What is snow?

Snow's that shit that falls from the sky for 8 months here. Practice, good tires, patience and jumper cables

 

If you opt for chains, make sure they go on the BACK tires, not the front. I have seen folks put chains on non-drive wheels. This makes for an interesting scene when you have vehicles trying to move and then trying to steer, once they are moving.

 

you wont need chains on your tires, hes not going to be climbing mountains or anything

 

Everyone has pretty much covered everything already. Can't stress enough to watch otu for the other people to. Only close calls I have had have been due to other idiots.

They did this when I first had drivers ed when I was 16. Thankfully it was winter when I was just learning to drive so I basically learned to drive in the snow. Helped tremendously knowing how your car is going to react and how to correct yourself in these situations. I've never had a problem and don't mind driving in it at all. This is the first time I'll have 4x4 for the snow.

 

BFG all terrains work well in the snow. im from southern NY but snow is snow, you'll just be getting A LOT more of it then i will. ive never used weight in the bed but it cant hurt, ive always been fine in 4HI in the snow. and like others have said, find an empty lot the first time it snows and mess around, its fun and you'll learn what you need to know.

 

If your truck has tires that you can run durring summer(meaning you don't NEED new tires) Spend the money to get snow tires...

 

Welcome to Upstate NY, and lake-effect snow country.

Your 09' truck has VSC/TRAC which will keep you in line pretty good and make it easier winter driving than a 05-08'. Your tires aren't great, but you can get by taking it easy. Read the advice that others have posted eariler about practice (try w/o the safety nannies too).

If you really want the best winter driving experience and dont mind the extra $ and seasonal change over, dedicated winter tires make a huge difference, best $500 I've spent on the truck.

Otherwise, 200 lbs in the bed, collaspable shovel, winter wiper blade for at least the drivers side, your ready to rock. No need for chains up here unless you got a thing for driving thru +2ft on closed roads

 

All these are really good points. I always like to carry a book of matches or a lighter(never know when youll need them), an extra coat or sweatshirt, gloves, and hat. A gerber or small knife is also good(tho may be illegal).

 

Definitely get SNOW tires. All Season Tires are useless anywhere near to freezing, the rubber gets too hard.

Always assume the intersection is a skating rink.

Something people seem to forget around here in their SUVs and such (lowermainland, BC, canada) where we don't get a ton of snow, is that 4X4 will not help you STOP any faster than your 4 wheels do already. Go slow.

Carry a snow shovel. Not a big wide one, but rather one you can excavate with.

 

A few tips from my years of driving on snow, and worse yet, ice....

Pay attention to as far in front of you as possible. Any time you brake, you're creating potential to slide (especially on ice). If you can just lift off the gas and gradually slow down to avoind having to brake hard, the chances of sliding are greatly reduced.

If you slide, turn into the the direction you are sliding to keep from spinning out.

IMO the ABS on our trucks sucks. Try not to hit the brake too hard too often.
When you do have to hit the brake, and ABS engages, keep steering where you want to go without lifting your foot.

Avoid driving on ice. Peroid. Sure, 4wd may help you get going, but on un treated roads nothing will help you stop.

Always have a heavy coat and blankets in the truck in case you get stuck.

When accelerating, torque is bad (especially in just 2x4). To avoid your wheels from spinning, accelerate slowly. As soon as your wheels begin to spin on pavement, you lose control of your vehicle.

Stay out of the snow banks. Stay in the grooves where others have already driven. If you veer out of these, you can get sucked into walls or down hills.

Pray. I had one close call in my old Explorer where I got sucked into the snow bank, did a complete 180 degree turn in traffic going 40 mph, and started going down a hill. Somehow, for some reason, my SUV went back up the hill and turned around and stopped on the shoulder. There is simply no explanation for this other than someone looking down on me....

Good luck!

 

One thing that was pointed out to me about snow tires: Having Seasonal tires is only a little more money than having one set of tires, because while the snow tires are on, you're not wearing down the other tires. It just seems expensive due to the up front cash required.

 

Definitely weight in the bed!

 

One more: If the wheels start to spin, lift off the throttle. More throttle WILL hurt your cause.

 

block heater, winter tires, 4x4, and sand bags at least 5

 

Have your radiator antifreeze checked to make sure it will handle -40 (same in both celcius and fahrenheit). With windchill factors (temp and wind temp) you may need this occasionally. Prevent rad and block cracks. As well, get the coldest rated windshield washer fluid again for temp and wind temp speed of truck.

If locals tell you block heater not necessarily needed, consider at least purchase of plug in battery blanket.

Synthetic engine oil - 5W30 - good for cold startups.

Just for fun, a few hours drive into Ontario, Canada, 3 hours north of Toronto, rent a snowmobile and try the trail system out for something completely different when you get a leave.

 

Skis

 

you shouldnt need any mods other than tires, and some winter boots in your back seat in case you have to walk somewhere. also you might be interested in getting a block heater and a cab heater. I love my cab heater that I had in my old truck gonna get one in this truck for this upcoming winter

 

Already touched on in here, but the best thing you must do is practice and learn how your car/truck handles in the snow. Know the limits, learn how to brake/slow down in the snow, know how to handle fishtailing and the like. A good driver + good tires is key in snow. My little FWD Lancer with snow tires is able to out perform most of the morons in 4WD SUVs.

 

snow you can see, black ice you can't. be careful after a night of heavy frost or dew that freezes on the road surface and forms a thin sheet of ice. very dangerous.use low gear down hills to help slow down without braking hard.

 

Learn how to drive your truck in 2WD in the snow before using 4WD. Too many people think that 4WD is the be all and end all for driving in the snow and it becomes a crutch that they cannot get by without it.

When I was in the army and we taught off-road driving we would not let the students put ther vehicles in 4WD until they understood that they could get pretty much anywhere in 2WD. If they were going somewhere that really required 4WD they had to ask themselves if they really needed to follow that route, operational considerations aside.