How much weight are you putting in bed for snow

From your edit :

"While adding some weight does work, a better approach would be to improve the coefficient of friction for the tires. This way you get better traction without the extra weight. Bottom line, invest in the best snow tires you can get and lighten the load. Provided you can afford it. Otherwise throw a bag of salt in the trunk and when you get stuck you can throw it under the wheels to try and increase the friction. "

So in short , unless you are buying 2 sets of tires add some weight , glad we agree

 

I don't put any weight but it certainly helps. I'd like to have a cap soon and that extra +/- 200lbs would be nice. The moving traction is fine, I don't drive in 4wd unless it's crazy snow so the quicker acceleration and better starting traction would be nice with the weight.

 

I don't plan on it at the moment, but I have a 4x4 with brand new snow tires.

I may change my mind when we actually get some snow. If so, I'll make something out of 2x4s to go around the wheel wells so it doesn't slide around and buy maybe 200 lbs of sand bags to put between them.

 

The OEM bed mat works great for keeping stuff from sliding around in the composite bed

 

add some weight, it will help.

 

Um no.

 

It really works that well? Might have to invest in one.

 

Yes

 

None, I just use 4x4 when I need it and have good tires. Never had a problem with sliding around, just go slow when it's slick out and you'll be fine. If my truck was a 2wd I'd do it, but I don't see a need with 4wd. Plus like another user said, my bed fills up with snow in the winter as well. If it's wet snow, it is pretty heavy. Even a bed full of powder would weigh it down good too.

 

One of the first things I bought! It's 1000x better with it. Keeps the noise down when you have shit back there and that bed is slippery!
I don't know how anyone goes without it

 

Four 80 lb. bags of sand between the wheel wells....... Also , OZ-T is correct on the OEM bed mat...Its does keep things from sliding around in the composite bed .

 

Found them for $100 shipped for the long bed. Not too bad for an OEM thing.

I've been trying to be cheap but between that and the Weathertech floor liners I want I'm up over $250!

 

and it weighs almost 50lbs if i recall correctly, so double the goodness in relation to this thread.

 

I don't think it's quite that heavy but it's not light

 

Yeah. You are fogetting up North & Canada get several feet of snow, we have none here in Texas so your point is not valid.

 

A bed full of dead hookers.

 

0

But I guess my Hi-Lift will be in my bed soon enough...

 

Nothing but a decent snow shovel. If I'm in snow and need weight, I start filling the bed. Free weight. And I don't even have to empty it if I don't want. It'll eventually melt.

 

Adding weight will increase the normal force between the tires and the ground.

A greater normal force means that you also have a greater amount of friction to work with, i.e., more traction.

Unfortunately, when you increase the amount of traction available by adding weight, you also increase the amount of friction needed for the now heavier truck.

Bottom line is that I believe any added friction gained is negated by the increase in weight and I will not add any weight to my truck.

Anecdotal stories generated using the seat-of-the-pants accelerometers are not convincing. I wish someone would go out and take some empirical data to put this question to rest once and for all.

 

well maybe somebody could contact mythbusters and have them run some test and televise the results! it must be insisted they do this with a tacoma!