Driving in the snow...

[RLDSL]

locked rear end in my opinion is kind of dangerous on the ice. my red truck has a locked rear and it will put you in the ditch very easily but once i put it in 4x4 no ditch stops it.

Partially true. Locked rear end and regular all season or M+S ( mud and snow, any tire that is not a rib tread is allowed to be called M+S, but that does not make them a snow tire) tires will have you doing unplanned pirouettes all over the road.

A locked rear end with real dedicated studded snow or friction snow tires will give you ice and snow handling that will put a Ski-doo to shame

-------Robert

 

[f-two-fiddy]

The best thing in the world for winter driving is a set of good tires.
Just because they say M+S does'nt mean a thing.

I can drive my 84 Mazda B2000 just about anywhere, without a worry. It's got a set of Firestone snow tires. My 93 F150 4X4 has some All Season M+S and is downright scary. The crappy rear ABS system does'nt help either.

I'd take my Wife's 97 Grand Prix over any of our rigs, in the snow. Michilen X-Ice tires will get traction in just about any condition.

 

[Crumm]

I run my hubs locked all winter and drop it into 4x4 anytime the road is slick. Got it so I use it..

 

[82fordtruck]

Partially true. Locked rear end and regular all season or M+S ( mud and snow, any tire that is not a rib tread is allowed to be called M+S, but that does not make them a snow tire) tires will have you doing unplanned pirouettes all over the road.

A locked rear end with real dedicated studded snow or friction snow tires will give you ice and snow handling that will put a Ski-doo to shame

-------Robert

That is a VERY interesting comment. That expains how I put my truck sideways into a light pole Tuesday (very gently, but it hit nonetheless).

 

[BigRigTech]

I have a posi rear, empty it will walk around a bit in the snow. I have 4 big rig brake drums in the bed and my gas powered 30gal air compressor...Put's about 600lbs on the rear tires. My truck is getting laid up next week to finish the 4wd swap.

 

[sle2115]

I run my hubs locked all winter and drop it into 4x4 anytime the road is slick. Got it so I use it..

Well, had I known the hill was that bad, I would have locked them in, but I wasn't about to stop and expect my truck to sit on the grade while I got out and locked them. Should have probably just locked them and left them locked, but it drives so much nicer with them unlocked!

 

[subway]

maybe a dumb question but is there a way to put the newer selectable but automatic hubs on our trucks. i do enjoy pulling the 4x4 lever and have my autolockers do the outside work but truthfully i dont trust them.

 

[sle2115]

i dont trust them.

I know the first series of these were VERY unreliable. I am sure they have improved them, but I'll stick with my manuals. For the most part, I will do as always and just leave the truck sit. While it is older and not worth as much, there is a ton of my blood, sweat, tears and cusswords in building the thing. I would rather trash the ricer than tear it up anyway! Boy, never thought I would say I would rather not trash a Ford! You guys are all bad influences!

 

[69oiler]

the newer auto hubs are vacuum operated; you would need the whole steering knuckle off the SD. or you could swap front axles with one from an SD and rig a manual vac switch and kick them in from the cab but still be able to lock them in full time. but trust me you do not want a Super Duty front axle with its unitized wheel bearings.

on the upside they change out easily when they go bad.

 

[Fordsandguns]

I know the first series of these were VERY unreliable. I am sure they have improved them, but I'll stick with my manuals. For the most part, I will do as always and just leave the truck sit. While it is older and not worth as much, there is a ton of my blood, sweat, tears and cusswords in building the thing. I would rather trash the ricer than tear it up anyway! Boy, never thought I would say I would rather not trash a Ford! You guys are all bad influences!

I wouldn't say that's a bad influence. More like progress!

 

[swampdigger]

I'll drive for weeks on dry pavement with my hubs still locked. Although the front u-joints are still turning, there's hardly any torque on them, and without being locked to the t-case, they won't bind. You can do a full hard turn without worries.

Just look at the newer Dodges. The way they "unlock" is such that the front u-joints always turn.

I also keep the revs up. Although you can put more torque to the tires,i f you loose traction, the tires won't rev to an insane speed--the governor will catch them.

 

[RLDSL]

That is a VERY interesting comment. That expains how I put my truck sideways into a light pole Tuesday (very gently, but it hit nonetheless).

That will sure do it. A locker or posi without real snow tires will have you lined up for a job in the ice follies

Even the mud tires that are drilled for studs aren't that great when studded. They're better than nothing, but still nowhere close to real snow tires. I've done my share of ice dancing with those things, they're good on snow, but not much on ice.

I just love running around in my Volvo with the locker and snow tires ( those things came from the factory with a Dana 30 rear end with an Eaton automatic locker) My wife runs a restaurant and they don't close when it snows, she sends me out to shuttle her employees in and home, It's funny, when she tells them I'm coming to get them they think 4x4 and I pull up in a rear wheel drive car and they usually get scared , till they see it in action. I REALLY love the looks on the faces of all the guys with the hummers and land rovers and all the other 4x4s who are spun out and stuck when I just tool on by like it's nothing. I get real dirty looks when I have to do a 3 point turn on a steep hill with a bunch of spun out high dollar 4x4 rigs all around and just go on like it's nothing

Gotta love those Nokian snow tires, can't beat buying tires from folks who live in snow half the year, heck their test track is a frozen lake in Finnish Lapland above the arctic circle. They make some incredible summer tires for cars too. My wife is scared to drive on any other tires in the rain after getting used to those things. ( you know you've found a winner when wife.gov doesn't complain about buying tires )
Those fancy snow tires ( and they aren't all that expensive, I usually buy them mail order from meadowcreek in CO and , even after shipping they aren't any more than any other quality tire ) do wonders with rear wheel drive, they feel like driving on a silty dirt road, on 4x4 and front wheel drive you really can't tell you're on snow and ice, just drive
When running in blizzards, my old habits from years of big trucks up north come out , cause those things handle beautifully at normal highway speeds with fresh snow.

-------Robert

 

[tonkadoctor]

Don't you Yankys sipe tires anymore up yonder

Siped tires are great on ice. Seems it's a lost art anymore and impossible to find anybody down south that even knows what siping is much less do it. I used to run siped straight tread tires on my semi trucks and I liked them better than un siped lug treads. Run cooler, last longer and more biting traction on wet pavement, ice and hard pack.

 

[hahn_rossman]

well up here in the beautiful northwest, we might not count as yankees , but http://lesschwab.com/siping.asp wont let you leave without talking about siping. It's great, but real snow tires are better...

 

[f-two-fiddy]

All of the newer, dual compound snow tires are heavily siped.