10 Tips for Driving in the Snow

Made it from the bay to South Lake in 3.5 hours flat today. To be honest, I was extremely surprised. Most people were driving responsibly, and everyone was respecting different driving levels. If someone's going at the speed they feel comfortable with there's no need to ride their ass. Everyone makes it to their destination in one piece when they're not being forced into an uncomfortable speed. That said, be careful out there because there are definitely dipshits, dipshits everywhere.

 

Looks like you need to drink. You working tomorrow or boarding?

 

If you're 4wd you don't need chains? Curious Canadian passing through. Does the snowflake rating on tires negate that requirement as well?

We only have chain laws for our tractor trailers as far as I know. Chain laws are in place due to mild city winters near rough mountain passes right?

 

I like your style.

 

Spoken like someone who has lived in Tahoe for a while and truly loathes tourist traffic.
Another thing I saw a lot when I lived in SLT is the lack of using the left turn lane at an intersection. Do not stop in the #1 lane on hwy 50 with your turn signal on waiting for the left arrow to turn green with traffic backed up behind you. If there is a snow bank blocking the turn lane, keep going and turn around.

 

Turned off my side road onto the main road and pulled up behind a fucking beautiful snowbank white Audi A6. The car was under a good 12" of snow, rear window completely covered, mirrors blinded, and half the front windshield cleared. I passed him and got to the next stop and waited for him to pull up. I was waiting for him with my extendable snow brush. I tapped on his driver's window. He opened it a crack and I politely informed him that he was going to take the snow off his car before he drove another fucking inch. Before he could back up and try to go around, I informed him that he was on a bus route that has many children, but especially the 4 children of 2 Ontario Provincial Police officers waiting just down the road over the next few stops. I also told him that I was their Health & Phys Ed teacher.

I eventually complimented him on how nice a colour his car was. His car was black.

OH! I also politely advised him it wasn't a good idea to wear dress shoes in a blizzard, as they are quite the slip hazard, and that he was more than welcome to attend my next Grade 3 Health class later in the week for pointers on how to dress properly before venturing out into a Canadian winter storm.

 

I live in an area where it rarely snows, so I don't much about this. Do I want my LSD turned on or off in snowy/icy conditions?

 

Good Tips to know, even for someone that lives in the Southern States and almost never need to drive in snow. Thanks!

 

4wd is often used to get even more stuck. There was a turn on my way home from work that always had white knuckled flatlanders sliding by me sideways on the way home whenever it snowed - wish I had a GoPro back then. I should also post my video of the wacky construction crew driving a 4wd front end loader without chains down the icy road, and the track hoe doing pirouettes down the icy road too

 

YouTube surely has some examples of those situations! I image that those snow conditions generate a lot of funny (and also possibly dangerous) bad driving practices...

 

The wife got hit in college by someone who didnt clear their windows... just her, she was walking. Still feels it today.

Also i get a lot of "man the 4x4 must be great in the poor weather" and for some reason they're always surprised when i respond " yeah but only for going"... guess most people dont realise all vehicles have 4 wheel brakes...

 

Tell me more about this snow on the ground 4 months out of the year because I'm not seeing it this year

 

Anticipate your stops and turns. Soften up your driving inputs, accelerating, braking, & steering. Add to your following distance. Keep up with traffic flow. Keep your windshield wiper bottle full. Keep gas tank at least 1/3 full. Hang up the phone. Relax, it's not a big deal.

 

Chains are not allowed in a lot of snowbelt states, it tears up the pavement pretty quickly. Typically needed in higher elevation mtn passes.

Also chains/cables are a short duration item, you only put them on when needed, and take them of as soon as conditions improve.

 

This subject is in various places on TW but I’ll throw a quick question here. I have a ‘11 prerunner with nice cooper at3 all around. It really doesn’t like the snow. Before we go any further I have lots of experience in the snow, my last few trucks I never used the 4wd unless I was wheeling in mud. (Kind of the reason why I got the prerunner was because I used 4wd so infrequently) I turned of the traction control and that kind of helped. Maybe putting a bunch of weight in the bed would help? What about MT’s?

 

Weight in the bed will help somewhat, especially since you're 2wd. Throw a few sandbags back there and see if that helps.

And mud terrain tires will do well in the snow, but they'll suck on the ice. If you want better winter performance out of your tires, either look at a dedicated snow tire or something with more siping in the tread blocks. A similar tire to the AT3's that you have is the Cooper ATW, which is basically an AT3 with a bunch of siping. I don't have any personal experience with them, but they would be something to look into if you like everything else about your current tires.