Sponsored

Ranger Got Me Home Safe

OP
OP
scarchild35

scarchild35

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chris
Joined
May 16, 2022
Threads
5
Messages
339
Reaction score
930
Location
St. Louis
Vehicle(s)
2000 Ford Ranger
Occupation
Sales Engineer
Sounds like Northern Utah. Strider has gotten me home like this so I can appreciate your relief.
Northern Utah?
I doubt it ever gets that bad here except for maybe once every few years, haha.
Sponsored

 
OP
OP
scarchild35

scarchild35

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chris
Joined
May 16, 2022
Threads
5
Messages
339
Reaction score
930
Location
St. Louis
Vehicle(s)
2000 Ford Ranger
Occupation
Sales Engineer
You're old enough to probably remember the thunder snow blizzard we had in 1982. I was only 9 at the time but will never forget that storm. I'm in the metro east, we had about 6 inches here yesterday.
Yes, I do remember. My mom woke me up just to experience it. Not sure if I've experienced it since then except for yesterday. I was 9 then too. We were off school the whole next week. At the time we had Honda ATCs and we would ride them up to the store to get stuff for us, and other families. My dad had a 250r, mom had a 185 and I had a little 110 which had zero suspension on the front or back, haha. Good times.
Yesterday I think we got around 4" total or so but it came down so fast and sudden, that's why my ride home was so ridiculous.
But the Ranger handled it like a champ and in style. Love that truck.
 
OP
OP
scarchild35

scarchild35

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chris
Joined
May 16, 2022
Threads
5
Messages
339
Reaction score
930
Location
St. Louis
Vehicle(s)
2000 Ford Ranger
Occupation
Sales Engineer
I used my truck for the first time in snow last week for a 60 mile commute home and was very pleased with the performance. I ran 4H normal on the highways and then ran the 4H snow/sand/gravel on the mountain and was equally impressed. Def could tell the difference in power distribution and gearing when put in the snow option.



IMG_0515.jpeg
Love it
 

5thranger

Well-Known Member
First Name
Gary
Joined
Jul 16, 2022
Threads
2
Messages
1,146
Reaction score
4,387
Location
kansas
Vehicle(s)
2020 Lariat Ranger Rapid Red
Occupation
Retired
Were you hearing traction control at all?
I just wanted to share this today.
I just got home through a horrible storm that made the roads treacherous. Left work early and the roads were already total slop. Cars spun out, in the ditch, multiple accidents, you get the idea. It was thundersnowing. People were simply driving too fast. So I got the truck warm, put it in D, and off I went. Took it easy down the highway about 15 miles and turned off onto the main road leading me home. There is a hill on this road that goes down and up again in both directions. It seemed as though everyone was having trouble getting up this hill, getting stuck and stalling out. So I locked up the rear diff and took off, driving straight up this hill, getting sideways a little here and there, but made it right up, passing everyone along the way. It was awesome. I've never had a rear locking diff on any vehicle and that feature definitely got me up that hill and home safely. And my Ranger is only a 2wd. I'm so glad I got the FX2 package. I would not have made it in my old Ranger. My truck felt safe and sure-footed, confident and secure all the way home. I thought I loved that truck as much as you could love an object but I have a whole new level of appreciation and happiness for my Ranger. It got me home in treacherous conditions, no problem, without a scratch or even a moment of worry. And climbing that hill like a madman, with all the power our trucks have, gettin sideways, put a huge ass smile on my face.
2022 Scab Xl, STX FX2.
WOW. Really cool.
Bonus: my dog was super excited to see me get home so early.
Thanks for reading.
Blue Dream for the win today.
20240216_124613.jpg
Glad you made it home safely, but need a photo of your dog
 


DROZ23

Well-Known Member
First Name
Dan
Joined
Jan 21, 2024
Threads
2
Messages
125
Reaction score
143
Location
VIRGINIA
Vehicle(s)
2022 Ranger Tremor
Occupation
Beening Badass
I just wanted to share this today.
I just got home through a horrible storm that made the roads treacherous. Left work early and the roads were already total slop. Cars spun out, in the ditch, multiple accidents, you get the idea. It was thundersnowing. People were simply driving too fast. So I got the truck warm, put it in D, and off I went. Took it easy down the highway about 15 miles and turned off onto the main road leading me home. There is a hill on this road that goes down and up again in both directions. It seemed as though everyone was having trouble getting up this hill, getting stuck and stalling out. So I locked up the rear diff and took off, driving straight up this hill, getting sideways a little here and there, but made it right up, passing everyone along the way. It was awesome. I've never had a rear locking diff on any vehicle and that feature definitely got me up that hill and home safely. And my Ranger is only a 2wd. I'm so glad I got the FX2 package. I would not have made it in my old Ranger. My truck felt safe and sure-footed, confident and secure all the way home. I thought I loved that truck as much as you could love an object but I have a whole new level of appreciation and happiness for my Ranger. It got me home in treacherous conditions, no problem, without a scratch or even a moment of worry. And climbing that hill like a madman, with all the power our trucks have, gettin sideways, put a huge ass smile on my face.
2022 Scab Xl, STX FX2.
WOW. Really cool.
Bonus: my dog was super excited to see me get home so early.
Thanks for reading.
Blue Dream for the win today.
20240216_124613.jpg
You did it the hard way but it worked out great. 2wd, even with a locker, can be a challenge in snow without weight in the back. Lockers are 100% better then not. 4x4 is 200% then lockers in the snow. 400% better with 4x4 and lockers. I come from AZ and CO. In the desert you don't need a 4x4 as much. A locker is usually enough(prerunner). Snow not so much. Next time dumps some weight over the rear axles and it we be so much better with a locker system. like 200 Lbs.

In Colorado I ran 250Lbs all winter in the bed of my 99. Never used chains once 5 years. Ever. most of the time I ran 2wd. I lived in the Mountains too. Not like the city folk that talk about winter weather in Denver but hardly ever gets bad. We'd get a foot of fresh and I had to be at work no matter what.
 
Last edited:

JohnnyO

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jon
Joined
Apr 8, 2021
Threads
23
Messages
1,969
Reaction score
6,143
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Vehicle(s)
2020 Ranger STX 4x4
Occupation
Asst. Greenskeeper, Bushwood Country Club
Lockers, limited-slips, and traction control are all helpful but tires make the biggest difference.
I've always run A/T's on my 4x4's which is enough but use Bridgestone Blizzaks on my wife's minivans and they go as good as my 4x4's in all but the worst stuff and probably stop and turn better. She won't roll on anything else in the winter.
 
OP
OP
scarchild35

scarchild35

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chris
Joined
May 16, 2022
Threads
5
Messages
339
Reaction score
930
Location
St. Louis
Vehicle(s)
2000 Ford Ranger
Occupation
Sales Engineer
Lockers, limited-slips, and traction control are all helpful but tires make the biggest difference.
I've always run A/T's on my 4x4's which is enough but use Bridgestone Blizzaks on my wife's minivans and they go as good as my 4x4's in all but the worst stuff and probably stop and turn better. She won't roll on anything else in the winter.
Yes. I'm definitely looking forward to shopping for new tires when the stock ones wear thin. Well, my wallet is NOT looking forward to it but I'm interested in seeing what my options are. The stock tires have done pretty well for me so far though I know there are better choices out there.
 

JohnnyO

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jon
Joined
Apr 8, 2021
Threads
23
Messages
1,969
Reaction score
6,143
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Vehicle(s)
2020 Ranger STX 4x4
Occupation
Asst. Greenskeeper, Bushwood Country Club
Yes. I'm definitely looking forward to shopping for new tires when the stock ones wear thin. Well, my wallet is NOT looking forward to it but I'm interested in seeing what my options are. The stock tires have done pretty well for me so far though I know there are better choices out there.
Lotta people like Cooper A/T3's and Falken Wildpeaks. I have the Coopers, knarly looking and good in all kinds of weather but not real happy with the tread wear. I won't get more than 35k out of them, same as everything else I've had. The roads here are hell on tires. Gonna go back to low-cost Mastercrafts next time.
 
OP
OP
scarchild35

scarchild35

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chris
Joined
May 16, 2022
Threads
5
Messages
339
Reaction score
930
Location
St. Louis
Vehicle(s)
2000 Ford Ranger
Occupation
Sales Engineer
Lotta people like Cooper A/T3's and Falken Wildpeaks. I have the Coopers, knarly looking and good in all kinds of weather but not real happy with the tread wear. I won't get more than 35k out of them, same as everything else I've had. The roads here are hell on tires. Gonna go back to low-cost Mastercrafts next time.
I used to swear by Cooper R/Ts back in my Mustang days and had Coopers on my old Ranger too. Great tires. I've been seeing a lot of buzz about the Falken wildpeaks and have been considering getting those for my Ranger when the time comes. Do you think those are a good choice? I want something decent but nothing extreme in either design or price. The Hankooks have been decent but I probably won't get those again, especially if I can get something better for a reasonable price. I have around 21,500 miles on the factory tires and they still have a ton of meat left on them. Pretty confident I can get another 20k out of em.
 

DROZ23

Well-Known Member
First Name
Dan
Joined
Jan 21, 2024
Threads
2
Messages
125
Reaction score
143
Location
VIRGINIA
Vehicle(s)
2022 Ranger Tremor
Occupation
Beening Badass
Lockers, limited-slips, and traction control are all helpful but tires make the biggest difference.
I've always run A/T's on my 4x4's which is enough but use Bridgestone Blizzaks on my wife's minivans and they go as good as my 4x4's in all but the worst stuff and probably stop and turn better. She won't roll on anything else in the winter.
100%. in snow/ice conditions I would almost take a FWD car with blizzaks over a AT 4x4 set up. Assuming it is not feet of snow. Tire are king on icy roads.
 

JohnnyO

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jon
Joined
Apr 8, 2021
Threads
23
Messages
1,969
Reaction score
6,143
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Vehicle(s)
2020 Ranger STX 4x4
Occupation
Asst. Greenskeeper, Bushwood Country Club
I used to swear by Cooper R/Ts back in my Mustang days and had Coopers on my old Ranger too. Great tires. I've been seeing a lot of buzz about the Falken wildpeaks and have been considering getting those for my Ranger when the time comes. Do you think those are a good choice? I want something decent but nothing extreme in either design or price. The Hankooks have been decent but I probably won't get those again, especially if I can get something better for a reasonable price. I have around 21,500 miles on the factory tires and they still have a ton of meat left on them. Pretty confident I can get another 20k out of em.
Cooper and Mastercraft are some of the few tires still made in the USA.
Everyone I see online that has Falkens loves them.
The tread on the Mastercraft Courser Trail is similar to the Falkens.
Mastercraft is Cooper's bargain brand. Costs about $50 less a tire than Coopers or Falkens.
My bud's tire shop across town is a Mastercraft dealer but he can order anything, that's where I got my Coopers and my wife's Blizzaks.
 
 








Top