I notice a lot of people talking about driving their cars in the winter and asking questions so I decided to start a thread for those people who want to drive their cars in the winter. If anyone wants to add anything or criticize what my opinions are they are welcome.

Driving your Crossfire in winter conditions is completely possible with a little extra care and finesse.

1. Bare minimum get yourself some good All-Season tires. Summer tires won't cut it in the snow at all. Winter tires are recommended.

2. Turn your Traction Control off only if you are stuck (courtesy of magneticred).

3. Add weight to the trunk. 50/60lbs sand bags work well.

4. Want to keep that Crossfire looking good but afraid the road salt and sand will hurt your car? Well you can't be lazy when it comes to keeping your car washed and waxed. Road salt WILL hurt your cars paint and cause your car to rust. So that means wash your car as often as possible. Whether you take it to one of those car washes or wash it by hand doesn't matter. I recommend waxing the car after washing it each time cause you never know how long your going to have to go without washing it again in the winter months. Get yourself some of that fast wax stuff that comes in a spray bottle or use a liquid wax of your choice. Make sure you wax the wheels, inside the doors, under the spoiler, and any other nook and cranny you can think of. (Thanks to onehundred80 for pointing out that road salt will do damage no matter the temperature.)

5. Keep your car parked outside if you have a heated garage. Reason for that is because this will accelerate the rusting process. You keep your car parked in the heated garage you can expect your car to start rusting at a faster rate. I have read a few articles where people kept their cars parked in a heated garage and they have seen rust already appearing on their brand new cars in less than a years time.

6. Keep the underside of your Crossfire rust free. I'm talking about muffler, cats, and anything metal that can rust underneath your car. The best way to do this is to get some ramps or jack up the front of your car and get underneath with a hose and spray everything down real good.
- A "sprinkler hose" one of those flattish multi tube hoses with small holes all over the top of the hose placed in long coils under the car makes a great belly wash. (courtesy of Pacemaker)

7. Watch for pot-holes and debris in the road and do your best to avoid it. Most of you would say this is a no-brainer, but most people don't REALLY watch. The XF's rims bend pretty easily if you hit something large enough. (courtesy of shapeshifter309)

8. Pretend as though there is an egg that you are not allowed to break between your foot and the gas and brake pedals. A light touch works better to get you going or slow you down on a slippery road.

A few more;

Always assume the road is slippery, even if it seems it's not.

Increase your following distance by a *lot* and make sure you are paying attention to everything around you and as far ahead as possible. You want to avoid having to do any emergency braking or maneuvers to the greatest extent possible.

Make sure to watch your mirrors, especially when stopping or sitting at a light. The person coming up behind you may have ignored the slippery conditions. Keep your car in gear and have a plan to get out of the way if you need to. (courtesy of Joliet John)

9. You have to be afraid of the idiots out there as they will nail you every time.
There can only be one first rule for hazardous road conditions and it is a question;
'Do I have to go out onto the roads today?'

One small fender bender when you really did not have to be out there will really make you think harder the next time, if you're smart that is. (courtesy of onehundred80)

10. Also, a trucker I used to drive with taught me that you should go into Neutral if you have any idea that you may slide in a stopping situation. Works well on the XF so far. No sideways funhouse stuff on these icy TN. hills (yet). (courtesy of Pacemaker)

All in all the Crossfire is a blast to drive in the winter months and I believe the people who do drive their cars year round are getting the most out of their vehicles. Their is nothing to be afraid of as long as your careful driving and take those extra steps to keep your car looking good.