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- Thread starter DakotaGT
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Congrats on your FGT. It is a very special masterpiece to be respected.
Being from the north myself, if I may offer you some advice... Don't get to know your car in the cold winter months. Put her away until the warm weather returnswhere you can warm up those tires and drive her properly. Don't become one of the many who have destroyed their gorgeous FGT in cold
weather with cold tires. This beast can easily get out from underneath you and kill you. This is not the time of year to take her out on a date!
All the best and enjoy her in good health.
Being from the north myself, if I may offer you some advice... Don't get to know your car in the cold winter months. Put her away until the warm weather returnswhere you can warm up those tires and drive her properly. Don't become one of the many who have destroyed their gorgeous FGT in cold
weather with cold tires. This beast can easily get out from underneath you and kill you. This is not the time of year to take her out on a date!
All the best and enjoy her in good health.
Welcome to the Forumn, a better group of people you will not find... a word of advice BRIDGSTONES
good luck and enjoy..
Kurt
good luck and enjoy..
Kurt
Xcentric
GT Owner
This is certainly a somber welcoming group. You'd think this car was out to kill you, just because temperatures have dropped, or you may not have someone's misspelled brand of tire, or you will swap ends unless you put a torch to your tires before leaving the garage. Seriously people, what is with all the unsolicited advice? What a downer. :screwy:
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For someone relatively new to the forum, you haven't been here for the past 7 winter seasons where we see many experienced drivers total their GT. There are many owners on here that will attest to this from experience. No one is trying to scare the guy, just giving friendly warnings about how easily this car can get away from you in cold weather.
Again, we welcome you sfsdfgt to the forum and I appreciate you giving me your business. You will have her in your hands soon....
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Xcentric
GT Owner
Well, I think making assumptions about our new member's driving experience is presumptuous and uncalled for. Put your car away until warm weather? The "beast" can "kill you?" This is absurd. How about just a nice welcome?
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FikseGTS
GT Owner
twobjshelbys
GT Owner
I think someone with a GT500 with those specs has a good understanding of the ups and downs. It's not wrong to give advice since many new owners really don't know the rubber band they've wound up, but I think he'll do OK 
P.S. We were in Haywarden in early November. Not a happy occasion - my wife's mom passed away. But I got to visit with my mom and sisters and all their little kids. It was sad and happy at the same time.
P.S. We were in Haywarden in early November. Not a happy occasion - my wife's mom passed away. But I got to visit with my mom and sisters and all their little kids. It was sad and happy at the same time.
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Come on, I say drive it feel the wheels spin a little, just make sure it's pointed strait. I drive mine almost all winter until the salt trucks come out. Who wants to get a new toy and park it.
Xcentric I am with you on this one!
Heck Ralphie i have seen pics of your car out around snow several times.
twobjshelbys
GT Owner
I grew up about 75 miles away and know perfectly well how to drive on squirelly roads in a straight line (with occasional excursions) I will agree that a little experimentation is appropriate, but will also observe that most of the time you'll get throttle oversteer on a right or left hand turn. Find a track with a skid pad.
My wife sent me this picture as a joke. We both know it's fact
Hey, people are just giving a friendly word of advice. Has nothing to do with driver skill and more so the fact that the car is a known widowmaker, specifically under a certain temp. Pretty confident that nobody on this site has more GT miles than one of the guys from the GT program that destroyed a car in cool weather. Ditto for a guy we know can drive because he's run 7's@185+ but managed to get hurt pretty bad cracking his GT up in the cold. Every fall and spring the GT guys shop turns into a parts and repair bonanza from freshly stuffed GTs, and it's virtually always guys that have spent a lot of years driving a lot of fast cars.
For the record, I drive my GT500 in all weather and it's not comparable to driving the GT when it gets cold. Front-engine solid-axle cars with traction aids do not behave like mid-engine IRS cars without traction aids, and if that's your expectation, trouble will find you.
Anyways, enough hijack!
For the record, I drive my GT500 in all weather and it's not comparable to driving the GT when it gets cold. Front-engine solid-axle cars with traction aids do not behave like mid-engine IRS cars without traction aids, and if that's your expectation, trouble will find you.
Anyways, enough hijack!
twobjshelbys
GT Owner
I'd much rather repeat the advice to someone who knows than not do so and have another "broke it in the first 10 miles" story.
Of all the things on the forum I think this the most oft repeated advice. Better to repeat it than have another one fall down in the first 10 miles.
I think the GT is the last "supercar" without nannies - traction control and stability control - so you are, so to speak, "on your own".
P.S. He has Bridgestones. That's a big plus!
Of all the things on the forum I think this the most oft repeated advice. Better to repeat it than have another one fall down in the first 10 miles.
I think the GT is the last "supercar" without nannies - traction control and stability control - so you are, so to speak, "on your own".
P.S. He has Bridgestones. That's a big plus!
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Wwabbit
GT Owner
Yeah, I know. But, I've spun it a couple of times too, fortunately without damage, in cold winter conditions (has to do with where I live) and I've been driving it for 6 years with lots of miles, so I think I know the car a bit. A little caution is a good way to treat these cars, no matter how many hours or miles you've accumulated. Last June, I was in a freak snowstorm with 1" of snow on the road coming over Carson Pass (alt. 8,574 ft) with half worn Goodyears and, believe me, I tiptoed down the east slope at 15-20 mph. My sphincter was so tight, afraid I would begin to slide and go off the cliff, but I was lucky.
The main thing is - respect the car!
Pictures from June 19, 2011 on Tioga Road (CA 120 over Tioga Pass)
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SteveA
GT Owner/B.O.D
One of my favorite roads in all the land is the Tiago Pass Ralphie, do it every year on bikes. The other is the 108 Sanora Pass just to the north. Nice pics, great roads.
Again, thank you to everybody for the welcome and for the tips.
No worries, I certainly wasn't offended by the advice from folks. Naturally, I consider myself a very capable driver, but don't we all? :lol
I can certainly respect the fact that this is a unique car, and I will need to familiarize myself with it before playing around too much. Given the number of people that have mentioned the warning about cold-weather driving, I am sure it is very worthwhile advice, and I appreciate and will heed their warning.
Shelby- thank you! I appreciated the photo updates today/yesterday. Everything is looking great, and I look forward to hearing soon about the transport.
Fikse- thanks again for your help the other day, and for all of the helpful info you've given me over on NAGTROC.
twobjshelbys- I feel like I know you, too, a little bit. We've conversed in the past on Team Shelby forum, I believe (I am BlackVert over there- haven't been on much for a few years now. I know, my screen name choices are pretty unimaginative...) Sorry about your mother-in-law. If you are back in the area again sometime, shoot me a message. I'd love to have you over for a visit. You might be interested to check out my garage... not just the cars necessarily, but the "garage" area itself is pretty unique.
No worries, I certainly wasn't offended by the advice from folks. Naturally, I consider myself a very capable driver, but don't we all? :lol
I can certainly respect the fact that this is a unique car, and I will need to familiarize myself with it before playing around too much. Given the number of people that have mentioned the warning about cold-weather driving, I am sure it is very worthwhile advice, and I appreciate and will heed their warning.
Shelby- thank you! I appreciated the photo updates today/yesterday. Everything is looking great, and I look forward to hearing soon about the transport.
Fikse- thanks again for your help the other day, and for all of the helpful info you've given me over on NAGTROC.
twobjshelbys- I feel like I know you, too, a little bit. We've conversed in the past on Team Shelby forum, I believe (I am BlackVert over there- haven't been on much for a few years now. I know, my screen name choices are pretty unimaginative...) Sorry about your mother-in-law. If you are back in the area again sometime, shoot me a message. I'd love to have you over for a visit. You might be interested to check out my garage... not just the cars necessarily, but the "garage" area itself is pretty unique.