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My trip to ny....................


my77cobra2

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i am SOOOOOOOOOOO pissed.....i go 2 college at Nascar Technical Istitiute [NTI] in North Carolina...i was born and raised in New York...so i was gonna go home for christmas...i had off from the 19th of December to the 27th of December......i got off of school on the 18th at 12:45PM....i got in my 87' Ranger and jumped right onto the highway and headed back to NEW YORK....what should have taken me between 12-13 hours [ i could have made it in 10 hours with the way i drive....] took me 49.5 HOURS!!!!! and 33 of those hours i drove NON-STOP....now keep in mind that Im only 18 AND that i just got my permit in March of 2009 and my license in August of 2009....therefore i have not been driving that long....let alone 650mi. trip BY MYSELF.....you know that snow storm that went from way down south to way up north? yea i was stuck in the middle of it THE WHOLE WAY home...i had NO TRACTION what-so-ever...but i did my best to keep going....i drove through the night of the 18th-19th and fell into a ditch....luckily a VERY kind driver stopped and pulled me out within 10-15min. of me being there...once i was back on the road i drove bout another 6 hours...then half way through Virgina i spun-out AGAIN, but this time i hit a guard-rail [my front pass. fender got a little mangled and there are small but deep scratches going down the side of the truck:bawling:.....my exhaust manifold bolts on the passenger side pulled through the already gone flange therefore leaving my with a BIG exhaust leak.......so yea....FML!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 


94twodoor

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At least the ranger made it the whole way. Could have been worse and become undriveable at the first accidet. Look at it as a learning expierence. Chock it up to lack of and learn to carry on! Glad you are in good health though, that is THE most important thing.
 

ForOffRoadDriving

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that sucks man, i just checked out your build and that was a good looking truck! just in case you have to battle the snow again, you should have about 250-300lbs of weight in the bed and it will make the truck much more stable. hopefully you and your dad can straighten the fender out again.
 

strvger

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as yours is 2wd, you might want to consider getting winter tires for it and a l/s in the rear axle. would hate to see this happen to you 2 years in a row (or more)! glad nothing more than your pride was hurt.
 

WNY964x4

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did you learn to drive in NY or in NC , because trust me , i drive around in snow storms all the time up here and never have a single problem , my truck may be 4x4 , but i hardly , if ever , use it , it is there for convience and fun only
 

94twodoor

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as yours is 2wd, you might want to consider getting winter tires for it and a l/s in the rear axle. would hate to see this happen to you 2 years in a row (or more)! glad nothing more than your pride was hurt.
Whats an l/s? I have a 2wd and keep thinking about regearing and getting a locker. any thoughts? Would like to do some class 1 trails for camping, but need more power low end and traction would help.
 

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Whats an l/s? I have a 2wd and keep thinking about regearing and getting a locker. any thoughts? Would like to do some class 1 trails for camping, but need more power low end and traction would help.
limited slip
 

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did you learn to drive in NY or in NC , because trust me , i drive around in snow storms all the time up here and never have a single problem , my truck may be 4x4 , but i hardly , if ever , use it , it is there for convience and fun only
That makes two of us. I learned how to drive (and still live) in NH. Again, my Ranger is also a 4x4, but like you, it's rarely used. I laugh at all the Subies & other AWD vehicles that end up in the ditch (after I make sure that they're okay).
 

WNY964x4

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That makes two of us. I learned how to drive (and still live) in NH. Again, my Ranger is also a 4x4, but like you, it's rarely used. I laugh at all the Subies & other AWD vehicles that end up in the ditch (after I make sure that they're okay).
th only time i use it is like when i was coming home from college , 8 inches of piled up lake effect snow , hadn't been plowed in 2 days , the truck was tracking all over in 2WD , so i locked the hubs and flipped it in 4Hi
 

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Deeper gears will help with the low end.... or you could stick a 4x4 trans and t-case in the truck so you have low range. It'll still be 2wd, but it'll give you some really low gears.

A locker is better than a limited slip... but you have to take it easy until you get used to it, because it will handle different.

Weight in the bed is a must for winter driving up this way. I used to run about 150-200 lbs in my Ranger when I ran mud tires on the back and around 250 or so when I had some aggressive AT treads.

Tire selection can be more important than weight for snow. Mud tires work best in deeper snow and less weight. I had someone tell me that when I got my Ranger stuck in the snow in the yard of the place I rented off at college years ago. I thought they were joking until I shoveled a couple scoops in front of the tires and yanked most of the weight out of the bed, truck came right out. But mud tires can suck if you get onto hardpacked snow and don't have a lot of weight. I found a mean looking AT tire performs a lot better for most winter driving (I ran Sport King AT treads on the Ranger, currently I'm looking at some Mastercraft Courser CT or Cooper Discovery ST treads for my F-150, that's what I'm talking about with an aggressive AT pattern).

And I carry a set of chains in the back of my truck all winter long. Better to have them an not need them than the other way around. A set of chains on a 2wd truck in bad conditions is better than a 4x4 without. The college I went to got a lot of hardpack snow an ice all over the roads, I ran chains most of the winter up there and it made my Ranger (which at the time was an open rear diff) practically like driving a tank. I could (and did a couple times) go through snow deep enough to come up to the top of the hood. A cheap investment for that sort of traction, they help you go and they help you stop on hardpack and ice and will keep you digging in deep snow.
 

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Yeah, I only use my 4x4 if the front end is still going straight once the wheels are turned, to straighten out a slide on the highway fast, or if I get myself into a spot where 2 wheel just won't cut.

When we get any snow over 2 inches at my parents house I have to use it to get in and out because I have to park in the yard and no matter how quick we get the drive shoveled it still ices over, but everyone there has 4x4/AWD now, so we just don't bother. Gotta have it to get into the yard or else my front wheels get in a few feet and then the rear grab ice and polish it down, sit there and spin without a little help from the front.
 

strvger

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only problem with chains, and studded tires as well, is that they are not legal everywhere. even with the winters we get here in northern minnesota, both chains and studded tires are illegal. but they sure do lay down the salt so your vehicle rots right out from underneath you!
 

my77cobra2

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At least the ranger made it the whole way. Could have been worse and become undriveable at the first accidet. Look at it as a learning expierence. Chock it up to lack of and learn to carry on! Glad you are in good health though, that is THE most important thing.
thats funny b/c CHRISTMAS DAY round 8PM my drive-shaft fell outta the truck....the universal joint was bad...[i hadnt the slightest clue....] and it snapped the mount that holds the universal to the yoke of the rearend.....:bawling: FORD HAS DISCONTINUED THAT PARTICULAR PART!!!!!!:pissedoff:
 

my77cobra2

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did you learn to drive in NY or in NC , because trust me , i drive around in snow storms all the time up here and never have a single problem , my truck may be 4x4 , but i hardly , if ever , use it , it is there for convience and fun only
i learned to drive in NY......and i did put 300lbs. of WET SNOW in the bed...only mad things worse.....
 

my77cobra2

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Deeper gears will help with the low end.... or you could stick a 4x4 trans and t-case in the truck so you have low range. It'll still be 2wd, but it'll give you some really low gears.

A locker is better than a limited slip... but you have to take it easy until you get used to it, because it will handle different.

Weight in the bed is a must for winter driving up this way. I used to run about 150-200 lbs in my Ranger when I ran mud tires on the back and around 250 or so when I had some aggressive AT treads.

Tire selection can be more important than weight for snow. Mud tires work best in deeper snow and less weight. I had someone tell me that when I got my Ranger stuck in the snow in the yard of the place I rented off at college years ago. I thought they were joking until I shoveled a couple scoops in front of the tires and yanked most of the weight out of the bed, truck came right out. But mud tires can suck if you get onto hardpacked snow and don't have a lot of weight. I found a mean looking AT tire performs a lot better for most winter driving (I ran Sport King AT treads on the Ranger, currently I'm looking at some Mastercraft Courser CT or Cooper Discovery ST treads for my F-150, that's what I'm talking about with an aggressive AT pattern).

And I carry a set of chains in the back of my truck all winter long. Better to have them an not need them than the other way around. A set of chains on a 2wd truck in bad conditions is better than a 4x4 without. The college I went to got a lot of hardpack snow an ice all over the roads, I ran chains most of the winter up there and it made my Ranger (which at the time was an open rear diff) practically like driving a tank. I could (and did a couple times) go through snow deep enough to come up to the top of the hood. A cheap investment for that sort of traction, they help you go and they help you stop on hardpack and ice and will keep you digging in deep snow.
actually i ried to put chains on my thruck.....i went to walmart [best store on earth] and bought a pretty decent size chain and wrapped it rond both rear wheels......i hadnt even gotten half way out the parking lot and they snapped......and if i had the money to get tires i would get the 1 mitsubishi rim fixed and get 4 cooper cobra tires to fit the set.......
 

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