Oh Damn....

[Twizzler09]

Ok.... anyone have some good ideas on how to force a 5spd 2wd Open Diff to behave in this crazy Illinois snow/ice?

Wasn't a problem for me to drive around in snow and ice back in Kansas City... but this stuff is something else! Just went outside to start up the Ranger and let it warm up (its idling as I type this up)..... when I discovered a nice layer of ice beneath all that snow we got yesterday. Oh Joy

Last year I had 480lbs of sand in the bed and it was still having problems getting moving at intersections..... just barely hit the gas and the tires break loose. Got Bridgestone Dueler A/T's on all four now.... think that'll help it any?

Oh, and I'm not a noob at driving in snow/ice.... done it plenty over the last few years. Just looking for some helpful hints

 

[pillen140]

get snow tires! no muds, no a/t's... snows. maybe studded if its legal in your area. and yes, weight is good.

 

[LearjetMinako]

Snow tires will help. So as studded tires. Not much can be really done to help. Add weight to the bed. Deflate the tires as nessecary for more foot print. Be gentle on the pedals. Keep speed in check and not over do it, even if other people are going faster than you.

A/T's are not the same as snow tires. M/S tires work as a medium between A/T's and snow tires.

 

[baddis]

that is a big no to the studded tires. they are illeagl here.best bet for you is add weight in the front of the bed. not the middle but the front. that way the weight is centered in the truck. next step is get a locker. and snow tires are a must on a 2wd.

 

[svtranger04]

Try taking off in 2nd gear, and 480lbs is a bit excessive.
Ive got a 96 ext cab 3.0 5speed 3.45s open diff, with less than new tires , 120lbs in the bed, and i have managed to do pretty good in the snow this year!
last year........ice and 2wd rangers dont mix well with trees!

But a little light foot on the skinny pedal will do you better than all that weight. learn to slip the clutch.

If all else fails(last resort....usually if stuck) and ONLY if your parking break is in working condition and your drums are adjusted right! Push the parking break pedal down 2 or 3 clicks.....this will cause enough drag on the free spinning tire to transfer SOME of the power to the other tire.

 

[86ford]

chains legal? IMO if the roads are bad enough you need chains, **** it. use them. if you have some place you need to be bad enough you are willing to risk getting caught running chains then the chance of ticket is a small price to pay in the scheme of things. i look at chains as a ace in the hole that is only to be used when all other options have been tried. i am NOT telling you to go against the law but some times getting were you NEED to be is more important than a few hundred dollar ticket. snow tires do wonders too but not not having studs in them is like wheeling with open diffs, it just wont cut it most of the time.

86

 

[Simple_serf]

chains legal? IMO if the roads are bad enough you need chains, **** it. use them. if you have some place you need to be bad enough you are willing to risk getting caught running chains then the chance of ticket is a small price to pay in the scheme of things. i look at chains as a ace in the hole that is only to be used when all other options have been tried. i am NOT telling you to go against the law but some times getting were you NEED to be is more important than a few hundred dollar ticket. snow tires do wonders too but not not having studs in them is like wheeling with open diffs, it just wont cut it most of the time.

86

I agree, But as to the studs, it depends on the snow. Around here, we get wet, heavy greasy snow or powder. Studs don't help. They are great on ice though. I personally don't like having them on all the time, so I just use good snows and chains when needed.

I have an open diff and have taken my truck out in snow that stops average people in their 4wd. Just like anything else, it's about skill. I learned how to drive in the winter with a 2wd pickup, and I have always owned 2wd trucks. Put good snow tires on with some weight in the back and go out and play. that's how I learned.

 

[86ford]

I agree, But as to the studs, it depends on the snow. Around here, we get wet, heavy greasy snow or powder. Studs don't help. They are great on ice though. I personally don't like having them on all the time, so I just use good snows and chains when needed.

I have an open diff and have taken my truck out in snow that stops average people in their 4wd. Just like anything else, it's about skill. I learned how to drive in the winter with a 2wd pickup, and I have always owned 2wd trucks. Put good snow tires on with some weight in the back and go out and play. that's how I learned.

just for the hell of it i just priced out some 235 75 15 firestone winterforce snow tires, about 65 bucks a piece on tire rack. i mite even put a set on some spare rims for the b2. i wonder how 456 gears 235 snow tires and a mini spool out back will get along on the road.... that will be interesting. i had to put in 4wd just to get into my drive, (mind you my rear has a mini spool as stated before) i actually was STUCK in 2wd because my 33 inch TSLs suck donkey balls in ice!(this is a 3 inch rounded curb going into a FLAT driveway that i got stuck on) but my cavalier can come to a dead stop in the same area and not have a problem. just goes to show tires make a world of difference.

86

 

[baddis]

chains are leagl until the roads are clear.

 

[86ford]

chains are leagl until the roads are clear.

i think he found his solution then! get some chains and run them of you need them.

86

 

[wahlstrom1]

I find having a l/s or locked rear end with weight to be the best solution, even with a crappy set of tires. I also found that after loosing traction in first with as little wheel spin as possible that the next best thing is to grab gears as quick as possible and burn through the ice in an attempt to get through said intersection...

-andrew

 

[truckmanson]

my 97 had bfg at's and about 700lbs in the back, never slipped or got stuck, it was a 5 speed with a 2.3.

 

[Twizzler09]

Try taking off in 2nd gear, and 480lbs is a bit excessive.

learn to slip the clutch.

Usually try 1st gear to start, more often than not it works, sometimes have to grab 2nd real quick to make them tires quite spinning. Slipping the clutch is something I do alot in snow, and it doesnt seem to help much. Just a sliver of skinny pedal with the clutch just barely grabbing, and those rears start spinning sometimes. The times I know its gonna be a rough time starting, I'll use 2nd from the get-go.

Actually 480lbs is alot less than I was told to use.... bought my Ranger from my step-dad. He told me he always put 600lbs of concrete bags in the back

Snow wouldn't be a problem except for that fact that I live in a trailer park now (its the rolling ghetto, yo ), and they dont really plow out here.

Thinking snow tires on the rears would be my best bet?

 

[Ozwynn]

when you let the clutch out and the wheels start spinning ....... keep tapping the brake pedal (with your left foot). A bobtail tractor in the snow is worse that a 2wd open diff pick up. thats how he get them going, tap the brake pedal when the wheels start spinning.

 

[Twizzler09]

The wheels usually start spinning well before I've got the clutch all the way out, so I just push the clutch back in a ways and back off the skinny until the wheels grab again....rinse and repeat till through intersection, lol

If I could control the brake and clutch at the same time by turning my left foot sideways, I would =p