Short trip to big bear

[funnyman06]

So im going on a short trip up to big bear tomorrow for my birthday/new years. For those that don't know, big bear is our local mountains, im going snow boarding with some friends. The slopes are at about 7000 ft, and i was wondering if there is anything that i should watch out for while driving up the mountain. Thanks

 

[icanfixall]

Probably just the road conditions and all the other flatlanders trying to get up there. Is your coolant up to the task? What about a set of chains just in case. The cold morning startups will sound ruff but thats what these motors sound like on cold starts. The back end of the truck is going to be really lite so watch out for black ice in the shadey areas of the roads. The back will kick out really easily on you. Kinda scary at first too. Been up the mountain many times for the last 45 years. Fun place when nobody is up there.

 

[funnyman06]

I just swapped out the water pump and the therostat, so my coolant is good. I got a pair of chains just in case, not what i wanted but at least its something. I know my tires got good reviews in light snow. So with chains and the tires i should be pretty good. Ive thought about putting some weight in the back of the truck to keep the back tires from sliding around, but im not sure what to get that wont cost a bunch. I know all about the back end kicking out, i used to have really crappy rear tires on it, and one day coming home from school i was going up a hill with one tire spinning. At that point i knew i needed new tires.

 

[typ4]

you could fill the back of your truck with subarus.

 

[Shadetreemechanic]

concrete blocks and sand both work well to weight down the back end. It will handle alot better that way.
My grandad had a good system where he lined up block all along the tailgate, then put a 2x in front of them and ran a couple more 2x's up to the front of the bed. That kept the block from sliding forward in heavy braking which can be quite surprising.
My old chevy came from Idaho and it had 150lb chunks of lead bolted behind each fenderwell, but that ain't real cheap.

 

[David94IDIT]

Happy B-day. It's my sis-n-laws b-day too. Last week we went to the Lagunas (Southern Cal) by Julian. The only thing we had to worry about was the traffic. 1hr. to move 1 mile. People were walking faster than we were moving. The roads up to Big Bear are not bad. Are you going up the back way? I think it's a little longer bet the road is much easier.

 

[vegas39]

I will be going to big bear in a couple of weeks to install a furnace in my parents vacation house. I would like to take my truck up there but really need to get new tires first.
I always go in the back way from Barstow and then through Lucerne valley, we went up there by way of San Bernardino once and were all car sick by the time we got there!

Good luck.

 

[funnyman06]

Im planning on taking the 38 up the southern side of the Mountain, the website says thats the better way to go on holidays so ill tell you guys how it goes. This is the big birthday too, (21). Happy Holidays guys. Later

 

[suv7734]

concrete blocks and sand both work well to weight down the back end.

+1 on the sand. Don't get crazy with too much weight or you'll end up having a problem trying to gain any momentum from a dead stop. #1 rule in the slippy stuff is try to keep moving forward (don't completely stop). If you're on ice etc. with an auto. trans. make sure you shift into neutral when you're coming to a stop.
With the sand (gravel etc.) it will give you the added weight and if you do get stuck you can just shovel a bit out of the bed and put it under the wheels for some traction.
Have fun!

 

[RLDSL]

Old tires and concrete blocks make for nice ballast for snow running. If you have a Sam's club or Costco pickup a handful of 40 lb sacks of oil dri ( kitty litter type oil absorbant) it's dirt cheap , nice and heavy and if you get stuck it makes for real nice traction, if you don't get stuck, the sacks are easy to handle for next time.

I recently found the addition of a 150 gallon bed tank right behind the cab makes for some real nice snow traction That works about to about 1200 pounds balanced pretty evenly

 

[funnyman06]

Well the trip went awesome, the roads were clear, and the truck did awesome. It took 1 tank to go from San Diego to Bear Mountain and back, ill have to fill up the tank to see how many gallons it took so i can calculate MPG. But even going over the summit at over 8400ft the truck didn't feel like it had any less pep than it did here at home and like 50ft. So that was good. Im going to return the chains i got, they are not what i wanted, but cheap insurance. So over all good trip. Now i just need to work out my alt issues. I started a thread on it. Thanks guys, and happy new year

 

[RLDSL]

Well the trip went awesome, the roads were clear, and the truck did awesome. It took 1 tank to go from San Diego to Bear Mountain and back, ill have to fill up the tank to see how many gallons it took so i can calculate MPG. But even going over the summit at over 8400ft the truck didn't feel like it had any less pep than it did here at home and like 50ft. So that was good. Im going to return the chains i got, they are not what i wanted, but cheap insurance. So over all good trip. Now i just need to work out my alt issues. I started a thread on it. Thanks guys, and happy new year

Chains are generally a non returnable item, and rightfully so. If they've never seen pavement, sometimes they'll let you trade up to a higher end model, but don't count on it.

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

Here in the Northwest, unused chains are commonly advertized as returnable by most places that sell them.

 

[funnyman06]

Well they are still in the box, only thing i have done is open it up and layed them out, so maybe i can get my money back, and if there is a restocking fee, its just the cost of insurance.