winter driving

Pearl2017 · November 8, 2018

It is a heavy enough truck already if you have good tires. And unless you're regularly going through unplowed country roads after a blizzard you'll probably just lose +1 mpg for the extra weight you're hauling on clean streets.

djw88 · November 9, 2018

On 11/7/2018 at 9:50 AM, crushNchowda said:

Lived in New England/MA all my life, travel up north to ski country on windy mountain roads, some no salt areas, lots of SNOW - VT/ME/NH etc.

I've driven RWD(2WD) trucks like Ford Ranger, RWD muscle cars like G8 GT, & FWD cars like honda accord but have mainly been driving a 4x4 1/2 ton last 5-6 years. IN ALL scenarios above I would run snow tires - IMHO opinion if my choice for a ride up to VT in middle of Feb snow storm was between my old 350rwhp G8 GT w/ studded blizzaks & 250 lbs of ballast in the trunk or a Denali ultimate 4x4 on 22"s w/ "all seasons" or "all terrains" I would choose the G8 GT on snow tires 100% of the time.

That being said - in a 2wd truck I would run sandbags in the bed - but DO NOT put them at the tailgate - jesus...physics anyone? Suspension loads? What is Porsche's handling quirk? riiiiight.

YOu wanna put the bags just before or on top of the rear axle, right behind the cab is fine too.

IMHO I would run snow tires in WI if you can afford to do so. My 2015 sierra AT 6.2 4x4 w/ 33" 275/60R20 General Grabber studded snows + eaton diff & 3" of lift is an absolute BEAST in the winter. NOTHING I won't drive through. I got a tongue lashing from NH state trooper one time for passing snow plows (you can do that in MA but not in NH) during a legit blizzard w/ 6" of snow on the hwy doing 60 mph in 4wd HI - slam on the brakes if ya want - thing just stops. Nobody was on the road @ the time trooper recognized my truck gassing up @ rest stop then relaxed when he noticed the studded snows on it.

You don't need weight in the back w/ snow tires - doesn't hurt - but not necessary, plus remember you're can carry up to 26 gallons of fuel too - that's a lot of weight, keep a full tank as much as possible during winter anyhow.

Lastly, I work in the scrap biz so little easier/more accessible for me to do this, but when I was driving my 2WD Ranger beater in winter (had snows) instead of sand bags I used a 3/4" thick 3x3' plate of steel w/ a padeye welded on it to help drag it out @ end of the season. A hole would suffice too. Takes up way negligible space in the bed, doesn't break open & spill sand everywhere, doesn't shift around etc.

i had snow tires for my last two vehicles. i had a G35 coupe that i ran snows and sandbags with and it was awesome in the winter. i will go through a few winters and see if i will do the same for the truck. studded snows are illegal in WI.

pronstar · November 9, 2018

Snow tires are where it’s at.

RWD with snow tires is better than 4WD/AWD with all-season tires.

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18Midnight · November 16, 2018

I just bought 420 lbs of tube sand to put in the bed over the rear axle and it was a huge difference for me. I do have snow rated tires which helps but just having more weight on the rear makes it slip so much less.

rkj__ · November 16, 2018

Just now, 18Midnight said:

I just bought 420 lbs of tube sand to put in the bed over the rear axle and it was a huge difference for me. I do have snow rated tires which helps but just having more weight on the rear makes it slip so much less.

As an added benefit, 400 lb in the bed really smooths out the suspension too.

18Midnight · November 16, 2018

Just now, rkj__ said:

As an added benefit, 400 lb in the bed really smooths out the suspension too.

Agreed it drives much more balanced now, feels more like a large SUV almost. Does take a little more to accelerate, but for the added traction and overall drive feel it's worth it.