Well it looks like I have to put my FB back on the road as I cant afford to insure another car + insurance on 2.

My question is, are they an OK car in the winter? I already have 4 brand new Yokahoma Winter tires on the stock 13's so Im good there. But I want to know do they get stuck easily? I'll be undercoating the HELL out of the car as Im currently working on floor repairs as is.

Also, its a 12a so I know it may not like to start when its too cold, is there a general amount of time I should let it warm up before moving it? I dont want to ruin the engine.

Any info would be great

 

Back in my University days I use to drive my old 83 FB year-round. I use to deliver pizza's, visit my buddies in Toronto, drive back and forth from St.Thomas to London -all in the winter. I never had really had any issues in the snow (and I only had winter ties on the rear 'cause that's all could afford at the time). Rear wheel drive in the snow = fun.

Make sure you check the anti-freeze! I almost lost an engine once when the hose froze. Luckily I notice the temp gauge in time and shut it down on the side of the road.

Starting was never a problem - even in the extreme cold. I did always warm it up to normal operating temperature though before I drove it.

One other issue I had in the cold was shifting gears. Some people recommended I use Redline synthetic in the tranny - and that completely solved the problem.

btw - I visit my parents and brother in St.T about once a month. If you're ever in the need of some parts, let me know and I'll see what I've got.

Gerrit

 

sorry to hijack the thread but i wish more people joined that rotary registry lol theres only 19 people so far ( im planning on adding mine tommorow ). its a nice site tho . A+

 

ya, not that i'm proud of it, but i've driven all my 7's in the winter.

they're not the greatest, but you can manage. if you still have your choke hooked up, then you should be golden

 

I think it should be fine, just be careful.......

 

I wouldnt see it being a problem. I drove three 5L mustangs in the winter. I too delivered pizza with it and lived in muskoka at the time. Rear wheel is fun as hell in the winter. ps i never used winter tires either (I would have liked to try them but couldn't afford it at the time). I also drove an MR2 in the winter to deliver pizza. despite having the engine over the back it was not s ignificantly better. Oh ya and I had a beater truck too . It was a mazda B2000. Apparently I've had a few rear wheel vehicles that I forgot a bout lol.

 

Choke still works surprisingly however my "sub zero fluid" resivoir is no longer attached to the carb and I have no idea what it attaches too on it...

Thats the plan, I'm more worried about the other idiots on the road then my own driving. On top of that I live pretty close to lake Erie so I at least get somewhat of a lake effect.

Only thing those Stangs have on the Rx7 is their weight, however having the stock tiny little tires on the Rx7 should help. I've always heard "The smaller/skinnier the winter tires, the better"

Thanks for your imput guys keep it coming.

 

don't worry about the sub zero starting. i removed them from all my cars, and never had a problem in sub zero temps. however, if its still there, and you're NOT trying to clean up your engine bay (i.e. don't care), then it should be pretty simple to hook up.

 

its really about the tires

if you ever driven with a variety of tires its amazing how different any car can handle in the cold and wet conditions with the right tires .

I'd recommend you look up what tires you have on the tirerack web site and see how they are rated in cold/ rain / snow / ice . The most important characteristic of snow tires is they stay soft in cold temperatures . You should be good with the the yokohamas

I have fairly low profile goodyear nordics on a Mazda Protege and they handle and brake great in all conditions. Just make sure you take them off in the spring because the softer rubber will disppear quickly in the summer heat.

 

snow tires + undercoating and you'll be fine.

 

In my first FB i hooked up a fuel pump cut off switch in the rear bin. this would garentee to never flood the carb just crank it dry for 3 seconds turn the pump back on wait for it to prime and i would be golden every time ...o yea and dont forget to leave the headlight lock on or else those bitches will freeze shut

good luck

 

The Tires are Yokohama Ice Guard iG20's. Tirerack doesnt show them however from the reviews I've read they're not a bad tire. They apparently tend to wear fast though.

I didnt even think about that! Thanks for the tip I'd be mad if they froze on me lol.