Tire snow cables

[hermans]

In late 2012 I was invited to my dealer's factory reps presentation to the sales personnel of the 2013 FFH. I sat in on a three hour presentation and I can assure you there was no mention of the use of chains or cables. I remember the different wheel sizes and options being talked about and much was discussed about the drive-ability of the car and the fact that the front bumper height was low, as one of the salesmen had already scraped one up.

Edited December 3, 2014 by hermans

[hybridbear]

This is why you should always get everything in writing. If you had a written document from the dealer assuring your that GPS map updates are free then you could go to the dealer with that document and request the new A5 card at no cost. If you had in writing from the dealer trained hybrid technician that it's ok to use chains then you could have that as your protection in case of a warranty issue.

[lolder]

With the low clearance of the FFH and limited wheel clearances for chains it is not a good choice for snowy mountains. It's mileage advantage in those situations almost evaporates also. I think traction aids are probably really hard on FWD light duty vehicle CV drive axles and transmissions. The transient effects on the components are more direct and difficult to deal with and there's a lot more electric motor mass being turned with the wheels. As the wheels jerk around that puts larger stresses on the gears. The Toyota motors are a lot smaller and lighter so the stress is probably less. The motor acts as a flywheel and wheel rpm instability must be dealt with by the gearing. There is no slipping or twisting like in a rear wheel driveshaft to take up some of the transient load. Transients are what break things as they're hard to predict. If you are determined to use a hybrid in these conditions you need to get another make.

[SteveB_TX]

 

 

My time was really not wasted as my Christmas shopping is done and I looked at a number of 2015 Mustangs. I did this in the Detroit area during Thanksgiving week and really liked what I saw. Next step the test drive.

 

I bought a 2015 Mustang GT yesterday! White (of course) with all the options. I will post pics when I get a chance. :)

[Waldo]

 

The posters comment, "It was mentioned in the owner's guide which was available to you before you made your purchase." is just outlandish. No where does Ford recommend reading the owners manual before purchasing the car and suggesting people should do so is really stretching the rubberband beyond its capacity.

 

 

I'm not suggesting you need to read the Owner's Manual, I'm saying that Ford has published the chain recommendation and it's available to anyone before purchase. What's the difference between "upfront advertising" and the Owner's Manual? The fact that the salespeople don't know their facts is a different issue, but if you wanted to know Ford's position on chains before you purchased the vehicle, the information was available.

 

Ford has been restricting/limiting chain use for decades, this is really nothing new. From the 1997 Lincoln Mark VIII OG:

 

To prevent body damage, do not use snow chains on your Mark VIII.

Edited December 3, 2014 by Waldo

[hermans]

The difference is up front advertising are the brochures at the dealer that customers can and should read before ordering/purchasing the car. I certainly did. The owner's manual is not available for review at the dealership - unless you take one out of an existing car on the lot. And, that is just unreasonable. You are flogging a dead horse here. Your arguments just do not hold water.

[hermans]

 

 

 

I bought a 2015 Mustang GT yesterday! White (of course) with all the options. I will post pics when I get a chance. :)

I'm seriously thinking of getting one. I have two classic Mustangs, both are investment cars.

[Waldo]

The difference is up front advertising are the brochures at the dealer that customers can and should read before ordering/purchasing the car. I certainly did. The owner's manual is not available for review at the dealership - unless you take one out of an existing car on the lot. And, that is just unreasonable. You are flogging a dead horse here. Your arguments just do not hold water.

 

So you want everything that the vehicle can't do to be listed in the brochure? It would be hundreds of pages long! Did the car you test drove not have an owner's manual in it? They are also available online to anyone, that's how I found out the info about Toyota and Honda's recommendations.

 

The big picture is there is a very small number of Ford customer's that are concerned about the use of snow chains and for those customer's, the information they need is available to them.

 

When contemplating a purchase of a vehicle, one must think about all the requirements they have for the vehicle. For example, one of my requirements was to have a trunk big enough to hold my kids stroller. Should Ford publish in their brochure that the trunk is big enough to hold my stroller? Of course not, that's why it's up to me to actually open the trunk and check, before buying the car. If one of your requirements is that you be able to traverse mountain passes where chains are required, I don't see why it's so unreasonable for a buyer to make sure the car is capable of meeting this requirement before they purchase. Again, if the question was asked and the answer was "yes", then that is a different issue and there are legal recourses for that.

[GrySql]

 

 

 

I bought a 2015 Mustang GT yesterday! White (of course) with all the options. I will post pics when I get a chance. :)

Congrats! I always liked my Mustangs, long ago I restored a May '64 Convertible. I sold it to a collector in Finland in 1989 for $10k, drove it on the ships ramp for export.

 

I looked at the 2015's when I was at the Dealer two weeks ago, they are quite a step up from the past cars.

Good news, they can use ultra low profile snow cables!

"Use chains on the tires only in an emergency or if the law requires them."

Edited December 3, 2014 by GrySql

[SteveB_TX]

 

I bought a 2015 Mustang GT yesterday! White (of course) with all the options. I will post pics when I get a chance. :)

 

As promised, here are the pics...

 

:lol:

[Hybrider]

...

Ford has been restricting/limiting chain use for decades, this is really nothing new. From the 1997 Lincoln Mark VIII OG:

 

To prevent body damage, do not use snow chains on your Mark VIII.

 

 

Speaking of Mustangs and older Fords, I'm pretty sure the Owner's Manual for my 1985 Mustang GT said snow chains should _not_ be used.

[corncobs]

 

 

 

I bought a 2015 Mustang GT yesterday! White (of course) with all the options. I will post pics when I get a chance. :)

Nice early Christmas present!

 

If I could just convince my wife to give up her Explorer.

[corncobs]

 

As promised, here are the pics... 20141203_123506.jpg 20141203_123529.jpg 20141203_123538.jpg

 

:lol:

You got me at first! Well done.

[Easy Rider]

 

 

 

I bought a 2015 Mustang GT yesterday! White (of course) with all the options. I will post pics when I get a chance. :)

But........can it use tire chains ?? ;)

[hybridbear]

When contemplating a purchase of a vehicle, one must think about all the requirements they have for the vehicle.

I agree. But I'm also a bit obsessive. I made a number of lists to compare and assess vehicles before buying. Overall we've been very happy with the Fusion. There are some things that are still disappointments, but we knew about those disappointments before we got the car. I know that you did that and I did that, but I'm not sure it's a reasonable expectation of all consumers. Some ppl don't think about things that much.

Edited December 5, 2014 by hybridbear

[Texasota]

I agree. But I'm also a bit obsessive.

No way! I don't think anyone here would have ever got that impression. ;)

[afs2016]

Hi mwr, GrySql, and others,

 

Did you ever find a snow chain solution or just give one of the options a try? I'm temped by the Thule system you mentioned:

https://www.etrailer.com/tire-chains/ford/fusion/2016/th02230k34.html?vehicleid=20161347276

 

Even if it is a eCVT issue, it seems like the fixed structure of the Thule system could help reduce slippage?

 

Thanks!

[mwr]

Hi mwr, GrySql, and others,

 

Did you ever find a snow chain solution or just give one of the options a try? I'm temped by the Thule system you mentioned:

https://www.etrailer.com/tire-chains/ford/fusion/2016/th02230k34.html?vehicleid=20161347276

 

Even if it is a eCVT issue, it seems like the fixed structure of the Thule system could help reduce slippage?

 

Thanks!

I gave up because of the express prohibition against using them.