New Winter Rubber

Northwind · Nov 12, 2010

Photos of new winter tires and wheels if anyone wants to see what they look like on the car. Ford Racing #M-1007-DC199B wheels and Pirelli Sottozero SerieII tires.

Sorry for the lousy cell phone pics.

jaybertx · Nov 12, 2010

Fantastic!

MJan · Nov 15, 2010

Very nice!
Is this a 2011 GT with the Brembo package?

arcwcb · Nov 15, 2010

I would assume so, it's a 2011 since it says 5.0 on the side and it has Brembo brakes...

Northwind · Nov 16, 2010

MJan said:
Very nice!
Is this a 2011 GT with the Brembo package?

Yes, '11GT, Brembos, 3.73 rear, MT, Kona Blue.

Northwind · Nov 16, 2010

These are the exact same wheels as the OEM Brembo package, except gloss black instead of the pewter finish, and FR center cap instead of the running horse.

OEM wheel = $420.00 each
Ford Racing wheel = $200.00 each.

The extra $220 each is FoMoCo sticking it to you.

Notchbck93 · Nov 24, 2010

Where abouts are you friend?

The only thing I'd recommend is to have her washed at a car wash, especially undercarriage, once a week throughout the winter.

Ronin38 · Dec 20, 2010

Thanks for the info on the wheels, I'll look into those if I wind up getting the car I'm looking at now...

What size snow tires did you get? 235/50/18?

- Has anyone tried a 225/55/18 snow tire? It's only about 1/2" larger diameter, but there are some that size that are less expensive than the 235-size...
If everything goes through on the car I'm looking at, it will be getting snow tires ASAP!

Al J · Dec 20, 2010

There's a less expensive quality way to go.
I bought a set of one year old 18" Blizzaks off Craig's list for just $200.00
Our tire size is common on high line luxury cars, whose owners change them as often as we change our socks, making their extra snow tires surplus. New Konig Beyond rims look & run great for less than half the price of Ford's.
Worked for me.

Ronin38 · Dec 20, 2010

^ Good point!

Northwind · Dec 20, 2010

Ronin38 said:
Thanks for the info on the wheels, I'll look into those if I wind up getting the car I'm looking at now...

What size snow tires did you get? 235/50/18?

- Has anyone tried a 225/55/18 snow tire? It's only about 1/2" larger diameter, but there are some that size that are less expensive than the 235-size...
If everything goes through on the car I'm looking at, it will be getting snow tires ASAP!

I went with the (Brembo package) stock size of 255/40-19 with 19x9 wheels.
The choices are limited with the Brembos. The stock wheels only clear the binders by this much -->| |<--.

I've run Blizzaks in the past on a lower performance car, and their snow traction was truly amazing. I haven't had the Pirellis in the snow yet (and am planning on avoiding it) however their handling is awesome for a winter tire. Can't really reach their limits on the street.

I was wiling to give up a bit of foul weather traction for an improvement in handling. I don't intend to drive the car in the winter unless the roads are dry, I was looking for a good handling cold weather compound that would be decent if I did get caught in the snow.

I do know that the stock summer tires got down right dangerous when the temperature dropped to 45F.

RochesterGT · Dec 22, 2010

I really wish we could get those at that price, but in the regular pewter color Maybe I'll buy some, have them blasted and paint them myself.

Northwind · Dec 22, 2010

RochesterGT said:
I really wish we could get those at that price, but in the regular pewter color Maybe I'll buy some, have them blasted and paint them myself.

After living with the FR wheels for awhile, I've grown to like the black better than the stock color.

ddeacon · Jan 31, 2011

Just curious how well the winter tires have been working on your Mustang. Do you drive it much in the snow or do you try to avoid it? Looks like you have them at all 4 corners too. Dealer suggested I'd probably just need them out back but I got the Brembo brake package and I can't imagine only having them in the back.

Just wondering because I ordered a 2012 GT today as was planning on getting snow tires. I've owned a couple of Mustangs but leased and never put snow tires on them. Last one I had was a 2000 GT so it's been a while since I've had one.

Thanks,
D

Northwind · Jan 31, 2011

They have been great for my purposes so far (about 2,000 miles), but I have not driven on the road in the snow (although we have a couple feet on the ground). I have moved the car around the driveway during snow storms and have been able to drive (slowly) through a few inches of snow without a problem. They are the same size as the stock Brembo tires, so they are too wide to ever be real surefooted in snow.

I have other more appropriate options for transportation so I avoid taking out the Mustang unless the roads are mostly dry. That being said, I have no use for garage queens and will drive it year round whenever I can. Life's too short to wait for summer.

I bought the tires for 2 reasons:

As an insurance policy in case I get caught out in snotty weather
the stock tires are downright scary below 40 degrees

As for dry/wet handling in the cold, they have been awesome. I have had them out down to -5 degrees and they have more grip than one should exploit on the street. When they break free, it's progressive and controllable.

I chose the Sotozero's for the emphasis on cold weather dry road performance, with passable snow traction in an emergency. If I had to intentionally drive the car in the snow, I would have probably gone with Blizzaks or Nokian Hakkapeliitta's.

ddeacon · Feb 1, 2011

Thanks for the info.

Sparty92 · Feb 1, 2011

I don't have pics....but...

I have essentially the same car, different color. A 19" Blizzak is like, $1,100 for 4. No thanks.

I had my local Discount Tire order up some Drag wheels...they are flat black with red stripe...18".
Drag Wheels. Extreme Alloys. | DR-31

I have a 235/55/18 Blizzak DM-V1 on them which is a tad taller than the OEM OD.
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1

They are promoted as an SUV-sized tire, so you won't find many reviews about them on "cars"...but they look/work just fine. To get the "proper" size (235/50/18) would have cost an additional $50-ish per tire. No thank you very much.

They work very well. Incredible stopping power. A little understeer though, which I don't recall having on my '07 with Michelin X-Ice Xi2 tires. But I was looking for SNOW TIRES that would get me through the winter. They didn't have to be super duper awesome and cost tons of money.

The price for those tires/wheels..mounted/balanced...with black spline drive Gorilla lug nuts...was about $1,270. Compared to $1,100 for 19" snow tires ONLY...I think I did pretty well. Now I can just flop out wheels/tires when the weather changes, and no dismount/remount on the OEM wheels.

Snow tires should be mandatory for anyone who drives in cold/snowy temps. My OEM 19" Pirellis that came with the Brembo package would spin the tires on dry pavement in 2nd gear in 20º weather if I just leaned on the gas pedal. Not cool.

Hope this helps you guys who are looking for snow shoes.

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