Winter driving?

[NTRCOOL]

Hey guys I wondered to know if anyone winter drove their festivas. If so what tips or mods can be done to make the cold comute a little easier.

[rollertoaster]

I drive mine in the winter. I block off my grill in the winter to make the heat work a little better, and wear layers. Also I find that the carburetor on mine needs a couple minutes of warm up before I leave, or else it runs overly rich and stumbles for a couple miles.

[schreurs1]

I drive mine all winter long. Invest in some snow tires and a block heater if it gets as cold in illinois as it does in sodak. And if your a wheelman, make sure your ebrake works good

[gdawgs]

I just did the Cascade radiator flush recommended in the no heat sticky in the maintainance forum. http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6901

I also installed a new OEM Mazda two stage thermostat. What a difference the new thermostat and flush makes. Car warms up much faster and thows way more heat.

[Charlie1717]

I just did the Cascade radiator flush recommended in the no heat sticky in the maintainance forum. http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6901

I also installed a new OEM Mazda two stage thermostat. What a difference the new thermostat and flush makes. Car warms up much faster and thows way more heat.

Didn't work for me But I'm still going to try and flush the heater core as a last ditch effort. Otherwise I'll do what I always do and where lots of clothes :p

Stock 12's do fairly well in the snow I've found. Along with really narrow 13's. However this year I've got snow tires, I'm assuming that will help out a lot!

[iceracerdude]

Do yourself a favor and buy 4 snow tires, makes all the difference in the world. If you can afford good snow tires, it will make you look like a genius.
Do a 50/50 mix of antifreeze to water...all antifreeze is not good, summer OR winter. If your thermostat is stuck open, the car won't heat up very well. If your thermostat is stuck closed, the engine will boil the coolant out of it.

[NTRCOOL]

What's the best snow tire you guys use? Do I need to get a different set of rims? I did block my radiator but still need to flush the coolant system. Money is still a bit tight scince I gambled to buy the car.

[JoDan]

Flush the radiator and heater core, put a two stage thermostat in it ( I use Motorcraft's dual stage, cheaper than dealer) and if the tires you have now are decent then your golden. Your not much further north than I am so I don't think you have a huge problem with ice but I got around in about 9 inches of snow with bald tires last year. Had to park her when we got the snowapocolypse and drove the truck but only because I couldn't find the car under all that snow lol.

[NTRCOOL]

Lol. That last blizzard last year hurried my tgp and my Cadillac in the same drift. Then blew the trans in my brothers plow truck. My only concern for this year is my 35 mile one way trip between Polo and Savanna on Rt 52-64.

[TominMO]

What's the best snow tire you guys use? Do I need to get a different set of rims? I did block my radiator but still need to flush the coolant system. Money is still a bit tight scince I gambled to buy the car.

I just bought four Firestone Winterforce 155/80x13 for my "beater" Aspire SE, but haven't mounted them yet. Yes you should have them put on a separate set of rims, so you don't have the expense and hassle of mounting them every year. Get some 13" Metro rims from a JY. You might have to order the tires from an online source; here in STL it seems that no one carries snow tires, they are special order items.

[NTRCOOL]

cool I'll have to start searching.

[16Jared16]

Cold Start

Make sure the cold start works how it should before trying to start it in the winter the cold start on mine didnt work right it was in my warm garage so it started fine but when I turned it off when I got to my destination it wouldnt start back!

[NTRCOOL]

I haven't had too much isie with starting then again it sits outside all the time. I have noticed it idle rough once in a while after medium to long trips. It needs new plugs I think, the previous owner only replaced the wires n cap. Also the put a gm coil in it so I also have the joy later of putting the proper parts. Plus I need to re plum the back brakes.

[Bert]

Festy's are spectacular cars in the snow (lots of ground clearance) provided they have snow tires, or at very least, good all-seasons. Mine has a Ford truck battery (which still fits in the battery box and under the tie-downs but is higher than the OEM) and will start no matter what the temperature. Block heater is a useful feature for really cold days (-20 and lower) when everything groans during and after startup, and this will accelerate the otherwise glacial 20-30 minute warmup.
Be forewarned the heaters suck but will keep the windshield clear under most circumstances. I've insulated the external heater hoses and put in a Mazda 2-stage thermostat but so far have noticed no appreciable difference. I blocked the rad completely with cardboard all of last winter and never noticed anything different heat-wise either. Wear a tuque and keep you coat on!

[NTRCOOL]

I blocked my radiator completely today before leaving work, and I think I blew the radiator. Ill know more when I get it home.