Driving in the snow

[Neurobit]

Actually the person behind the wheel is the most important element, then tires.

Right. That’s a given. Meant on the equipment side of things

 

[Trippi]

My Rebel did very well in our first snowfall...snowfall was quick and wet! Not my first truck but made me comment how effortless it drove uphill in snowy conditions. Breaking was equally as impressive. We are traveling for Christmas and there is a snowstorm in the forecast, this will be the first BIG test.

 

[Biga]

Tires and driver are the biggest factors. These trucks are heavy so it will take longer to stop on ice and snow then a lighter vehicle considering the same tires, you have to factor that in.

 

[Boston]

Get a couple of hundred pounds of sand bags in the bed. Position them slightly behind the rear axle
Snow is one of those times where the more aggressive tires as fitted with the off road option definitely win out.

 

[jdmartin]

I have the Falken tires on my 4WD Crew and I haven't had a lick of trouble. We don't get much snow down here in the Southern Mountains but when we do it's pretty hairy, and I've felt fine and secure in my truck absolutely. I can't imagine sliding around in Pittsburgh on stock tires unless you're just driving like a maniac!

 

[MValdez]

I spent a decent amount of time driving through 8" of snow on goodyear eagle touring tires and I didnt have any issues at all and was more than satisfied with my longhorn's performance. 4WHD High. I felt like the king of the road!

 

[tigercat74]

I have a full proof plan for driving in the snow.

1. Was moving to the South where it snows once or twice a year

2. Don’t go anywhere when it does snow. This only works because I work from home.

 

[UnloosedChewtoy]

Even many All-Season tires, if you have sufficient tread depth, will work OK in some types of snow.

There is wet, heavy, slushy snow; what I call "dry" snow (really sandy in texture, almost ice crystals rather than snow); and many more I'm sure I'm forgetting.
We had some of the wet, slushy stuff here (about 4 inches) around Halloween, and the Falken A/TW tires worked great. I almost didn't know the snow was even there.

We're in the process of getting another 4-7 inches today, with 55 MPH gusts, so I'll get another opportunity to test out the tires. We'll see what happens.

 

[Trippi]

I will say this, I feel better driving in snow than I do in rain. This truck is a bit slippery on rainy days and 2WD. Without 4wd auto and prefer to be in 4wd-hi on those days.

 

[millerbjm]

I know the OP was asking about snow but since I live in the snowbelt and am a bit obsessive I feel the need to point out that while the mountain/snow rated A/T tires like the wild peaks do have great snow traction the real difference with a winter tire is the stopping and turning on ice in addition to snow traction. For me the cost of a set of dedicated winters was worth it figuring if it saves me from even a small collision with a sign etc. I've already paid for them with the lack of an insurance claim! I also save miles on my all seasons.

 

[Hemogoblin]

First time I drove my 2020 Big Horn Night Edition in the snow last week and it struggled big time! I was sliding everywhere! I immediately bought new tires from the stock ones I had with only 17k on them.
Any suggestions for driving in the snow? My last car was a Jeep wrangler so it went everywhere

My stock Wrangler's on the Rebel suck as well. When it gets close to 10 degrees Celsius and it's wet? Forget about it, so hard to launch off the line, lol They were OK when new but now with some good mileage on them, terrible.

I bought a set of Copper Discoverer winter's when I first bought the truck. Amazing tires. I don't understand why people don't buy winters if they live in cold climates. These things are like soft sponges when cold, whereas any other all season is like riding on wooden tires.

 

[slatersan]

Winter tires, 4wd auto, accelerate slow, slow down, leave extra following distance. I feel lucky my 2019 came with the nexen tires and not the Bridgestone they switched to but I run blizzaks in the winter and rarely need 4wd. Our Subaru is still better than my ram though - hard to beat the subaru AWD in snow.

A subaru outfit with Blizzaks is an unstoppable snow vehicle.

 

[Kicker]

When I was a young whiper-snapper I use to drive from Concord NH down to Boston 5 days a week at 3am.
I had a 70 Cuda and in the winter I would put on Goodyear Eagles on the front and Goodyear F32 snows, That thing never slipped, those F32's were made to grip ice.
Oh, and for fun I would go up to Turtle Town Pond in Concord and drive on the ice. I would get her up to 70 and toss it into a spin and see how long it took me to get out of it. The Sports car club of America would be holding their ice races on the other end of the pond.
That's how I learned how to drive on ice. They don't make that tire anymore but to me, it was great!

 

[Chopperbobby]

My rebel has no issues in the snow, I have driven in close to two feet of fresh snow without issues. Also driven in a foot of snow, with 2-3ft drifts mid snow storm towing a tandem axle enclosed trailer with no issues.

Slow and steady is the key, the torque of the diesel is amazing in 4wd with some load in the truck and duratracs, I am really impressed coming from a 2wd truck.

Duratracs are great in the snow.

 

[Fatherof3]

I live in Ontario Canada so I definitely drive in snow . I’ve only used 4WD 4 times . 3 times were during a blizzard and once was going up the mountain here which was all ice ( tractor trailers were stuck half way up ) and I just drove by them slowly in 4hi .

 

[Hemogoblin]

For anyone interested, this is how the Cooper snows look.....

 

[mikeru82]

When I was a young whiper-snapper I use to drive from Concord NH down to Boston 5 days a week at 3am.
I had a 70 Cuda and in the winter I would put on Goodyear Eagles on the front and Goodyear F32 snows, That thing never slipped, those F32's were made to grip ice.
Oh, and for fun I would go up to Turtle Town Pond in Concord and drive on the ice. I would get her up to 70 and toss it into a spin and see how long it took me to get out of it. The Sports car club of America would be holding their ice races on the other end of the pond.
That's how I learned how to drive on ice. They don't make that tire anymore but to me, it was great!
View attachment 77518

F32's were great tires. Local law enforcement here used them year-round back in the 70's and 80's. Les Schwab bought the design and were selling them until just a few years ago. Most modern studdless winter tires available now will out perform them. But they were definitely awesome tires.

 

[rbundy84]

Since I’m new (or about to be) to 4x4 drive, are you all driving in 4wd Hi or Auto during rain and snow/ice?

 

[devildodge]

The fact of it.

4wd auto can be used all year round. In the rain use it. 2wd will be just fine too.

4wd lock. Use it any time traction is always an issue. Snow mud gravel.

4wd low. Only use this in off pavement situations. At slow speeds.

I will not dwell into the opinions of gas mileage and acceleration. We have a ton of posts arguing this.

On ice. Doesnt really matter which you are in. You need dedicated snow tires, studded tires or tire chains. Or hope you find the pavement

 

[millerbjm]

Since I’m new (or about to be) to 4x4 drive, are you all driving in 4wd Hi or Auto during rain and snow/ice?

4auto is the safe bet - can be used on dry pavement, snow, rain and mixed conditions. Some folks run in 4auto all year round but is can impact mpgs. 4hi is better for "off-road" conditions like unplowed roads of trails.

4WD AUTO Four-Wheel Drive Auto High Range — This range sendspower to the front wheels automatically when the vehicle senses a loss of traction. This range is used during varying road conditions.

4WD HIGH Four-Wheel Drive High Range — This range provides torque to the front driveshaft (engages four-wheel drive) which allows front and rear wheels to spin at the same speed. This provides additional traction for loose, slippery road surfaces only.

4WD LOWFour-Wheel Drive Low Range — This range provides lowspeed four-wheel drive. It maximizes torque (increased torque over 4WD HIGH) to the front driveshaft; allowing front and rear wheels to rotate at the same speed. This range provides additional traction and maximum pulling power for loose, slippery road surfaces only. Do not exceed 25mph(40km/h) in this range.