Do Ford GTs Handle Snow & Winter Driving Well? (Explained)

The Ford GT isn’t your average supercar–it delivers over 600 horsepower and costs half a million dollars. The GT’s insane performance and expensive price tag puts it in the league of the Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Bugattis of this world. Can you drive a Ford GT in winter? Let’s find out in this article.

Here is the short answer about whether the Ford GT is good for snow and winter driving:

Despite being a sports car, the Ford GT offers a Wet Mode that enhances handling and control in winter conditions. The car also has Antilock Brake System, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, and a low center of gravity that improves stability and safety on wet surfaces.

Is a Ford GT Good in the Snow?

The short is ‘Not really’. The long answer? It depends on various factors, including the amount of snow you want to tackle.

Before anything else, the Ford GT is a supercar designed for performance on regular roads and tracks. Unlike an SUV or pickup, the GT doesn’t aim for improved driving in snow.

This is understandable, though. After all, how many people will drive a $500,000 car in snow? However, say you are the type who hates making garage queens out of cars.

You want to drive your Ford GT in the elements, especially snow. Can it hold up in such conditions? Well, yes, it can.

According to owners, the GT’s low weight and precise steering make it easier to control while driving. With a lightweight design and a super-responsive steering, the Ford GT can turn and accelerate on slippery roads while you remain in control.

Nonetheless, the Ford GT is still very much a supercar, and supercars aren’t exactly the best models for driving in snow. As they sit closer to the ground, they have a higher risk of being stuck while driving in snow.

If you will drive your GT in snowy conditions, make sure you’re driving in light snow. Attempting to travel in heavy snow with your Ford GT may prove disastrous as it can stall the vehicle and damage it.

Also read our article to know “Where are Ford GT’s made”?

What Features Will Improve Winter Driving?

The Ford GT is a performance-focused supercar that’s high on engine power and low on driver assistance features.

It lacks standard DA features such as electronic stability control, traction control, etc.

The absence of such features is problematic because they are often there to improve winter driving ability. So, where does that leave the GT, especially in terms of winter driving?

Even though they lack safety-enhancing features, Ford GTs still have some features that make them drivable in less-than-ideal terrain such as ice or snow. These include:

Selectable Drive Modes

The Ford has a Selectable Drive Mode system that allows you to adjust your vehicle’s performance to suit specific driving conditions.  It comes with a Normal Mode, Sport Mode, Track Mode, and Wet Mode. The Wet Mode is what we’re concerned with here.

When active, the Wet Mode will adjust throttle calibration to prevent excessive wheelspin and wheel slip, especially on wet surfaces.

The Wet Mode on the Ford GT is helpful for driving in winter conditions because it reduces incidents of wheel slippage. This ensures your car doesn’t spin out of control and keeps it stable.

Antilock Brake System

The Antilock Brake System stops your wheels from locking when you brake, particularly on slick surfaces. Wheel lock refers to a situation where your wheels stop rotating; if it happens at high speed, your car could enter a skid.

The ABS monitors wheel rotation as you apply the brakes.

In cases where you apply the brakes with excessive force, ABS will ensure the hard braking doesn’t affect the wheel’s rate of spinning. 

Higher braking power applied to the wheels could inadvertently cause the wheels to lock. What ABS does is modulate brake performance in such a way that even when high braking power is generated, the wheel continues to rotate normally.

This prevents wheel lock and ensures safer braking.

Electronic Brake force Distribution

The Electronic Brake force Distribution is part of the Antilock Brake System, with the two having similar functions. However, it uses a different method of preventing wheel lock.

EBD operates on the philosophy that not all wheels deserve the same amount of brake force. Some wheels have more weight on them and require more brake force to halt, while others have a lesser load and require less brake force to halt.

Based on this philosophy, EBD will share brake force among the wheels equitably. It ensures that each wheel gets brake force based on its load, which prevents the application of excessive brake force on wheels.

With no wheel getting more than enough brake force, the likelihood of wheel lock drops significantly. This is great for anyone who wants to drive the Ford GT in winter as it ensures safer braking and safer driving, too.

Please also read our article about how long Ford GTs last.

Does a Ford GT Have Snow Mode?

The Ford GT doesn’t have a dedicated Snow Mode per se.

What you get is a ‘Wet Mode’ that tunes engine performance for stable handling when you confront the elements: rain, ice, sleet, and snow. 

The Wet Mode will adjust the throttle to limit wheelspin and preempt wheel slippage in those conditions. This ensures your car maintains traction and stability in slippery conditions.

This is similar to what the Snow Mode does–at least, on the models we’ve seen. It calibrates engine performance and reduces wheelspin for increased traction and stability in such conditions.

Can You Install Additional Snow Gear on GT?

Whether you can install snow gear on your GT depends on local regulations. Some regions have guidelines on what type of vehicles can use snow gear, such as ice studs and tire chains.

Something tells us your GT may have difficulty handling snow chains or ice studs because of the size. Hence, consider other alternatives such as:

• Snow socks
• Spider spikes
• Tire boots

You can also consult with other GT owners or your mechanic for advice on installing snow gear on your GT.

If you love the GT, you should also check our article on 11 Ford GT statistics.

How Much Snow Can a GT Handle?

By their very nature, supercars are not designed for use in snow. They are better suited to tearing down racetracks or dry summer roads.

Nevertheless, if it’s necessary to use your Ford GT for snow driving, do so only in light snow.

Under no circumstances should you drive your GT in heavy snow. It will get stuck in snow, which is hardly what you want.

How Do GT Handle Low Winter Temperatures?

Like many modern Ford cars, the GT uses a fuel-injected engine; older Ford models use carbureted engines. Fuel-injected engines are better than carbureted engines, especially in low temperatures.

Unlike carbureted models, fuel-injected models can warm up faster and reach operating temperatures easily–even in cold weather.

You don’t need to warm up your Ford GT for minutes on cold winter mornings. Neither do you need to start it multiple times before it comes to life.

Can a GT Drive on Ice?

The Ford GT is a rear-wheel drive model, which is perhaps the worst model to drive on ice. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration.

But, seriously, RWD makes for poor driving on ice and actually increases the risk of your vehicle bottoming out while driving in icy conditions.

Instead of turning that patch of frozen highway into a LeMans track, we’d advise you to drive slowly and carefully. No sharp turns or drifting for fun.

Does the GT Have 4WD?

The Ford GT comes standard with rear-wheel-drive, which is average in winter. But then, no sports car comes with 4WD, so the absence of a 4WD drivetrain is hardly shocking.

What About Older GT Models And Winter Driving?

There are just three generations of the Ford GT: the 60s Era GT; the 2004-2005 GT; and the newer post-2017 GT models. The 60s Era GT doesn’t have ABS or any feature that improves winter driving, so it’ll do poorly in winter.

The 2004/2005 models have ABS but don’t have Selectable Drive Modes. This may affect their winter performance. 

Does GT Need Snow Tires?

It’s advisable to get snow tires for your GT if you’re going to be doing a lot of snow/winter driving. Snow tires offer maximum traction and stability in winter conditions compared to all-season tires.

Make sure to also read our article on winter tires and gas mileage.

Can You Mount A Snow Plow On A GT

With its size, it’s impossible to fit a snowplow on a Ford GT.