>>> WINTER TIPS TECHNIQUES AND ADVICE <<<

[f-two-fiddy]

Huh, all of this just seems like second nature to Me.

DON'T use Pam, WD or anything like that on Your rubber seals. Use Maguires rubber conditioner. And WAX the insides of Your door jams. They'll never freeze together.

Use RainX on Your glass, and mirrors.

USE Your snow brush. Clean as much snow off Your vehicle as You possibly can BEFORE You drive off. It'll keep the snow from melting, when Your cab heats, and running down into places where it can later freeze.

Make sure Your starting, and charging systems are up to ***** BEFORE winter hits.

And make dman sure You have GOOD+++ tires. I don't care what anyone else says in this post. This is the single most important thing for safe winter travel.

It just ****** Me off to see peeps out there endangering themselves, and everyone else on the road, trying to drive on crappy tires. They should just keep there azzes home if that's the case!

 

[Silver91Hatch]

What did I do for winter....

I bought an IDI, lol. I got my truck in November and instantly started winterizing it.

New glow plugs, checked the relay/SS, tested both batteries, tested starter draw, replaced injector o-rings(I also replaced injectors, for other reasons), checked coolant levels, tested the SCA's and added additive, changed oil and fuel filter, added Cetane booster and Anti-Gel, installed wiper blades, did headlight mod and checked charging system so far.

My truck doesn't have a block heater so the starting/GP systems pretty much need to be in good shape. It started at 7 degrees and that was before the new injector o-rings. Another thing I seen is on my sunvisor it says to hold the throttle all the way down under freezing and half way down for all other conditions, does anyone do this? Now that I have the new return o-rings it will start without throttle input, before full throttle was needed 100%.

 

[fury9]

X2 on the tires. It's amazing what a difference they make. Huge, huge difference, especially when it's time to use the 4x4

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

on Your rubber seals. Use Maguires rubber conditioner. And WAX the insides of Your door jams. They'll never freeze together.

That seems like a cleaner solution than I have been using and I intend to soon put it to the test.

How well does it work on a foggy morning after an all night freezing downpour ??

Use RainX on Your glass, and mirrors.

Way back in ancient times, RAIN-X was advertised in the back section of comic-books, along with the whoopee cushions and X-ray glasses; for years, I thought it was probably snake oil.

Then, after a miserable trip in the fog with an oily film all over my windshield, someone talked me into giving it a try.

That was over twenty years ago and I have been a believer ever since; I buy the stuff by the gallons and use it religiously.


RAIN-X coupled with a good cleaning with Invisible Glass is the best thing you can do for glass.



The Rain-X anti-fog stuff does seem to me to be snake oil, or I just don't know how to properly use it; in my experiences, it actually makes a worse mess than without.

 

[subway]

not so much a packing issue that seems well covered so far, but when your tail starts sliding out on you i have learned just pushing in the clutch (for those of us with one) helps bring it back. even letting off the throttle is not enough some times because you are using some of your traction for deceleration when you most likely need it all to bring your tail in line.

 

[kpj]

I actually don't do anything special when winter comes. I only change the tires to studded winter tires and in the autumn i usually check that the Eberspächer is working correctly and that's about it. Only everyday difference is that i just let the truck idle at startup longer period of time during the winter than summer. And if i'm doing a longer trip i just take warmer clothes, check that the flash light batteries are ok and take a spare fuel filter with some basic tools and i'm good to go. So far i've managed with those...

 

[hesutton]

I usually try and keep the tanks full (more weight over the light rear). Keep it plugged in at night. Anitgel in the tanks. Clean all the snow off the truck I can, especially the hood, as I had have all that snow blowing up onto my windsheild when driving. Keep jumpers and a tow strap in the cab. A can of starting fuid (emergency only). I drive slow and watch for idiots on the road with me. And, my Colt 1911 Compact........... just in case.

Heath

 

[subway]

some thing else i have run into going along with cleaning off your truck. make sure you clean off the area under the windshield were the heater draws its air from. if that freezes over it can kill the heat inside your cab.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

WINDSHIELD DE-ICER

The only washer-fluid I have found that will not freeze solid in the jug is Prestone DE-ICER; that blue stuff will freeze quicker than water.


Besides keeping the washer reservoir filled, I keep a spray-bottle filled with Prestone De-Icer.

I give everything that is iced over a good saturation with it; then, after letting it "cook" for a few minutes, the ice will have turned to slush.

 

[RLDSL]

The only washer-fluid I have found that will not freeze solid in the jug is Prestone DE-ICER; that blue stuff will freeze quicker than water.


Besides keeping the washer reservoir filled, I keep a spray-bottle filled with Prestone De-Icer.

I give everything that is iced over a good saturation with it; then, after letting it "cook" for a few minutes, the ice will have turned to slush.

The rain-x orange winter washer fluid works great. I've hat it in -30 and no freeze up. You can splash it on an icy windshield and it will eat the stuff away.

 

[RLDSL]

Definitely snow tires. If you are going to be on the road with snow and ice, you need real live snow tires, preferably studded, but at a minimum, some friction tires, but they have to be real snow tires, not just mudders that say M+S ( mud and snow ) on the sidewall, any tire that doesn't have a straight rib tread can call itself a M+S, but those things won't do squat when it gets slick, you might get going but you won't be able to turn or stop. If not snow tires, get a good set of chains ( not cable chains , they will spin on ice) If you don't have snow tires or chains on, don't get on the stinking road at the same time as me, because I don't want to have to crawl behind you for endless miles or have to dodge you sliding into me.
With real snow tires, even heavy snow at worst feels like driving on a loose silt dirt road, plenty of control, but it's terrifying having to dodge all the guys with 4x4 who thought they could drive on ice as they come sliding toward me on their way to the ditch , then having to stop and make sure they're OK after they flip over.
A set of snows will set you back about the same amount as an insurance deductable, but end up costing a lot less in the long run. Plus in many areas, if you get in a wreck and you have snows and the other guy doesn't, the blame is assigned on the spot to the person driving without proper equipment.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

PLUG 'ER IN

In all but the coldest locales, two or three hours of being plugged in will make an engine start like it was a warm summer day.

If one has a regular schedule, then a weather-proof outdoor timer can be set to kick on the block-heater a few hours before the truck will be needed.

Of course, if one must leave at all hours, on a moments notice, there is not much that can be done except to just leave it plugged in all the time.



A few simple improvisations can be done to make things easier.

Instead of using the outlet on the outside wall, down in behind the Japanese yews and rose briars, route a dedicated block-heater cord (or 12-2 wire) to an easily accessible place in the bedroom, or kitchen, or wherever is handy.

Move the timer to the "inside" end of this cord.

So long as you plug the "outside" end of the cord to the truck, BEFORE coming in for the night, you have the option of using the timer or plugging straight to the outlet; and, if you have the timer set to a specific time and your schedule should change, you can simply reset the timer, plug right up, or unplug the truck altogether, whichever the case may be, all without leaving the comforts of home.

 

[George_7.3IDI]

Downshifting with a manual transmission in order to slow down instead of using the brakes has worked well for me. Also extends the life of the brake pads.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

And if you are to pull over for any reason, make sure you know what you're pulling over onto - especially true for folks with open-diff duallies, as they have to go a foot further off the road to clear the traffic lane, the moment one side of your axle hits snow and you don't have snow tires and/or chains on that's it, you're done - just the thought of having to pull over used to scare the crap outta me at one point, now with the Lincoln locker things are rather different but I'm still watching the road surface like a hawk if I am to leave the traffic lane for whatever reason.

And speaking of lockers - regardless of the kind you have (real locker, welded diff, or even a factory LSD), practice some cornering with it on snow and preferably some ice as well, as you're much more likely to get unpleasantly surprised by it with the ass end trying to come around than if you have just your plain open diff.

Oh, and since Rob mentioned 4x4, this should be obvious to most folks, but still - just cause a truck has a transfer case that don't make it a 4x4, there are way too many trucks out there with open differentials both front and rear. So make sure you know what lives inside your axles before you decide to crawl though deep snow

Fuel tanks - if you have two, drive off the front one, keep the rear full to the top at all times as it makes for excellent traction weight.

Downshifting with a manual transmission in order to slow down instead of using the brakes has worked well for me. Also extends the life of the brake pads.

Downshifting works great with an automatic as well, and due to having a torque converter and not a clutch it's less likely to cause wheel lockup immediately upon downshift.

 

[crashnzuk]

in the autumn i usually check that the Eberspächer is working correctly and that's about it....

Huh?
Travis..