Four Wheel "Auto", Snow, Tire Chains

[texas4ever]

Two part thread.

 

Anyone else use the Auto function in rain (or snow) and notice a huge increase in traction? I have a certain road in my city that is 2 lanes (each direction) with a speed limit of 65mph. Every time it rains if the truck is in 2 high and I barley tap the accelerator I start to spin. with the Auto selection on I can dang near put it to the floor and have no issues with traction. Definitely love that feature.

 

With that being said, I live in Central Texas and don't deal with snow very much. I plan on taking a trip to Jackson, WY this new years leaving from the Austin, Texas area and traveling to Boulder, CO then on to Jackson. I'm curious if y'all would suggest taking chains or other traction increase devices? I have factory tires and the owners manual does say "If the vehicle has 255/70R17, LT245/75R17, or LT275/70R18 size tires, they may be installed on the tires of the front and rear axle." Do y'all only recommend chains at all and if you do do you recommend using them if I am in "Auto" or have 4 high/ low engaged or think it can also be used in 2 wheel?

[Jay P]

Winter tires and 4wd is the answer. Being that you are from Texas you likely don't want to invest in winter/snow tires so a set of tire chains is cheap insurance. 4wd isn't a lot of help if you have summer tires.

Since it looks like you have an AT4 you must have some all terrain tires which are ok in snow but not so good on ice.

 

Jay

[Robert Mcbride]

You won’t need chains if your traveling on regular roads. If you do decide to buy a set make sure you know how to use them properly. Teton pass does close if the conditions get bad. I’ve used a tow strap and shovel more times than chains. 

[LOM]

Just remember if you are caught in snow the stopping distance increases, just because you have traction at the start doesn't mean you stop the same.  

[J2Jones]

All good advice.  In my mind, if it's dicey enough for chains, I would be in 4H, I wouldn't want to consider the vehicle moving in and out of 4WD.  

[Snakes709]

It literally says in my owners manual not to use chains on this truck. Unless towing a heavy load up/down a slippery steep slope, you wont need them anyways. Good set of tires and 2wd is good enough for most situations if you know how to drive in snow. I only use 4wd if its deep snow with ice under the snow when im on the hwy. 

[ftwhite]

In Washington, dealing with the heavier wet snow/ice we get here, 4wd is the big plus, but even with AT tires, I have gotten my Silverado 1500 stuck many times. Even on major highways. Most cases, just because of ice, but a few because of depth of snow. So I always carry traction boards. Got me unstuck every time when Auto, 4H or 4L wasn't enough to cut it and shoveling wasn't going to give me traction. Those, plus a good recovery rope are in my truck all winter. Save me and helps me save others. 

[redwngr]

10 hours ago, ftwhite said:

In Washington, dealing with the heavier wet snow/ice we get here, 4wd is the big plus, but even with AT tires, I have gotten my Silverado 1500 stuck many times. Even on major highways. Most cases, just because of ice, but a few because of depth of snow. So I always carry traction boards. Got me unstuck every time when Auto, 4H or 4L wasn't enough to cut it and shoveling wasn't going to give me traction. Those, plus a good recovery rope are in my truck all winter. Save me and helps me save others. 

And a couple bags of gritty oil soak or kitty litter...

 

And maybe extra weight securely located in back of box.

[texas4ever]

On 11/8/2020 at 9:04 PM, Snakes709 said:

It literally says in my owners manual not to use chains on this truck. Unless towing a heavy load up/down a slippery steep slope, you wont need them anyways. Good set of tires and 2wd is good enough for most situations if you know how to drive in snow. I only use 4wd if its deep snow with ice under the snow when im on the hwy. 

Owners manual actually says "If the vehicle has 255/70R17, LT245/75R17, or LT275/70R18 size tires, they may be installed on the tires of the front and rear axle."

[Snakes709]

1 hour ago, texas4ever said:

Owners manual actually says "If the vehicle has 255/70R17, LT245/75R17, or LT275/70R18 size tires, they may be installed on the tires of the front and rear axle."

Says on the first line of my manual "If the vehicle has LT265/70R17, LT275/65R18, 275/60R20, or 275/50R22 size tires, do not use tire chains. They can damage the vehicle because there is not enough clearance"

Then under a Caution box says,  "If the vehicle has 265/70R17 265/65R18 size tires, they may be installed on the rear axle only. If the vehicle has 255/70R17 size tires, they may be installed on the tires of the front and rear axle."

Edited November 24, 2020 by Snakes709

[Snakes709]

duplicate post

Edited November 24, 2020 by Snakes709

[JimCost2014]

On 11/8/2020 at 7:48 PM, ftwhite said:

In Washington, dealing with the heavier wet snow/ice we get here, 4wd is the big plus, but even with AT tires, I have gotten my Silverado 1500 stuck many times. Even on major highways. Most cases, just because of ice, but a few because of depth of snow. So I always carry traction boards. Got me unstuck every time when Auto, 4H or 4L wasn't enough to cut it and shoveling wasn't going to give me traction. Those, plus a good recovery rope are in my truck all winter. Save me and helps me save others. 

Brining up the past, I have been looking to get some recovery boards, which ones did you go with, and how do you like them?

[aseibel]

The factory tires are extremely average. I used mine to push a snowplow for a couple winters. They worked very okay.

But once I upgraded to Cooper Discoverer AT3 4s, I immediately felt a large improvement.

 

Sand bags in the back (or the weight from any extra gear if you are travelling) also vastly improves the rear end's ability to grip the road.

 

You can use 4HI or auto if conditions are not great. Remember that only helps you accelerate, not steer or stop. When driving in snow, you need to adjust your driving to the conditions. take your time, allow greater distance, etc.

 

Unless you encounter a blizzard, I don't think chains are required. If weather turns that bad, your plans will likely be altered anyway.

[ftwhite]

8 hours ago, JimCost2014 said:

Brining up the past, I have been looking to get some recovery boards, which ones did you go with, and how do you like them?

I got the ARB Tred. I used them a dozen times or so, and think they work great. When using them on hard snow/ice, they do have a tendency to become projectiles. Never owned a different brand, so not sure how they compare. I'd certainly get these again.

TRED RECOVERY BOARDS (arbusa.com)