Chionophobia: Intense fear of snow

Avoid the roads on the first snow. Everyone out here forgets how to drive in snow every year. The first snow storm is the highest for accidents.

in the night find a parking lot, play around in the truck to know how it’ll react. The key is don’t go to fast and brake early and light.

 

Buy a Subaru

 

Like others have pointed out do not run your tires at 40 psi, 28 or 30 psi is better. Our trucks are not heavy and you won’t notice much difference between 30 and 40.
Weight over the rear axle, and use 4wd if you think the roads are icy or to snowy. My Tacoma is 8 years old, if I think the roads are crap I don’t hesitate to use 4wd. 2wd Rwd trucks suck on ice.

 

Lots of good advice already given. As for the KO2s not being a good winter driving choice, I’ll just say they’ve done very well for me in snowy western PA. Been running KO2s for many years on several vehicles now. I definitely don’t want to get into a tire debate, but I think you’ll be wasting your money if you run out and get new tires. Hone your skills following some of the great advice you’ve gotten here and you’ll be fine. Other than that, as you grow more confident, I’d say avoid thinking 4 wheel drive makes you invincible in the snow. It doesn’t. It’s a great advantage but not a substitute for responsible driving in those conditions.

 

Find empty parking lots and figure out how the vehicle behaves. Remember, stopping is what will get you, even if you are stable going fast, make sure you have room to stop.

Dedicated winter tires are worth the cost. Personally I use Nokians. Studs only help on ice, so don't feel like you need studed winter tires. Snow rated all seasons don't cut it.

If the vehicle acts odd, come off the pedal. This is true regardless of if you are on the break or the gas.

 

I live about 30 miles from downtown Chicago. Try to stay away from the diesel trucks which are rampant on the expressways (freeways). Don't go over 40 mph on snow. Be careful to slow down for turns. Slow takeoffs prevent wheel spin. Long slow stopping prevents crashing. Forget the advice about adding weight in the bed as it might fly forward in a crash. Give yourself extra time and go easy on the gas and the brake. Be aware that salt trucks are throwing little rock-like pieces of salt out and don't get real close to them. Keep a blanket and extra clothing in the truck. Keep at least a half a tank of gas in the truck in case you slide off and have to wait in the cold.

 

You’ll be fine. Treat it as if you were driving in heavy rain. Keep your speeds down, and pay extra attention to your surroundings and the feel of your truck.

 

Oh....not so much about driving, more about enduring the frigid weather.....

Layer up.
Mittens are warmer than gloves.
Insulated boots.
People shape will disappear. In the coldest weather, -25*F windchill or lower, you will only see people's eyes deep set in a shape like a stuffed laundry bag.
Fashion and warmth are exclusive of each other.
Pay attention to the weather warnings. Windchill can freeze exposed skin in seconds.

You will enjoy January and February. Nose hairs will freeze with each inhale. Never, never, ever, ever lick a metal pole or metal anything....you'll be painfully stuck.

Get a good ice scraper for the windshield. YOU will need it.

Carry a small emergency kit in your truck. Blanket, flashlight, dry food (wet food will freeze)......as a start.

 

To be fair, I own both. I think the Subaru takes to snow like a duck to water. Best car I've ever had, 11 years old now an still awesome. I drove the truck when we lived in Denver and the wife had the Outback. I never worried about her driving in winter weather any more than any other time. BTW, I think I can fit more stuff in the Outback than I can in the back of my truck w/camper shell. If Subaru made an "off-road" truck the Tacoma would be gone.

 

I live about 30 miles out, too! Hi neighbor. Thanks a ton

 

Look at it this way... Half the people on the road can get into trouble on sunny, warm days, yet the majority manage to survive the winter just fine.

Lots of good suggestions (especially practicing in a parking lot, and learning to "steer into the skid"*) and not much I can add.

I do recommend stocking up on groceries, snackos, alcohol, etc. so you don't feel the need to go out when the roads are bad. Maybe get your holiday shopping done early. If you're commuting to/from work, no side trips between those two points when the weather is nasty. Point is to stay off the roads as much as possible.

The State, Counties, and Municipalities are really pretty good at keeping the roads clear and relatively safe, but they do need a chance to do their thing after an unexpectedly heavy snow. My employer has a nasty habit of waiting until the snow is really coming down, then closing up shop and telling everyone to go home (at the worst possible time to be on the roads). I've found it much safer to hang around for a while so the plows can have at it and maybe even for the heaviest of snow to pass.

Don't forget to dress for the weather (don't venture out in just a light jacket because you're "only going" from a heated home, to heated vehicle, to heated workplace) and keep your gas tank at least half full in the winter.

* - "Steering into the skid" really just means keeping your front wheels pointed in the direction you want to be going in when the back end is sliding one way or the other. "Counter-steering" only applies to bicycles and motorcycles, so far as I know, and means turning the front wheel in the opposite direction of the way you want to go. In other words, steer left to go right and vice versa.

 

I’ve never had good luck with ko2s in snow. I don’t know if it was the snow we had, but they would pack with snow and become slicks. I’d get a set of dedicated snow tires if you need to be out in adverse weather.

 

Meh. I've been driving through Chicago area winters for almost 50 years and I've never owned a set of snow tires. They do plow the roads around here. Not saying they're not a good idea, just not a necessity.

 

I would say that you need to feel what oversteer and understeer feels like and how to adjust. In snow covered church or school parking lot with a good layer of snow will teach you pretty fast. I learned how to drive on ice and snow with almost bald bias ply tires in a light RWD 1970 Ford maverick and no anti-lock brakes. Realize a tire skidding or spinning has zero control.

 

Move... gonna have to turn on the AC today...

 

That just never gets old.

 

Lots of good advice here. The one thing I'd add is, think about how you use your eyes while driving. I teach performance and police driving schools and one key thing we teach is keeping your vision as far ahead of your vehicle as possible. If you can see a hazard sooner you can get slowed down before you get to it. This works for anytime you are driving but is doubly important in hazardous conditions. The other thing with vision is look where you want to go. You will naturally try to steer where you are looking. Good luck and buy some long underwear