Weight in the rear for winter

Sbaer2012 · August 18, 2016

I'm a huge fan of summer but this thread is getting me anxious for some real snow To test the new rig out

sdeeter19555 · August 18, 2016

I test mine out by leaving it in the driveway...working from home has its advantages.

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SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · August 18, 2016

I'm a huge fan of summer but this thread is getting me anxious for some real snow To test the new rig out

For some reason I've always loved driving in bad weather rather it's rain or snow. I've even driven around during a hurricane before just for fun. I do the same in snow, just drive around.

Waaazooo · August 18, 2016

I just hope you jokers going 60+ in the snow have life insurance for your families and are organ donors.

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SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · August 18, 2016

I just hope you jokers going 60+ in the snow have life insurance for your families and are organ donors.

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Well when I was going 70 on the interstate there wasn't really anybody else on the road, maybe one every few minutes at the most. If it would have been light steady type traffic then I wouldn't have gone above 60. And I drove about an hour and a half with no problems. I did start going about 50 not knowing how the truck would do but I slowly sped up and felt comfortable going 70s. It wasn't really that deep of snow either, maybe a couple inches on the actual driving surface. Plus believe it or not, snow by itself gives pretty good traction if it's not wet or ice also on the road. If you feel like it's slippery you can put the tires on one side of the truck in the unpacked snow where nobody has driven and you can feel more traction. That's partly why I don't follow in other people's tracks if I can help it.

Waaazooo · August 18, 2016

Well when I was going 70 on the interstate there wasn't really anybody else on the road, maybe one every few minutes at the most. If it would have been light steady type traffic then I wouldn't have gone above 60. And I drove about an hour and a half with no problems. I did start going about 50 not knowing how the truck would do but I slowly sped up and felt comfortable going 70s. It wasn't really that deep of snow either, maybe a couple inches on the actual driving surface. Plus believe it or not, snow by itself gives pretty good traction if it's not wet or ice also on the road. If you feel like it's slippery you can put the tires on one side of the truck in the unpacked snow where nobody has driven and you can feel more traction. That's partly why I don't follow in other people's tracks if I can help it.[/quoted ]

You're really going to argue snow has the same friction as dry asphalt?

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SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · August 18, 2016

Well when I was going 70 on the interstate there wasn't really anybody else on the road, maybe one every few minutes at the most. If it would have been light steady type traffic then I wouldn't have gone above 60. And I drove about an hour and a half with no problems. I did start going about 50 not knowing how the truck would do but I slowly sped up and felt comfortable going 70s. It wasn't really that deep of snow either, maybe a couple inches on the actual driving surface. Plus believe it or not, snow by itself gives pretty good traction if it's not wet or ice also on the road. If you feel like it's slippery you can put the tires on one side of the truck in the unpacked snow where nobody has driven and you can feel more traction. That's partly why I don't follow in other people's tracks if I can help it.[/quoted ]

You're really going to argue snow has the same friction as dry asphalt?

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Did I mention asphalt? No I didn't. But, it can give better traction in some situations if it's unpacked. I'm talking about if the road is unplowed so it's snow also covering the asphalt.

Waaazooo · August 18, 2016

Did I mention asphalt? No I didn't. But, it can give better traction in some situations if it's unpacked. I'm talking about if the road is unplowed so it's snow also covering the asphalt.

At 70 mph...unplowed or plowed...ok

That's special

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SouthernSilveradoGuy85 · August 18, 2016

At 70 mph...unplowed or plowed...ok

That's special

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Again, if it didn't feel stable at that speed I wouldn't have went that fast and I did start off slower at about 50 and slowly sped up the more comfortable it felt. The way it felt, it didn't feel any worse than if it was raining too be honest. Maybe I'm wrong on that, but just how it felt when driving on it since it wasn't any ice, just snow and it hadn't been snowing that long (maybe 2-3 hours roughly I think). Plus again I only saw someone else maybe once in awhile.

But hey, if you think that was stupid then oh well. I guess I am "special" but nothing that would effect you so no worries.

Badass69 · August 18, 2016

I dunno..... I spend a lot of time in winter at 70+ mph on snowy roads in northern Alberta..... driving isn't rocket science but some people sure make it that way. Want to make a maneuver...... probably slow down..... want to take a curve or accelerate up a hill.... take caution. You can easily drive 100 mph in a straight line on glare ice..... but now to stop or change lanes..... lol. If you can't figure this out well please don't drive slow.... stay off the road period. You can come into a corner at 50 mph like a tard and still end up upside down in the opposing traffics lane quite easily. It happens every year..... because for some, every day is a new day and we have long forgotten the winters of years past.

Weight helps but my detroit locker and decent tires pretty well do all I need. I prefer dailying my 05 in the winter over any new truck I have owned to date with their useless stability and traction programs. This winter though I have a bomber being an 04 Malibu... and unless it's over the hood the truck can stay at the plant and I will use the car to commute instead!

crushNchowda · August 18, 2016

I just hope you jokers going 60+ in the snow have life insurance for your families and are organ donors.

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Again - clearly you have never driven a 4WD truck equipped w/ snows.

The extremely supple rubber compound & insane amount of deep siping actually turn the tires into like suction cups. As long as theres snow on the ground as opposed to ice, what I'm describing is perfectly OK - the snow gives the snow tires traction. #science

Now on ice that's a different story, but again completely different scenario on snow tires vs. anything else. Snow tires (particularly studded) make the difference between being able to drive/turn/STOP on ice vs. simply not being able to, period.

I am sick of beating the dead horse on snow tires to people who have no idea WTF they're talking about. They are purpose built/engineered & when coupled w/ true 4WD, good ground clearance, stability/traction control, & locking diffs there's no problem driving that fast on snow packed highway.

To put it in perspective the difference in performance between snows in the winter vs. all else is probably greater than the difference in performance of DR's or R compound max performance rubber @ the race track vs. running "all seasons" - think about that for a minute.

Andy Seibel · August 18, 2016

there is such a wide variety of weather and road conditions, that no one knows what anyone else is talking about.

I can go 70 with 2" of fluff over a dry road. Or on another day when it dips to 32 and light sleet and the road turns into an ice rink. The temperature of the road and air, and the moisture content of the precipitation all change drastically. I feel much safer on snowy roads when its 10 degrees than when its near freezing. Adding moisture to ice makes it very dangerous.

I hope everyone remembers to drive within the limits of their machine. If i'm ever in doubt I will find an open stretch of road and try to lock up the tires and see how bad my traction is. Then I know what I can and can't do.

Again, 4wd and snow tires might help you accelerate, but 4wd does not help you brake, turn or fix a skid any easier than a 2wd car. I drive a 04 grand am as a daily driver and have been plowing snow for 10 years, I have a bit of winter driving experience in WI.

sdeeter19555 · August 18, 2016

there is such a wide variety of weather and road conditions, that no one knows what anyone else is talking about.

I can go 70 with 2" of fluff over a dry road. Or on another day when it dips to 32 and light sleet and the road turns into an ice rink. The temperature of the road and air, and the moisture content of the precipitation all change drastically. I feel much safer on snowy roads when its 10 degrees than when its near freezing. Adding moisture to ice makes it very dangerous.

I hope everyone remembers to drive within the limits of their machine. If i'm ever in doubt I will find an open stretch of road and try to lock up the tires and see how bad my traction is. Then I know what I can and can't do.

Again, 4wd and snow tires might help you accelerate, but 4wd does not help you brake, turn or fix a skid any easier than a 2wd car. I drive a 04 grand am as a daily driver and have been plowing snow for 10 years, I have a bit of winter driving experience in WI.

4wd does help you stop better because of two primary reasons:

First and foremost, it defeats ABS, because the brake that releases is countered through the drivetrain by the other brakes...ABS in snow has caused me more hair raising experiences than it has helped, case in point ABS releasing the brakes on snow covered roads caused me to glide right through a stop light; in 4wd, I stopped exactly where I wanted at the very next light not even a mile up the road, same conditions. I can stop faster in a vehicle on snow covered roads without ABS because I learned to drive well before ABS was common. It is learned skill, that ABS was designed to mimic, but has never really mastered. Those of you older folks that grew up driving on snow will know exactly what I mean by that statement. I wish ABS was optional...the only ABS that ever really worked well in snow was rear-only ABS.

Secondly, if you have a grabbing brake, or one that is more or less agressive than the others, the drivetrain equalizes that grabbing brake so that all four wheel stop evenly. It keeps one wheel from sliding and/or braking independently of the others. Four wheels stopping together beats four wheels independently doing what they want...

I grew up in the snow belt of PA and have driven cross country in every season for nearly 15 years, having experienced 2wd versus 4wd, and ABS versus non-ABS, you notice things.

And not for nothing, it is a skill, it is how a vehicle is set up, and it is a comfort factor. All three play a part in snow driving...

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Andy Seibel · August 18, 2016

I can stop faster in a vehicle on snow covered roads without ABS because I learned to drive well before ABS was common. It is learned skill, that ABS was designed to mimic, but has never really mastered. Those of you older folks that grew up driving on snow will know exactly what I mean by that statement. I wish ABS was optional..

I agree with this part of your statement. I also learned how to drive without ABS, and I get frustrated when it comes on because it makes it harder to stop. It always pulses far longer than I would need to readjust my foot.

I am not too sure about your other statements about 4WD overriding the ABS. When you are coasting and the engine is idling, your differential gears allow the wheels to turn at different speed. Having one anti-lock brake activate is not going to affect the other wheels. In my experience it is rare to have only one wheel activate the ABS, its usually either a whole axle or all 4.

If you can avoid having any tires lock up, you are far better off. The coefficient of sliding friction is much less than that of static (rolling).

Anyway, All I said is a 4WD drive vehicle does not stop faster than a 2WD one. regardless of antilock brakes, the physics of having 4 tires and 4 brakes is about the same. go line up next to a 2wd truck and run your antilock brake experiment and please report the results.

sdeeter19555 · August 18, 2016

I have experimented, I will out stop a 2wd by a significant distance...if running locked in 4wd.

I have been around 4wd all my life, what I said comes from experience, not heresay. The drivetrain plays a significant role in braking as one tire cannot lockup because the other rolling wheels won't allow it...why do you think you get tire scrub on bare pavement in 4wd if your differential works so good? You actually hear the drivetrain "clunking" in extreme cases where one tire has tried to lock and is being forced to continue to rotate because of the direct link to the drivetrain and other rolling wheels.

I've added what value I can to this thread...done here.

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