help deciding what to do

[Hasbell94]

ok ill start with what has happened with my ranger over the last two years. i bought the vehicle in october of 2013. pre owned 1995 2wd 2.3 auto, reg cab short bed ford ranger. when i bought it the transmission failed and caused me to work on it. well because of financial issues the transmission i replaced it with was preowned and lasted until august of 2014. at this point i found another transmission that was rebuilt not long ago with like no miles, but it was 4x4. so instead of continuing to search i used this transmission along with a borg warner 1350 manual transfer out of a bronco ii to get me back on the road. i now have 1.5 inch coil spring spacers and 2.5 in leaf spring blocks in the rear with a set of 265/75/r16 michelin ltx a/t tires i picked up from a friends explorer after he went to 33's. i love this truck and with only having a 4 cylinder it has kept me out of alot of trouble. but, i only use it for daily driving and in the winter, here in oklahoma, i end up in the ditch about every night. i love my truck and want to keep it but i need options for winter traveling.

should i do a 4wd conversion the rest of the way or could i manage better in 2wd? most of the people i know with 4wd never use it so im asking how to make my turck more winter capable/

 

[Mark_88]

Well, I've almost always driven 2wd vehicles and rarely have a problem with winter driving...and here are my secrets to success...

Snow in the bed...plenty of it...unless the roads are dry...then I shovel the snow out...but you can use anything for weight as long as it's secured properly...there are many posts on this...

Good treads on my tires...front and rear...and proper air pressure at all times...your tire size is fine but you might want to get Mud & Snow (M&S) instead of A/T as the tread type and rubber type is important for snow traction.

Drive slow and leave yourself plenty of room...sounds like you do that if you just end up in the ditch...but may need to slow down...if it takes you 20 minutes to drive home and you want to get there faster...just think of the time you spend getting pulled out of the ditch...not to mention cost...slow down...plan on 30 minutes or longer in messy weather.

And...if you feel the roads are not properly maintained...sue the city or township...or at least, give them a call and complain about the problem...attend council meetings...be more active in your community...maybe run for Mayor...then congress...then become Mr President and salt the crap out of the roads in your area so nothing grows on the side of the road for a thousand years...

Sorry... got on a tangent~

 

[97RangerXLT]

^^What he said on weight/ good tires and taking it easy.

If you do go the full route and end up on the presidential ballot, I will vote for you

AJ

 

[6.2]

Learning how to drive would be a start.... If you're legit ending up in the ditch every night of say that's the problem....

4x4 doesn't help you much, just accelerating faster.... Which I think in your case would be a bad thing.

 

[97RangerXLT]

another thing on 4x4... it will *not* keep you out of the ditch. the only thing 4x4 will benefit you on is that in some cases you can drive back out of the ditch instead of waiting for the tow truck.

AJ

 

[don4331]

Calmly walk out, remove the 265/75R16s and bolt the OEM 195/70R14s back under; removal of the coil spacers/blocks is optional. Your eyes can get misty while doing it; but don't let anyone see you cry.

Then come spring, you can have the fun of bolting the big rubber back under.

I speak from experience - I removed (and sold) the 235/75R15s from under my '98 s/c 4x4 and replaced them with 31x10.5R15 from another Ranger I was wrecking. Now, I drive my 4x2 Ranger because with narrow winter tires, it gets around better in the snow.

I'm saving up coin for some narrower tires for next winter for the 4x4...

 

[saskbill]

So, just curious, do you get much use outa the hi/lo capability of your transfer case.

The older rangers I've driven (5 speeds, stock 2WD) all seemed to be geared pretty high (I mean to say they had no creep gear/stump puller capability). I always kinda though it would be neat to have lo range capability, just never had the gumption/faith/$ to do a 4WD trans/transfer case transplant w/o having some info it would be worth the added weight and $

Guess the auto trans would take the edge off some of the low-end angst, just wondering, since you've done this, what your experience to date has been.

PS: inherited a friend's '87 2WD supercab with dual fuel tank setup and A4LD trans and a cap on the back. While it was active (A4LD miled out and blew front seal; presently slowly getting around to swapping in a used rebuilt A4LD and less-tired 2.9 from my 88) - That thing was a BEAST in the snow - looking forward to resurrecting it.

 

[6.2]

Calmly walk out, remove the 265/75R16s and bolt the OEM 195/70R14s back under; removal of the coil spacers/blocks is optional. Your eyes can get misty while doing it; but don't let anyone see you cry.

Then come spring, you can have the fun of bolting the big rubber back under.

I speak from experience - I removed (and sold) the 235/75R15s from under my '98 s/c 4x4 and replaced them with 31x10.5R15 from another Ranger I was wrecking. Now, I drive my 4x2 Ranger because with narrow winter tires, it gets around better in the snow.

I'm saving up coin for some narrower tires for next winter for the 4x4...

Or.... Learn how to drive.

No issues here with 12.50 wide tires, in 2wd, and no weight in the bed. Even on straight ice. But hey, what do I know. I'm just a Canadian that deals with winter half the year.

Equipment used is not the end all factor for getting around safely. Its driver skill.

You could put a shitty driver in a formula 1 car and he will still lose against a perfect driver in a cheap econobox.

 

[adsm08]

Agreed. I have 4x4 in all my vehicles. I use it to get up the driveway because it is a packed sheet of ice and snow.

Aside from that, it really doesn't get used. It is 100% about driver skill. I used to make fun of my wife because she said she couldn't get anywhere in the snow in her 2wd S-10, but as long as I didn't plow it up over the bumper I could get almost anywhere in my 78 Nova. I am a much better driver than she is in bad conditions.

 

[Hasbell94]

Thx

Thx guys I don't have the factory wheels anymore but will keep a look out for some. 4wd may happen but that's just cause I have the stuff I need to install it. I just have a crappy job from the county.

 

[6.2]

Agreed. I have 4x4 in all my vehicles. I use it to get up the driveway because it is a packed sheet of ice and snow.

Aside from that, it really doesn't get used. It is 100% about driver skill. I used to make fun of my wife because she said she couldn't get anywhere in the snow in her 2wd S-10, but as long as I didn't plow it up over the bumper I could get almost anywhere in my 78 Nova. I am a much better driver than she is in bad conditions.

Yeah, it's great for the icy inclines, or the adventures down unplowed backroads haha.

Some people just don't have the capabilities of driving in less than ideal conditions. And there's nothing wrong with that. Its a skill, some are better than others. Like any skill. The people who suck just need to learn to not do it lol.

There's a reason I'm not playing in the NFL.... Cause I suck at football lol.