Winter Traction

[Handmeawrench]

Hey friends,

What do you add to your truck bed for traction in the winter?

I used to use sand bags. That’s still an option as they are provided free by the county. But I also have two 50-gallon plastic barrels that I cut down to about 15” tall and fill with sand.

Those barrels used to fit perfectly in my previous truck, but now they slide all over in my Ram. I’ve tried using heavy strap tie downs to keep them in place, but it’s an ugly solution that limits the usefulness of the bed.

Just looking for ideas better than my own so I can improve.

Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mikeru82]

Is your truck 2WD? I used to use a dozen 75 lb. sandbags for weight when I drove an old '85 Chevy 2WD diesel. Now that I only own 4WD trucks I find that I don't need to add any weight to the bed for winter. I haven't had any traction issues that would have been improved if there had been more weight in the bed. If you feel the need for added weight I'd think the sandbags alone would be sufficient.

 

[RC Turner]

I live in southern Minnesota where there is usually plenty of ice and snow. I use the OEM tires and use nothing for additional weight. The way it comes from the factory works just fine. (2020 4X4)

 

[VectorZ]

Here in Alaska where we typically have snow and ice on the roads for 6 months I run Bridgestone Blizzaks and throw about 400lbs of sand/gravel in the bed. I live in a mountainous area with steep hills, but if I didn't I probably wouldn't put any extra weight in the bed.

 

[Handmeawrench]

Is your truck 2WD? I used to use a dozen 75 lb. sandbags for weight when I drove an old '85 Chevy 2WD diesel. Now that I only own 4WD trucks I find that I don't need to add any weight to the bed for winter. I haven't had any traction issues that would have been improved if there had been more weight in the bed. If you feel the need for added weight I'd think the sandbags alone would be sufficient.

No, mine's 4WD as well. 2019 1500. Huh...this is going to sound dumb I think, but it never occurred to me that Ram would have designed the truck to have plenty of grip without additional weight in the back.

 

[Idahoktm]

We get 70"+ of snow and I've never put weight in the back of my 4WD trucks. It's just not necessary.

 

[Cbty2050]

Live in Northern Michigan, run factory tires, no issues

 

[Kicker]

Some people just need to learn how to drive on show/ice.
When I was in high school I use to go to Turtle Town Pond in Concord NH, the sports car club would have timed racing on the ice. I didn't race but the pond was open to the public. I would go up there with my AMC Hornet and race around on the ice, throw it into a spin and see how fast I could get it going straight again . After awhile it becomes muscle memory and I can tell you all the years I would drive into Boston at 3am to go to work that driving skill came in handy many times.
Practice makes perfect. Oh, I live on Pembroke hill, way back on the 6th range and there were lots of hills and turns and the town plowed it last. I drove that with my 'Cuda and never had any problems.
Learn how to drive in the snow.

 

[Darksteel165]

Some people just need to learn how to drive on show/ice.
When I was in high school I use to go to Turtle Town Pond in Concord NH, the sports car club would have timed racing on the ice. I didn't race but the pond was open to the public. I would go up there with my AMC Hornet and race around on the ice, throw it into a spin and see how fast I could get it going straight again . After awhile it becomes muscle memory and I can tell you all the years I would drive into Boston at 3am to go to work that driving skill came in handy many times.
Practice makes perfect. Oh, I live on Pembroke hill, way back on the 6th range and there were lots of hills and turns and the town plowed it last. I drove that with my 'Cuda and never had any problems.
Learn how to drive in the snow.

Has a lot to with tires too.

My second car was a Mustang and it had "high performance tires" on it.
Turns out they were summer tires.
I think I had 6 accidents in 1 winter with it because the damn tires were like driving on glass no matter how slow I drove. I remember one time my car turned 90 degrees and went 50 yards into a barrier going 3mph. I had enough time to look at my friend in the passenger seat throw my hands up and say "what the fu** now?"

A good quality for snow all season is workable, and sometimes snow tires do the trick. I had snow tires in my 2012 Camaro with a 6.2L and it 100% better to handle on snow\ice then my 2013 Kia Optima (fwd) with all season tires. Both cars were fine as like as you knew what you were doing, but those summer tires, good freaking luck.

I do second learning how to drive on snow\ice. It's silly that people never just go out and see how a car handles. that's always the FIRST thing I do on the first snow storm of the year with a new car\truck is see how much I can push it. Turns before sliding, etc. No point in waiting until it's too late. I don't think there is a point of putting extra weight in a car\truck with 4wd or awd, your just diverting where your traction is, now how much you have. I would much rather have more weight in the front of my car\truck during the snow. It's not like you're going to get stuck and spin all 4 ties at once unless you are offroading.

 

[HSKR R/T]

No need for extra weight. Put it in 4-auto and be done with it. The more weight you add the more weight you have to get moving, and then stop. And these trucks aren't really lightweights to begin with.

I also agree with going out and learning your car. My now Ex-wifes first winter in Nebraska (she was a Cali girl) the very first time it snowed, she slid our new 2008 Charger through and intersection and hit a parked car in a parking lot. The next time it snowed, I took her out to an empty parking lot and made her learn the car and how it handled. Had her figure out how much she could push it before spinning. And then purposely put the car into a spin, and learn how to recover. She never had another wreck in the snow after that

 

[2019Raven]

Here in Alaska where we typically have snow and ice on the roads for 6 months I run Bridgestone Blizzaks and throw about 400lbs of sand/gravel in the bed. I live in a mountainous area with steep hills, but if I didn't I probably wouldn't put any extra weight in the bed.

I also live in Alaska and run about 360lbs of traction sand in the back. Never had an issue and mostly ran in 2wd.

I will second the advice on learning how the truck responds in/on snow and ice by finding a large empty parking lot and going for spins

 

[Rick3478]

It seems to me that pickups are front-heavy, and therefore tend toward understeer. I like some weight in the bed to make handling more neutral. A couple or three rows of cinder blocks seem to stay in place pretty good. Definitely believe in practice, especially with an unfamiliar vehicle. First freezing rain of the season might find me drifting across an empty mall parking lot.

 

[HSKR R/T]

My local road course opens up during winter for some snow play. They do not clear the track.

And of course there is always the parking lots.

 

[crusher]

We get 70"+ of snow and I've never put weight in the back of my 4WD trucks. It's just not necessary.

+1 i agree

 

[Quint]

I loved driving my '83 Mustang back in the day, with rear wheel drive and an emergency brake for sliding around left and right turns. It taught me a lot about driving in the snow.

I live in Minnesota, go up north a lot, and tow snowmobiles on a trailer in the snow. I never intentionally put extra weight in the truck. I ran Goodyear Duratracs on my 2015 RAM after the factory tires wore out and put Falcon Wildpeak A/T3W tires on my 2021 as soon as I bought it. They both have worked well in deep snow.

 

[ChrisID]

The stock Falken wildpeak At3/w's that came stock on my off-road optioned truck have surprised me how good they are in the snow. And they are snow rated with the little mountain symbol on them. I thought for sure that since they looked pretty aggressive that they would be loud. They are not, at least so far with 17K on them. The have very deep tread, so they aren't corner carvers, but they should get a little better as they wear down.
There's probably not much better than the Blizzacks for running snow all the time, but these falkens are a great all-arounder.

 

[Dewey]

Never had a reason to add weight in the bed for winter traction. Quality winter tires are a much better solution. Most stock tires are junk for snow/ice. Extra weight won’t make them any better if you already have 4WD

 

[CalvinC]

Extra bed weight will only help you go, and makes stopping and turning worse.

Now if it’s impossible to “go” without the weight like it often was for me with my 2wd Silverado long bed in Colorado mountain country, then it’s just the nature of the beast - sure, you need sandbags (10 in my case) or you stay home.

But once you have 4WD/4Auto the “go” problem is pretty well solved. I’ve been through some nasty hunting trails through feet of snow and rutted tracks covered in ice and never felt the need for bed weight.

If not, tires should be the next order of business.

I also think the weight distribution of a modern crew cab 4x4 is an entirely different animal than the old regular cab 8’ bed truck I used to run.

 

[Pertzbro]

Northern Iowa, Previously Colorado. Havnt put sand in the back since high school. I also now run Studded winter tires. Winter tires help the most when you actually really need it - stopping and turning. All 4wd does it help you get moving and possibly not get stuck - obviously offroad/trail/deeper snow.

In fact - my wifes last 2 cars I purposely bought front wheel drive instead of AWD and just put snow tires on. It's cheaper, better gas milage, less maintence and is actually more effective than AWD with regular all seasons.

If you dont want to shell out $2K for a winter tire set, just roll in 2wd until you need it, it's a turn of the dial for 4WD. I run 2wd 99% of the time. the 1% is in an active snow storm/blizzard before plows. After plows - 2wd is enough with winter tires even in a RWD truck with no weight in back.

 

[Pertzbro]

Also, a 2x4 or 2x6 can help keep sand bags from sliding.

Groceries

What are folks using to secure groceries and other similar items in back of truck. Not looking for a mat solution, more a diy or aftermarket divider or lidless box

5thgenrams.com