I was wondering from people who have drive 2wd pickup trucks in snow. How does a 2wd handle snowy conditions. With putting weight in the bed, and having good tires does it compare to having 4wd. Or is there no comparison?

 

No comparison. Get chains, that will help alot.

 

ive had my truck for 2 winters now and i know how my 2wd LS will respond... it just takes some getting used to and knowing how much gas and brakes so use to keep from spinning or sliding

 

no way in hell you need chains in Ohio

and chains are more for ice anyway


I drove a 01 ranger 2wd with open diff for 5years with no weight in the bed, and never had a problem


btw, im in columbus, ohio

 

weight in the bed will help
so will snow tires

i have never driven in it until this winter but my dad has for his whole life in NY/CT

 

Good narrow snow tires, the skinnier the better,and some weight in the bed.
Four wheel drive will get you up to speed faster , BUT,they don't stop any faster than a two wheel drive.

 

if you look around, at like January/February you can find a ton of stuff NOT to do and some to do in the ice/snow because when it iced down here a few guys were asking around...

 

dont make it to big of a deal....its mainly just knowing how your truck handles like mentioned above...i to live in columbus and it hasnt been a problem for me and all last winter i didnt even put weight in my bed

 

I have a 2wd. We got a bad snow storm last year and school was closed for 6 days. I have BFGoodrich A/T's and they ARE THE BEST tires for snow. The snow falls off as they turn. I like to start out in 2nd with just a little gas and about 160 pounds in the rear end and i won't slide a bit.

 

always had a 2wd truck and lived in mi all my life..

BFG A/T helped alot.. my f-150 before had firestones they sucked... my coopers sucked... BFG's wow... wonderful....

now its not all in the tires.. its like how D said its in how you drive.. manual helps if you know what your doing...

some argue L/S rearend is bad... well it helps me... you have to learn to drive it in the snow

pretty much its all in how you drive...

 

Never driven 2WD in snow evar





But seriously sometimes you get stuck, but just like life you dig it out.



I will probably will buy another 4x4 truck, but it will most likely be because in MN a 2WD truck is hard to come by, and vehicle manufacturers are making 2wd drive trucks so boring now that to get any looks and excitement you need a 4x4. Look at all 2WD new F-150s They look like fleet trucks. I grew up in a family that used to take a full size buick hauling a camper trailer down logging trails that some of the off roaders here would think twice about and it amazed me what my grandpa could do with a 5000 # car and a good set of snow tires. I wish I had half the driving skill he had, but then again I wasn't a farmers son.

~HJ

 

4WD hands down kicks 2wd ***.


Just for example. At my old college, there was a long hill that the dorms was on. One night it snowed about a half foot, on top of a bunch more. As I went around this sharp steep corner, my truck started sliding to the left. The whole truck.

So, here's how I reacted in my 4wd, I pressed on the gas a bit and the front tires grabbed and pulled the truck more into my lane. Because the front tires were ALSO fighting against the sliding.

A 2wd would've spun out and then hit the curb really hard.


Simply you're going to get a bunch of 2wd guys who try to act like 4wd is no benefit, so they feel better about their purchase.


Altho, for the record, I think 2wd is not any worse on snow really. My dad has lived his whole life here with 2wd trucks and they're mostly driver skill. The only difference is when I drive into a ditch...I can drive out.

 

John haha you love those pics a lot.

And to what Zach Stone said, I feel L/S makes a bunch of difference. My two trucks react a lot differently. Altho a L/S is pretty fun.

 

yeah comes down to this...


2WD sucks only in snow especialy with power, 2Wd good for DD not offroad in 4x4 conditions, LS = alot better than open, nothing lamer than being stuck in a cleared parking lot only because one tire is on some ice.

LS FTW.. one of the best things you can get

 

the bfgoodrich all terrains keep me on the road just fine, it is mostly just driver skill, if you dont know what your doing, your gonna run into something, like when it snowed here nowone knew how to drive in it bc were not used to it, even the people with 4x4's didnt know how do drive in it, but i could drive in it just fine with 1 wheel drive

 

I think D. is right to a certain extent. While I believe that four wheel drive is much better no doubt, knowing how to drive in the snow i huge.

I have fou rwheel drive, but my first winter I spun out with four wheel drive engaged. Im no pro still, but I can handle myself now using just two wheel.

But having a 4x4 is no doubt much easier...

 

retarded drivers no survivors

 

I live in Colorado. While we don't get the great lakes snow, we see a fair amount out here... 2 big snows over 2 feet in less than 2 weeks time last winter. I used the 4wd in my Bronco when I needed to, the majority of the time it was in 2wd. It's a matter of learning to drive the vehicle in the snow and know how it's going to react.

Matt (99Ranger4x4), be prepared for big snow in WY, especially up in Laramie. If you want some tips, I'd be willing to share some advice with ya.

 

I'm from Canada so we're naturally born into snow driving . . .

In all honesty 4wd will be your best friend. You can manage with 2wd if you aren't pushing snow with the suspension, climbing hills or reversing. Our trucks being light will as expected, not be king of the snow. I live on a farm and take 4 miles of un-plowed gravel roads that can drift over level with the ditch and had to rely on the odometer and OHC compass to find the crossroads. From my experience (learned the hard way, many times), a 2WD can be somewhat capable, putting 200-500lbs of secured weight, low tire pressures, decent tires and common sense style driving you'll be more than fine.

Winter weight ideas:
ski-doo (420lb 79' Ski-Doo Blizzard) in the bed,
tractor/semi tire tubes cut in 1/2s, filled with gravel or road salt and clamped with 1x2" wood and 1/2" bolts,
5-gallon pails/buckets of gravel or road salt,
a quad or trike.

Supplies:
!!!!!shovel!!!!! obvously,
flashlight/spot light,
extra clothing, mainly gloves, neck warmer, socks,toque incase you have to walk,
tire pressure tester,
a piece of flat wood for a level base for jack (OEM jack will push right through snow),
and if you wish a traction device like length of shingles, hinge plate, angle iron . . .

Most important as said many time above is your driving, keep your cool. Panic driving only leads to accidents that might have been prevented. When stopping give yourself PLENTY of time, all to often there have been other drivers lock their brakes and left the road a skating rink. Remember, you can't slow down and turn at the same time usually, once you get the front tires sliding/locked turning is nearly impossible. If traction is an issue when in a lane, the top ridge (middle of lane) can usually provide traction of seldom driven snow. Getting going is a balancing act between your power/traction, if very icy I will start off in 2nd gear or 1st and take off with the Parking brake on PARTIALLY and release immediately after (not releasing completely will lock the rear up before the front and F you up). Another little tip is when in heavy traffic leave plenty of room infront of you incase the car behind you starts sliding towards you, you can INCH forward.

The last thing I will say before I finish this story book is that after you get your first snow go to an empty 110% safe parking lot away from anyone/thing you could possibly hit and get to know your truck. Learn how it stops without sliding, what speeds it will steer without sliding, how long it takes to stop from certain speeds and what speeds you won't get wheel spin. If you feel confident enough play around and see how you could possibly save a spin or slide, I have a supercab (longer wheelbase) and Limited Slip so I can usually somewhat save a spin or slide that isn't expected . . .

Well I imagine you get the point, lol sorry.

 

i wouldn't be too worried about your driving, because you can go slow.. but like everyone else said, im worried about the other dumbass drivers on the road

 

Sorry have to laugh here.
I have a fellow worker that he thinks if you $1600 dollars for your training to get a license like in Europe you will be a better driver. Of course he has never driven in Europe.
He constantly says how he has to watch out for the other drivers. Of course last year there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground. The road in front of where we work is 25 MPH limit. Of course that is on a good day. One day last year he comes in all worked up. He asked me if I had any trouble driving in. I said nope. He told me how he slide past the parking lot entrance?????????????????????? I guess he is the other driver I have to watch out for.
Have you ever noticed when you talk with people, they all stop at stop signs and redlights and are very careful drivers? Why is it then that 99.9% of the driver out there drive like crap? Are they ashamed of admitting they drive bad? Do they truly believe they drive good? I can not figure this out.
If you really want to see how bad people drive, ride a motorcyle.

I believe that people are the worst drivers when they become tourists. It's like they forget all the correct things to do when driving.

 

4wd makes you go better in the snow compared to 2wd, hands down.

but hey guess what they all stop the same!

Ive had both. And the guys with 4wd are giving a much better answer to the situation because we can switch instantly from 2wd to 4wd. we know the exact difference.

but i will say again they all stop the same so just because you are in 4wd does not mean you can go faster than what you do in 2wd.

all the same in snowy conditions i would much rather have 4wd.

 

We live pretty close to each other and pretty much get the same weather.

What I've done in rwd pickups is to buy 4-6 bags of salt for the water softener. I generally keep 2bags in the back and if a snow storm is coming I'll throw the others in. Between the weight and having a tire with a good tread depth you'll be fine.

If you have the money.. get a set of 4 snow tires for winter. They really are a good investment. They go, turn, and stop much better than regular all season radials.

Rich