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lil_Blue_Ford
Cut & Weld
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- Joined
- Aug 6, 2007
- Messages
- 10,662
- City
- Butler
- State - Country
- PA - USA
- Vehicle Year
- 2000
- Vehicle
- Ford Ranger
- Engine
- 5.0
- Transmission
- Automatic
- Total Drop
- 4”
Personally I prefer to run an aggressive patterned all-terrain tire rather than a full snow tire. Maybe some day when I have more money I'll rethink that, but for now I'm content with my choice. Most of the time when it's too bad out for the all-terrains, I really don't want to be out there anyway.
I drove a 2wd Ranger for quite a few years in the winter and experimented a little. The stock all-season tires were absolute junk. I tried running a set of aggressive all-terrains in the front and muds in the rear for winter and had mixed success. In deep fresh snow it worked great. On anything else it sucked for traction in the back (but I noticed that the front tires did everything I asked of them). So I started running AT tires year round. I pick something on the knobby side with factory siping - I look for something that I can jam my fingers in between the tread and touch bottom.
When I finally did start running a 4x4 in winter, I was impressed with what it could do. I'd run around with the hubs locked in most of the time and the truck in 2wd (all of my trucks have manual front hubs). If I started to spin too much, I'd just give the magic lever on the floor a lil tug and away I go. Soon as it looks like I'm not going to need it any more, it goes back into 2wd. With good tires and a couple hundred lbs in the bed, I've found that at least around here I don't need to use 4x4 all that much and it's usually just something like trying to get started out on a hill from a stop.
I also carry a set of chains for when it gets really bad. And yes, I have used them before, not very often with a 4x4 though. But you have to keep your head about you, a 4x4 does not grant invincibility. I passed a lot of 4x4s stuck in ditches with my 2wd Ranger.
And when it's really bad and I need to go somewhere, there is always my choptop. I found that it'll go pretty much anywhere I point it in the winter, but it has some curious handling characteristics seeing how it's locked front and rear on some 33" bias ply tires.
As far as weight, use something like sand or salt. Never use solid things like logs, rocks, brick, block, etc. If you end up in an accident, those can become dangerous projectiles and they very well could end up in the cab with you. Matter of fact, I don't really care to have anything over about 5 lbs in the bed of my truck without something to secure it. I hate going around a bend or something and hear something moving in the bed that shouldn't be - shifting loads can cause accidents.
I drove a 2wd Ranger for quite a few years in the winter and experimented a little. The stock all-season tires were absolute junk. I tried running a set of aggressive all-terrains in the front and muds in the rear for winter and had mixed success. In deep fresh snow it worked great. On anything else it sucked for traction in the back (but I noticed that the front tires did everything I asked of them). So I started running AT tires year round. I pick something on the knobby side with factory siping - I look for something that I can jam my fingers in between the tread and touch bottom.
When I finally did start running a 4x4 in winter, I was impressed with what it could do. I'd run around with the hubs locked in most of the time and the truck in 2wd (all of my trucks have manual front hubs). If I started to spin too much, I'd just give the magic lever on the floor a lil tug and away I go. Soon as it looks like I'm not going to need it any more, it goes back into 2wd. With good tires and a couple hundred lbs in the bed, I've found that at least around here I don't need to use 4x4 all that much and it's usually just something like trying to get started out on a hill from a stop.
I also carry a set of chains for when it gets really bad. And yes, I have used them before, not very often with a 4x4 though. But you have to keep your head about you, a 4x4 does not grant invincibility. I passed a lot of 4x4s stuck in ditches with my 2wd Ranger.
And when it's really bad and I need to go somewhere, there is always my choptop. I found that it'll go pretty much anywhere I point it in the winter, but it has some curious handling characteristics seeing how it's locked front and rear on some 33" bias ply tires.
As far as weight, use something like sand or salt. Never use solid things like logs, rocks, brick, block, etc. If you end up in an accident, those can become dangerous projectiles and they very well could end up in the cab with you. Matter of fact, I don't really care to have anything over about 5 lbs in the bed of my truck without something to secure it. I hate going around a bend or something and hear something moving in the bed that shouldn't be - shifting loads can cause accidents.
