Hi All,

I am new to the group just joined today… I am thinking of leasing a 2005 Coupe Limited but have some reservations about handling and safety in snow. I had planned on using the car as my daily driver throughout the winter….

I have read some of the posts regarding ‘snow’ but had a couple of questions still. Has anyone actually used their XF as a daily driver in the winter time in the snow/freezing rain/slush etc? I am in the Boston area so I expect there will be many days coming where this is the case. Is it true the ASP’s really do not perform very well in the snow? I sure do not relish the additional expense of snow tires/rims but if they really are going to be needed then it seems like the smart thing to do. Is it possible or desirable to get 18” rims for the rear and put the same size tires all around 225/40R18’s? Would that setup improve handling and safety during somewhat slick conditions? Just a thought. Thanks in advance for the replies I appreciate the feedback.

I just love the car – such a distinctive look. Nothing out there like it either. It may not have a lot of power but it sure does turn heads and is a great cruiser from what I have read… By the way I am looking at the auto instead of a manual as my wife wants to drive it as well. She does not know how to drive a stick. Maybe that is a good thing. My other cars are: 2000 LHS and a mint 1987 Dodge Shelby Charger Turbo… Now that car is NOT good in the snow… -wkdgood dhawkins0614@yahoo.com

 

I've driven to work (14 miles or so) twice now in the snow/ice. You'll find that even with the Continentals and the traction control, the back end will still slide out on you. The brakes work really well, though.

I've put 80 pounds of salt in the back of my car and it seems to have helped things out slightly. We'll see how that goes when we get more snow.

 

Thanks TSaxMan113 for the info -- I appreciate it... Sounds like putting extra weight in the rear is the place to start... Just takes up additional trunk space though : -- wkdgood

 

I know of others who have put the salt in the back of their Xfires and said the extra weight works well. Good luck.

 

Living in Chicagoland I had the same reservations....but opted to purchase my Crossfire. Having an opportunity to do it all over again, I probably would not. Granted the car is wonderful 355 days a year but those 10 scare me. I've had to drive in the snow twice this winter and got completely freaked out.....and it takes a lot to scare me. The backend flys around on seemingly ever turn and forget about stopping....like on skis. I'm debating purchasing some used 4x4 for the 10 or so days during the winter. Just my thoughts.

 

LOL I am too from the Chicagoland area. You have the all seasons? or the summer Micheliens? I am so glad i got home in time to swap to our CR-V because, after the snow came down i tryed just to see, how the crossfire would be and i got stuck in my driveway, on only a few inches of snow. I am looking right now for winter wheel/tire combo. Hoping the 17's that fit a MB slk320 sport will fit my car.

 

Bullseye,
Fortunately/unfortunately I have the Pilot Sport 2's on my car. Despite what other may say, I'm not quite sure the Continentals would make that much difference. Our cars are SO light in the rear end that it is always going to slide around. Knock on wood....it has not snowed that much....lets hope that continues.

 

Have you tried the couple of bags of salt in the rear? I believe there is also a Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. Try tirerack.com. The salt is a cheap alternative for those 10 days a year.

 

I ran last winter with Michellins and no additional weight. My job allows me to go flex time when it snows, so I just have an extra cup of coffee and read the news paper and wait for everyone else to clean the roads for me and then drive in later. On the real bad days I use public transportation. So out of last winter I slept in or goofed off 5 or 6 times and rode the bus 3 or 4 times. Just the price that I am willing to pay for the good times.

It is not good in frozen sleet and it does not want to play trail blazer especially in lake effect snow. New shoes and some weight will not change that.

 

What are you guys talking about... Here in Houston, we deal with severe weather... 10" rain, 100% humidity... try getting traction on those roads....?????????????

 

well now hold on...i have seen it snow here in houston more than once in the past 30 years. maybe twice. one time the nasty stuff lasted till almost lunchtime. naturally, they closed the schools etc. one time i had a fun afternoon downtown drinking beer and watching all the people trying to come down a really steep and curving exit ramp from the freeway after a little snow. wheeeeee!! thud. wheeeeeeeeeee! thud. (the ones at the top couldn't see the ones at the bottom.)

i actually grew up and learned to drive in chicago. hyde park. there is certainly an art to driving a rear-wheel-drive car in the snow but it can be done. just takes more "driving" .

sure is fun learning to turn corners with the throttle only.


dan

 

Hey Dan.. I moved to Houston from frigid Dallas... That far North gets ice 6-7 times a year. In Plano, they called a state of emergency after more than 3000 accidents were reported in an ice storm... I learned to drive in Colorado and got a real kick out of it.... SCCA driver schools should be mandatory... they teach you how to handle the car and learn to deal with its limits... saved my a** a thousand times....

 

If I drove 3 mustang GT's, and a 93 Firebird Formula in the snow, all with crappy *** tires the 1st 3 being Goodyear gatorbacks and the other being near dry rotted
Goodyear GA's(Was my 1st nice car:-D) in the snow with Lil' effort, I dont see how I could have a problem with a car with far less torque, abtrusive traction control, and better all over design. RWD is better in the snow if you ask me, easier to correct the spin, unlike a fwd, which takes a bit more rustling, granted you have to try harder to make it tail out.

Also I drove my old 2000 Lightning from my work all the way home about 9-10miles in a snow storm with about 3inches on the ground. Now that was not fun. Took me 2 lights to get out of a intersection. LOL Man that thing would not grip. Didnt get stuck till i got into my driveway. It was on the stock tires some good years i think they had sc in the name. Just a funny story.

 

I drove a Mustang GT through 4 winters here. If you think that a Mustang could be a pig on skates in the snow, I have some bad news for you. I believe that the Crossfire is worse. Just wait for the real winter to arrive. Be interesting to hear your opionion come June.

I was in Dallas once when a terrific snow storm hit. As I recall it was dubbed the storm of the decade. It closed the whole place down for 3 days. If you looked at the sides of buildings where the snow drifted you could easily measure 1/2 inch of the stuff. The only snow equipment that I saw was a dump truck full of sand with 2 guys in the back shoveling it out at some intersections. It took about 2 hours for all of the locals to find their parking spots in various ditches. After that, it was an easy go.

 

Has anyone tried to the winter gear shifting mechanism on the crossfire? Does that help some, with the snow/sleet situation?

 

I don't think the handling is that bad in the snow. I am from the Denver area, and my XF is my daily driver. We had about 8 inches two weeks ago and the car drove just fine. I have an autostick 04, which would be a limited 05 model with the traction control. I set the transmission to the "W" mode and it worked well. The brakes work great. I also have the all-season tires on with no additional weight in the back. It all comes down to driving skill. Obviously if you jump on the gas, the car will spin/swerve. Just have to be smarter than the car. ANd drive for the conditions. If it snowed more than a foot, then the XF becomes a snow plow.

 

OK guys, here is what I found in Canada. On ice the Continentals are suprisingly good. On 2 to 5 inches of snow with ice underneath. Not great! I have the 6 speed and in snow, you really need to turn off the TCS as the system thinks I am just loosing traction when I can't get it to move. Turned off the wheels spin but it does move. I try not to look for any long trips until the plows move thru. After that, I am as happy as a clam. biggerntexas, can I swap your rain for some snow?

 

Bob G... As Jack Nickelson said to Tom Cruise... YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT... U'll be you do get snow in Winnepeg... I was in Goose Bay, Labrador when I was in the Air Force and that's all we ever got. Snow on top of snow...

 

biggerntexas: I hear yah!

 

What's SNOW ?