How much snow? Can't beat Nokian winter tires - or maybe All Seasons depending on your location.

 

Why does Jaguar have an ice and snow mode in their cars? Why do they offer winter and snow tire/wheel options? If a Jaguar is your only car, what car are you going to drive? Every Jag I have owned has performed fine in the winter and snow.

 

Far from not being designed for Winter driving, when the model was current, Jaguar offered a "customer experience" in Finland to show just how safe and how much fun the XK can be in the snow and ice.





My Jaguars have always been used throughout the year. They plummet in value just sitting in the garage so I get maximum enjoyment out of using them whatever the weather.

Graham

 

Living in sunny and snowy Colorado with my 98 XK8 that I drive year-round, I do something I learned from the Germans when I was stationed there: I have two sets of wheels - 19-inch Coventry wheels with my summer tires, and the original 17-inchers that have studded snow tires. I put the snow wheels/tires on once the snow gets regular/deeper (Dec/Jan) and keep them on until around April (or even sometimes May in crazy years - we had snow on July 4th a couple of years back, believe it or not). Anyway, the snow tires work great and the Jag actually handles better in snow than our small AWD SUV with all-weather tires. That's as long as the snow isn't too deep... Good idea to throw some extra weight in the trunk as well. I usually carry a couple of bags of de-icing salt back there since we need it anyway.

 

Loving this thread - long story short, as long as you know what you're doing it's really a matter of personal preference.
Me, I'd never do it if only for the fact of washing the salt off, and the fact that once the chains are on we're all driving 40 anyway, and you're driving behind someone whose chains are throwing that road crap up on your car. For me, that's a pass. Those drives are what that 4Runner with 200K miles is for, my opinion.

(And yeah, winter mode is impressive indeed. I've only had the chance to use it in snow/ice twice, other times were in super-heavy rain. It really makes a difference. Have never used it with full-on snow tires on the car, however.)

 

I've seen 2 cars where chains have broken or come away (probably from not being fitted properly) the resultant bodywork damage put me off the idea.

It rarely gets that cold/icy where I live now, if it were a large bag of kitty litter and a fold out snow shovel are put n the boot.

 

+1 on this. I like this thread too and no one washes my car but me and I can't (won't) do that up here in the winter.

I have no doubt the car handles beautifully with the right set of tires on it. 4.5" clearance is rarely an issue as the roads stay plowed and if they aren't, it's because they're expecting much more and warning the world not to travel. I've driven the S450 and SV8 in the winter. Rear wheel drive luxury cars are not hard to drive in snow but you have to relearn and even today, everyone seems to have forgotten how to drive when the first snow of the season comes. Remember back pre 1980, every car was rear wheel drive. I also don't worry about the idiots driving behind me (at any speed) only to rear end me. My lawyer will ensure I get my next XK.

So I don't drive it in the winter because... my money my choice.

Graham - that red in the posted ad - is just beautiful. Wife said it was the prettiest red she's ever seen but walked away very quickly because she knew my next question:-)

 

As mentioned everyone needs to make their own decision on this. I found out after my bride of 50 years passed away that life is shorter then you think. I enjoy driving and have 3 1/2 seasons of driving here in NY. I had driven my XKR in the winter when there was no or less then 2" without any issues. Had Conti's DWS tires and didn't have any problems. As far as salt it was a matter of taking it to a touchless car wash with an undercarriage wash and run it through. Up until last year I seemed to want to save my car for the next owner. Those days are over as I won't worry about it now. Bought my car with 6666 miles on it in 2014 and sold it with 24000 miles in 2019. I didn't put enough miles on it but that won't happen with my next car. Enjoy the ride , life is short

 

As long as it's above freezing, I wash my cars with the same frequency as the summer. The trick is filling the wash bucket inside with very warm water and draining the hose when done.

 

There was one just like that for sale in Chicago a couple years ago. If I wasn’t married, I would have gone after it. Or conversely, if I would have bought it, I wouldn’t be married...

 

Sounds like you married one of my wife's sisters