Any advice for 2WD truck in snow?

[357-RevolverGuy]

I have always lived in the South and we rarely get but a day or two of snow a year and usually melts the next day. Snow here doesn’t get plowed like it does up north and with the current storm that passed through my area we got about 8-10 inches. I even measured over a foot in my driveway. I have a 2007 2WD Dodge Dakota. Driving in my hilly neighborhood this morning was scary as the vehicle was skidding and sliding on ice until I finally got to a main road which was 7 miles from me. I have A/T tires with good tread and a tool box in the bed which does add some weight, but is there anything else I can do? I have to head back home late tonight and am getting worried about the roads icing up.

 

[hsmith9491]

Put a lot of weight in the bed..

 

[Kanewpadle]

Chains. Even cable changes would work and they don't cost as much. Put more weight in the back of your truck. Much more.

 

[BigBill]

Before 4 wheel drives we put two 55 gallon drums of water in the bed for traction and plowed that way. One should work for you don’t fill it.

 

[s&wchad]

Throw a couple big bags of salt or sand in the back of the bed, maintain plenty of distance from other vehicles and keep it steady and slow.

If the roads are too bad, I hunker down and stay put.



/

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Chain up, put some weight in the bed,
And most important of all -
Slow Down!
Drive slow and don’t spin the tires.
Old hill billy mountain man trick -
When you return from your last wood cutting trip,
Unload wood down to the top of the bed.
That’s you bed weight!
The first time I saw that, I was just amazed at all the guys hauling around wood with snow on top of it.
Then somebody told me why.
Sure! I knew that!

 

[Fishinfool]

Don't stop going up hills. Momentum is your friend.

Larry

 

[cballman]

Living here in Kentucky most of my life. Never owned a 4wd. Always put some weight in back of truck. Braced it in so it would not slide. Just remember snow makes people stupid. Dont drive like a fool. Should be gone in a couple of days. Good luck and be careful out there.

 

[SteveA]

Sand, sand, sand. If you can find tubes of it get 4 or more.

 

[Walkingwolf]

Put a lot of weight in the bed..

Like the snow that you shovel from your driveway.

 

[357-RevolverGuy]

All great advice. Thanks guys!

 

[Ranger17]

As noted, weight in the back. Driving up here in the 70's and 80's never had 4wd or awd; just put on good old school snow tires in back and a few bags of sand (useful if you get stuck as well).
I would say to not overload the back though, or your weight will transfer to the rear causing issues up front.

These days i'm putting snow tires front and back of my car, the softer rubber compound in cold temps helps grip on ice and snow which can give better traction turning and stopping.
I'd venture to guess the all terrain tires are set up for sand and mud, not helping much in this cold/snow/ice period plaguing everyone.

 

[g-dad]

Like the snow that you shovel from your driveway.

This ^^^^

I had an 2 wheel drive Izuzu pick up yrs. ago and never had a problem with traction. The bed was full of snow and when I no longer needed it the sun made it go away!

 

[Weimar]

Sand, sand, sand. If you can find tubes of it get 4 or more.

this nothing beats studded snow tires but when we didn't have them, we'd add 3 or 4 tubes of sand and that was good

 

[Arik]

Pile that snow into the bed. I used to do this even with my 4x4. Made a tank out of it. The best part is that as the weather takes away the snow on the ground it also takes away the snow in the truck. You can also get more snow for free!!!

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[D Brown]

If you're on ice, stay out of low gear. If its an automatic, try starting out in second gear. Anticipate stops well in advance, maintain PLENTY of distance between vehicles. If you have 4WD, STAY OUT of LOW RANGE when you're on ice!

 

[Rpg]

Be careful and don’t put too much extra weight in the back: it can lift the front end off the road as you accelerate.

You end up unable to control the front end. Even keeping in a straight line becomes difficult

 

[nachogrande]

OPTIONS

I'm sure there are more but if there's black ice stay home & avoid the hassle IF ABLE. Chains, added wt, air down the tires "a bit", SLOW DOWN, give yourself more space than usual between vehicles, go easy on the turns brakes & accelerator, stay in the ruts. Extra warm clothes/blankets/sleeping bag couldn't hurt, in the event you get stuck & are there a while. PUT ANOTHER LOG ON THE FIRE. A couple of bags of kitty litter for traction, if needed, is clean & can be a blessing.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Momentum is the name of the game. If you come to a four way stop all alone, don't come to full stop. Slow down enough to make sure it's safe and keep going. If the roads are icy slow down and double your following and stopping distance. And let the right two tires ride in the snow for a little more traction. But not too much or the snow will suck you right into the ditch.

If you're in traffic and come to a four way stop or red light, leave some room in front of you in case the car behind you can't stop. If you can see them coming you can inch forward a bit until they do stop.

You will be white knuckle for a while but if you take it slow you'll be ok.

 

[JayCeeNC]

When I was a beat cop our city did not use tire chains in snow.
We'd drop our tire pressure to about 20psi so the tires got big and soft and wide. Worked for us.
Of course, remember to reinflate when the streets are clear.