Snow tires - will this thing stay on the road?

[Green Giant]

Considering a Marauder, test drove one today. Wow. My big concern here in michigan is that I will have to use it as my daily driver. Has anyone picked up wheels and snowtires on it, and really gotten it out in the snow to see if it will stay on the road. ANY input regarding driving it in snow would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!:help:

[Mark McQuaide]

Check the gallery for some photos of one with snowtires on it, and do a forum search. There's some info there.

[Slowpoke]

I drove it in maybe 2 inches of snow and it was no problem. I know it won't be as good as the Jeep I traded in for it, but they plow the streets pretty quickly downtown. Chicago just outfitted all their snowplows with GPS systems so the master computer knows where the plows are at all times. I just hope they can superimpose all the donut shops on their big city map so they know how far each driver is from a donut fix.



slowpoke

[tvdone]

I've driven in NJ in the snow twice. Once with about 4 inches and the other with about 2 inches. I have a lot of experience in the snow with rear wheel drive and my answer is don't drive unless its an emergency. The marauder is not meant for the snow no matter how good the tires are. its big, wide, and the weight is too balanced and slightly in favor of the front. You are better off renting a car for the day. Add up how many days you will drive the marauder in the snow and multiply that by a cheap front wheel car and you will spend a lot less than if you equip it with awesome snow tires/rims. My only other suggestion is to use snow chains, they worked well on my mustang GT but i had 15" studded tires and I didn't care if the chains scrathed the wheel wells. Good luck, sadly I'm probably taking the bus to work tommorrow...yet another storm here in the east.

JT

[smith5365]

Slowpoke: Winter of '61, come out of my work west side of Chicago; plows had buried my car. Took about an hour to dig out and get it into cleared lane. Drove out Eisenhower, to Toll Road and then up to Gurnee on 3/4 to 1 inch of ice. Left at 6:30pm, got home around 10:30pm. Same scenario next day. Struggled on through that winter. Winter of '62, moved to SoCal. Only go in snow (with chains) for fun. Mine's the only way to overcome the problem. Otherwise, get a 4-wheel drive for winter (didn't have them during my Chicago years or I'd have stayed. Love that place) and part the Maruader for the year. The New England guys know what I'm saying. And you should see Alaska where I spent my service years.
Bill Smith

[smith5365]

Whops!! That's "park" the Marauder. Keeping an eye on the USC/Iowa game while doing this.

[smith5365]

Hey, Logan. The clock on the post says its 4:14PM. My local time is 6:14PM. Does this site have a subjective desire to be in Hawaii instead of wherever we all are? I can understand that, especially with the low temps being forcasted across the country this evening.

[Pantherman]

If you don't mind seasonal wheel changes, Tire Rack should be able to fix you up with a decent winter package for a little over $600. If you are brave/stupid/experienced(pick any two), the stock tires can be used in the SE Michigan flatlands. October and later build cars have traction control, which allows you to relax a bit more.

[Wags]

I swapped my tires out about 1 month ago. I bought wheels and tires from Tire Rack. They cost about $590 for everything. It has only snowed once since putting them on, but it is a big difference from the stock tires. You should swap them out if you are going to be driving alot in the snow. Plus, your stock wheels won't get messed up from all of the salt.

[tetsu]

With Michelin Artic Alpins and 300 lbs of sand in the trunk I was getting better ice traction than my SUV that needs new tires (AWD.)

Johnny

[Wags]

I have over 300lbs in the car just when I get in it!:D

[mensrea]

Man do I hear you Wags...

[james_hart6]

I had the MM out on Christmas day in Detroit, where we got an unscheduled snowfall. Around the area I was in we got about 3" average.

I've driven in Detroit winters most of my life, and started driving in the mid-sixties when all that was (generally) available was front engine/rear wheel drive, and I pretty much know how to handle inclement weather driving.

The MM was terrible in the snow. On Jefferson Avenue (one of the main drags on the east end of Detroit) there was about a mile stretch that hadn't been plowed or salted, and the MM was a handful even when taking off in second gear. It simply couldn't get out of it's own way.

Winter tires, IMHO, are a must for this car in areas where it snows - assuming that one is going to drive the car.

I haven't looked into winter tire setups, I got a rice-burner to use as a daily driver for such weather. I've had other drivers slide into me during Detroit winters more than once; in a daily driver the resulting nick or ding just requires a smile, a shrug, and a wave. In a Marauder it would require more patience than I have ;) .

Jim

[Billatpro]

For me driving the MM in MN winters is not an option. I don't if the car would take the road like a snowplow, the problem is the other guy, you can't control what he's going to do, nope mine stays in the black hole for the winter!

My advice: Get a beater :up:

[Billatpro]

There should be an "care" in there between the "I don't" and the "if the car"

[CRUZTAKER]

I know we are well into snow season, I just caught up with all of you last week. I took recent delivery of a MM.
Its my primary car. No choice. I wrote tetsu a book recently describing my dilemma. Now I cannot assure you that I am not doing some kind of irreputable damage to my car but.......The tires I use are the factory Marquis GS 16" rims with GY Regatta II's in front and Wintermark studded tires in the rear. (They look like truck tires) All four are sized
225-60-16. Standard on a Marquis. They are fabulous, I have no extra weight except hi-octane and I can actually hot dog in the snow. Including at interstate speeds.

Its when the roads are dry and salt covered that thing get.....loose.

Cruztaker
CURRENT ROAD SURFACE TEMP. 26 F.

[tvdone]

I also have a mustang and i put 4 15 inch rims with studded snows in the back and I know what you mean about the "loose" when its dry. Don't worry, once you spin the tires a few times the studs will pop out or file down to nothing.

[Cooper]

Snow tires and traction control actually DO help. I've got TC and Michelin Pilot Alpins on my 2002 CV LX Sport. This has made a huge improvement in handling in the snow over my 1996 CV LX HPP which I only used Michelin MXV4 Plus all-season tires on.

[CRUZTAKER]

How ironic, it's snowing like mad as we speak.
I jumped offline to find the ringing cellphone....the mother in law is stuck downtown. She's stuck, in her new Audi S4 AWD. Wants ME to come and get her.......what snow tires?

StealthVic: How did you get that cool Star Spangled Banner?

[427435]

There's no reason an MM can't be driven in the snowbelt------with the right tires. My wife's go-to-work car has been a '93 Grand Marquis since 1993. She drives a mixture of country roads and city roads and has never had a problem. That's with regular M & S tires-----not Blizzaks or such. If you don't have the skills to drive an MM with winter tires in the winter, you probably don't have the skills to drive it in the summer with summer tires!!!!!!!!!!:flamer:

Now where's my asbestos undies!

[vaderv]

Hey I live in Mi this thing stays on the road just fine!! The only diff your going to notice is takin off. Just dont do anything stupid and youll be fine.

[GarageMahal]

I was surprised how well the stock tires did on snow up to few inches. That is until I was up on the north shore of Lake Superior headed to the ski slope on 3+ inches of fresh stuff. The car refused to make it up the hill that runs the last mile or so to the chalet. Fortunately a snow plow came by shortly and "paved" the way for me.

Since then I set myself up with the Michelin Arctic Alpins. These are the first dedicated snow tires I have ever used and I must say they really make a huge difference.

I have been driving police interceptors with good all seasons for 15+ years in the snow with little difficulty but have kept chains in the trunk for the really bad days. I have been amazed at the increased traction these tires give and I am happy to say goodbye to installing chains in a blizzard.

jta

[SergntMac]

Originally posted by 427435
There's no reason an MM can't be driven in the snowbelt------with the right tires. My wife's go-to-work car has been a '93 Grand Marquis since 1993. She drives a mixture of country roads and city roads and has never had a problem. That's with regular M & S tires-----not Blizzaks or such. If you don't have the skills to drive an MM with winter tires in the winter, you probably don't have the skills to drive it in the summer with summer tires!!!!!!!!!!:flamer: Now where's my asbestos undies!

Mechanically speaking, the cars present quite different challenges. The GM doesn't have front tires so wide they act like snow plows. The GM isn't 1 1/2 inches closer to the ground, nor does it have a lower front air dam, also acting like a plow and likely to get ripped apart when the seasonal "rut" crop comes in for harvest. The GM doesn't have gobs of torque rotating through a 3:55 gear and posi-traction, turning two wider snow plows on the rear. And the GM doesn't have a touchy accelerator that shouts BanZi! at 2500 RPM and continues to add more gobs of torque that just swings the car in a circle when the front snow plows are doing their snow plow jobs.

You're right 427435, these minor differences aside, if one cannot handle an MM in the snow, they probably won't handle it well in the sun.

[TAF]

And the GM doesn't have a touchy accelerator that shouts BanZi!

You KILL me sometimes Sarge!:lol:

[mdmarauder]

We've had plenty of snow here in MD. The MM has done way better than I expected with the stock tires. You just can't gas it hard on a curve. Pretty much common sense.

[prchrman]

Bill, don't sweat missed words, college professor told that smart do that (trying to leave words out)

[427435]

SergntMac

I agree, the wide, summer tires that come standard on the MM aren't the way to go in snow. That's why I said "winter tires" when I posted that an MM should work fine in snow. The Grand Marquis my wife drives does have the 3.55 rear end, and I suspect that its part-throtle torque at 1500 rpm isn't much (if any) different than the MM's. In fact the standard engine's torque may be higher at this rpm----------and if you're trying to launch in snow at much higher rpm's, all I can say is that I think we've found the problem with some people's ability to drive in snow!!!!!!!!!

I haven't measured the actual difference in front spoiler clearance, and that could make a difference, but I suspect that, if the MM is designed to make it into gas stations without tearing up the spoiler, that its front clearance isn't much different than a standard Grand Marquis either.

Like I said before, given winter tires (and maybe a little trunk ballast), the MM should be just fine in snow---------if its driver has any skills.

[Jack McKenzie]

Did you swap all four tires and wheels? I live on the Mississippi River where I-80 crosses it. Where is the "Tire Rack" located?

[Murader03]

Originally posted by Jack McKenzie
Did you swap all four tires and wheels? I live on the Mississippi River where I-80 crosses it. Where is the "Tire Rack" located?

Jack......."www.tirerack.com" Yes, I swapped out all 4 tires. I sent you a private message with what I purchased from TireRack, If ned be, let me know and I'll send it again!