What is snow?

I currently own a stock 09 trd-off road, and I just received orders sending me to Fort Drum, NY. Well long story short I'm from Florida and I have no clue how to deal with snow. Do you guys have any recommendations on some simple mods or gear I should get? I'm planning on having heavy duty nylon cables, but what else should I get without breaking the bank too hard? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

Mods...some decent snow tires or an all terrain at the very least. All season tires only work when all the seasons are the same. Just take it easy, light on all the controls..throttle, brakes, steering. It might help to "experiment" in an empty parking lot to get to know how your truck will handle in snowy conditions. Also a little weight in the bed helps a lot, these trucks are really light in the rear end. Cheers

 

What are the heavy duty nylon cables for?
Last winter was brutal here in Iowa. And thankfully my brand new 09 trd OR 4x4 got me everywhere and anywhere i needed to go.
Only thing I needed was about four to six 70 pound bags of sand in the back for traction at stoplights etc.
These trucks are great in snow. Ice however can get scary. Driving with the truck in 4wd on ice will help considerably. i dont care if anybody says different.
When driving around town I hold the vsc off button for several seconds so I can drive the truck, slide around a bit etc.

 

What is snow?

Snow is fun

 

Good snow tires, some weight in the bed, drive slow and don't take corners too fast or you'll spin out, leave plenty of room between you and the car in front of you - you won't stop quickly on ice.

You'll want to pick up an ice/snow brush for your windows (maybe $5 at walmart or just about anywhere), carry some warm gloves and a hat in your truck, possibly a shovel depending on where you plan on going.

 

Just remember that momentum really, really matters. There isn't much point in getting to 60 mph if you can't turn or brake at that speed. Use a very kind right foot mid-corner to keep the rears from spinning. Once they spin, the truck will go sideways unless the VSC intervenes.

Also, the only part of your truck in contact with the ground is the tires. Get good ones with a compound designed for cold surfaces, ice and snow. Dedicated snow tires make a massive difference. It isn't just the tread pattern; the compound of the rubber matters. I'm not sure what the rules are for NY, but avoid studs unless you expect to see massive amounts of ice. The tires with walnut shells baked into the tread are fantastic, don't destroy the road and are quiet enough.

All this from a guy who has never lived south of 44' N and has seen snow every winter. I still like Minnesota's brutal cold and wind over the peril of Western mountain passes.

 

all the above AND watch out for those idiots driving around u having fun thinking they got there vehicle under control.

 

4-6 70 lb sandbags...+1

 

Carrying the sand around is an added security measure, too, since you can open it up and dump it for traction on ice if you really need to.

I use 4hi a lot in the snow. I live in a city that only gets 1 or 2 good dumps a year, and the drivers around here are stupid. Thankfully, I was taught how to drive in the snow by my father who grew up in a town that would get 1-3 feet of snow per night. Sometimes, I like to drive around, slowly, and laugh at the dumb-asses with summer tires on their $70k BMW's and Merc's trying to get up a hill, or out of the ditch they just slid into

Good advice so far, drive easy, brake slowly, and never feel pressured to drive the speed limit if you don't feel it's safe. You'll pass those idiots who zip by you after they crash into the ditch. If you absolutely must go out in a severe storm or on roads that don't get regular plowing, pick up some tire chains and put them on the rear tires. They're not cheap, but they'll turn the truck into a snowmobile, albeit a slow one (got to keep below a certain speed, I think 45-50mph) The tread pattern on the rugged trails is also really good in the snow (I had a similar tire on my old exploder) so you may not even need anything beside the sandbags. Oh, and never trust electronic measures like ABS, VSC, etc., they really don't help in the snow and ice.

Have fun driving around in a snowy parking lot, too. Donuts and drifts are good fun and they'll help you understand how your truck handles in the snow and how you can recover from an "oops" moment.

 

Dude...

You gotta find yourself a HUGE parking lot that's totally empty. Then, when it snows ......have at it and force yourself into fishtails and skids & such. The more you play, the more you'll be comfortable with driving in the snow.

When I was 16, my dad did that exact thing. It scared the livin piss outta me and I cried my eyes out as he forced me to slam on the brakes....
It was crazy - but probably the best damn thing for teaching me how to react and how to RESPECT the snow.

 

Hell Yeah!

 

For snow you need some good all terrain tires, and sand bags or cement blocks in the back. I would just make sure you slow down way before you come to a stop sign or a light. there is nothing worse then coming up to either of the two and not being able to stop while you slowly slide into the intersection. If you do start sliding put your truck in neutral you will stop better.

 

Rust protection!

 

Thanks for all the comments guys, I'm understanding that experience and a good set of tires are the essentials. Glad to see the truck is capable of so much off the show room floor. The nylon cables were just a recommendation of my father, he's a tow truck driver that specializes in heavy duty recovery and he uses the straps instead of chains for vehicle recovery. I was thinking about the BF Goodrich All-Terrains, I had them on my old truck and loved them, but then again I never took that truck in snow.

 

Pay attention to your temperature gage in your overhead consol. If the roads look wet and the gage says 32 or lower then the roads aren't wet it's ice. I would suggest only using bags of sand in the bed, concrete blocks are going slide around and tear up your plastic bed. Also, you can shovel snow into the bed for traction weight instead of sand.....it's free!

 

Drive slowly. I just got a wd last yr, but before that drove 2wd cars (rear & front) & 2wd tacoma. Never got stuck in 20+ years (15 in Iowa).

Make sure your wiper blades are in good shape and keep the windshield washer reservoir full with stuff that can handle the low temps.