Winter Sminter

[got3fords]

During a storm I usually leave it in 4WD. The days after, the roads are usually back to asphalt except at stops where people tend to slide/skid and thus create ice. The city truck then start putting salt everywhere and we are usually good... except when it's so cold like right now. The salt doesn't work and the ice stays.

Ah, I get it. That happens to a much less degree in Va. Sometimes I just want to put it 4 and blast through a poorly cleared part of an intersection. Ya know, just for fun. But the cleared path is usually clear and dry.

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[TheDo114]

Ah, I get it. That happens to a much less degree in Va. Sometimes I just want to put it 4 and blast through a poorly cleared part of an intersection. Ya know, just for fun. But the cleared path is usually clear and dry.

Oh I get that, always fun to play in the snow

 

[CB750F]

Man, I feel like a loser, I have 4 bags of crushed stone dust in the back.

 

[4rd SVT]

Shur Trax All Weather Traction

I have one in the back of my 2WD Tacoma. Works great in the back of that truck. Made in the USA aka Michigan too.

I've been meaning to order one for my Ranger, but so far I've gotten around without needing one or any additional-weight just yet.

For me it's worth the money to have one in the back of the Ranger too... If there's snow & ice on the roads...

 

[erty176]

Dunno if you all have the rear locker option, but I've found it to be the best solution thus far to the switching in and out of 4wd all the time problem. Click it on and it helps get going, then turns itself off above 25mph.

 

[IdahoRanger]

Do my skis in the back count as added weight?

 

[Swingpure]

There’s nothing wrong with having weight in the back of truck, over the rear wheels, I just found this year, for me, it was not necessary. None of my friends up here who have trucks add weight either. I do find the Ranger back end light and the rear tires can spin, but I just then put it into 4x4, and don’t have to carry the extra weight the other 99% of the time.

There is also nothing wrong to switching to 4x4 when conditions warrant. That’s why it is there. I sometimes do it, but 99% of the time I am in 2wd. If for some reason I stop on my steep driveway, I will switch it into 4x4 for traction.i have also done it if the roads are icy or if I am in deep snow..

As mentioned in my first post on this thread, I generally will put the Ranger in 2nd gear to run up the driveway. It is amazing how big of a difference it is from simply using Drive.

i do have rear diff lock, but have never used it.

 

[Joeiconic]

I don’t understand why people invest in a 4x4 truck and then seemingly try their best to avoid using 4wd.

 

[slowmachine]

I my teen years (late 1970s) I worked at a bicycle shop in the Chicago area. Our shop truck was a 2WD Ford pickup. We never had snow tires. At the first significant snowfall after Christmas, we would have the bucket loader operator who cleared the parking lot fill the pickup bed with snow, and it would stay that way until the weather warmed. I used rock salt bags in the trunk of my Mustang. I think there has been a huge improvement in tire engineering since then. When coupled with traction-control electronics, performance on snow and ice has improved tremendously.

Still, 4WD helps me frequently with one simple task, which is getting the Ranger into my own garage. It’s a hard right turn, up a slight drainage slope, into a standard single garage door, with a fairly sharp transition from the asphalt driveway to the concrete garage slab. Of course, it has to be on the shady side of the house, so any ice that takes hold there stays for weeks. It is very common for the rear tires to slip on the ice, threatening to slide the truck sideways into the door opening, but engaging the front wheels pulls the Ranger straight in without any drama. We dream of downsizing and moving south, but 4x4 will suffice for at least the next four years.

 

[66F100]

I don’t understand why people invest in a 4x4 truck and then seemingly try their best to avoid using 4wd.

Wouldn't want to wear it out.

 

[gov cheese]

2019 ranger 2wd first time in snow with this truck and traction control. 200lbs of sand in the bed went out early for first tracks in 6-8 inches of snow. Have to get used to traction control cutting power but it did get the truck moving from stops. Switching to sport and starting in 2nd gear helped. After driving for a bit put it back in D and turned off advanced track to see how it would handle. on the crowned road the rear would kick out with a little right foot. Going back to sport starting in 2nd and shifting to higher gears kept it from spinning the wheels. Turned traction control back on after a little fun.

To check how slick road are will get going 10-15 mph and lock up the brakes to see how long it takes to stop. One thing i did not like was the noise abs was making.

Use paver sand for weight and to spread on ice when when it is really slick. Couple years ago Fedex truck got stuck on a patch of ice threw some sand under the tires and it got the truck moving.

 

[Motorpsychology]

I’m gonna take out my 2 bags of gravel tomorrow and see how I like it. You talked me into it.

If you have the Kumhos, use your balloon foot when starting out, they're not a very good winter tire, IMO.

 

[Motorpsychology]

Do my skis in the back count as added weight?

Only if they have aluminum binders, nor carbon fiber.

 

[Swingpure]

It has been too cold for the car washes to be open most days and the other days there has been so much slop on the roads, it would look as bad when I got home, as when I left.

Today it warmed to a balmy -5° C (23°F) and my Buddy has a power washer in his basement with a walkout door. He washed off the layers of mud and dirt and some road salt, while the snow was falling. I only live a short distance from him and was able to get the truck back in the garage pretty clean.

The roads and his and my driveway were slippery, so I did use 4x4. As much as I said I use 2wd 99% of the time, it does not mean any time the roads look tricky, I do not put it into 4x4. That is why it is there.

 

[F150stxguy]

I’m moving back to the snow belt and my next truck will be 2wd. Traction/winter tires are more important than 8 wheel drive on shit tires.

I want an FX2 (I do want the locker for around my property).

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