Since 2006, Ford has conducted snow and other weather testing using a special climatic wind tunnel at its facility in Allen Park, Michigan. The tunnel can simulate the worst weather extremes, from heavy snow storms and hurricane-like winds to 130-degree desert temperatures and more.
Heading into winter, Ford owners can feel confident that their vehicles are equipped to handle the worst mother nature has to throw at them thanks to Ford’s ongoing weather testing. On the subject of snow specifically, several issues can arise when driving on frosty days, including shift linkages freezing up and engines stalling due to being choked by snow. Luckily, from the Focus to the Mustang and F-150, the entire Ford lineup has been tested to ensure optimal performance in worst-case winter driving situations like blizzards.
Additionally, all vehicles are loaded with cargo and passengers and select models must tow heavy loads, so that Ford can assess how its lineup performs in real-world, bad-weather scenarios. Weather testing includes four hours in the climatic wind tunnel, along with two days of hardcore snow testing out near Sault St. Marie, Michigan.
See how vehicles are tested in the video below, then visit us soon to browse our entire collection of winter-ready Ford cars, trucks and SUVs!