2ft From A Big Oak Tree

ChrisNJ · December 13, 2007

snow and ice mix here in n-jersey today. took off up the road, truck felt planted, it wasn't 1/4mi up the road, slight right turn, she went straight, about 20-25mph. heading off the road straight at a 2' thick oak tree. i had one last chance, stepped on the gas a little to hopefully pull her out of it, she started to correct but wasn't gonna be enough, and wammo, hit something hard and it helped just enough to miss the tree by 2'. wheeewww. started on down the road, tire monitor lit up, left rear, got out, bashed rim and a big hole in the tire. went home. put the spare on, (what a pita the new spare tire safety lock thing is, have to completely loosen the slack as much as it will allow to unlock it, took 20 minutes to figure it out).

glad i bought the tire and rim insurance, covers up to 700 on the rim and 500 on the tire, dealer said rim was 880, but discounted it to 700 to the insurance company to cover me the whole way. thought the front got hit to, but after i got the spare on it was fine, it just pulled a little left from the flat rear i guess.

dam AWD has got me fooled into thinking there's a ton more traction than there is. on my old 4x4's i would have left it in 2wd and could get feel for it until i really needed 4wd. would have been my first smash in 15 years. stupid, stupid, stupid. gotta go slow(er).

be cafefull out there to those getting this ice storm, roads change from total ice (as my road was in spots), to slush in just hundreds of feet.

Darkanion · December 13, 2007

Glad to hear you didn't tear-up anything major. Be safe out there!

Sniper · December 13, 2007

she started to correct but wasn't gonna be enough, and wammo,

Well, you scared the hell out of me and I wasn't there!

Glad to read that you were okay. The truck can always be replaced.

WFO · December 14, 2007

Glad to hear you and your sheet metal is all right. It could have cost much more.

-Devil- · December 14, 2007

was that still with the factory junk tires? ...

either way ... glad it wasn't anything serious ...

georgerosen06 · December 14, 2007

snow and ice mix here in n-jersey today. took off up the road, truck felt planted, it wasn't 1/4mi up the road, slight right turn, she went straight, about 20-25mph. heading off the road straight at a 2' thick oak tree. i had one last chance, stepped on the gas a little to hopefully pull her out of it, she started to correct but wasn't gonna be enough, and wammo, hit something hard and it helped just enough to miss the tree by 2'. wheeewww. started on down the road, tire monitor lit up, left rear, got out, bashed rim and a big hole in the tire. went home. put the spare on, (what a pita the new spare tire safety lock thing is, have to completely loosen the slack as much as it will allow to unlock it, took 20 minutes to figure it out).
glad i bought the tire and rim insurance, covers up to 700 on the rim and 500 on the tire, dealer said rim was 880, but discounted it to 700 to the insurance company to cover me the whole way. thought the front got hit to, but after i got the spare on it was fine, it just pulled a little left from the flat rear i guess.

dam AWD has got me fooled into thinking there's a ton more traction than there is. on my old 4x4's i would have left it in 2wd and could get feel for it until i really needed 4wd. would have been my first smash in 15 years. stupid, stupid, stupid. gotta go slow(er).

be cafefull out there to those getting this ice storm, roads change from total ice (as my road was in spots), to slush in just hundreds of feet.

d**n YOU SHOULD WRITE A NOVEL!!!! I was just gonna glimpse at this thread and move on but dang! Had me on the edge of my seat the whole time...glad you and your trucks okay

kylebr · December 14, 2007

yeah we are getting that same storm up in boston right now and the roads are a mess...no wintery mess up here full on 6-12 inches of snow

mljenkins · December 14, 2007

Good luck in that ice storm. I agree about leaving it in 2 wheel. No one understands why I do that, but I like to know what's under me and not get too over confident. I heard you guys up in the NE were supposed to get hit hard.

It wasn't warm enough here for snow (thank God). We got tons of flooding, so much I can't make it home. Some guys were going through the waters earlier but I saw one truck almost washed off the road and I turned around. Not worth my truck. All the local bridges are under water.

Looks like we get snow and ice fun this weekend. Yeah! NOT!!

Matt

slimjim2525 · December 14, 2007

We got 10" here in my part of CT. Truck went great through the stuff. Stock tires are pretty good on mine.

ChrisNJ · December 14, 2007

thanks, didn't think I had any writers ability in me! just wrote how i saw it, all in slow motion. went back to the scene and saw the big ass rock that busted the rim but saved me, my daughter, and the truck. My 7yr old daughter was in the back, she can't see out the front to well, but after we got back on the road she said, 'dad, did we almost hit that tree back there?' yup honey, daddy almost just blew it bad, see why we always wear seatbelts. we would have been ok as it was pretty slow, and it was heading just left of the left frame rail, but even at 20mph the truck would have been crumpled bad against that non-moveable oak. I don't even want to think about 20mph+/- hitting that tree between the frame rails. we had a just graduated girl die on my road a few years ago when the car went sideways and she hit right at the door. cops said she was going slow, just the sudden stop killed her. i pull about 3 cars a year out of my woods with my tractor. the last one was almost mine.

i've smashed a bunch in my days, but mostly car on car, and not one since about 15 years ago, relatively minor stuff, except once when at 16yrs old, my bald tire'd gto judge hit a pole dead center right frame rail at 25-30mph. totaled it with the frame rail sticking up 20-30 degrees taking with it the firewall and right passenger footwell, with the right suspension assembly hanging by it's tie rod, cause luckily the car went left. i got a lot of flack for that one from judge owners later in life that said i ruined one of the top ten judges in PA. i didn't even know what a judge was, just thought it was cool to be different because all the high school kids had SS camaro's.

s-ten · December 14, 2007

Glad you are all right.

I do the same thing as you used to, leave the truck in 2WD until I need 4WD. My mom has a '03 Escalade with AWD so I know how that can make the road feel better then it really is, that thing never seems to let go.

Raymond Lowe · December 14, 2007

That's why these are on my Denali.

Michelin Latitude X-Ice sized to exactly match the revolutions per mile of the factory 20" Denali wheels.

RyanZ71 · December 14, 2007

Doesn't matter what kind of tires or 4WD or AWD system one has, when your on ice, your screwed. Glad your ok, I'm sure most of us on here have learned the hard way at sometime in our lives just how dangerous driving can be in bad conditions. Again, glad your ok

ChrisNJ · December 14, 2007

That's why these are on my Denali.

Michelin Latitude X-Ice sized to exactly match the revolutions per mile of the factory 20" Denali wheels.

That's a great idea. I'm sure the big 20's didn't help any compared to a skinnier and/or winter tire. Do you change all 4 with rims too? I doubt I would do it though as winter here in jersey is a mixed bag. Some winter we get nohting, other time we have snow all season, yet the roads are always pretty good within a day. Think I just have to be more careful. Also gonna have to teach the wife it's not like were used too with prior 4x4's with better tires.