Cold weather Cold Bridgestones


NorthwoodGT

NorthwoodGT

GT Owner
Jun 12, 2009
1,217
Michigan
I thought tailgaters were crazy to sit out in 32 degree weather before the Michigan-Michigan State game this past Saturday but the local Ford UAW had a car show across from the Livonia Ford Transmission plant Saturday as well.
Not being a huge football fan, I decided to take the GT up there since it's only 1 1/2 miles from my shop. Less than a mile, I went around the corner in second gear and gave it about half throttle. Was there ice on the roads I thought? NO there wasn't but it sure felt like it.
the rear end came around about half way and the engine was revving pretty good.
I will admit, I have never driven the car in cold weather and never dreamed the Bridgestones would break loose that easy. Geez! almost had to go home first for a fresh pair of undies! And I preach to everyone else about being careful!
 
That happened to me last year in 60 degree weather. Coming around a corner and punching can be treacherous in these cars (I have Bridgestones too). Cold weather increases the possibility,but can happen in warm weather.
 
I am in North Carolina and have had a pulley/tune for ~6 months. I had a buddy in the car and was in 2nd gear when I (what I thought was spirited but conservatively) rolled into the throttle...the tires spun (~45F)...BE CAREFUL. (Bridgestones)
 
I too have the Bridgestones. Better than the originals - but certainly "sporty" at 55 degrees.....
 
The Bridgestones are better than the Goodyears, but the car is not fun under 60 degrees.

Joe
 
Art138 said:
That happened to me last year in 60 degree weather. Coming around a corner and punching can be treacherous in these cars (I have Bridgestones too). Cold weather increases the possibility,but can happen in warm weather.
Click to expand...


This kind of oversteer is the most common with high HP high torque cars. They will also break loose during a downshift turn with throttle blip as the gearing changes. Most disconcerting is a downshift on a straight - as in downshifting from 4th to 3rd to pass. Just be careful of conditions.

Rest assured, the factory Goodyears will break loose more often than the bridgestones. I had the GT Goodyear equivalents on my Cobra and it was squirrelly as he**.

Now get this one. Its been raining in Vegas off an on the past week or so (the same storm systems that made mud slides in southern CA). Yesterday I was going to the Roger Waters The Wall movie. The theater is in a local casino. It had just finished raining when I left so I drove my truck. The rear tires were wet from the road but the ramp in the garage was dry and my rear tires broke loose. I started slipping backwards!!! I almost put it in 4WD but then they dried out enough. I felt like I was in the water box at the drag strip.
 
Last edited:
even hot and dry weather doesn't matter when you downshift and accelerate into a turn where there is loose gravel on the pavement! my friend brought over a new Viper with a manufacturers plate on it. he let me drive it as I wanted to until I came up to my subdivision street off a main rd. made the turn while acceleration onto my street with the V10. hit the loose gravel and spun the Chrysler company car 360 degrees between parked cars on my street. guess the V10 had a little more torque than I expected! won't even repeat the name calling that pursued after that little stunt. PS-didn't put a scratch on the car but did have to clean out the interior!
 
Art138 said:
That happened to me last year in 60 degree weather. Coming around a corner and punching can be treacherous in these cars (I have Bridgestones too). Cold weather increases the possibility,but can happen in warm weather.
Click to expand...

Amen! :eek

Air temps matter little. It's the temp of the street/asphalt that challenges the grip of the tire. That, and no traction control or driver nannies cause havoc with our GTs.

60 degree air temps can still mean the street temps are cold from overnight cold temps.
 
I've driven the #2 car on my OEM Goodyears for 20 miles at temps between 35° and 45° over the Carson Spur (7.970 ft) and Carson Pass (8,574 ft) with between ½" to 1" of snow on the highway during a whiteout storm. There are few barriers. If you drove in someone else's track, the tires would compress the wet snow to ice and get squirrley. I trust the OEMs!! and they were getting close to the wearbars!!

Carson Spur
View attachment 39658

Carson Pass
View attachment 39659

View attachment 39660

PS - I was very careful!!

PS2: - I undid my seat belt going over both of these passes - if the car started to slide off, I was ready to bail!
 
Last edited:
I've tip-toe'd through snow and ice a few times. Good traction with OEM Goodyears. One very nervous driver however.
 
I guess its about time for the annual "Please remember to be safe! These cars have zero traction in cold weather!" announcement.
 
Are the Bridgestones directional or can you "rotate?"
 
They are not directional but can rotate only side to side.
 
fjpikul said:
They are not directional but can rotate only side to side.
Click to expand...

Thnx
 
fjpikul said:
They are not directional but can rotate only side to side.
Click to expand...

Side to side? Is that swapping left for right? Confusion here. How can Bridgestones on a GT be rotated with different sizes front and rear?
 
That is correct, only right to left or vice versa. Of course you cannot do front to back or vice versa.
 
Bridgestones can do up to 4 inches of snow, all bets off after that!
 

Attachments

  • DSCF2657.jpg
    DSCF2657.jpg
    66.1 KB · Views: 145
  • DSCF2681.jpg
    DSCF2681.jpg
    115.9 KB · Views: 141
  • DSCF2683.jpg
    DSCF2683.jpg
    168.2 KB · Views: 141
Except the roads were cleared!

Joe
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Top Bottom