Get your ST ready for winter with tips for prepping and winter tire selection

5801 Views 19 Replies 9 Participants Last post by BRGT350, Dec 3, 2014

BRGT350

Discussion Starter · Nov 11, 2014

I put together a few videos over the weekend for selecting winter tires and how to prep your ST for the winter months.
[video=youtube_share;avwOcNXCXm0]

[video=youtube_share;JZBWAvvbokQ]

2015 Ford Fiesta ST prepped for winter by Bryan Redeker BRGT350, on Flickr

2015 Fiesta ST winter prep by Bryan Redeker BRGT350, on Flickr

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the quick summary is to pick the skinniest tire and the smallest wheel for the winter package. The skinny tire will dig into the snow and find the packed snow for traction and the sidewall will protect the wheel from damage. As for car prep, start with snow tires, add mud flaps to protect the sides of the car from abrasion, wash and add plenty of wax to protect the paint over the winter months, add winter floor mats to protect the carpet, and check wipers and wiper fluid. Something that I did not mention is to clearcoat as much of the suspension bits as you can to protect them from the salt.

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BRGT350

Discussion Starter · #5 · Nov 12, 2014

LuvfiestaST said:
Clear coat with what?? Thanks for the info

with clear coat

I use clear coat spray paint to cover the steering knuckles, tie rods, control arms, twist beam and about anything else I can get coverage on. I had some really good clear rock guard spray, but ran out of it and can't seem to find it anymore. That stuff worked great on my 2011.

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BRGT350

Discussion Starter · #8 · Nov 12, 2014

timboslice, I am not sure how I am going to clean the ST over the winter. With my 2011 I used a regular car wash since the white paint didn't show too many scratches. The blue shows everything, so I might try a touchless car wash. Going to be researching that this week. Not sure where the idea for the clear coat came from. I started doing it on my 2000 Focus, along with repainting suspension bits come spring time. I try to lay it on thick around bolts I know I will be taking apart (shocks, struts) and on anything facing forward that will be subjected to debris coming off the drive wheels. Over Thanksgiving weekend I will be adding some underbody and side skirt protection. Still working on the cardboard templates. Good point about getting any maintainence you will be doing yourself done before it gets cold.

Cinderbike, it is great to be back in action! My brother is sitting on a few videos to edit, so hopefully he will get those done so I can get them posted. One is an unpacking video showing all the prep work after it arrived at the dealership. Anything that doesn't require lots of editing is posted on the BRGT350 YouTube page, including some reviews and comparisons.

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BRGT350

Discussion Starter · #10 · Nov 12, 2014

I wouldn't say you did it wrong, just a different way than I go. I plan on winter being spent a highly reduced speed, in fact, most days I never get within 10mph of the posted speed limit on the highway. Traffic just doesn't go that fast, except for the ass in the Dodge truck that flies by and ends up stuffed in the ditch down the road. As long as you are not trying to drive in the winter with summer tires, you are moving in the right direction.

One major factor in picking winter tires is also your location, which I really did not touch on in my video. If I drive an hour or so east of my location, the amount of snow drops significantly. I live right on Lake Michigan and the winds blowing over the water create crazy amounts of lake effect snow. Last winter we had over 130" of snow. A few hours to the south and you could probably live on all-seasons in the winter and a few hours to the north you probably need a Raptor. Your location has a lot to do with what is the best option for you.

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BRGT350

Discussion Starter · #13 · Nov 27, 2014

I started installing mud flaps in the winter back in 2000 and most people, well actually everyone laughed at them. Now, mud flaps have become almost a standard mod for every Subaru owner and have made their way into the Focus and Fiesta ranks. I use them for function only. They aren't meant to look like a rally car or do anything other than protect the rockers, doors, and chassis from abrasion. The fact they do look good on the car is just an added bonus.

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BRGT350

Discussion Starter · #16 · Dec 1, 2014

I thought about the touchless car wash, but a number of sources said the chemicals and high pressure spray strips the wax and sealant off the paint finish, leaving the paint exposed. My current plan is hand wash the car when temps are 30'F or above (which will become very rare in the next few months), plan B is to use a DIY car wash stall with my own brush and soap, and plan C is to use an automated car wash. I actually have enough wax and paint sealant on the car that most of the salt comes off with the hose and just needs a little bit of brushing to clean the car. So far, I have been able to hand wash my car this winter. Last month we got over 30" of snow and temps way below average. I was able to time the hand washes according to the weather and avoid the automated or DIY wash bays.

A trick that was passed to me from a rally team is to spray the bottom of the car with WD40 as it will make it easier to clean the salt off.

This past weekend I made some additional underbody protection panels out of UHMW;

After a few weeks of driving in the snow, I noticed ice buildup on the rear half of the skirts. Today I added some protection under the skirts and extended the front mud flaps. Hopefully this will help protect the car better. by Bryan Redeker BRGT350, on Flickr

The plastic sheets are located under the rear doors and mounted to the side skirts. They have a removable door for the jackstand/rear jacking point and run from the factory floor pan plastic shield to the rear wheel well and about 10" to the inside of the floor pan. They also protect the skirts, rear doors, and rear quarter panel from debris coming from the front tires. I also lowered the front mud flaps to cut down on the angle debris can exit the front tires.

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BRGT350

Discussion Starter · #18 · Dec 2, 2014

I don't know too much about the waterless car wash stuff, but I have a feeling it won't work well to remove the large quantity of sand/salt that gets caked on the sides and rear of the car. The rear hatch and bumper is really bad in terms in the amount of sand/salt that is collected. Even after washing and rinsing the car, there are salt trails that leak out of the trim for days. I am sure the same thing existed on my 2011, but white salt on a white car wasn't as noticable. A lengthy rinse with warm water is probably the best option to remove as much of the sand/salt as possible.

The other winter issue with abrasion on the front bumper. I am interested in trying the "spray-on" bra stuff that 3M makes to see how well that holds up over winter. Too late this year to try it as the temps have been below freezing for the past few weeks.

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BRGT350

Discussion Starter · #20 · Dec 3, 2014

Each spring it is always a massive amount of work repairing the damage from the winter. When the salt is finally rinsed off the roads and the threat of snow is gone (typically mid-April) I put the car on jackstands in the driveway and rinse and scrub the chassis, clean the engine compartment, Iron-X the sides and rear of the car, wash, claybar, and then wax. I am hoping to get enough breaks in the weather to allow reapplication of sealant at least once a month, which will cut down on the amount of work the paint needs in the spring. The white paint on my 2011 hid a lot of the paint damage, but the blue on the ST and black on our Escape love to show everything.

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