We had a cold snap the last couple of days here in PA, and I can't believe the traction (or lack of it) as a result of temperatures under twenty degrees!
I don't drive over aggressively, but in cold weather the F-1's don't need much of an excuse to break loose under acceleration (tires have 3600 miles on them and look very good.) The last couple of days have convinced me to not even try driving in snow, no matter the accumulation unless I get a set of snow tires. Is this a common trait of high performance tires or just a quirk with our Goodyears?

We had a cold snap the last couple of days here in PA, and I can't believe the traction (or lack of it) as a result of temperatures under twenty degrees!
I don't drive over aggressively, but in cold weather the F-1's don't need much of an excuse to break loose under acceleration (tires have 3600 miles on them and look very good.) The last couple of days have convinced me to not even try driving in snow, no matter the accumulation unless I get a set of snow tires. Is this a common trait of high performance tires or just a quirk with our Goodyears?

It's a common feature of all summer high performance tires--it has to do with the rubber compounds used, which are sticky when warm but get hard as a rock when the temperature drops.

Some are better than others, but the existence of cold weather grip usually correlates pretty well with summer performance that is several rungs below the best summer tires. Continental ContiSports, for example, seemed to do reasonably well when cold, but compared to a tire like the S-03 or T1-S are not nearly as good in the summer. It really is a tradeoff.

I had noticed this phenomenon with my mustang GT's and the old gatorbacks that they came with, and even to some extent with Michelin XGT4's....but it is REALLY noticeable with the F1's (and I'm sure the extra 100 lbs of torque over the 5 litre ford helps in making the difference quite noticeable!)

I found the same as your experience. The F1's are very easy to break loose and with a little snow they are terrible. But I was able to get around it's just very slow going and makes you less sure of yourself. Snow tires should be fine, but from what I have seen, we also have limited options in snows as of now.

For what it is worth, I just switched to the Dunlop M3's with the understanding they would do much better then the F1's, with winter upon us.
I also live in Eastern PA so I know the weather you speak of....

I lost traction twice in the last 2 days, with just salt on the ground for one occasion and today it must have been black ice, because I saw nothing on the road and started to power slide when shifting from 2nd to 3rd..

In summary, the Dunlop's are better but not impressed so far... I am told they do well in snow....We shall see... I have to drive this baby all winter so I hope so.

It is quite scary. On a trip from San Antonio to New Orleans I went through some cold rain. I had to slow down from 70 MPH to 35. The car got loose quick. I noticed the tire pressure go down to 28 PSI. Good luck to those who have to drive in the snow.

Joe
New Orleans

In the winter, the "V" is meant to be an abbreviation for "Vaya con dios"....or maybe "Vaya con flatbed"

The traction starts to come back when the temperature drops below -20F.

It is quite scary. On a trip from San Antonio to New Orleans I went through some cold rain. I had to slow down from 70 MPH to 35. The car got loose quick. I noticed the tire pressure go down to 28 PSI. Good luck to those who have to drive in the snow.

Joe
New Orleans
next time (if ever) you're here in SA let me know!! we can go for a drive.


FWIW, although south texas is hardly "cold", i too have enjoyed breaking the a$$ loose with our cooler temps :) it's a h00t! :D

I am thinking this car (V) will be a lot of fun in the snow. Not Suburu WRX fun (all wheel drive) - but fun just the same....

With the current temp. at 5 degrees at dropping here in WI :eek: I know to be light on the gas pedal. I have new rims and Dunlop M3 snows but they still spin when it gets this cold. I had Blizzack's on my previous cars (540i, E430) and spun them as well.You just have to take it easy and if you don't Stabilitrack and Traction control will help, so do the heated seats! :rolleyes:

Not to mention there is a healthy smack more horsepower in colder weather....

Totally agree about the F1 tires. Changed over to Pirelli 240 Wintersports last weekend and immediately noticed a diferrence in the traction pattern on dry pavement. The car wants to break loose a little more frequently coming out of corners (traction control intercedes) Overall, I'm very pleased with the Pirelli 240's so far. Had a bit of snow a few days ago and the car did fine up and out of the (semi-steep) driveway.

Snow and CTS-V doesn't mix! We had our first snow here in Bowling Green, KY and the V is just dead in the water or should I say snow! I was sliding everywhere and everyone else was just fine! I was crushing alone about 15 mph and the whole car just started sliding into the wrong lane. Lucky there was no one over there! Just be careful in the snow!

next time (if ever) you're here in SA let me know!! we can go for a drive.


FWIW, although south texas is hardly "cold", i too have enjoyed breaking the a$$ loose with our cooler temps :) it's a h00t! :D


Will do! I was there with about 40 Corvettes. Had a great time doing the tourist thing (The Alamo, Riverwalk, Missions, Mex. food, etc.)

Joe
New Orleans

Snow and CTS-V doesn't mix! We had our first snow here in Bowling Green, KY and the V is just dead in the water or should I say snow! I was sliding everywhere and everyone else was just fine! I was crushing alone about 15 mph and the whole car just started sliding into the wrong lane. Lucky there was no one over there! Just be careful in the snow!


I know what you mean - 8" so far here in Metro Detroit today! I took the V out this morning to go to work and got stuck in the middle of my street for 45 minutes. Traction control had to be turned off so I could get back in my driveway. I couldn't believe how horrible this car was in the snow - I'm guessing it's the stock tires. I've driven Fourth Gen Camaro's in the snow for many years and it wasn't anywhere half this bad.

Time to either find some snow tires....or go look for a Winter Car.

If you have the F1's, you are not going anywhere in the snow.

If you have the F1's, you are not going anywhere in the snow.

Even with all season tires, I would be surprised if 245mm tires on a V would get you too far unless you put your complete barbell set in the spare tire tub.

This is conjecture, however, as my F1's will stay on the V and the V will stay in the garage in the event that we get any snow here in Virginia this year. If it snows, I'm fortunate in that I can drive the SUV till the snow melts.

I'm anxious to hear about the snow-success (or failure) of the various tire combinations that have been bantied about. My massachusetts mustang experience tells me that you gotta go skinny (front as well as rear) or REAL aggressive with a snow tire tread if you want good snow traction. May not be valid data with a 3900 lb. car....but I suspect it is.

Doug

I live on the lakeshore in western Michigan. We average over 100" of snow a year because of the lake effect.

Drove a MB 500 SL all last winter with Bridgestone Blizzaks but sold it this spring for my V (a decision that I don't regret). Got a new set of Blizzaks last month and was out driving the V in the snow about an hour ago.

With all of the electronics on cars these days and the improvements in winter tires, rear wheel drive is no big deal in the snow and ice. The stability control of the SL and the V operate similarly and that really helps out. And the traction control helps keep all those horses under control Oh, and I've also got 150 pounds of sand over the rear wheels.

Don't forget that most (or at least many) of us learned to drive in rear wheel drive cars without traction control, stability control or ABS.

And yes, with all the power of the V, it is a REALLY fun car for winter driving. Just today, I found an empty parking lot and turned off the electronics. That's a great way to burn a gallon of gas really quick.

Brent

I agree with BrentP - Over the last 20 years, I lived in Michigan, Upstate NY, New Jersey and now Pennsylvania.... 70% of that time I was on GM - rear wheel drive 'fun machines'... .

If you grew up on rear wheel drive, being in the snow should be no problem... Common sense always has to prevail in these situations...If you do not know what you are doing, or have no idea what tires you should have on a posi GM vehicle, once snow hits the ground, get a second vehicle..

I for one - look forward to the experience, but then again I lived in an area in Michigan, where the school buses had snow plows - to assure there was no such thing as a snow day for the kids....Tons of snow meant nothing more than better visability, until the sun came up... Hey - it's all relative..

I'm in Bowling Green too for a few days, and its pretty darn cold at the moment (8 degrees) --though balmy by Montana standards. Here is an excerpt from GM regarding one of the V's "unique features":

Handling in Snow:
The CTS-V is equipped with P245/45WR18 Extended Mobility Tires (EMT, or run-flat). These are Goodyear F1 Supercar performance-oriented tires and provide the ultimate handling for the combination street and track environment. They are not, however, all-season tires and will not give optimum performance in mud or snow. If the CTS-V is to be driven in areas that regularly experience adverse winter conditions, snow tires of the same size on all four wheels should be considered. Never exceed the speed rating for your selected tire. Winter tires will be available in the future.

Stay safe out there!