Foo - Winter driving tips.

Hi all,

This is my first year driving a pickup truck in the winter (midwest). Right now I have two 75lb bags of sand in the bed and still slide a bit. How many do you run with? The truck is 2 wheel drive. I'm thinking I'll need maybe 4-5 more.

Hi all,

This is my first year driving a pickup truck in the winter (midwest). Right now I have two 75lb bags of sand in the bed and still slide a bit. How many do you run with? The truck is 2 wheel drive. I'm thinking I'll need maybe 4-5 more.
Next good snow, shovel the bed full! When the next warm snap comes, you don't even have to unload it, it'll do it itself!:D

1000 pounds of snow makes for good traction!

Thanks for the reply but the back end of my truck is furnished with a bed and such.

Snow?!? go but all the bread and milk you can. People do that like the 1 or 2 times it snows in Alabama, I have yet to figure out why.

if you don't have a real heavy duty truck you may not want to shovel the bed so full that it bottoms the suspension. You still need some body roll. I would think a front wheel drive would be good in snow.

Yep, seven wheel drive is the ticket!

;)

My recommendation is to go find an empty parking lot when it snows and do dunuts and fishtail all over the place. Purposely try to get the truck loose and then practice on recovering. Always good to know the limits of your vehicle, but do it somewhere reasonably safe. I wish some of the morons here would practice.

Exactly, practice makes perfect. When in doubt... give it more gas!!!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e346/DannoXYZ/AutoTech/PorscheSnowS.jpg

Words to live by!

My recommendation is to go find an empty parking lot when it snows and do dunuts and fishtail all over the place. Purposely try to get the truck loose and then practice on recovering. Always good to know the limits of your vehicle, but do it somewhere reasonably safe. I wish some of the morons here would practice.

+1 - when we were kids this was SOP for us upon the first snow...it's a blast and you learn how to handle your vehicle in the snow.

Other things to remember as well - go easy on the gas when accelerating, easy on the brakes when stopping (easy pumping is the ticket), keep plenty of distance between you and other traffic.

Do you have a posi rear? My crown vic doesn't. It would if I hadn't kept losing my jobs, but since I can't keep a job in this econonmy, I go around in the winter with an open dif rear wheel drive. No extra weight in the trunk for me. You could go for snow tires, but I don't. Once you get the hang of it its pretty fun fishtailing around.

Fact: Rear wheel drive pickups just suck in the snow.

+1 to the practice.

Get winter tires if you haven't done so. The right tires can dramatically alter your available traction. And check your tire pressures. Be gentle with your inputs. Look where you want to go, not at the object you want to avoid hitting.

Fact: Rear wheel drive pickups just suck in the snow.

Rear wheel drive pickups with open differentials suck even more.



No matter what you do, they just suck. I used to have a F150 and I got stuck sooo many times, snow and mud, friggin ridiculous.

Years ago when I was contemplating buying my first 4wd, a good friend told me '4wd just gives you the ability to get into deeper trouble'. In the years since I have proved him right countless times. :eek:

Years ago when I was contemplating buying my first 4wd, a good friend told me '4wd just gives you the ability to get into deeper trouble'. In the years since I have proved him right countless times. :eek:

I'll second that emotion. And the same experiences.

GO SLOW. Seriously, best way to not waist your time calling AAA. Get AAA if you dont have it allready. Test your traction on a straight road with nobody around you. Break until you break traction. Follow very far behind people. Dont drive!

Lots of good info above.

Definitely practice. 2WD pickups definitely suck. Mine has 200lbs in the back and its 4WD.

One thing many 4WD suv/pickup owners fail to remember is that although you have 4WD your breaking ability is the same as a Ford Escort.

My best advice is to PAY ATTENTION, look ahead, think ahead. If you do that a Ford Escort would be fine.

btw - I grew up in northern Maine, learned to drive on a rear wheel pinto.

put the top down and drive normally, now it's cooled off enough to breathe?

it was almost 80 here this past week.

i'm not really any help at all, am i?

Be very careful with the gas and go slow in turns.

I used to drive an r3500 crew cab dually Chevy pickup. Miss that beast.

I would usually have at least 1000 pounds of blocks in the back. Then I'd up it in the winter!