Snow tires - on a truck?

MotoSook · 12-10-2009, 03:50 PM

You guys love snow tires.

The rusty F150 with new Cooper tires on it and 150+ lbs of weight at the end of the bed Is just terrible for traction. Of coure this past week I have had to drive in the worst conditons since I started driving. Iced over roads and blinding blowing snow and drifts. I usually drive highways but the past couple weeks I've been working in the country and have to take 2 lane roads that don't always get salted first.

Anyhow, with the crappy weight balance of a pickup are snow tires work the money?

Remember this is my beater so I'm probably going to get the cheapest snow tires I can if there is any benefit to them.

On a side note, I love the old rusty truck "Old Blue." I don't think I can live without a pickup now.

Side note 2: where is Jim Richards?

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

Jim posted last night I saw... You might consider getting some weight in the bed of that beast too... Maybe some railroad ties or something....

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Add more weight, and snow tires. They really work. The tread pattern fills with snow, and the traction comes from the snow to snow contact. Also, typical snow tires are narrower, to give additional bite. I recommend 4 snow tires, to help with breaking, not just traction for "going".

Rick V · 12-10-2009, 04:08 PM

Also don't add too much weight to the rear of the bed, place in the front, helps to keep from getting the front too light, and forces all 4 wheels down

MotoSook · 12-10-2009, 04:52 PM

Just saw some (although less than 2 in stock) on tire rack for $65 each. Will probably pick some up as cheap insurance.

I'll add some more weight to the rear axle.

I have Blizzaks on my 5 series and it's a traction whore, but wasn't sure I'd get the same benefit with the truck. Last couple days I would have been better off driving the bimmer instead of the truck.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Again, it is all about a very very stiff tire with a deep wavy tread.

motion · 12-10-2009, 05:21 PM

I ran Blizzaks on my 2WD F150 along with 900 pounds of tube sand in the bed. You might laugh, but I could go almost anywhere. Awesome traction.

MotoSook · 12-10-2009, 07:11 PM

Winter sucks!

One of the windshield washer nozzle on the Jeep is frozen 'cuse the niece (I'm here legal guardian) didn't clear the snow off the hood cowl. I tried heating it a little with a lighter with no luck.

The overhead door to the rear shop is frozen to the concrete.

The roads are still covered with ice, and I have to be on the road before 6AM to drive 70 miles of country roads.

I just put another 60 lbs (bag of concrete I had in the shop) in the tuff box I'm using to store weight in the bed of the truck. Wi be slow going in the morning.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Make sure you have WINTER fluid in the washers. We only get SUMMER fluid down here, which is detergent water, no alcohol.

MotoSook · 07:31 PM

Yep I only buy the winter stuff. But when the wind chill is -15F and melting snow fills the nozzle

MT930 · 12-10-2009, 07:33 PM

Studded tires are the ticket on 3/4 ton 4WD pickups if you need to drive mountain roads every day. Not as effective as chains though. Very noisy

I wish I had the studs on last week.

flatbutt · 12-10-2009, 07:36 PM

I've always placed the weight just in front of the rear axle.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by MT930

Studded tires are the ticket on 3/4 ton 4WD pickups if you need to drive mountain roads every day. Not as effective as chains though. Very noisy

I wish I had the studs on last week.

Some of the newer tires put high strength polymer fibers into the rubber, which act like a million little studs (for her pleasure). Anyway, I ran snows, and kept chains in the trunk in case I needed them. I never needed them.

I ran studded snows in the 1980's. I think NYS outlawed them after that. In the 1990s, my snow tires were stud capable. They had the holes where studs could be added. I was driving 110 miles round trip, per day. I ran standard tires on car, and kept 2 snow tires in the back. When snow occurred, I would swap to snows. If conditions looked good, the regular tires went back on. Even under bad conditions, I could swap tires in 15 minutes. But again, this was driving 110 miles per day, 5 days per week, with usually more on the weekends, 45,000 miles per year.

rammstein · 12-10-2009, 08:41 PM

Studs were legal as of 98 when I moved out of upstate NY. You had to take them off by April though. Maybe it was by county, I don't recall.

My buddy had an old 2wd dakota with studs, and it managed (although the studs had the opposite effect when the roads cleared). Regardless, get a set of snows. You are just paying in advance- your other tires last correspondingly longer.

Snowtires!!!