Ford Stops Building Sticky-Tire Mustangs Every Winter

Ford Stops Building Sticky-Tire Mustangs Every Winter

The fastest Mustangs wear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, but that summer rubber can't get enough grip to leave the factory from November to March.

If you want a Ford Mustang with ultra-sticky Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires, you have a few trims to choose from. There's the GT with the Performance Package 2, the Mach 1 with the upgraded handling package, and the Shelby GT500 with the carbon fiber track package (as well as the discontinued Shelby GT350 and GT350R). All three come on Sport Cup 2s, ultra-aggressive tires designed to offer grip levels that were once only available with true racing slicks. Like racing tires, Cup 2s require some serious heat to work properly, and in cold weather, their rubber compound gets hard and slippery. That's a problem for Ford: those upgraded tires are so extreme, Ford can't build any Mustangs wearing Cup 2s during the winter months.

The Mustang assembly plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, does not put out any of the aforementioned Mustang trims during the months of November, December, January, and February. A report published by Ford Authority — and confirmed by Ford to Road & Track — says this is because the Cup 2 tires may lose traction during the certification dyno run at the end of the assembly line, which is performed on every single Mustang built. Additionally, each Mustang leaving the assembly line is loaded onto a freight train for transport, and apparently, the ramp onto the train is so steep, those Cup 2s simply can't get any grip during Michigan's coldest months. If you've ever driven on Cup 2s in cold weather, you'll understand how little grip there is to work with, and why Ford might take such a precaution.

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(photo credit: Camden Thrasher - Road & Track)

(photo credit: Camden Thrasher - Road & Track)

Jacob Bristol's 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Jacob Bristol's 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

For Sale: 1995 Ford Mustang GT Convertible (Sapphire Blue, 5.0L V8, 5-speed, 29K miles)

For Sale: 1995 Ford Mustang GT Convertible (Sapphire Blue, 5.0L V8, 5-speed, 29K miles)