Mine does great in New England. It's really all about the tires. Any front wheel drive vehicle will do well with the right tires.

 

Which tires?

 

I roll on all seasons in SW IL and it drives fine on a paved road in snow. My car came with TCS, but I tossed it in a box years ago. TCS just startles me and has the potential to get the car stuck... Advance trac would be more ideal.

I drove a fox Mustang V8 when I had to with BFG KDWS and I never go it suck on the roads. The first ones to fall in a ditch after a good snow here are the lifted 4x4 trucks with the huge tires. I've witnessed it and my buddy that lives out in the country sees it more, like 6-8 of them on his drive to work.lol Tires are important, but even the best snow tire won't grant invincibility.

 

I have had 205/50/16 Michelin x-ice Xi2 on '05 ST rims for four years, and I couldn't be happier. I expect to get another year or two from this set of four. Michelin's updated version is x-ice Xi3. I'm in DownEast Maine, but close to the ocean, so we have as much ice as snow. I do have TC, which I have learned to live with.

 

I'm North Central IL and SW WI during the winter, no Traction control. I have Conti ExtremeContact DWS on the car and it drives great in the snow. I have ceramic pads though, so they take a bit to warm up which means a few scary stops in the morning but if you know they'll happen they dont suprise you. Just be gentle, do everything slower. With mine if i start spinning tires I just feather the throttle a bit and theyll start to grab. You have nothing to worry about if you have decent snow tires. I've had the front lip plowing snow and it did just fine.

 

Best snow tires I've ever run are Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2. It's almost like there is no snow, no ice, no slush. They are still mounted and I will have them on to start a 3rd winter, still plenty of sipes left (Nokian perfected the sipe, and possibly invented them). Great tires!

 

my 07 ST w/o TC was just fine in snow/ice with snow tires. Most people could get away without AWD/4WD no problem

 

even if you have TC, i would turn it off.

SVT works great in winter.
I've used General Altimax Arctic, and Hakkapelita 7 studded. I wouldn't get studded again.

this vid is from a navigation rally i was in, but it shows some good aggressive winter driving around Rocky Mountain House, Alberta.

 

I used yokohama ice guard something or others, on my SVT and never had a problem getting where I needed to go. I had to go through Franconia Notch (NH version of a mountain pass, but a little smaller) in NH no matter the weather everyday for about 6 years. keep it a gear higher than needed and lug it a bit, helps keep from spinning

 

Colorado here with a LOT of mountain time in the snow. Used Hankook Winter iPikes on a 16" wheel and loved the snow driving. Very safe and capable.

 

The reason...

I asked is there is a strong chance I'll be in Grand Forks, ND this winter. I can get some snow tires in NC come October or so but the off the shelf selection is a bit limited (unless you don't mind "We'll have to order those...").

I looked into installing a block heater (BTW actually invented in Grand Forks by Andrew Freeman in 1940) and the guys there are telling me as long as I don't actually park outside overnight I should be good provided I have the largest/strongest high amp battery that will fit. The motel I stayed in a month ago had a post in front of every other parking space and an outlet was mounted to them. I thought it was funny until I realized it gets so cold that Fahrenheit is colder than Celcius![:0]

 

Like Focus112 said, the Conti DWS is a great all-season that'll hold its own in the snow. Check your engine bay for a block heater cable. My cable was hiding, but i did find it. If you have heated mirrors, you have a block heater. It works really well just plug it in at night and you'll have a nice toasty engine bay in the morning. I'm in a really windy area of WI and sometimes it goes -20 degrees with windchill and i was fine BEFORE i found the block heater cable in my engine bay. Without a block heater, just hold WOT for a few revolutions while starting then let off the gas and it'll start. This shuts off the fuel, letting the residual gas get dumped so that it doesnt flood. Tom will tell you to start it that way all the time no matter what. Keeps a backfire from blowing up your priceless intake manifold.

 

I do have heated mirrors but do not have the cold weather package. I suppose that was a compromise of sorts at the factory. Where did you find your heater cable hiding?

 

pull that black plastic cover off the right side of your engine and look for a braided nylon cable. Block Heater? - Album on Imgur

 

Thank you



...bad news for me. [] Not that I mind doing the work, I was hoping I wouldn't have to.

 

I live in west michigan about ten miles off the lake. We get hammered sometimes with lake effect snow.I have Uniroyal tigerpaw all seasons on my svt. Never had issues. On super slick roads I get an occasional tire spin at a stop light or sign. As far as the block heater goes, I'd get one. You might be fine if you garage it. But on cold mornings here if it wasn't plugged in, your not getting it started. I'd imagine ND is worse. I believe you can install an OEM block heater, my guess is the threaded hole will still be there. Probably a dummy plug in its place. They do make aftermarket heaters that attach to your oil pan.

 

http://forums.focaljet.com/showthre...om/showthread.php/651027-What-s-the-process-for-having-a-block-heater-installed

 

Has been great for me in New England. Made it through the first few winters with high performance all season tires, then saw sense and purchased snow tires. Huge difference!

 

SVT's work great in the snow. I've had to drive on road where snow flies over the hood more than once and it always pulls through and I'm only on lowly Winterforce studded tires. Your biggest limiter is ride height but that's rarely an issue on maintained roads. Also I have never had an issue with my SVT starting in the cold without a block heater and it's had to do it in -30 f with the windchill. Just make sure you have a good battery for the winter.

Location: Lowville, NY.
Yearly snowfall: 10 + feet

 

Update!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Fast forward to now...Second winter in the Forx (Grand Forks, ND) and "YES, IT IS cold enough to kill you, if you're not smart about it."

OK, so I think we lucked out for finding a place to live - third floor apartment but we have an elevator (I always take the stairs except with moving anything heavy) and we have detached row garages with electricity.

I got a small electric space heater and made a deflecting duct/wedge from some aluminum flashing and 300 degree 3M metallic tape on it. The hottest air it blows is about 170 so we're good. I DO go physically check it with hands and sniff for funky burning smells. It's also on a 3-prong plug with a GFCI and in a dry garage. Last week we hit record low -26 over night with OUT wind chill .. twenty six below zero Fahrenheit .. I left the little heater on low, blowing on the oil pan overnight and it was 14 degrees ABOVE zero and the intake manifold was 25 = BONUS. I might not even need a block heater just yet. HOWEVER, I have been avoiding driving as much as possible (college students ride city buses free) and I'd like to keep the salt off if at all possible.

As for tires, a couple summers ago I got a set of factory SVT rims with new Michelin Pilots installed from Tire Rack, nice tires BTW, and saved the original rims for a set of dedicated winter tires that Sears had on sale last year. So far everything's great. No need for traction control but I do try and avoid the local Minnesota ******** on their way to Shotgun Sally's after work driving sideways full throttle in their pickups (HEY! you know who you are) and I buy groceries in the middle of the week. When it's near zero I do like the locals - take two keys and lock it up running when we're in the store. It's just bizarre to see a parking lot full of cars all running with no one at the wheel.

OH, and the 'myth' you can throw a pot of hot water up in the air and it never comes down? THAT AIN'T NO MYTH!! [80?]

 

You should watch a psi washer hooked to the hot water heater in -12 deg and spraying off the roof , SNOWWWWW its a blast

Tom

 

Couple miles away there's a truck stop that can do steam cleaning ... it's entertaining.