Clueless 4x4 Icy Road Guy

[HuckleberryFun]

Just got back from a run to the market driving my chained up car over compacted snow & ice covered roads. Yet again I saw a guy in a Big Ol' 4x4 Truck stuck on the ice gunning his engine thinking that will get him out. I like Big Ol' Trucks too, but here's a helpful hint:
Four wheel drive just means you're spinning four wheels instead of two.
Sometimes more testosterone is not the answer. (Sometimes it is, but not this time...)

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[v0lcom13sn0w]

my little front drive mitsubishi lancer with studs front and back does better in the snow than my lifted f150 4x4 with 36" tires. a lot less weight to have to control. easier to stop. easier to steer. oh and 3x the fuel economy

 

[clearconscience]

Yeah people are stupid, but not as stupid as oregon for not using salt.

I have a newer Honda CRV AWD with studs and I have been really surprised and happy with how well it has zoomed around the snow and ice in vancouver and portland.

 

[HuckleberryFun]

my little front drive mitsubishi lancer with studs front and back does better in the snow than my lifted f150 4x4 with 36" tires. a lot less weight to have to control. easier to stop. easier to steer. oh and 3x the fuel economy

Good point. There are limits though: I saw a dang Geo Metro going down the street. Deciding still if that's ballsy or stupid.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

it depends on the driver. if you aren't comfortable in the snow or your car isnt properly equipped, dont drive. its not worth putting your life or someone elses at risk. the worst thing one can do beside hit your brakes too hard is to be over confident and then panic. thats when wrecks happen.

 

[CamoDeafie]

In my experience, the FWD GM A-body cars with the right tires (snow tires) and V6s were among the best snow rigs I've driven...second only to my former roomie's Subaru Forester. The 2wd Kia Sportage I have though, it needs snow tires, but with chains was passable during the snow storm a few days ago leaving Monmouth.... ALbany didnt get a coating of snow on that day, so the roads were just fine.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

Yeah people are stupid, but not as stupid as oregon for not using salt.

I have a newer Honda CRV AWD with studs and I have been really surprised and happy with how well it has zoomed around the snow and ice in vancouver and portland.

from an automotive tech perspective i am really glad oregon doesnt use salt. nothing is worse than working on a rusted out POS thats only a few years old under warranty, that doesnt pay well even when its not rusty. i dread working on cars from the coast or the midwest. especially, even with wearing proper eye protection getting rust or rust dust in your eyes is very undesirable and usually means a workers comp claim to the eye doctor.

i can see where having "better" road conditions on the ice and snow could make things safer/easier but, not living in portland or a place with heavy traffic i guess i dont know what its really like to have to deal with all the BS. when it snows here it takes me the same amount of time to get where i need to go.

 

[Kruel J]

My Forester has done quite well with just Continental all weather tires.

 

[clearconscience]

I know your point, I've lived in Kentucky and had an old suv that was completely rusted out.
My wife moved here from Ohio with an old honda accord you could see the road through the floor board.

But they salt the roads for months at a time every year.

Oregon would only need it for a week or a couple days a year. We get a bad storm every 4-6 years so to me the salt damaging vehicles isn't an issue.

 

[L84Cabo]

4WD may actually mean that you're only spinning two wheels, not four. In many basic 4wd systems, power is sent to the front axle and rear axle. But without a locker, that power is usually sent to the wheel on the axle with the least amount of traction. A locker, when engaged, would distribute that power equally to both wheels on the axle. And for that matter, without a center locking differential to distribute power equally to both axles, the slipping axle may be getting more/most of the power. There are all types of 4wd systems. It's important to understand which system you have and how it works...lest you find yourself spinning your wheels in the snow.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

I know your point, I've lived in Kentucky and had an old suv that was completely rusted out.
My wife moved here from Ohio with an old honda accord you could see the road through the floor board.

But they salt the roads for months at a time every year.

Oregon would only need it for a week or a couple days a year. We get a bad storm every 4-6 years so to me the salt damaging vehicles isn't an issue.

yeah a couple of days or a week is most likely not going to hurt much especially with the undercoating a lot of people opt for.

i have worked on cars with holes in the floor, all 4 brake backing plates were gone. just straight disintegrated. the brake lines were so rusty i was surprised they withstood pressure. literally,using an impact gun to take a bolt off would cause a meteor shower of rust particles to fall off the car. i put a suburban on my hoist and just from lifting it off the ground that slight torsion of the body/frame wouldnt let me open the door and when i put the truck back on the ground a chunk of steel and paint fell off of the rear quarter panel. i was like

 

[JRuby]

Yeah people are stupid, but not as stupid as oregon for not using salt.

I have a newer Honda CRV AWD with studs and I have been really surprised and happy with how well it has zoomed around the snow and ice in vancouver and portland.

I grew up back in Michigan where they have used salt for decades. Back there you rarely see cars over 10 years old due to the salt. I do not support salt on the roads out here. They call it Michigan cancer back there.

 

[The Heretic]

4WD may actually mean that you're only spinning two wheels, not four. In many basic 4wd systems, power is sent to the front axle and rear axle. But without a locker, that power is usually sent to the wheel on the axle with the least amount of traction. A locker, when engaged, would distribute that power equally to both wheels on the axle. And for that matter, without a center locking differential to distribute power equally to both axles, the slipping axle may be getting more/most of the power. There are all types of 4wd systems. It's important to understand which system you have and how it works...lest you find yourself spinning your wheels in the snow.

This is where some AWD systems do pretty well; besides having power go front and rear, they have some smarts about side to side too.

Neither of my 4x4s have lockers and I have gotten them stuck in snow or mud - eventually I will get some lockers for them.

My X1 AWD does pretty good in snow and ice - to a point. I need studs for it and it would do better.

 

[Crohnos01]

I have driven in ice and snow as part of my job in nearly every state West of the Mississippi including Alaska in a variety of rental and personal vehicles. The absolute best I have found is my current personal vehicle, a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The computer controlled AWD with manual 4wd low makes almost unstoppable . Next best has been the Subaru vehicles... I prefer the Forrester, but the Out backs are outstanding as well.

 

[11Charlie]

Personally I think there are a lot of vehicles that can do well in snow and ice. It really comes down to good all season or studded tires and not driving like a complete dumb A$$ And knowing you limitations in the conditions.

 

[bbbass]

Regardless of tires & studs & AWD/4wd, I've always had better luck easing the car thru trouble spots or up driveways than gunning it and breaking traction. I keep having to get my truck out to pull the neighboring college kids Ford Expedition out of their driveway due to the way they spin the wheels. But hey, ya buy em books...

 

[11Charlie]

Regardless of tires & studs & AWD/4wd, I've always had better luck easing the car thru trouble spots or up driveways than gunning it and breaking traction. I keep having to get my truck out to pull the neighboring college kids Ford Expedition out of their driveway due to the way they spin the wheels. But hey, ya buy em books...

IE not driving like a dumb A$$ LOL

 

[teflon6string]

Saw on TV in a restaurant (that I got to in an Outback - the new taller one with big wheels, extra ground clearance, a full tank of gas and a shovel I keep in the back) that Portland is towing abandoned cars to the parking lot at the zoo again. So those who should not have ventured out in the first place can go retrieve their cars for free when they can't find them where gravity and inertia left them 3 days ago.

I wonder if that stationary teenager I saw in a beat up import spinning wildly with only one chain on the front is one of those. Can't decide if she's totally clueless or a desperate single mom trying to survive another day. Perhaps both. Winter weather tends to expose the helpless in our midst.

Especially all those stranded 2WD pickups with empty beds and no chains. WTF???

 

[JRuby]

I have two rules 1) go slow enough to control your vehicle 2) leave enough room between you and the vehicle in front of you
If someone wants around you let them go when there are icey snow covered roads I don't need to prove anything. I need to get to where I am going.

 

[slimmer13]

my little front drive mitsubishi lancer with studs front and back does better in the snow than my lifted f150 4x4 with 36" tires. a lot less weight to have to control. easier to stop. easier to steer. oh and 3x the fuel economy

That's because those big 36's are essentially big sleds. If you plan on driving in the snow, tires with alot less surface area is the way to go.