2wd in Snow

[chittybangbang]

I'll give you my experience.

If it has bald tires and an open differential, it'll get stuck on a flat road with 2" of snow on it.

If it has good all season tires with good tread and a good tight limited slip differential, it'll drive through 6" of snow up hill no problem.

So in my experience, tires and differential make a huge difference.

Ditto
4 snow tires and a shit load of weight over the rear axle.Otherwise you'll be pondering your navel stuck in a ditch waiting for AAA.

 

[Plum Ranger XLT]

I put two 80 pound salt bags in the bed of mine and I usually have no problems and when winter is over, I give the salt bags to my parents to use in there water softner.

 

[Jason]

Im impressed you made it through that with your 2wd, thats a shitload of snow.

It's a snowbank on the edge of the road. It isn't actually headlamp deep where the truck is.

 

[Mark_88]

I don't usually put more than 100# in the back of it...the more weight you toss in it the worse the gas mileage will be...but if you let it fill up with that heavy wet snow it might be the right amount of weight...I used a tonneau cover to prevent getting too much weight...but, then again...I was driving about 200 km a day every week so it adds up quicker that way...

 

[aogden001]

I built a rack of sorts that fits around the wheel wells/inner fenders. Usually run 160-180# of sand tied in w/ bungee cords. This still gives me enough room for the tool boxes between that & the tailgate. My soft tonneau is hinged 2/3 of the way so the front of the bed is dead space any way. I always run snow tires,in the winter, w/o studs, in the back only. Never had a problem running them in the back only. The last couple of years have been kinda light as far as snow fall goes but I very rarley have problems on my 54 mile round trip commute.

 

[mercury89]

I built a rack of sorts that fits around the wheel wells/inner fenders. Usually run 160-180# of sand tied in w/ bungee cords. This still gives me enough room for the tool boxes between that & the tailgate. My soft tonneau is hinged 2/3 of the way so the front of the bed is dead space any way. I always run snow tires,in the winter, w/o studs, in the back only. Never had a problem running them in the back only. The last couple of years have been kinda light as far as snow fall goes but I very rarley have problems on my 54 mile round trip commute.

The rack is similar to what I plan on building, where do you live?

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Im impressed you made it through that with your 2wd, thats a shitload of snow.

Good tires, some finesse, and a rather heavy right boot did wonders.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

It's a snowbank on the edge of the road. It isn't actually headlamp deep where the truck is.

Two different pics from two different times. Second pic (where the snow doesn't quite make it up to the bottom of the bumper trim) was actually the first pic, that was taken when I first came back up to college for the start of the spring semester (when I left there in Dec, there was barely more than a dusting on the ground).

The first pic was taken about a month after the second. Most of that snow actually fell instead of being piled up, the township used a snowblower thing on the sidewalk and blew it all in the yards instead of the lil strip by the street. Oh, yea, lil side note, there is a keg of beer buried in that snow next to the truck.

 

[AllanD]

Its far easier and just as good to put your ballast up against the
headgate (front bulkhead) of the bed

Yes, people point out that the weight being DIRECTLY over the
driving wheels is "ideal" but the difference between "ideal"
and acceptable is trivial.

As for the recommendation against cinder blocks? Good idea
to warn you against it, but the fact is that ANY "ballast"
(even bags of sand) will if wetted freeze into a dangerously
solid lump.

Ponder for just a moment the likeliest direction for it to go...

Forward, right? presuming YOU hit something (or someone)
IF the weight is already against the headgate it literally has
nowhere to go!

Even "tied down" in some sort of wooden frame right by the wheelwells it can still break loose under the severe loads of a collision (even a minor collision can generate 30G's (or more) and your screwed together lumber might was well be damp tissue under that loading)

a Limited slip will PROBABLY help, but understand something that all the guys that advocate lockers and WELDED diffs conveniently forget... that very often if one wheel is spinning there is rather significant chance that the only difference even a spool will make in winter conditions is BOTH wheels spinning as pointlessl as one would.

It does help in that there are times when one wheel simply can't
push the vehicle.

Just remember that with assymetrical thrust (one wheel without traction and the other actually pushing the vehicle) you might move but you probably won't move in a way you expect...

Generally you can identify the 2wd pickup trucks with traction
aiding differentials in a winter storm because they tend to crab
towards their objective.

Climbing the hill to my house I oiften wished for a wiper on my side windows because the windshield didn't face the direction I was going.

And I could maintain that situation all the way up my hill...

A/T tires? In my experience many A/T tires are worthless in the snow.

I know my BFGs spend the winter in my shed.

Yeah they have biting teeth to claw through the snow but the compound is often too hard to grip whatever is under the snow, mostly because whatever is down there is invariably coated with a thin layer of ice

Studs? Ok on glare ice (aka "Black Ice") but for REAL winter conditions those tiny studs don't have a prayer of reaching through more than a talcum powder thick layer of snow, So
if you don't have REAL purpose made snow tires (IMO "all season" tires suck equally in all seasons) what you REALLY want are CHAINS

a 2wd with CHAINS on the rear axle will do almost anything a 4x4 can do, plus one other thing, unlike a 4x4 a truck with chains can usually stop a lot better.

Please understand 4x4 means you'll go, 4x4 doesn't do anything to make it easier to STOP.

any wheight you add makes it harder to stop.

a 2wd with a traction aiding differential and chains? Better yet.

a 4x4 with chains will go places only a helicopter can follow.

One of the reasons I only run 235's on my Gen1 even with all the
stuff I've done to it, is because 235's still have clearance that allows
me to run chains.

For thge upcomming winer I will have limited slip axles at BOTH ends of the truck
and Chains on my tires when necissary.

Note, Lockers are a "bit much" in slippery conditions.

Bar reinforced chains on the back, plain chains on the front.
and "doubled up" on tensioners at both ends.

My "Ballast"? I have a 40gallon fuel tank against the
headgate (Yes, inside the bed) of my truck and the
240lbs of fuel inside the 70# tank seems to work
just fine.... and it's easy enough to get rid of...
Just transfer it to the main tank and burn it.



AD

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Chains are great, but check the local regs... I know they are illegal in some cities to run on the streets.

I use my 4x4 only when 4x2 fails, so I keep a handle on what the conditions are. If I can't get going in 2wd, or need to turn on questionable surface I slip it in, otherwise I try to keep it in 2wd so I don't get overconfidant... it is really easy to do.

I run A/T's on my F-150, they do great... keep in mind nothing but steel will be very good on ice/packed snow, and since chains (and I think studs) are illegal in Omaha, that is about all I have to work with.

My M/T's on my Ranger are very goofy on packed snow or ice, but will dig thru the fluffy stuff without blinking. It has been retired from snow duty to protect it from salt anyway so it isn't a huge deal for me. If I drove this thing everyday in snow conditions these tires would be sitting in the shed while some A/T's took over.

 

[Hahnsb2]

I dunno AD, I found running around a lot in 2wd locked rear wasn't too bad, of course you'll get sideways easier if you arent paying attention but if you're in a sitation where you're spinning both rear you'd have been spinning 1 tire with an open diff long before and wouldn't be going anywhere.. I agree the MT tires suck on the hardpack, but do well in the fluff, all my friends with heavily siped ATs do really well in the hardpack stuff. Chains are really the hands down best there is however.

 

[Mark_88]

Studs and chains are essentially illegal on roads in southern Ontario...we used to have them...until they figured the roads were getting chewed up too much...or because people would loose them on the highway where they would enter someone's car illegally through the windshield...

I agree with AD about putting the weight at the front of the truck...there's only about a foot to go before the wheel wells anyways, and keeping the gas tank topped up is something I do...especially when the weather is bad...

I think the bottom line is if you know how to drive with rear wheel 2wd vehicles you're much farther ahead...it doesn't hurt to have 4wd but I think it is vastly over-rated for what most people use vehicles for...

My 2¢ worth...

 

[Crunchy]

Studs and chains are essentially illegal on roads in southern Ontario

My opinion on this matter is if it is bad enough to warrent chains, screw the law, I'm chaining up - my safety comes before the law.

For example, a time when we wake up and there is 2 feet of snow and the plow hasn't gone by yet. I will put my personal safety first and challenege the ticket if I get it. Obviously I would only go out if I absolutely, positively had to. And had no other choice. And chains are not just for getting from point A to B ---- but to avoid the car out there with bald tires and can't stop or steer to avoid hitting me from behind.

I would not use them to go to the grocery store, I am talking extreme situations. Plus, how many cops out there will be chasing me down in those conditions?

I am happy my province made winter tires madatory - they make a difference. Thats why I bought BFG's, they are rated for severe snow conditions.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

My opinion on this matter is if it is bad enough to warrent chains, screw the law, I'm chaining up - my safety comes before the law.

For example, a time when we wake up and there is 2 feet of snow and the plow hasn't gone by yet. I will put my personal safety first and challenege the ticket if I get it. Obviously I would only go out if I absolutely, positively had to. And had no other choice. And chains are not just for getting from point A to B ---- but to avoid the car out there with bald tires and can't stop or steer to avoid hitting me from behind.

I would not use them to go to the grocery store, I am talking extreme situations. Plus, how many cops out there will be chasing me down in those conditions?

I am happy my province made winter tires madatory - they make a difference. Thats why I bought BFG's, they are rated for severe snow conditions.

You will need more than chains to get a 2wd Ranger thru snow 2' deep, it is going to get snow packed under it and pick itself off of the ground. Even a 4x4 wouldn't fare much better. If another car has bald tires don't worry about it because they are stuck wherever they were parked anyway.

 

[Dar70]

Everyone I know personally that has a 2wd Ranger has fared well in Michigan winters. I asked each of them before I purchased mine how it was. They all said as long as you drive careful its ok. One guy who is quite large, doesnt use sandbags or snow tires. He said he has fun sliding around.