^ Ha yea that's me. I was just working outside around the house last weekend and thought it's starting to get to that time of year.

First off, my 2wd did pretty well last winter driving in snow and ice, I added 200 lbs of sand to the bed to help me get traction. I also found that starting off in 2nd (I have an auto) helped me take off from stops, and the engine braking effect helped me slow down without locking up the tires when driving slow enough to stay in 2nd. Also just driving slower in general works.

Most of my driving in the winter is just back and forth to work (main country roads, 6 miles each way) and driving around town for errands.

Still I've been thinking of ideas to improve things. I was on a kick about adding a limited slip, but upon further reading it sounds dangerous, as the rear end will kick out faster then it does now with my open rear diff.

So I'm thinking of snow tires. I've got a set of 15" steel wheels lying around now, so they would be a good candidate for some dedicated winter rubber.

Anyone with experience on tires (brands, studded vs. no studs, etc.) I would appreciate some feedback. Also if they are really worth the effort and price or not?

A couple of guys at the office here drive 07'ish Mustang GTs, all year round, and they swear by their Blizzaks. They also always make it into work every day. So I think winter tires must help a lot, but I'm interested in feedback from the Ranger people.

Thanks!

 

Heres something I watched on tire rack thats making me consider getting winter tires.

Video Center

 

i run limited slip with snow tires and no weight in the back. my truck is still better than my dads front wheel drive honda accord manual with snow tires.

 

your not the first, wont be the last.

 

IMO snow tires are a waste of money. At's will do just fine, and you can run them all year.

 

Hmmm i know that i made it all year last year during the winter with the stock tires on my ranger and had no problems getting back and forth to work which was like 14 miles or so. This year i got At's and the drive is much shorter like 5 miles. But i have always belevied in AT's on my trucks. On my two cars i have owned snow tires. So in short your decision

 

i did fine in Wyoming in 2wd with 35x1250 MTZs.. all in town though.

if you have hills then some snow tires aren't a bad idea. a good set of ATs will probably do you fine though.

 

whats winter?

 

where this white cold **** flurries down from the skyyyyy

 

I thought that was called bukakke?

 

If you are gonna get separate tires for winter why not go studs? they will vastly outperform any snow tire without them.

 

haha i work at a tire shop and have never even seen a snow tire.

id say if you have the cash a set of snow tires would be well worth the investment. that video in tire rack was pretty interesting.

 

So wrong, yet funny....

 

.

 

Some states actually do not allow studded tires. If you do go that route, I would check to make sure that it is legal.

 

as a former accord owner im calling bs unless your truck is a 4wd, heres my 94 accord which was lowered 2.25" performance low pro's that did way better than my truck could ever hope to in the snow, laugh all you want at the road sand




x2, although check your local laws and dont run them out of season, my friend who lives in oregon hates em cause the roads are so tore up from the people who leave em on year round .... some states dont allow them at all like wisconsin

california allows them oct 31 - apr 1 and i believe your car must be registered in a county which recieves snowfall .... so if you have say a san diego address no go on studs even if you are driving in an area that snows.

 

ok i have something to say but when you put your tranny in 2 on an auto it will only shift up to second. that doesnt mean that your tranny is in second gear. that means your tranny wont shift over second. its not like a manual.


end rant

 

you are an idiot.


end post

 

Most modern cars start and stay in second when you put it in second. What year is your Focus? It should do it.



And yes automatics can be a manual. Ever heard of autostick? Or paddle shifters?

 

^ dont shoot him bro



edit, damn christian ruined it

 

Downey doesn't drive his Focus.... he rides his hippo....

 

chalk up another wtf on that one .... the only automatic ive ever driven that didnt start in second when put there was an 01 chev kodiac c6500 ... and it was a strange trans to begin with

 

my sisters auto jeep will start and stay in second if you put it there. but its got 33s and the 2.5L not concerned about it spinning tires even in snow, lol

that video was pretty cool, i wonder how my tsl's are gonna do this winter

 

my ranger stay's in 4wd pretty much all winter.. i like 20kms from the nearest town.. plus they plow our road too often.. since my truck is a 5 speed i try to "smooth" out my shifting in the winter.

if you have a 2wd dually like my dad's truck it does awesome in the snow..

 

Yea my Ranger starts and stays in 2nd.

I think I'm going to see how the off-brand all-terrains work that I have on now. They came with the set of wheels I bought and have 8/32" of tread left. I think I read somewhere that less than 6/32" of an inch and you have poor snow traction left.

My thinking was if they do poorly in the snow then spend the money on snow tires so I can get more use out of these all-terrains I have on now in the spring, fall, summer, and not have to replace them for a couple more years. Will see when the powdery stuff gets here, ha.

I checked and Indiana allows studs between Oct. 1 - May 1, and the studs cannot exceed 3/32" beyond the tread of the tire. Do you think studs would tear up my concrete driveway?