Had my F-Type V8s since March, and as everyone might guess, I absolutely love it. As everyone knows, it's an amazing car in the summer. My previous car was an S5 cab, and it made me a big fan of having a convertible year round, if there is sun out the top is down, even if it's -20ēC. Crank the heat, turn on the steering wheel heater and seat heater and you're enjoying the few moments of sun that we get up north in the winter. So I knew I had to find a way to run the F-Type year round.

It took a while to get my setup down as no dealer or forum had any information for me regarding winter in the F-Type. They recommended storing the car or putting sottozeros on stock rims. Now I knew that having 295s in the back with performance winter tires would be a recipe for disaster. (wide tires float on snow)

I decided on putting true snow/ice tires and not performance winters on. 245/45/19 would be the narrowest/smallest I could get around the big brakes. I ended up getting rims made with the following specs for all 4 corners: 8.5inch x 19inch, with a 5x108mm bolt pattern, and a 45-offset I moved the rims inwards by 1inch to prevent stone spray on the body. Wrapped them with Michelin X-Ice 3s.

In Montreal we get a lot of snow, from November-April so I was a bit nervous not having the quattro system, but i've been pleasantly surprised! We've received a few days of snow, and i've driven over 1000km in winter weather without any problems.

The real test came yesterday, a foot of snow fell while I was parked in an un-plowed parking lot. The F-Type got out without any trouble and then handled the drive home and through a 2 foot snowbank into the garage. The snow mode, traction control and locking diff really handle snow and ice incredibly well.

Of course having 495hp to the rear wheels on snow means you can really have some fun as soon as you turn off the TC and return the car to regular or dynamic mode!

Anyone hesitating with using the F-Type year round? Go for it! Follow my setup and you'll be able to enjoy your car all that much more.

 

You are a brave individual! Good on you. I'm in SW Ontario and get much less snow than you guys. I stored the F-Type. I am a girly-man

 

Rammer,

You are da man!!!!!! I'm sending massive respect your way, and I really admire someone who finds a way to enjoy a car regardless of the conditions.

I did something similar when I worked in Minneapolis all week and flew home to DC on weekends. I was stubbornly determined to make my M3 my only and daily driver for 5 days a week there. I bought a set of Blizzak snow tires and an extra set set of wheels, and was able to deal with up to a foot of snow with no problem. The front splitter on the the M3 made a very good snow plow at times. You're right that with snow tires, RWD is no problem (and actually fun) in the snow.

Fortunately, they have an armada of snow removal equipment in MN and it rarely got deeper than 6 inches for more than a few hours. I'm sure Montreal is similar, but there was always some snow on the roads from at least November through April. For 5 years, the trusty M3 on Blizzaks never went off-road and never left me stranded.

 

I had Bridgestone Blizzaks on 20 inch rims and drove my 2010 XFR year round....awesome, no need for AWD

 

Me too. Especially after last winter...

 

Last time I was in DFW the weather forecasters were commenting on how the 1" of snow that had fallen overnight brought the total up to 30" for the winter.

Not sure why I was surprised...

 

Last winter was unusually cold in most parts of the U.S. Regions that normally see little or no frozen precipitation or hard freezes during a typical winter saw quite a bit last year.

 

Great post! Mine is on winters as well.

 

Nice to see another montrealer driving his ftype in winter. In my case i went with the sottozeros on the 20 inch wheels because i plan to take it out on nice winter days only. The sottozeros are performance winter tires so not so great on deep snow or ice.


Im happy to report that they drive and feel the same as stock

 

Sunny - sand/salt free (for the most part) roads - and there's no way I'm not taking my 2015 V6S out this week!

 

you got winters on?

 

Negative. For the most part - and as we live and work on the coast - local munis and the state clear the roads up quite well and over the years I've rarely found the need for snows (and that includes the years I had an NSX). Unless it's snowing and/or icy - in which case the F-Type will very likely remain at home (and if I get "caught" in something, so be it) - I've made the decision to drive my V6S regardless of the weather/winter. Especially since I had the car "filmed", I'm less concerned about sand/salt/debris hitting the car.

It's just a car...if a stunning one at that!

Carpe diem.

P.S. No question, on the drive in this morning, I felt a bit more alive...with rear wheel drive! What is life without adventure?

 

It's rare enough to see another f-type in Montreal, let alone winter, we may be the only ones...

The 245 snows definitely do not feel like stock, but i'm alright with that as they get me up north and back!

 

My feelings exactly! Why would I only want to enjoy her for 6months a year?

 

Any car - beyond the obvious external beauty - is meant for one thing and one thing only: to drive it.

P.S. rammer_28: my wife and I were discussing, just this morning on the drive in (in the F-Type of course) as we have friends in Montreal, of a spring drive. For all I know, possibly a winter one! FYI.

 

Have you done anything to protect the shell/chassis against salt? I know aluminium doesn't rust but I feel terrible everytime I feel the salt in the wheel wells.

 

Just a few minutes with a power washer, and the undercarriage is as good as new.

 

Yeah that's what I was thinking Foosh. I'll wash it tomorrow and park it for a few. I'm still stuck at the office and can hear all the black ice due for tonight, will be interesting to see how it handles.

 

Im still not an F type owner but will be in april. My experience with northeast weather(metro ny) and Porsche can be simply be explained by the typically expensive Porsche winter package I purchased. Its a little steep at $38,000 but does include winter tires mounted on rims attached to a ford explorer, there were quite a few snow driving days last winter otherwise I use the sports car) . With minimal front clearance those valences would be expensive to replace as the snow ice and debris that accumulate between the tire tracks would make your car a plow- Not sure Id blow through 2 feet of snow with the front end of my f type- has nothing to do with traction

 

Be careful out there. All bets are off on black ice.