GT premium convertible for me. I bought the spray they did it in their rustproofing booth. My 2024 GT sold at my price in 3 days - I believe mainly because the underside looked new. Attached is a pic of my new (1000 kms) 2026 on a lift getting an oil change. Right after that the tech applied the Corrosion Free Rust Cure 3000. He used 10 cans and it took him an hour and a half*****NB he removed all underbelly fiber pans to be able to spray everywhere.

 

[sidhant]

To the OP, I live in Ottawa, ON as well. Bought my first Mustang (2016 V6 convertible) and have owned 3 Mustangs since then. The other two GTs (2016 and 2018). All three manual transmission.
Mustangs have always been my dream car.

Drove all of them year round for 6 years. When people say you need proper winter tires, that is really all there is to it.
The only time I ever got stuck was backing out of my driveway after a heavy snow storm.
Once! In 6 years.

Now, if I had enough money to get a winter beater 4x4, I would have stored the Mustang.

For comparison, I did not feel any safer driving my friend's Nissan Rogue in snow. It was too numb to get any indication of slipping.
Bought a Bronco Badlands in 2024 and yes that thing is a beast in snow. But a very different vehicle. I did not enjoy it as much since I do not go off-roading.

I wont say that you will be the most planted vehicle on the road in snow. The tail will spin out if you are not careful.
But never in those 6 years did I think that I made a mistake driving the Mustang in snow.
Just drive responsibly and best of luck!

 

[mwillems]

To the OP, I live in Ottawa, ON as well. Bought my first Mustang (2016 V6 convertible) and have owned 3 Mustangs since then. The other two GTs (2016 and 2018). All three manual transmission.
Mustangs have always been my dream car.
...
Drove all of them year round for 6 years. When people say you need proper winter tires, that is really all there is to it.

Awesome! If you are ever at Place d'Orléans come say hi (I am in the photography shop).

So other people in this thread are adamant that the road salt will ruin my car. What is your experience?

 

[sidhant]

Awesome! If you are ever at Place d'Orléans come say hi (I am in the photography shop).

So other people in this thread are adamant that the road salt will ruin my car. What is your experience?

I will for sure!
I live 5 minutes from work so no car for me at the moment but hopefully I will be able to afford a Shelby one day.
Planning on buying my first home so gotta save.

Regarding the salt, I cant remember the last time I heard about or saw rust on any car built in the last decade. I am sure its a valid concern but for a majority of users on this portal who enjoy their cars, its normal to keep the cars in pristine condition. (automatic car wash, rust proofing etc)
I went to Suds car wash on merivale on a regular.
This is not to say that my car was always parked in heated garage. In fact, mine was always parked outside in the driveway. Unless you plan on keeping the same car for well over 9-10 years, you do not have to worry.

Ottawa winters aren't even that bad any more in terms of the amount of snow we get. 2025 was a bit crazy..lol

 

[robvas]

Regarding the salt, I cant remember the last time I heard about or saw rust on any car built in the last decade.

Can never figure out why I people say stuff like this. Plenty of rusty 10 year old vehicles on the roads. Take a peek under some used cars at the local dealerships if you live anywhere there's snow/salt.

 

[Racer57]

Question, where did you get your stripes?

car is a Shelby GT350

 

[Racer57]

I will for sure!
I live 5 minutes from work so no car for me at the moment but hopefully I will be able to afford a Shelby one day.
Planning on buying my first home so gotta save.

Regarding the salt, I cant remember the last time I heard about or saw rust on any car built in the last decade. I am sure its a valid concern but for a majority of users on this portal who enjoy their cars, its normal to keep the cars in pristine condition. (automatic car wash, rust proofing etc)
I went to Suds car wash on merivale on a regular.
This is not to say that my car was always parked in heated garage. In fact, mine was always parked outside in the driveway. Unless you plan on keeping the same car for well over 9-10 years, you do not have to worry.

Ottawa winters aren't even that bad any more in terms of the amount of snow we get. 2025 was a bit crazy..lol

Ever seen what aluminum looks like from salty roads ?

 

[sidhant]

Can never figure out why I people say stuff like this. Plenty of rusty 10 year old vehicles on the roads. Take a peek under some used cars at the local dealerships if you live anywhere there's snow/salt.

I am sure there are.
All I meant was that it is avoidable if you keep the car and undercarriage clean.
Plus there is rust proofing available for additional safety.

Then again, if the Mustang can rust, so will the second car I would have to keep for winter driving.
Hence my comment about a cheap winter beater if I could afford one.

I (personally) would not stop driving my mustang in snow because of that one concern.
But I get it, a Mustang today touches 70k to drive off the lot. Would hate to see it rust

 

[Fender5803]

I live in Southern New Hampsire. I would drive it all year if they didn't salt the roads so much ... as someone said "I dont want a Rustang"

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