Ideas for better driving in the rain

[1237jjm]

It's a problem that's been bothering me for a while now, but after having my truck turn into a short-lived tilt-a-whirl ride on my home, i want to see if there's anything i can do to my truck to increase traction in the rain. Its a 94 2.3 5spd rwd. After ruling out making it a 4wd, i was looking at different differentials. would that help? i'm not sure how much difference tires make, but they're uniroyal liberator a/t's.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Thed]

Slow the **** down and pray that you don't go sliding when you panic stop. Also, a LSD or TORSEN diff will do wonders in the rain.

And I love my Liberators

 

[1237jjm]

Oh, I definitely go slow in the rain, I piss plenty of people off but I look at it as I'm helping them out by making them go slow too. It's just those turns and uphill bits where I can really feel the back end just lose all hopes of traction. I'll look into those diffs, thanks for the suggestion

 

[hende]

couple sand bags

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I vote for better tires, Liberators are a Wal-Mart tire. If you want to take off harder without slippage start off in second gear, I do it all the time in the winter.

 

[Sunk]

Tires can make a world of difference, and so can a locker or limited slip.

 

[colby450xc]

I honestly let the clutch out slower on wet roads just for the fact that I know my truck has no real traction, I have a set of year old BFgoodrich ATs on all four corners, but when it comes down to traction,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,wieght makes a difference.I have a 5 speed and so do you, let the clutch out slower and control the wheel spin. I have next to no cushion left on an aftermarket HD clutch and manage to look normal on wet roads, with a stock duty clutch you can make it useable.

 

[Observer]

couple sand bags

Yep. I need to do this lol.. back end spins out in the rain.

 

[wr250rdr]

When it rains out here I put about 150 to 200 pounds over the rear axle with weight lifting weights. It does the trick nicely. Kills gas mileage a bit, but it's worth it for the safety. But I agree with the general consensus that a ls diff and tires will make a world of difference with our trucks.

 

[bobbywalter]

dont drive.


but uhh. weight and an open diff in the wet will be the most stable.

most limited slips are unpredictable but easy enough to deal with if your driving sensibly.

 

[adsm08]

4x4 would do nothing for you in the rain because you aren't supposed to use it on hard pavement if the surface is dry, or just wet from rain.

Tries that don't suck will make a world of difference. So will driving skills that don't suck. When I was younger and just starting to drive my tires and my driving sucked, and there was this one corner that I would always spin out in. Then I got better tires and learned how to not do that.

Then I started driving that Olds that was a little light in the rear if the tank wasn't full and did it on the highway when some asshat cut me off. The car dogtracked something awful and the rear brakes would lock up before the fronts when you were low on fuel. One day that happened on a wet road and the car just turned itself ever so neatly in a circle.

 

[1237jjm]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. My mom definitely appreciates it, there's not much scarier than a mom worrying about her 16 year old kid. Also, is there any brand of differential or tires that stand out above the rest?
And I have some bags of cement I'll toss in the back to make it through today.

 

[AngryLepercon]

Personally I have Hancooks on all my cars. Dynapro M/T on my ranger lasted 65k miles. Great in rain, snow and mud.

I now run dynapro M/T on my 250 and switched to the dynapro A/T for the ranger.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Learn how to drive!!! Go take a course in rally racing or road racing. Costs up here are about $500.00 and you'll learn how to control your vehicle. The money is cheap compared to a lifetime of driving. Or you could spend $500 on new tires and still be a shitty driver.
Edit; I can't recommend the regular driving schools because I've never taken their courses, I suspect they are more geared to rules of the road rather than control of vehicle. Nothing wrong with learning the rules of the road but you can do that from a DMV [department of motor vehicles] booklet for free.
Good luck,

Richard

 

[backwoods]

Open diff or ls (no lockers) all season tires (no reason for a/ts if you aren't going over All Terrain) weight and a good feel for the clutch is the perfect recipe for success in rain/ice.

Also, make sure your brakes are in good shape. On my 94, I had to put in a new brake balance adjuster and balance the brakes. (abs was shot)

Sent from my ThunderBolt...