Art of Gears
Fansided

Winter Cars: 5 rides for that crazy Midwestern weather

By Andrew Hulse

IOWA CITY, IA - FEBRUARY 03: A car sits abandoned in the median of I-380 February 3, 2011 between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, Iowa. A massive winter storm smashed into a third of the country, from Texas to Wisconsin, on February 1st and 2nd, making travel treacherous. Major highways are now open but a cold snap behind the storm is keeping temperatures hovering around zero degrees in southwest Iowa. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IA - FEBRUARY 03: A car sits abandoned in the median of I-380 February 3, 2011 between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, Iowa. A massive winter storm smashed into a third of the country, from Texas to Wisconsin, on February 1st and 2nd, making travel treacherous. Major highways are now open but a cold snap behind the storm is keeping temperatures hovering around zero degrees in southwest Iowa. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 7
Next
Courtesy: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Courtesy: Scott Olson/Getty Images /

The newly redesigned F-150 Raptor

It seems like everyone in my neck of the cornfield has a truck and this isn’t the only one on the list, it is arguably the coolest though.  Although the F-150 Raptor is truly designed to dominate in the desert it also tears it up on the slopes and terrorizes many a snowy neighborhood.

The four-wheel drive system can be locked into true 4WD but also features a clutch driven all wheel drive so it can stay in rear wheel drive mode and send power where needed as soon as a slip is detected.  This not only allows the truck to stay oriented where the driver wants but also allows it to be as efficient as it can be while doing so.

Switch the tires out for a set of good snow tires and you will have an unstoppable force of nature.

The only complaint on all the reviews I have read is the BF Goodrich T/A KO2 tires that are equipped from the Ford factory, while good for the sand and desert, leave much to be desired in the white and fluffy stuff. The general consensus is they do fine with cornering but can’t get the power down on start.

Switch the tires out for a set of good snow tires and you will have an unstoppable force of nature.

The cabin of the truck is available with heated seats and steering wheel to help keep the passengers cozy on the coldest of the winter days.  While the newest Raptor is the highlight of this article, the first generation is just as capable and to some purists, preferable to the new model.  With a 6.2 Liter V8 and less tech that could eventually break, there will be some V8 purists who go for the older model.

Home/Commentary