Snow tire and mud flap recommendation for 575 HP 1965 GTO
 

Not entirely kidding!

I live in Spokane. For those of you who aren't familiar with Spokane, just assume it is somewhere in Canada. For the purposes of this thread, that will be sufficient. Besides, I listen to a ton of Rush and Gordon Lightfoot anyway.

I have a 1965 GTO with a mild 505. Our driveway is gravel/dirt, about 1/4 mile long, and any time from October through May the driveway is usually pretty muddy. Even when it's not, it's hard not to kick rocks up on the quarter panels driving down the driveway.

In addition, winter is fairly long. I'm looking at my car now, it's running great, the heater works fine, choke works great, there's no reason I can't take this thing out except for .... I'm scared of either hitting some black ice and wrecking it, or kicking a bunch of gravel and mud all over it.

Anybody here run mud flaps on an old hot rod? Better yet, anybody run snow tires? Sounds crazy, but 225/75R15 snow tires aren't that expensive and I am seriously considering it!

Being from Minnesota... even if my classic car was a beater i wouldn't do it, especially if they put salt down on the roads like they do here. Keep it parked on those crappy road days!

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Sort of related. Years ago we used a product that you could spray a clear film onto the area behind the rear wheels. When you did your burn outs and it got coated with the sticky rubber it made it easier to clean off and helped protect the paint.

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They don't! They use some other stuff that isn't corrosive. I'm really not worried about rust, just paint chips and slick roads!

Even less related, I heard you can spray Pam or Mazola on Holley gaskets to make it easier to do jet changes. I changed my jets last night but I keep forgetting to pick up some cooking spray.

As an even less related side note, those blue Holley gaskets seem to last forever and seal great.

they are trying to use less salt due to bridge damage and water pollution, but we still have plenty of it here. I am sure some clip on style flaps will help, but of course will not eliminate rock chips. Combined with a decent ice tire like a blizzak and a couple bags of sand in the trunk for weight, you will be all set!

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Thanks! I like the weight idea. I just want to cruise and take it easy, doesn't seem cost-efficient to do burnouts with the Blizzaks!!!

Go all the way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unEZ...ature=emb_logo

Clay

If your worried at all leave it in the garage!Would not be worth it to me.JMO,Tom

[QUOTE="QUICK-SILVER";6084001]Go all the way
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unEZIbn_sIw&feature=emb_logo[/url]

Clay[/QUOTE]

[B][SIZE="5"]Murica![/SIZE][/B]

I dunno, man. I got my car out of resto jail in like 2009, and I've only put 1500 miles on it since. I need to start driving this thing! I had a bunch of issues with engines that I won't go into here, had two kids since then, etc. But my car is running good, I've got the time, and the only thing stopping me is the weather!

I used to drive this thing every day in Maryland for five years, I mean that's what they were made for. Maybe I better at least talk to the insurance company first.

If it was a collector type car, park it. If not find a way to drive it! I'm with you. Driving is enjoying! This I park: http://www.vaultcars.com/1932-packard

They don't melt. If you drive on some mag chloride or salt, just wash it promptly, including the underside.

Now to that actual question, Blizzack's are probably the king of snow tires as far as I've read, but honestly any snow specific tire is probably going to be pretty decent. One of the best tires I've personally used in the snow was the BFG KDWS that came on my 2007 Mustang GT from the factory. For a performance all season tire it was quite capable in the snow.

For mud-flaps, I would look at Rally Armor. They make a cut to fit mudflap which is probably the direction you'd need to go.

http://www.rallyarmor.com/index.php/...flaps-c-60_116

They're not terribly expensive and I think you can get one without their logo. You'll obviously need a drill holes in the 1/4 panel wheel wells, but that's kind of the game if you're needing mudflaps as it is.

I have an IA2 block, all kinds of repop stuff on the car, aftermarket stuff under the hood. It's got a nice paint job and lots of shiny new reproduction stuff on it, but I built it to drive, not to show. I can't see anything wrong with drilling holes in the wheel wells if it gets me out more.

Thanks for the tip on Rally Armor. I have blizzaks for my truck and my wife's car. The only thing I don't like about them is only about 1/2 of the tire is the multi-cell compound, but for a car like this I can't imagine wearing out a set of snow tires.

Considering you've only put like 1500 miles on it so far, probably not. You'll have to replace the tires due to age before you have to replace them due to wear, I would think.

Yep. My Firestone Firehawks are 10 years old and due for replacement, tread looks perfect. Kind of sad, especially considering they don't make that tire anymore.

Are you talking mud flap or the splash guards partial sets? I have ran cars with the plain splash guards in the winter. Might call it a mud flap but it does not stick out as much. Has the notch to fit up into the fender.

My Dad took my high school ride into town to get snow tires on it back when I was in high school. We were expecting something like you’re talking about, some type of all season tire. It came back with new back tires mounted up on our mags, but they were studded mud tires with tread like what you would see on a Army Jeep. Later that winter/spring my brother and I drove to a college to take a prep test and realized checking in neither of us had an I.d. to take the test. We rushed back home and noticed we only had seven minutes to get back to the college to take the test. It was 15 miles away. We made it back for the test. Still find it amusing that some of the fastest driving I have ever done was with those crazy looking mud tires on the back of the car. :)

The z rated fire hawk summer tire? Best performance tire I ever owned, and great in the rain. Was very disappointed when they discontinued that tire!

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Years ago, I saw a guy with a 69 GTO that had steel mudflaps that were mounted in the back of his wheel wells, stuck out a few inches, and followed the curve all the way down. Didn’t look too bad - I think that could be your solution.

Besides the sand bags, don't forget to pack an old coffee can with a foil blanket, 2 Hershey bars, and a candle. Also, a set of extra long jumper cables, a tow strap, and clevis or two.

If you decide to put a hitch on that thing to tow your pre-80's snowmobile, don't forget an a spare drive belt, spark plugs, and an extra windshield/duck tape to replace/repair the one that breaks when you roll it the first time. It gets damn cold without the windshield!

Dad has run these on the back of his GTO since about 1970. Not sure they are made anymore but they are stainless and work nicely with the rest of the stainless on the car. They've been on there so long and I'm so used to them that when they were removed for the restoration it looked like it was missing something, lol.

You'll have to look closely, they are hardly noticeable. As small as they are, they do keep debris from hitting the lower quarter, and the factory stainless along the bottom of the quarter also helps.

In the past I've also used temporary rubber flaps to get through situations you describe and I clipped them on the quarter lip with the ACCO metal binder clips.. Then simply remove them when not needed.

Some good ideas in this thread, thanks to everyone that posted. I took it for a ride last night, temp was in the mid-30's and clear. Ran great. There's nothing like an old carbureted hot rod on a cool night, I love the way the cool air makes then run so nice.

Don't know about the mud flaps, will leave those to others.

As far as the tires are concerned:

In a different lifetime (well about 55 years ago) snow tires were expensive, and SOFT. A set would barely last through one winter. Dad found me a spare set of rims, and mounted some used regular tires, but still with good tread, and a set of chains. Carried these in the trunk, and the weight helped the front/rear distribution for steering control; and if the weather got bad, simply changed out the wheel/tire combination. Once the weather improved, changed them back. Don't know how much wheel well clearance you might have; metal chains might not work. There used to be at least one company that made a set of fabric "chains" that require less clearance.

Jon.

I put mine in the snow once.

Thanks, I needed that. Lol

Don’t even think of putting all seasons on at about 20*F they turn rock hard. With that much torque and that nice a car traction is life. It’s usually the ice that will get you in trouble.

Toyo observe were the best winter tires we’ve used. They have micro bits in them. No need for studs. Very smooth on dry pavement as well.

In the late 1960's early 1970's I drove my 1965 GTO year round. It was actually a good winter car with it's limited slip, 4 speed and low (3.90) rear gears. It was also jacked up several inches. I commuted 40 miles each way to work, from NH to Mass 5 days a week. I never got stuck in the worse snow storms or even on icy roads. Car had 28 inch tall by 5.5 inch wide snow tires. Enjoy driving your car. It won't rust out while you own it.

You got a 65 GTO and your driving it on the snow and salt. I would call that blasphemy.

At the time the car was worth a couple hundred dollars. Everyone drove their cars year round.

assuming this is directed to me, i will not drive when there is a recent snowfall or a lot of ice on the road, but there are many, many days from oct-april here where the roads are mostly clear but you can still run into black ice.

so basically i am thinking just to be extra safe i might run snow tires on cold days when the roads are clear, just in case there is some ice i can’t see.

i think the county uses magnesium chloride but i can’t see how that would be an issue on a dry day?

magnesium chloride is extremely corrosive to vehicles. I would not do it

"i think the county uses magnesium chloride but i can’t see how that would be an issue on a dry day?"

If if gets caked on the roads like it does around here, the underside of car, wheel wells, etc will get coated in the dust. Run through a puddle or some rain, and instant salt bath in all the nooks and crannies where the corrosion begins. Of course it will not rust overnight, but if you want to keep it nice for the next owner or two... I am probably being a little anal, but back in the day these cars would rust out in just a few years! My 71 demon was already a rust bucket daily driver when I purchased in 82!

I know a lot of people that will not take their classics out of winter storage until we have had a good rain or two to wash the road salt into the rivers and lakes, which of course is a another discussion....

With all that said, your area uses far less salt and chemical compared to here in the rust belt, so likely much less of a concern in your scenario.

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Alright, thanks everyone. I have seen the light. I have a 72 K10 truck that isn't insured, I use it for plowing the driveway. It's a lot rougher than the GTO. I will put it on the road and drive it every now and again to get my classic car jollies in the winter, and keep the GTO in the shop.

Still gonna need some mudflaps though ;)

Street driven 72s have been disinagrated here by the salt. Rust repair is the worst. Drive the disposable in the winter. Here anyway

I've had my present GTO for 30 years now. I've always driven it on nice winter days when the roads are dry. It has no more rust or corrosion than it had when I bought it in 1989. If you store your car in an unheated garage salt will not effect it. Salt by itself will not hurt your car. Just look at trucks used in salt mines.

This thread seems to have really caused some consternation, so I'm bumping it. I'm not going to drive my car in winter. The rust issue just means it's not worth it.

I gotta say, it sucks. I grew up driving my car every day and I want to put as many miles on it before I die as possible. I don't care if I get dings or scratches in the paint or the engine compartment gets ugly, I think these cars were made to be driven. But the reality is that rust is just such a killer and I have already spent an ungodly amount of money repairing rust damage from east coast winters once and I don't want to have to do that again.

When I posted the thread I was dead serious, I was hoping that the magnesium chloride wasn't so bad as long as you drove in dry weather. But after hearing from everyone, I am convinced that would be foolish. I get that it maybe sound silly to some of you, but I have really good memories of going out to my hot rod every single day, even in the snow, and driving to work. I have accepted, however, that those days are over at least until someone develops a non-corrosive deicing solution for the roads.

They already have...beet juice

I too am obsessed with rust - i can hear my daily rusting in the garage rn.

Sometimes I wish I had a saturn or a corvette lol.

Rich Guido...Alberta to Florida...run mid 8's drive back...he would know about snow tires or traction on a GTO

To me, that's the perfect car ... something that looks good, is fast, but you'll drive it anywhere and do so frequently.

You'll have to check to see if they have your size, but Hakkapelitta tires from Nokian are probably the best snow tires available. Don't forget to put snow tires on all four wheels, not just the rear like we used to do. https://www.nokiantires.com

Really the fast stick car and Pontiac powered real street car out there..Rich is kickass

I drove these cars when they were only a couple of years old as daily drivers and they made great winter cars. Snow tires with a limited slip differential and some weight in the trunk worked great. Also back then the fad was to jack up your car a few inches for the gasser look. Great ground clearance. Today I will still drive my old cars if the roads are clear. There is not enough salt residue to worry about. Besides I am 76 years old and what am I saving the cars for? The next owner? Enjoy your car before it's too late.

I'll be 49 this year. My GTO was my first car and I drove it in the snow all the time in the 90's without thinking twice about it.

It's a close call. I think it would be super cool for my kids to grow up with memories of me using the GTO as a daily driver and for road trips the same way my parents did. Considering the long winters in eastern WA, there's an awful lot of time we could spend in the car if i did snow tires where I wouldn't feel safe without them.

I run studded snows on my 2500HD all winter long. I wouldn't consider driving in snow or ice without them, especially in an old car like that.

Nokians will be hard to beat but also look at Les Schwab "I FIT Ice" as they are an equal if not a very close second. Friends are running N's in Bozeman and I know of a studded set of I FITs in Butte MT on a Honda Civic and my daughter loves them. It is a low HX model and it pushes it's way through snow amazingly and ice is not a problem either on all the hilly streets. Winters are long and it snows a lot over a mile high in the Rockies and I wasn't going to compromise her safety.

Don't fall for the crafty Blizzack name!

That's why I moved South. Too much $ invested to even think about it. Of course, snow/salt days are minimal and surpassed by sun and fun in NC. Supposed to be in the 70s and sunny on Saturday.

it's tough to find 15" snow tires so I would go with whatever i could get really ... not much available.

for those of you that mocked me!!!

https://www.enginebuildermag.com/202...020E2629790G9S

I live a bit north of you, In Actual Canada!!! LOL. Shuswap to be exact. And while I no longer drive my TA in any snow. A good set of winters will work. Pretty much anything studded for me. The damp warmer snow you get in Spokane turns to ice much faster than the drier snow here. That's why the first snowfalls are the worst. It turns to wet ice as soon as you drive on it. Studs help there.
And the colder it is, the better the traction. Working in the Yukon at -45, the roads are like pavement for traction

i got talked out of it for fear of the road salt causing rust. sucks!! i would daily mine if i could solve that problem!

Ya gotta move south ;)

When I lived in Ohio I used to daily V8 Vegas and Monzas all through winter.
They were cars that I really didn't care about the salt and snow so I could keep the nice stuff.....well........nice.

I would travel out west, find a nice rust free body, bring it back to Ohio and put my V8 drivetrain in it. Then proceed to drive it through winter. Talk about a squirrely ride. I didn't even use snow tires. I'd put a little weight in the back and go.

I'd get 2-3 years out of it before it rusted so bad underneath the control arm braces were falling off and became unsafe to drive.. So I'd rinse and repeat. Find another rust free body and swap my drivetrain over. I could usually sell the rusted shells as rollers to guys wanting drag cars that were going to back half them anyway so it worked out well.

I did that for a lot of years until we finally moved to Arizona, now I don't have to worry about it.

Thought I was done with V8 vegas although I did keep all my V8 stuff. Ironically after 20 years here I am building another V8 Vega LOL It's a sickness. This time it should last more than a few years since we don't have salt here and very minimal snow. :)

I did the same but with AMC bEagles...winter is a b*tch but whatchagonnado

Maybe someday they will replace the road salt with beet juice...lol