Procharged Mustang GT Shows Us Why Waiting for Snow Until Changing Tires Is Bad

Well, “rarely” isn’t “never,” and even if it were, that still wouldn’t make it OK to stick to summer tires during the winter months if temperatures drop below 44 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s about 7 Celsius). Some people still don’t realize that winter tires offer better grip not only in the snow but on every type of surface once the air temperature gets closer to freezing point.

The differences between a good snow tire and a mediocre one are huge and can translate into several meters in case of an emergency brake, for example. Since most of the car’s speed during braking is shaved off in the final few meters, that can mean the difference between hitting something at 20 mph (35 km/h) or 5 mph (8 km/h). You basically get to choose: a proper crash or a minor bump.

But even so, on snow, you’d still be a lot better off on a mediocre winter tire than on the best summer tire out there.

That Dude in Blue (I’m not being rude, that’s his YouTube channel name) is trying to show us just that using that Procharged Mustang GT in blue he understandably calls Smurf, a set of summer tires and your typical snowy driveway. He attempts to extract the car from the partially cleared strip of asphalt, but fails miserably for the better part of a couple of minutes. A few shovels later and several montage cuts, he finally manages to do it, but as he said himself, he’s definitely not going anywhere with those things wrapped around the wheels.

Before you go watch the clip, a few things to remember when trying to maneuver in the snow: it would be a good idea to switch off the ESP system. Since it’s meant to brake wheels that spin out of control, that might hinder your efforts in situations such as this one. When getting out of deeper snow, always keep your front wheels straight on until you gain some traction and speed. Try not to accelerate hard as it will only break traction, so be as smooth as possible.

If stuck, try to use the momentum to your advantage by rocking the car back and forth until it frees itself from that tricky situation. Finally, consider adding extra weight for improved traction, just like This Dude in Blue does here when he finally manages to move the Smurf more than a few inches. Just make sure you load up your motor axle, so you don’t end up on the Internet in the wrong section.