How does a 2WD Ranger handle in snow?

[totustuus]

I really want to buy a ranger to use for commuting to work and light hauling. Where I live, we get a lot of snow (200 inches some winters). I know a 4WD ranger would be ideal, but there's quite a penalty for the 4wd in fuel economy.

Do any of you guys drive a 2WD in heavy snow? With good snows and some extra weight, can they be made to get around pretty well in the white stuff?


Thanks for any input here.


Jerry

 

[02RangerXLT]

I would assume it handles like any other rear wheel drive in snow, pretty crappy. But if you have weight in the bed and you know how to drive it, you should do fine...

I've driven my pickup in 2wd in the snow just to see how bad it is, and I personally wouldn't drive anything but a 4wd in the snow, just too much sliding around for me.

 

[hoosier1104]

We got a couple descent snow falls last winter. Had around 15 landscaping stones that weight in at 15 lbs a piece for a grand total of 225 lbs over the rear axle and I did fine.

 

[koda6966]

Crappy. Weight in the bed and studded tires will get you a long ways though. It's your best bet if 4x4 isn't an option. I'm from NY too, and I know how bad the snow sucks here.

 

[Tedybear]

With the BII with just RWD? I got stuck in our parking lot just once LOL!! It was my own fault for letting the truck roll forward and getting the front wheel wedged into an ice pothole one of the neighbors made while pulling out.

Good tires and a few sand bags/weight should pay off. But nothing replaces or can sub for being with a lot of experience in winter/snow driving. I've seen people on ice/snow covered roads do extremely well----because they know what they are doing. I've seen IDIOTS even with 4WD end up in ditches and roll overs due to being just to cocky. Some feel the "4WD" or "AWD" is a free pass to do 65mph on a snow covered highway. That's not smart---and I'll be the one calling it into the NYS police "Yep, some idiot took a corner at 65 when he/she should have been doing 40".

That's just my opinion, your mileage may vary

S-

 

[-Nathan-]

a BII in 2wd is MUCH better in the snow than a Ranger in 2wd...its all about weight distribution.

Long story short, a 2wd truck sucks monkey balls in the snow, especially if its got an open diff.

I think youd be better off in a little front wheel drive car with good snow tires than a stock ranger in 2wd.

 

[Hopman]

I ran my 4x4 Ranger in snow much of the last two winters here in NH. No weight in the bed, but I did get a set of Firestone Destination A/T's for it. It worked fine for me.

 

[darkspork]

2wd Rangers fair a lot better than 2wd S-10s in the snow (about the same as a Dakota though). You'll probably be fine if you make sure there is enough weight in the bed. A friend of mine has a 2wd Mazda B3000 (a 3.0 V6 Ranger essentially) and with sandbags in the bed it's fine in the snow, he's never had problems. The 4x4 get you around the crappiest winter days when you shouldn't be driving anyways. There is little penalty for having 4x4, the big penalty comes from actually using the 4x4, and the gearing used with the 4x4. That being said, everybody I know with the 4.0 SOHC V6 Ranger or Sport Trac gets similar mileage to me, 4wd or not. There are lots and lots of factors though. If a 2wd Ranger is your thing I'd be allover the 4cyl one with a manual tranny. They can be bought cheap, especially in places it snows, they don't have as much torque so it should be a little easier not to spin the wheels in snow/ice and the engines are smaller so there is less weight in the front (I'm sure it's a negligible difference).

If gas mileage is a concern to you a pickup might not be the best option. When you say hauling do you mean towing or just moving large objects? It's a amazing how much you can fit in a wagon if the seats fold flat and some of them get good gas mileage, plus the option of FWD or AWD if that's your preference.

Just my opinion.

 

[master hec0]

2 winters ago i ended up in the ditch with 2wd ranger. i avoid using it in the winter now because it just spins tires. if your going to use it go with studded tires and alot of weight. i had filled the whole bed with compacted snow but still got no traction. on the other hand my rwd car was far superior and it also had all season tires. for that reason alone i will never buy 2wd ranger they suck in snow.

 

[cody93]

stick a few fat chicks in the back and ur good to go.

 

[Andres629]

I ran a 2WD Ranger all last winter and I was snow removal on a ski hill...

 

[Doofy]

Learn to drive according to the road conditions. Avoid spastic maneuvers and watch out for the other people on the road. A couple hundred pounds over the rear axle (tube sand) no cement blocks or anything that will fly forward and kill you if you have an accident. Good tires are a must! Enjoy the snow...it can be fun.

 

[strvger]

you should be fine in all but the most severe snowfalls IF...

1. put a good locker in the rear axle (Detroit gets my vote)
2. put at least a couple of hundred pounds in the bed between the rear axle and the
front. i use bags of floor dry and driveway salt. the floor dry works very well and
the leftover can be used on your garage in the summer. salt will melt ice under
your wheels if you get down to the glare stuff.
3. if it's a manual, downshift and use the engine braking to slow yourself to stops.
4. always brake before entering corners. NEVER brake while (or in the middle of) turning a corner on slick roads,
you're inviting disaster
5. get really good traction tires that have lots of siping. if you find tires you really like
and there isn't enough siping, most tires stores can do that for you pretty cheaply.
6. MOST IMPORTANTLY: DRIVE LIKE YOU WANT TO LIVE TILL YOU'RE 100 YEARS OLD!

just my $.02.

 

[Andres629]

I fully agree with everything strvger said, minus the locker. A locker can get a little hairy in slippery conditions if you're inexperienced...

 

[Nhaz]

I found that the addition of a limited slip in my ranger last year made for a massive difference in traction and control so much so that I didn't need to use the 4x4 very often.

The improvement was so dramatic that I removed the 300 pounds of stone I had stacked against the back of the bed. and saved myself the gas.