Rural snow driving! Any tips for me?

Ok, so I just drove home in 1-2 inches of fresh snow. No problems at all.

The weather guys say we have another 4-5 inches of the white stuff to still fall. I NEED to make it to work tonight. Any tips for me to make it? I do have quite a bit of snow driving expierence from when I was stationed in Salt Lake City while in the Air Force. That snow was fun!

So I have fresh 33" Cooper STT's that seem to hook up pretty well. Open diffs. 3.73's and a light right foot.

I really want to go play on some trails today, I think I will have to wait untill tomorrow....

Kent

 

Well.... I am off to bed for a short nap. Feel free to leave a reply. I will not be back untill about 3pm central.

Kent

 

Drive slow and go eas on the skinny pedal.

I know if I get on it too much when it's slick I'll whip a donut in an instant. My 12.5 inch wide tires seem to float on the snow more than dig through it.

Good luck

High5

 

Drive REALLY slow. If there's 4 inches on the ground you should probably take twice as long or more to get there so leave early. If it's a rural road I would ride the middle of the road as much as possible, you don't want to drop your tires in a ditch.

If you do get stuck don't just mash the skinny pedal you'll just get dug in. Rock it by pulsing the gas and clutch and time it so you'll get rocking back and forth until you roll out. It's easier to do with an automatic but it's gotten me out of pretty bad spots.

 

I drive 2000 miles a week through Upstate NY. Plenty of snow and Ice.

First I would say slower is better.

Second. Brakes are Bad. Do not slam on brakes in snow. You will slide. Leave plenty of room between you and the car in front of you. You will need lots and lots and lots of room to stop. If possible don't hit the brakes at all and just let off the gas and slowly change gears till the engine slows down the truck. If you have to use the brakes tap them quickly. Do not press the pedal to the floor and lock the brakes. you will simply become a sled.

If you are sliding keep a loose grip on the wheel and turn into it with just a little bit of power. Don't fight the truck or the ice. Relax and do not make any quick changes to speed or direction. they don't work well in jeeps to start with never mind on ice.

if you have to turn or change lanes do it gradually.

If you have to make a sharp turn plan for it early and turn into the inside of the curve. if you slide you will slide to the outside edge. You can control any slidding (rear fishtail) with a little bit of gas. Brakes don't do very much.

As far as starting or moving in deep snow. If you in motion and about to go up a steep hill, give the guy ahead of you time to get out of the way, then give the jeep a little gas before the hill starts. You want enough momentum to get up the hill but not go to fast and loose control.

When you get to the top of the hill, gravity is not your friend. I have gone forward down hill at 25 mph with the car at full speed in reverse at least twice. If the hill is icy you may not need to even be moving and gravity will bring you down like a sled. Low gears and slow speed are your best approach. keep the wheels moving at a slow constant speed and you will have the most effective steering.

If stopped start off slow and gradually give it power. Tire spinning is fine on a summer drag strip. it does no good when trying to move or steer in snow.

Overall any 4x4 will be able to accelerate better than a 2 wheel drive car in snow, but they do not stop very well. Leave a big gap between you and the next car. Assume the people pulling out will cut you off and assume you will not be able to stop quickly.

Other than that have fun with it. Personally i love driving in snow as long as the other people stay home.

 

Do not change speeds on a corner, go as fast as you want as long as you remember you can't stop, and braking/throttle on a corner is bad.

 

Start easy, then mash the skinny pedal hard. Wear loose upper clothing so you can wildly flail your arms.

All kidding aside, just take it easy and you will be fine. I won't drive my jeep very fast (45) with it in 4 wheel drive. More because of vibration and noise.

If the tires do spin when you try to accelerate let off the gas and let them regain traction. Do the same when braking, if the tires skid, let off the brake to allow the tire to regain traction. Often pumping of the brakes is required to achieve reasonable stopping. If the tires are sliding on the snow/ice the longer they slide the less control you will have. I always like to test my traction both with the brakes and the acceleration to know what my limits are when I start out.

We drive around here in that much snow all winter long. I don't do anything special for it. My jeep drives down the road very well on snow in two wheel drive. As long as you don't panic or try to drive faster than you can handle you will be fine.

 

All good advice in the previous post. I'll only add that you need a lot less traction to steer than to stop. You'd be amazed at how well you can turn in the snow if you can just keep your foot off the brakes. If someone screws up in front of you, think avoidance, not stop. Stop rarely works.

 

Watch out for the wet greasy snow, mud tires have ZERO traction in those conditions.

Also avoid using compression braking when in snow as it sometimes has a tendicy to break the tires loose.

 

Maybe Motor Trend's "Top 4 Tips for Driving Like a Pro" would be helpful - http://blogs.motortrend.com/6227881/editorial/top-four-tips-for-driving-like-a-pro/index.html
Certainly #3 is appropriate - "look ahead" - that's especially important in snow. Drive waaay ahead, and plan how to get around any potential obstacles. Driving slow gives you time to plan and react.

 

Everyone has great tips here...So I will just parrot the thing I feel is most important...When on ice, brakes are NOT your friend.

 

Great tips from everyone, but the BEST tip is to call in sick and go play in the stuff. :twisted:

 

Ha!! Well since the cats were nice enough to bring in a wood pecker downstairs..... They proceeded to chase the thing all over our bedroom.... I am up now.

Thanks for the tips guys! Yes indeed I will be driving S ... L .. O . W


I need to go out and tighten the ALT belt, she was squeling a bit on acceleration.

Then maybe a quick romp through the snow in the fields!

Kent

 

I gotta agree, that is by far the best tip.

 

I have only drivn my old car in the snow, and I have to admit I had more fun than I should have.

But I learned real quick after about a grand in tow truck bills to leave the fun for empty parking lost and dirt roads with no ditches.

Down shifting is better than breaking, especialy with out power or ABS breaks.

E-brake is bad when turning if not in parking lot.

And when stuck find some one with a fireplace and a bucket of ashes.

 

Besides driving slow and all the rest of these good tips, I use 2wd as much as possible (depends on what type of snow)!

There is NO substitute for snow tires, I have a set of Nokian Hakkapeliittas, 215x85x16s on the front and 245x75x16s studded on the rear (same O.D.), I also have a posi in the rear.........the trooper NEVER would have caught me in that snow storm if that blue hair wasn't in front of me!!! All kidding aside, tall skinny tires work best in snow or should I say slush (less pull), those "all season" tires means all seasons EXCEPT winter !!

I have lots more storys....but this is just my .02.

Dale